PLAYING HURT
Author: Holly Schindler
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Flux (March 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0738722871
ISBN-13: 978-0738722870

SUMMARY:

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

That summer, Chelsea’s dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and “boot camp” trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint’s haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?

MY THOUGHTS:

After hearing so many wonderful reviews on this book, I just knew I had to give it a try!  I am a sucker for sweet and romantic young adult books with a great balance of angst!

I was a little wary of the theme being focused on sports since I am not into that scene now or when I was in high school.  I wasn’t the jock type in school and I certainly was not a fan of anything that included running!  Yet, I found that the author made sure to balance out the obsession of sports with the teen angst that Chelsea suffers through as well.  If you are not a sports fanatic, you can easily adapt this story to something else in your life.  For me, it was book blogging.  What if that was suddenly taken away from me and I had no access to books or sharing the love of literature with anymore?  I would freak out and fall into a depression! Well, maybe not that extreme, but it would have been devastating like it was for Chelsea.

Clint lost his girlfriend to an automobile accident and he is not in a hurry to give his heart to anyone again.  He doesn’t want to be put in that situation of losing someone else again. When Clint and Chelsea first meet, there is attraction, but both of them are not ready to jump into a relationship, especially since Chelsea has a boyfriend back home.  This furthered the reading experience by creating a love triangle on top of the other plot.

I really liked how this book included the struggles that can be such a focus in teen lives.  I liked the authors writing and the feel of the book.  Each character had struggles to overcome and the author made it feel believable.  If I was disappointed at anything, it would have to be that the story ended too soon! I wanted more of the story.  Of course, when you read a good book, we always want more! 

A great read that teaches you that you can overcome the obstacles in life that seem like the end of the world, but actually are little gifts in disguise!

MY RATING:

HERE LIES BRIDGET
Author: Paige Harbison
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (January 18, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373210280
ISBN-13: 978-0373210282

SUMMARY:


Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she’s wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she’s inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget’s about to learn that, sometimes, saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough….

MY THOUGHTS:

This book reminded me a lot of the movie Mean Girls.  We have Bridget who is the leader of her pack and one of the most popular girls in school.  She has the attitude of a witch and she is not afraid to speak her mind.  Amongst all her verbal abuse towards her friends and such, Bridget actually thinks she is being a great friend and helping them understand their faults.  I couldn’t stand her attitude and didn’t approve of the way she treated people.  I hated the fact that she would treat people the way she did and think it was perfectly okay.

When newcomer Ann Judge arrives at school, Bridget finds herself pushed out of the spotlight and not liking it one bit.  Anna on the other hand, was sweet and friendly, and deserved to be friends with the people in school.  When Bridget has a horrible day at school from telling one too many lies, she is upset and decides to run her car off the road.  At the last minute though, Bridget changes her mind about it, but it is too late.  Instead of going to Heaven or Hell, Bridget finds herself in a boardroom and faced with people she has wronged in life.  Anna is the head judge of the group.  Anna basically tells Bridget that she has to walk in these peoples shoes for a bit and see what her lies and attitude has done to them.  What Bridget discovers is in their lives is enough to make her rethink her actions.  When all is said and done, Anna gets to decide Bridget’s fate.

I loved this book.  At first I had no interest really in reading it, but the publisher insisted that I would love it.  I bow to her knowledge and am thankful I had the chance to read it.  While it is not one of the best books out there, only because it is a story that has been done time and again, the writing was great and made me feel like I was there with Bridget every step of the way.  While I couldn’t stand her most of the time,  I found myself understanding her better by the end of the book.

If you are looking for a cute and fast read to get you out of a reading slump, or even if you just want a fun read for now,  Here Lies Bridget is a new book you should add to your list.  I loved the authors take on the subject and she has captured a new fan of her writing!

MY RATING:

DEMONS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND
Author: Linda Wisdom
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402254393
ISBN-13: 978-1402254390

SUMMARY:

Feisty witch Maggie enjoys her work as a paranormal law enforcement officer—that is, until she’s assigned to protect a teenager with major attitude and a sleazy boyfriend. A group of satanic Mayans priests has decided Courtney has a drop of divine blood in her—making her just the virgin sacrifice they need to release their God and rule the world.

To prevent this catastrophe, Maggie must team up with half fire demon Declan, the proprietor of Damnation Alley, an underground club and busy demon portal. Declan will be damned if he’ll allow his demon race to be blamed for the malicious acts of some evil Mayans. So he decides to seduce the sexy witch in an effort to discover what the law enforcement agency knows about the Mayan’s plans, but then things get more than a little hot, and Declan finds himself seriously entangled with the sexiest woman he’s ever met…

MY THOUGHTS:

This is my first book I have read by this author.  I was excited to start this one since everyone raves about her writing and characters that she can come up with. 


As I started reading the book, I was sucked into the realm of demons, witches, fairies and other supernatural creatures.  I was excited to read about a heroine that not only kicks butt, but has a personality of humor and sensitivity as well.  I liked the character of Maggie.  She could kick butt with the other creatures and embraced her witch abilities to full force.  She could douse you with water with the flick of her wrist and turn you into your worst animal nightmare with a thought.  Declan, a demon with a secret, was also kick butt and had a temper to match his powers.  He was a fire demon that could light up a room faster than a gas drenched building made of old wood.  You could sense his moods with the simple feeling of the room temperature. 


While I found the two to have some great chemistry and the plot was fun, the book was not as great as I expected.  The romance so too quick and far apart with not much romance to keep it exciting.  The characters were quirky, but at times there were too many to care about.  I wanted the book to focus more on the main characters instead of the surroundings and other people in the book.  At times it felt that the plot was stalling as well.  It seemed to get moving and the action would pick up, yet once it reached a certain point, it flat lined and was left in a climatic limbo.  Then the author would have to pull us back in and get us moving with more action before starting the process all over again.


While I enjoyed the humor, witty dialogue and supernatural elements of the book,  the story as a whole was just mediocre.  I understand that this is the first in a series, and certain characters and plots had to be set up for future books, but I like my main characters to interact more than what was presented in this book.  Not a bad read, but not one of the great reads either.


MY RATING: