Title: A Harmless Little Game
Title: A Harmless Little Ruse
Title: A Harmless Little Plan
Series: Harmless
Author: Meli Raine
Release Dates: Oct 18 2016, Nov 18 2016, Dec 13 2016
Christine’s Review
Book 1 had a great set up for the series. There is a lot that Lindsay doesn’t know but she had been forced to stay on the island for so long that her truth was everything that she thought that she saw on the video. Drew intends to be everything that he couldn’t be on that night for Lindsay. He is going to protectect her whether she thinks she needs it or not. They realize quickly that John, Stellan and Blaine are quickly catching up to them. And can Lindsay fall for Drew again after eveything that has happened.
Book 2 picks up with Drew feeling used and Lindsay out to protect herself and Drew. More truth comes out about that night and even more questions. Drew manages to show more emotion than he has in a long time and in turn gets fired for it. Leaving Lindsay in trouble because no one can protect her like he can.
Book 3 makes the mystery even deeper. We find out there is a lot more to this attack than they thought possible. But even though there were a lot of answers in book 3 I found I had even more questions. Like why did the 3 girls do what they did. They didn’t seem to have anything to gain out of it. Did Drew and Mark’s parents have any connection to these events. And though I liked how the book ended I also felt cheated in a way because I wanted Lindsay to stand up to her mother more.
My Rating: 
Lulu’s Review
BOOK 1 – There were so many moments in this that had me shaking with anger and frustration at the people affecting her life. Drew was one right from the start I knew had more to reveal. So glad the author gave us snippets of what happened to her as if it was revealed all in the one go I probably may have put it down as it is truly horrific what she went through and then to be locked up by her own family. I have so many questions, someome is pulling some major strings in her parents lives. Now her father I have softened to but her mother – god give me strength as the woman is pure evilness in my mind.
BOOK 2 – I have so many more questions but characters have started alert me to the alterior motives and then the major OMG moment at the end with Linday and then all the revelations about Drew come to light and my heart breaks all over again. This was very fast paced this whole book, kept turning and twisting. I was shaking at the end. I have thoughts on characters and am looking forward to answers.
BOOK 3 – I actually really liked this final part of the story, I admit I was slightly frustrated by the time we got to Tiffany’s role (which I did not overly like but then to play such a major piece to this puzzle being finally put to bed – outstanding manipulation of the character and her place in the puzzle). I was honestly thinking “for the love of god” someone give Drew and Lindsay a heads up and a break but then all hell lets loose and their saviour is in the form of a blond bimbo porn star next door neighbour – just classic after all the angst and darkness the comedic of her role I can now understand! I was glued to the pages when Lindsay was in hospital fighting her way back from the darkness – could not put this down. What Lindsay goes through 4 years ago and then more traumatic events in book 3 just broke my heart and had me shaking in fear for her. Drew was my knight in shining amount and I loved her Dad’s final say in this story – beautiful and loving.
On a side note a character that stepped up to the plate big time and who was a champion was Silas. I was wrong with her mother – she is just a bitch however I was right on other characters not being 100% honest. This was a refreshing series and with the political backdrop I found a great change to my normal romance genre.
Vicki’s Review
WOW! A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME is a book that grabbed me right from the very first page and did not let me go. I know a book is good when I’m up until 1am reading. Since this is the first book in the Harmless trilogy that focuses on Lindsay and her desire for revenge, I can’t say much, so this will be a fairly short review. What Lindsay went through four years ago was horrific. What’s worse is that the men involved got away with it. If that doesn’t fire up your anger, I don’t know what will. I really felt for her and I admired the strength and courage she displayed to stand up for herself. I also liked Drew, who is a very quiet and controlled man. I have a feeling that when his control slips, the fallout will be huge and it’s going to be a sight to behold. I absolutely hated her parents, especially her mother. Honestly, if it turns out that she had something to do with what happened to her daughter, I would not be surprised at all. The scene where Lindsay stood up to her mother was awesome and I was so cheering her on.
A HARMLESS LITTLE RUSE continues on from A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME, however in this part of the trilogy we are seeing the story from Drew’s POV. Again, this review will be kind of vague because I can’t say anything without giving away spoilers. At the end of book 1, Drew and Lindsay rekindled their relationship and appeared to be on the same page. But in the beginning of this book, Lindsay does something that has him questioning her feelings and intentions. While she spent most of the first book questioning whether she could trust him, now it’s his turn to question whether he can trust her. They spend this book trying to heal old wounds while Drew works on his revenge plans against those who hurt them, but they always seem to be one step ahead of him, as proven by the cliffhanger we are left with. I’m still not a fan of her parents, who seem to care more about the election than their only child, and I still don’t know who is friend or foe. We learn more about what happened that night four years ago, and I honestly didn’t think I could hate those three monsters more, but I was wrong. Despite the new information, all the questions I had from the first book remain unanswered, and I truly hope they will be answered in the next book. This was another quick read that easily held my attention.
After loving and quickly devouring the first two books in the Harmless trilogy, I’m sad to say that I found A HARMLESS LITTLE PLAN to be a little disappointing. Why? Because despite the happy-for-now ending, I felt there was no real closure in this story. There are a lot of loose threads and unanswered questions, and I am not a fan of either of those things. The first 50% of the book is where all the excitement lies. After that, the book slows down a lot as we watch Lindsay and Drew heal from their ordeal. I liked both Drew and Lindsay and was very glad to see them get their revenge and happy ending. I was hoping to find just one redeeming quality in Lindsay’s mother, but by the end of this book I hated her as much as I did in the beginning of the series. Throughout the series, I’ve alternated between liking and hating her father, and in the end I found him gutless. He does love his daughter, but I think he loves his career more and will put it before her. There is no epilogue, but it comes with a HFN ending. Honestly, if all the loose threads had been taken care of, if nothing was left unresolved, this would have been a 5❤️ read for sure.