Book Summary: 

It’s not stealing if he’s meant to be mine.

Let me tell you how Holden Sykes operates.

As the campus playboy and one-and-done king, he doesn’t do strings.

Or repeats.

Or names, for that matter.

So when he tries making my best friend the next notch on his bedpost, I react poorly.

Some would call it jealousy or an unrequited crush,
but friends protect each other from making mistakes.

The same ones I’ve already made.

Which is why driving Holden away seems like my only option.

Too bad he’s not giving up without a fight.

Each prank leads to another until he turns this into a game far more precarious than intended.

One filled with stolen moments and heated glances,
drawing me into his orbit.

But the undeniable attraction simmering between us
leaves me caught in the crosshairs of an impossible decision.

Loyalty…or love.

Mini Review:

My heart absolutely hates CE Ricci. Her third-act breakups are devastating! She hits you with this one-two punch that is so gut-wrenching you find yourself fanning your face, fighting back tears, and whispering, “You’re not gonna cry!” The one-two punch is the fallout and then the breakup. The fallout is usually earth-shattering, happening right after the most heartfelt moment, setting you up perfectly to be crushed. But oh – she doesn’t stop there. Then she has the breakup that leaves you shattered and trembling in a corner, wondering how one person could be so cruel!

I thought I loved “Iced Out,” but then I read “Caught Stealing.” By far my favorite in the entire series (by the time I wrote this, I had already read “Fair Catch” and am not happy that I have to wait until 2025 for Theo’s story!). Each book she writes intersects with the previous one somewhere in the timeline. In “Iced Out”, when Oakley comes home to a ticked-off Holden, you discover that he and Kason had broken up and that he messed everything up. Based on what we knew about Holden, we infer that he is devastated over Kason, only to read this story and find out – no, Kason’s best friend Phoenix is the star of the show.

CE crafted this one as a bit of a loose love triangle, mainly because Kason and Holden were never officially a couple, and Holden didn’t believe in relationships. For the most part, he was taking his time with Kason, playing by Phoenix’s rules. The circus that was Phoenix and Holden’s starting off point – well, the second starting off point – was what made the entire story so good! The back and forth, the one-upping, all because of a misunderstanding, a tricky situation, and a connection Holden was determined to figure out and Phoenix was determined to avoid at all costs. Part of me felt bad for Kason the entire time, but knowing Holden’s character as well as we did from “Iced Out,” you were rooting for things to work out with Phoenix.

I found Phoenix’s personality switch so interesting when it came to Holden and Kason. One minute, Phoenix is this more passive, caring, docile individual – especially with Kason – and the next, he exudes dominant energy with Holden. It was perfect! Like “Iced Out,” this book was insanely hot and heavy and quite creative! These two did not hold back from each other, and again, the overall situation just made it that much more intense.

While I can’t say it’s my all-time favorite MM romance so far (sorry, it’s going to be really hard to top the “Him” series), it’s definitely a front-runner! There are supposed to be five books in this series, and I feel like she has been hinting at what that fifth book is going to be with the two friends that fight like a married couple. Keep reading the series and see for yourself!