Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

5 STARS | What Endures by Katie Lee

Title: What Endures
Author: Katie Lee
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Publisher: Katie Lee
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00E7JO69G
Published: July 28th, 2013
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★★






Jason Kincaid is young, hot and successful.

An All-Star outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, he finally had everything he ever wanted, including a second chance with his high school sweetheart, Megan Williams.

But their hopes for a ‘happily-ever-after’ are dashed by tragedy.

A horrific car accident wipes out most of Jason's memories. Unable to recall anything from the last fifteen years of his life, Jason is suddenly adrift, his once charmed life now in ruins.

Megan finds herself in the untenable position of having to deal with the fact that the man she’s helping to rebuild his life may look, and even act, like her beloved fiancé, but in reality, isn’t any longer.

Trying to protect herself, as well as Jason, Megan fights the attraction between them. . .to no avail. As their potent connection inevitably draws them closer, Megan wonders,

With the memories of their relationship gone, can love endure?
Stories like What Endures are always kind of heartbreaking, but in What Endures there is a ray of hope that Jason will be able to remember Megan. Emotionally charged stories have always been my favorite, especially when I'm drawn into the story and am able to really feel the emotions of the characters. And What Endures does exactly that. I really enjoyed this book very much!

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Katie Lee has had a lifelong love affair with books. She fell in love with her first book in the second grade and hasn’t looked back since. She first took up writing as a hobby, wanting to craft her own magical adventures, and through the love and encouragement of family and friends, decided to get serious about writing and share her stories with the world.

She currently resides in Maryland in the United States. She works for the government during the day, and her spare time is devoted to writing. She gains inspiration from all sorts of things, but mostly from the fun and adventurous trips she takes when she can.

She loves hearing from her readers so drop her a note! She can be found in the following places (when not writing or curled up in bed with a good book!)


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

4 STARS | Carry Your Heart by Audrey Bell

Title: Carry Your Heart
Series: After Forever #1
Author: Audrey Bell
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Romance, Sports, Contemporary
Publisher: Audrey Bell
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00CMYSI7O
Published: May 3rd, 2013
Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★






Champion skier Pippa Baker lost everything in the avalanche: her boyfriend, his best friend, and her will to win. After a year of grief, she returns to competition.

She finds more than buried memories and steep slopes in Utah. She finds Hunter Dawson, a heartbreaking daredevil with the gold medals to prove it. And she finds that his reputation doesn’t stop her from falling hard, and that her heart might not be as broken as she once believed.

But, Hunter has scars and memories too—scars that make him believe falling in love might hurt too much, scars that make him run.

Pippa knows how much love hurts when it’s gone. Will she stop herself before she’s in too deep? Or will she let herself fall?
Carry Your Heart was a highly enjoyable read! I really liked the winter sports element in this book. I don't read very many books with a sports angle, but this one was very well written. I loved the main characters, Pippa and Hunter. Both have pasts that weigh heavily on them and have to find the strength to overcome them if they want a chance to be able to open up to someone else. These are the kinds of stories that I really enjoy, when the main characters have a seemingly impossible summit to crest to be able to open themselves up to loving another. These are always the really beautiful stories, and Carry Your Heart fits this perfectly.

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Audrey Bell lives in New York City, where she indulges her SoulCycle addiction and expresses her passionate hatred of the 6 Train. You can find her reading in Central Park, overcaffeinating at Starbucks, or trying to kidnap her neighbors’ Maltese puppy. She loves hearing from readers. Check out her blog at audreybellbooks.blogspot.com.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

5 STARS | Shallow by Georgia Cates

Title: Shallow
Series: Going Under #2
Author: Georgia Cates
Age Group: Young Adult, New Adult
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Publisher: Georgia Cates Books, LLC
Format: PDF
ASIN: B009FC6242
Published: September 21st, 2012
Source: Georgia Cates
Events: Book Tour
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Series Reviews: Going Under
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback




Payton Archer's best friend, Claire, strives to be perfect in every way. Payton doesn't and this is her story.

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even faster. He blows through females quicker than his muscle car races down the "The Strip" in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down...fast cars, adrenaline and one night stands. To his absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes aren't what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her. Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?
It is two weeks after their high school graduation, and what was supposed to be a summer of fun in the sun became three months of a love neither of them will ever forget.

Nick Hawke is known for his way with the ladies and his skills as a street racer. Never wanting to feel the pain his father felt when his mother left, Nick isn't looking for forever. Wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, Nick wants to become a police officer. Payton Archer wants the kind of love her best friend, Claire has with her boyfriend, Jessie. The kind of love that lasts forever. But after a recent breakup, Payton is reluctant to open her heart to someone again.

I thought that the title of this book really described the kind of love Nick and Payton have experienced up to their meeting. They've both been in the shallow end of love. The only difference is in how they dealt with that shallowness. Nick stays commitment free hopping from on girl to the next. Payton has built a wall around her heart and waits for the one who can break it down. But Nick's way can have life-changing consequences.

Like in Going Under, Shallow addresses real life issues. This time it's unplanned pregnancy and the consequences of unsafe sex. Although Nick uses protection each time he has sex with a girl, there's still a chance of pregnancy, no matter how small. And it doesn't help that Nick has been with so many girls that he can't even remember them all.

Not only does Shallow tell Nick and Payton's story, it also continues Jessie and Claire's. We also meet Nick's sister, Dallas, who starts seeing Dane. If there is another book in this series, I hope it's their story. It seems like the natural progression of the series to me.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

I am a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse. I have recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to my list of things to keep be busy, but I am ecstatic to release my debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, I am easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When I am not tied up with my family or delivering babies, I am working feverishly on the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

4.5 STARS | Going Under by Georgia Cates

Title: Going Under
Series: Going Under #1
Author: Georgia Cates
Age Group: Young Adult, New Adult
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Publisher: Georgia Cates Books, LLC
Format: PDF
ASIN: B007J7FTZI
Published: March 10th, 2012
Source: Georgia Cates
Events: Book Tour
Rating: 4.5/5 STARS
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback




Jessie Boone is a self proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum, but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life and his determination to leave it behind is fierce. When he finds himself transferred to East Franklin High School, he sees his opportunity to use his athletic ability to snag a college football scholarship, but Forbes Henderson, the player Jessie means to replace isn’t giving up his spot willingly. In fact, Forbes is willing to go to extreme measures to retain his place as first string quarterback. When Forbes’ malicious plan to injure his replacement fails, Jessie is furious and determined to show him he messed with the wrong person; not only is he going to take the position of first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.

Claire Deveraux is perfection at it’s best. She is beautiful, intelligent and unaware she just became Jessie Boone’s conquest as revenge against her boyfriend, Forbes Henderson. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jessie Boone, and she fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises to rock her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jessie, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jessie learn the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?
What starts as a means for revenge becomes the beginning of an undeniable love.

Jessie is a bad boy from the wrong side of town, but he has a rare natural talent that makes him a sought-after quarterback. Being the son of a drug dealing mother and almost killed in a drug deal gone wrong, he has dreams of becoming a prosecuting attorney. Claire is a good girl who isn't as perfect as she pretends to be. Having been adopted as a recovering heroine addicted baby, Claire hopes to become a social worker so others can have the same opportunity she was given.

Jessie and Claire had very different upbringings, but they both come from the same place; Jessie's mother was a drug dealer and Claire's birth mother was a drug addict. The fact that Jessie and Claire want to work against drugs, each in their own way, was one of the things I liked most about both of them. They're not letting their dark beginnings rule their lives or take them down the same path as their mothers.

From reading the book's summary you would think that Going Under was about Jessie's revenge against Forbes Henderson for trying to ruin his chances at a football scholarship by using Claire, Forbes' girlfriend. But that was eclipsed by the back-and-forth between Jessie and Claire, that ends up being so much more, and the real life issues of the distribution and use of drugs and the consequences thereof.

A character I really liked besides our couple was Claire's BFF, Payton. She's the kind of best friend I wish I had. After seeing Jessie and Claire together, Payton wants that kind of love herself. The sequel to Going Under is Payton's story. I can't wait to read Shallow to see if she's able to find the love she wants.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

I am a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse. I have recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to my list of things to keep be busy, but I am ecstatic to release my debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, I am easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When I am not tied up with my family or delivering babies, I am working feverishly on the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.