I’m over at Dear Author with a review of The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith. I don’t read all that much YA and I had mixed feelings about this one. There is some simply beautiful writing however – click the link to see my thoughts.
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I’m over at AudioGals with a review of How To Tame a Wild Fireman by Jennifer Bernard, narrated by Hilary Huber. While it wasn’t my favourite, I think it’d make a pretty good beach/holiday listen.
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) NHL player Tim Hollander lost his temper one time and threw a water bottle at an abusive fan. After “Bottlegate,” he’s traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he’ll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.
Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who’s never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim’s autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.
Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can’t get her to see beyond what’s on the surface, they’ll never last longer than a single season…
What worked for me (and what didn’t): As an Australian, I have only a rudimentary knowledge of ice hockey. I have a better idea after reading this book but I still don’t really know what a “line” is. For what it’s worth (and I realise, it can’t be much) the hockey information in the book sounded authentic and, for the most part, it was delivered in a way that didn’t feel too didactic. The Ice Hockey for Dummies thing was a nice touch.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit – it was really only toward the end where things lost their lustre just a little for me. I’m not sure if it was because maybe the book felt a little too long, or whether it was the conflict kind of fizzling out there for a while. Or maybe I would have liked more time for the conflict to resolve – it felt a little quick to me. I liked On the Surface very much – Tim is really sweet guy – not perfect – but he falls for Erin really quickly and I liked watching him navigate those waters.
I’m over at AudioGals today with a review of Single by Saturday by Catherine Bybee, narrated by Tanya Eby. A modern marriage of convenience tale – with a twist.
Why I read it: I received a copy from the author.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl. Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): The first book in this series, Lick, made my Favourites of 2013 list and not just because I had a “cameo” as a slutty (in the sex-positive way of course) groupie in it either. I think I liked Play a little better than Lick even though I ended up at the same grade. There was really only one thing that gave me pause in Play – and actually, I fully expect to see it worked out in future books of the series.
I’m over at Dear Author today with a review of Heidi Cullinan’s newest release, Tough Love. This book took me pretty far out of my comfort zone. Click the link to see my thoughts.
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