Out of Play
By: Nyrae Dawn, Jolene Perry
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: Aug. 6, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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.
Out of Play is a book about Bishop—a drummer for a well-known band—who has a problem with pills. In order to get clean, he’s sent to a cabin in Alaska with his bodyguard. While there, he meets the cabin owner’s daughter, Penny. Penny is in her last year of high school and is looking to hopefully get a scholarship to play on a boys hockey team. There’s something about Penny that helps quiet the noise in his head and makes him realize that maybe he does have a problem with pills. However, nothing is as easy as that. Penny’s father was killed by someone who was high on pills and the fact that she has no idea who he is or why he’s really renting out their cabins has Bishop regretting his addiction and wanting to change for her.
Out of Play sounded like a really interesting story. I was ready to dive in and fall in love with these characters. However, while I enjoyed the story, there was just something holding me back from really enjoying it and I don’t know what that was.
What I liked:
Penny’s a female hokey player on an all-boy team.
Penny is by far the coolest chick ever and someone that I’d love to be friends with. She’s your typical tom-boy.
Gramps (Penny’s grandfather). That dude was pretty freaking cool and I loved every scene with him in it.
Bishop’s struggle with his drug addiction.
It’s written by two authors. So, you get two completely mindsets in the same story.
What didn’t work for me:
The story itself fell flat for me and I don’t know why.
I didn’t find anything original to set it apart from other new adult romances I’ve read.
You knew how everything was going to go down shortly after meeting the characters.
“I was a druggie and screwed-up. Screwed-up a lot, but it doesn’t define me, and I’m not the only one.”
I usually love tropes like this, it can be formulaic but at least there’s that feel good feeling in the end. Sorry to hear it didn’t deliver more. If it’s unoriginal, was it at least entertaining enough?
I think I’d enjoy Penny’s character. Sorry to hear the story fell flat for you though!