Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

Title: Out of Play
Author: Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 Pages
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

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.

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Penny is amazing. She is a high school hockey player - on the boy's team. While that is suitably impressive, she doesn't loose her femininity. She's still a teenage girl looking to her future and wondering what it may hold - school, sports, family......and of course boys. But being on the hockey team has made just another teammate to most of the ones she knows. She's pretty down to eartch and watching her help take care of Gramps really showed how much home and family meant to her.

Enter Bishop - rockstar drummer with a drug problem. Here to detox and get his crap together. I think the author handled his drug problem in a really great way. We got to see the denial, the partial recovery, the relapse and the affect it had on him both mentally and physically. Most people would have never guessed he had a problem. But he is a strong person with a great network of support, that now includes a hot hockey player named Penny.

But - yes the big but - she doesn't know who he is or why he's really there. It bothers the heck out of me when people hide behind lies and deciet, but I sort of got it this time - him being famous an all. There were some times that things seemed to ramble on a bit and I wondered when the story was going to get moving again. The side characters really helped make this story pop - especiall Gramps - he was just amazing.

This was a great twist on the more traditional sports romance, and I love the more new adultish themes that weave their way through the young adult romance (college, family, career). Great book!

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Review: Searching for Beautiful by Nyrae Dawn

Title: Searching for Beautiful
Author: Nyrae Dawn
Source: Entangled Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Before, Brynn had a group of best friends, a loving boyfriend, a growing talent for pottery. She had a life. And after…she had none.

When Brynn lost the boyfriend who never loved her, the friends who feel she betrayed their trust, and the new life just beginning to grow inside her, she believes her future is as empty as her body. But then Christian, the boy next door, starts coming around. Playing his guitar and pushing her to create art once more. She meets some new friends at the local community center, plus even gets her dad to look her in the eye again…sort of.

But can Brynn open up her heart to truly find her life’s own beauty, when living for the after means letting go of the before?

This is a Young Adult title.

Searching for Beautiful is an amazing story - it's a story that could come straight from real life.  Brynn has found herself in a horrible spot.  Lied to by a much older boy, lieing to her friends, and losing something more precious than anything she has ever known.  She shuts down and pushes everyone everyone away.  She begins to doubt that anyone will ever believe her again and decides to swear off boys forever.

When a blast from the past shows up next door with problems of his own.  Now, this may have a boy meets girl storyline, but I don't know that I would call it a romance.  It's a story about Brynn finding herself and her life again - trying to remember who she was before everything happened and get it back. 

This book is full of very subtle life lessons and one or two not so subtle ones.  Brynn is a great character - amazingly flawed and she knows it.  Christian has a bit of arrogance in him, but it sort of makes him more charming (most of the time).  Each character has such a unique and different personality and life that they are easy to relate to and fall in love with.

The book has a mostly happy ending in a very surprising way.  This is one that will stay on my mind for awhile.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Entangled Teen Release Day Blitz

Today is release day for four amazing Entangled Teen titles and we are excited to share them all with you.  There's a little something for everyone this month so read on to find out more about them.

About the Book

Title: Searching for Beautiful

Author: Nyrae Dawn

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pub. Date: March 4, 2014

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Kobo Books

Before it happened…

Brynn had a group of best
friends, a boyfriend who loved her, a growing talent for pottery. She
had a life. And then…she had none.

After it happened…

Everything was lost. The boy she
now knew never loved her. The friends who felt she betrayed their trust.
The new life just beginning to grow inside her.

Brynn believes her future is as
empty as her body until Christian, the boy next door, starts coming
around. Playing his guitar and pushing her to create art once more. She
meets some new friends at the local community center, plus even gets her
dad to look her in the eye again…sort of. But letting someone in isn’t
as easy as it seems.

Now…

Can Brynn open up her heart to truly find her life’s own beauty, when living for the after means letting go of the before?

Find Nyrae Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

About the Book

Title: Til Death

Author: Kate Evangelista

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pub. Date: March 4, 2014

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Kobo Books

Sixteen-year-old
Selena Fallon is a dreamer. Not a daydreamer, but an I-see-the-future
kind of dreamer. Normally, this is not a problem, as she has gotten
pretty good at keeping her weird card hidden from everyone in her small
town. But when Selena dreams of her own rather bloody death, things get a
little too freaky—even for her.

Enter Dillan Sloan. Selena has
seen the new guy in a different dream, and he is even more drool-worthy
in person. Beyond the piercing blue eyes and tousled dark hair, there is
something else that draws her to him. Something…electric. Too bad he
acts like he hates her.

When Selena learns she’s being
targeted by a force bigger and darker than anything she ever imagined,
she’s had enough. Despite her death dream, Selena is not going to give
up easily, especially when she discovers that Dillan isn’t what he
seems…and might not actually hate her after all. Dillan might be the
only person who can save her.

Find Kate Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

About the Book

Title: Knight Assassin

Author: Rima Jean

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pub. Date: March 4, 2014

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot
control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar
Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft. 

When a
mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the
heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to
harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of
Jerusalem's court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay,
her mother’s condemner. 

But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the
childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his
ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one
love she has left? 

Find Rima Online:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

About the Book

Title: Donna of the Dead

Author: Alison Kemper

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pub. Date: March 4, 2014

 Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBookstore

Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.

The
voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she
knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their
proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up
narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they
take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy
class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and
Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about
the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke
is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle
and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets
those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies
are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids
like Donna…

Find Alison Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Donna of the Dead