Review ~ Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry

ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: August 2013

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Description:
Rock star drummer Bishop Riley just needs a few months to relax and detox before his band's next tour. But the last place he expected to do it is in Seldon, Alaska. And the last person he wants to do it with is Penny Jones.

Fiery, headstrong Penny has zero in common with the cocky, too-hot-for-his-own-good Bishop, and she'd like to keep it that way. But the more Bishop gets under her skin, the more she wants to let him in. And the more Penny lets him see, the more Bishop wants to know this stubborn girl with the killer body and soulful eyes.

The simmering heat between them won't go away, no matter how hard either of them tries. Their time together in Alaska may be running out—but so is their resolve for not taking a chance on love.

My Opinion

Out of Play was a short easy read. It followed Bishop Riley, the drummer of Burn, as he recovered from an over dose by being shipped off to Alaska. There he met Penny, a tough female hockey player who competes for the men's team. She doesn't make things easy on him and due to her past and Bishop's present the two are thrown into the position of trying to move forward with their relationship.

For a quick read this was good. I enjoyed the setting and Penny's feisty attitude. She knew what she wanted and I respected that. Saying that, I did struggle to form an emotional connection with both of the leads. They just didn't do it for me. Their romance was sweet, and I liked the banter and playfulness, but a spark was missing for me.

As for the story, it held my interest. I'm not sure I believed in every aspect, but it was enjoyable.


Overall a sweet easy read.

3

Review ~ Facade - Nyrae Dawn

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: Forever

Description:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

My Opinion

I'm torn, I wanted to like this but I just can't. On one hand it was full of the angst and drama to be expected from a new adult novel and on the other none of it felt real. It took me a week of dipping in and out of the book to finish until as it couldn't sustain my interest for long periods of time due to the angst. I did finally get to the point though today, with 40% remaining where I forced myself to finish it as I just wanted it out of the way.

My main issue is the drama and pain the characters go through. There was just too much of it and it was too heavy. The writing was intense and for me it just brought me down as there was no light among the dark. Even when Adrian and Delaney were together there was always the secrets that the reader knows bringing the atmosphere down. I just couldn't keep reading for long periods of time as it was depressing.

As well as this the use of swearing was excessive. I have nothing against it when used to emphasise a point but Adrian swore almost every sentence. I think there were like 6 on the first page (and that's reading on an iPod). It just lost all meaning for me and rather than emphasise anything it just became irritating. I get he was meant to be this tortured guy who was trying to drink and smoke away his problems but for me it lacked believablity with the use of language and attitude - especially with Delaney introduced and wanting to fix everything. That really didn't seem realistic.

There were a few good moments between Delaney and Adrian where their pasts were forgotten in the moment and these were enjoyable to read. I also didn't see the twist at the end coming. That was a big shock to read. However these moments were few and far between, going right back to troubled characters straight away and leaving me thinking "here we go again."

The writing was mostly well done. It does need another edit but hopefully these will have been picked up before publication as I'm reading an ARC. There are some sections that don't flow as well and are a bit monotonous, leaving you feeling like you are reading the same section over and over again but I enjoyed the dual points of view, with the chapters split between Adrian and Delaney.

Overall, for me this book was a struggle to get through as it was just so down beat. Even with a silver lining it did nothing to make me feel happy, relieved or anything for the characters. For me there needed to be some light in the middle of the book to keep my interest as I hate reading sad thing. For that reason I probably wouldn't buy it as I don't understand paying to be made to feeling crappy. If you like contemporary book it may be for you but for me - well I need to go for a run now to pick my spirits back up!