Out of Play

5 Crowd Screaming Stars!

Okay, so maybe Bishop wouldn’t appreciate the mention of crowds, especially screaming ones, but Penny sure thrives on that and the ice under her skates. In Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry’s Out of Play we meet Bishop Riley, drummer and youngest member of Burn, and Penny Jones, the only girl hockey player on the all guy’s team at her high school. These two couldn’t be more opposite in all aspects except for one; the need for an adrenaline-inducing rush. But even the way these two seek that out is different.

Bishop is stranded to Alaska from his home in Los Angeles after he wakes up in the hospital from overdosing on pills. But he doesn’t have a drug problem, he only has anxiety and overwhelming panic just thinking about a large group of people and the pills help take that feeling away. The overdose was a one time thing, not going to happen again. But the look on his mom’s face tells him he hurt her and he needs to fix that, so he agrees to the two month “sentence” in Alaska. If he doesn’t get his act together or make everyone believe he is fine, he won’t be allowed back in the band.

Penny has spent her whole life in Seldon, Alaska and never wants to leave. She is tough as nails, loves playing hockey, snowmachining, and holding her own in any situation. Nobody except for her best friend, Mitch, knows about the trouble she has at home with her Gramps having slight Dementia, her mom always working to bring in extra money, and her need to keep everyone around her safe. Being her senior year in high school, her team is so close to making it to state championships that she is desperate to win and her mom wants her to make a decision about college (preferably exploring the world and going out of state), but then all of her decisions about life seem insignificant compared to the feelings that stir in her when she meets the guy that is staying in one of the cabins her family rents out.

Penny may be “one of the boys”, but her looks definitely say she is all female which Bishop notices right away. And, God, is Bishop sexy as sin and Penny has never been so attracted to a guy before. Especially one that can keep up with her in all aspects of her life, admires that she plays hockey, and likes her smart mouth. As Penny and Bishop grow closer, secrets start to surface, feelings grow stronger, and then there is no stopping the freight train that is their desire and need for each other. That is, until betrayal and revelations slam that train into a brick wall, derailing everything they had. Can these two survive the earth-shattering heartbreak?

I was floored with the writing of Nyrae and Jolene. They have each written a character that compliments the other, but they didn’t stop there. I felt a part of the story, of their relationship, of their problems, or their desires, and their hope for the future. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing this story is from beginning to end. You’ll just have to read it yourself.

(I received an ARC for my review and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review!)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Play-Entangled-Teen-Jolene-Perry/dp/1622660102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377452666&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+play

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-play-nyrae-dawn/1116735000?ean=9781622660100

Kiss the Bride

4 Crazy Bridesmaid Stars!

Synopsis provided by Goodreads:

Herman Edward Heckley knows all about drywall, concrete, and nail guns. So what's he doing fighting off taffeta in a bridal salon? He's maid of honor for his best friend, Caroline Oakenfeld, in her wedding to a pencil-necked geek. But the closer he gets to the ceremony, the more he wonders if he's been missing out all this time. Caroline has been missing out, and she knows it. Shes been in love with Heck forever, but frittering her life away until Heck wises up isn't part of her life plan. She's agreed to marry her boyfriend so she can move on with her life. But the closer she gets to the ceremony, the more she realizes she has to resolve her feelings for Heck. For better or for worse.

As far as Novellas go, Kiss the Bride by Jody Wallace is just right. Just the right amount of back story to get to know the characters, just the right amount of drama to keep you sucked in, and just the right amount of miscommunication to keep you wondering what will happen next.

After being best friends for 34 years, you would think that Heck and Caroline would be on the same wave length of thought, and they are, for the most part, except for the important things like the l-word. Their interactions and responses to each other when their conversations get close to their true feelings were hilarious, frustrating, and definitely not what I expected; I loved every minute of it.

Jody writes Heck as a true man’s man that doesn’t really have a clue about women or recognizing what is in his heart. He is a very logical and rational thinker. While Caroline is the caring woman who will sacrifice her happiness to make sure others stay happy and don’t have to face anything they don’t want to. Their relationship is one-of-a-kind that no one understands except for them….or maybe everyone else gets it and they don’t.

But even though Heck and Caroline define the main story, the various other characters are incredibly memorable from their snide comments to their outrageous actions; each one has their own personality that you don’t usually get from a novella.

Kiss the Bride is a novella that I would love to read as a novel with more from the wonderful characters of this book :D

(I received an ARC for my review and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review!)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Bride-Entangled-After-ebook/dp/B00DTDGJ3C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1377137054&sr=8-7&keywords=kiss+the+bride

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kiss-the-bride-jody-wallace/1115947178?ean=9781622662203

Play Me

4.5 Game Winning Stars!

And chalk another one up to Diane Alberts for Play Me. Third in the Take a Chance series, I loved this one just as much as the other two. Not only are her covers wonderfully scrumptious, but the stories behind the covers are just as tantalizing.

In Play Me, Kiersten is having herself a little pity party on the day she is supposed to be walking down the aisle, realizing she never should have opened herself up to a man and have her heart shattered. She doesn’t want to make that mistake again, but she also has needs she wants to see to for just one night. Enter Garrett, Kiersten’s life-long friend and son’s basketball coach. Garrett has always loved Kiersten, but remained in the ‘friend zone’ until she proposes they have their one night of fun. Garrett is all for that one night, but he wants more than that. He wants to be able to love her freely. But that one night happens, it was wonderful, and Garrett can’t bring himself to go back to the way things were which is exactly what Kiersten wants. Unfortunately for them, neither of them get what they want when Kiersten finds out that she’s pregnant from their one-night stand.

Kiersten wants to raise this child as a single parent with help from Garrett, if he wants to be a present father, but what she doesn’t expect is Garrett wanting to move in and have everything to do with his child. Finally agreeing to this ridiculous idea, Kiersten fears that Garrett will continue to break down her walls and capture her heart, which would lead to another heart break. Garrett only wants the chance to prove that he is the one and only man Kiersten can and will only ever need, but can these two live together before they push each other too far in the wrong direction?

Kiersten is a strong, independent, and extremely stubborn woman who has been wronged one too many times and Garrett is the man who has to face that wrath. Garrett is also the man determined to pick up the pieces of what she has lost and be what holds it all together. I fell in love with these two and both of their stubborn ways. Play Me was a book I didn’t put down until the end.

(I received an ARC for my review and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review!)

*The Take a Chance series can be read individually or continuously, but I recommend the latter :D*

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Play-Chance-Entangled-After-ebook/dp/B00DTDH8X2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376865839&sr=8-1&keywords=play+me

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/play-me-diane-alberts/1115947180?ean=9781622661923

Seduction in Silver

4.5 Flash Mob Stars!

It was hard for me to not love the characters of Nina and Eduardo in Natalie Anderson’s Seduction in Silver. Coming from two extremely different places in life, Nina and Eduardo’s paths cross every day for two weeks for just a split second; Nina on her way to the tube to work and Eduardo into a town car to see a patient. Until one day when Eduardo decides to do something different; he takes the tube, the same one Nina takes and the one that just happens to get stuck that day. Enter Flash Mob and their worlds are thrown together in a matter of minutes.

Nina has always been hyperaware of Eduardo and his seemingly uncaring appearance as he waits on the sidewalk for his car to pick him up, but what she doesn’t realize is the guy she has been fantasizing about has been silently watching her wondering it would be like to be as happy as she is.

Nina is incredibly self conscious after her ex-fiancé proved to her that she wasn’t worth his time or undivided attention and she could never see a man like Eduardo wanting anything to do with her. Eduardo is drowned in the grief side of his job and he refuses to let anyone in and be taken down with him. Nina and Eduardo’s circumstances on the tube change their lives forever when they decide to help each other out for one night. But can they get enough of each other after one night? Or will their rules change before the night is over?

Natalie’s use of voice for both Nina and Eduardo is brilliant, grasping each character’s personality and what would be going through their minds. Most females can relate to Nina on some level which creates an instant connection that some books lack. Eduardo is the idealized man that women have naughty thoughts about and small hopes that those thoughts will come true. This is a short and sweet Novella that you won’t put down until you finish it!

(I received an ARC for my review and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review!)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Silver-Entangled-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B00DTDH94U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376864213&sr=8-1&keywords=seduction+in+silver

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seduction-in-silver-natalie-anderson/1115947182?ean=9781622662302

Love, Technically

5 GB Stars!!!

I cannot even imagine how to properly put into words how much I loved Lynne Silver's Love, Technically. It was refreshing, heartfelt, and full of all the good qualities of a love story. But not just any love story. The love story of a geeky computer guy, well, an extremely wealthy CEO geeky computer guy, and a small town Iowan girl who just wants to make it in the Big City. After landing a job at LiteWave technologies, Michelle has a run in with the extremely handsome Noah Frellish, CEO of LiteWave. However, she has no idea who he is and sees him in a way no one else does; a man instead of a bank account. Noah doesn’t want to lose that connection and makes the decision not to tell her who he is. As they continue to spend more and more time together, they realize how easy, fun, and wonderful it is to be with each other and neither of them have felt this way about anyone else before. However, due to miscommunication, their perfect relationship soon turns to a pile of rubble at their feet along with their hearts. Will they be able to get things back together? Do they even want to?

You don’t usually read books in which the handsome leading man is classified as a “nerd”, but I’m glad Noah is because he has become one of my favorite characters. Not caring about how much money he has or being the famous CEO, he cares about people and doing what he loves. His desire and admiration for Michelle makes me jealous while seeing Michelle’s natural reaction to Noah, wanting to take care of him, being strong and honest, I adore Michelle. This was another book I couldn’t put down, but more importantly, it was a book I read again as soon as I finished it. Absolutely Amazing!

(I received an ARC for my review, and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review!)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Technically-Entangled-After-ebook/dp/B00DTDGJ64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375978115&sr=8-1&keywords=love%2C+technically

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-technically-lynne-silver/1115947179?ean=9781622662210

The Wedding Gamble

5 Vegas Lights Stars!!

I was completely won over by Cindi Myers’ The Wedding Gamble. There are multiple tales of last second Vegas nuptials to complete strangers, but I have never read one quite like this. It was a story I HAD to read in one sitting to find out what happened.

Laura Nichols is “having the time of her life!” in Vegas for her little sister’s bachelorette party. No wait, that’s not right. She isn’t even close to having the kind of Vegas fun that Vegas always promises. That is, until she stumbles upon David Abruzzo who asks her for a favor. It isn’t until the morning after that she realizes that favor was marriage. David Abruzzo is undercover….well, at least he was, but then two heavy hitters for the Zacolli crime family find David’s sudden appearance in Vegas to be highly suspicious. Of course, David was there to get married…without a bride. Laura and David find themselves in a life or death situation in which them playing their parts of happy-in-love newlyweds is absolutely crucial. But when does it turn from acting into the real thing?

Laura was a character that I simply loved and connected with. She was the good girl, who always did the right thing, completely selfless and willing to help any and everyone she came in contact with. But Laura needed a little wild in her life and that is exactly what she got with David.

David had me hook-line-and-sinker right from the beginning. It really isn’t fair to other men who may be compared to him. He is the good guy, on the right side of the law, but has a certain badass-ness about him that makes him devilishly charming.

Cindi’s writing is one-of-a-kind that had me riveted the entire time. I loved the humor, the danger, the romance, and the heat that steams off the pages.

A must read for those who like romance and thrill or who just like a really good book J

(I received an ARC for my review and this is my honest-to-goodness, straight from the heart review.)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Gamble-Entangled-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B00DFFNEBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375756775&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wedding+gamble

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wedding-gamble-cindi-myers/1115688180?ean=9781622661725