The Reunion Game by Jan Scarbrough

There are always ‘ones’ we can’t forget, even dream about. Our first time. The one that got away. The best we ever had. The handsome, successful one who could always make you melt. NOW image if a guy was ALL of those and he was coming back for the class reunion… In that case, you might just try for The Reunion Game too.

Thirty-three-year-old Jane Smith's biological clock is ticking. But pickings are slim in Legend, Tennessee, until the fifteen year high school reunion gives Jane a second chance. Graham Winchester will be back in town.
In high school, Jane's shyness has stopped her from taking action. Now she's older, wiser and no longer afraid. Graham has moved to the big city and won't stick around after the reunion. He's a confirmed bachelor and happily-ever-after is not in his makeup. Yet, Jane must exorcise the demon Graham has become so she can get on with her life.
Switching places with her glamorous twin sister is just what she needs to get Mr. Most Likely to Succeed into bed and out of her heart.

The Smith girls may be beautiful twin girls, but Jane has always lived in her sister’s shadow. Dawn was outgoing and popular, while Jane was shy but smart. Dawn may have dated Graham first, but after dumping him for someone else, Jane spent graduation night with him (and gave him her virginity). After teaching high school English for years, she opened the local book store last year. Though not the movie star Dawn had become, she likes her life well enough. The big problem is that she has never gotten over Graham. Not even to have had sex with anyone else. Now the fifteen year reunion is here and everyone has come back to little Legend, TN. She is tired of this (dating/sex) part of her live being on hold and hopes to prove once and for all that Graham can’t be as good as she remembers.

Graham Winchester had left little town life behind as soon as he graduated high school. A lawyer in New York City until recently, he became disillusioned and quit after not making partner in his firm. He has burned out on the big city life but doesn’t know what or where he does want to go. He is somewhat at loose ends trying to break his writer’s block after the massive success of his first novel. The reunion not only points out how false much of his life is, but reminds him of what he is missing. Graham not only remembers Jane from high school (they were on yearbook committee together), but also that they were childhood friends growing up.

Jane is determined to seduce Graham, yet is too unsure of herself to try. So she convinces Dawn to trade places with her as they did as children and yes, Dawn knows Jane is going after Graham in this guise. Unknown to Jane, Graham catches on to the switch right from the start (from a scar she has). He doesn’t get why she switched and thinks it is more ‘female tricks,’ which just makes him mad.

Graham finds himself drawn to Jane, who he has always liked but now is attracted to as well. She helps him overcome his writer’s block but manages to seduce him as well. The big question is what happens now? Is Jane going to be able to move forward? And where will Graham go from here, especially now that Jane has caught his attention?

Is The Reunion Game a second chance at love story when only one of the characters was in love the first time (and they were not even dating)? And the blurb talks about Jane’s biological clock ticking, but this story has nothing to do with her looking for a baby, so does that count? I’m not quit sure how to classify The Reunion Game other than a good, quick read, but I would say there is some of starting over, re-inventing yourself (second career for both Jane and Graham).

The Reunion Game hits close to home for me in some areas; I can so relate to some of Jane’s issues. Having lived with the popular sister getting all the attention at school (even had a guy at school ask me out once just to get close to mine!) is no easy thing. Luckily we never liked the same kind of guys! While I have a hard time with Jane all but pining over a guy who has been gone for fifteen years, at least she didn’t settle for someone she didn’t care about. The switching with her sister is not a good thing, but it is really hard when you believe the guy you fancy doesn’t ‘see’ you. I may not agree with her methods, but I feel her pain. Graham has been living in the big city too long if he is going to have his head so wrapped up in himself all the time. It takes him way too long to actually see that Jane isn’t out the get him or hurt him. Not that he is a bad guy, just selfish (like I said, too big city influenced). His character could have used a little more depth; it feels like Jane falls for the old Graham and doesn’t really know who he is now, that would worry me. But I liked that he noticed that she was Jane right off, and that he liked Jane as a person, not just attracted to her.

The Reunion Game is the fourth in the Ladies of Legend Anthology. Of course, this is a stand alone story like the others. This time we get to meet a lot more secondary characters, all new ones too. The authors have done such a vivid job one can almost see this town when reading the stories, and The Reunion Game adds surrounding scenery as well. I really like and recommend this series; the stories are sweet as well as spicy and I hope to get to review more in the future for you.