Marie August's Blog, page 24

Book Review: Cinderella in Cleats by Carly Syms

YA, girl-power, underdog, sports story

Cinderella in Cleats by Carly Syms

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: August 1, 2010
Pages: 140 pages
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

For eleven years of her life, Whitney and her best friend Jason played football with their fathers in the park until the day her father died of a heart attack. After that, Whitney lost not only her father, but her best friend. Jason just never came around again. During the following two years, he became a star on their high school football team as quarterback, but Whitney stopped playing. Then suddenly, in the fall of her junior year, she decides she's ready to play again, but her position is quarterback, the same as Jason's, and Jason is none too happy to have to go up against his extremely talented ex-friend in the tryouts for the team.

Unlike Cinderella in Skates by the same author, the central focus here is not a romance. Instead, the main plot is a girl-power, underdog, sports story, and the subplot is more chicklit than romance, because over the course of the book Whitney is interested in multiple boys.

It is a tribute to the author's great skill at writing about football that I, who have never understood or been a fan of football, had no trouble following the many football scenes and found them quite interesting.

Whitney is a fascinating character with a multifaceted journey, including the emotional journey of recovering from her grief for her father, rediscovering her love of--and great talent for--football, and experiencing herself as an attractive and fascinating young women to whom many good-looking, dynamic young men are very drawn.

I purchased this book in a Kindle edition. It is well formatted and edited, making it easy to read.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4

Subcharacters: 4

Writing: 4

Football Plot: 4

Chick-Lit Plot: 4

Overall: 4

Book Review: Cinderella in Skates by Carly Syms

Fun, YA, contemporary romance with a hockey-playing heroine

Cinderella in Skates by Carly Syms

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: February 23, 2013
Pages: 194 pages
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

I purchased the Kindle edition of this book, and I discovered it through a spot-on recommendation by Amazon based on previous reviews and purchases I've done, most likely YA books by authors such as Janette Rallison.

Eighteen-year-old high-school senior Natalie is forced to leave behind life-long friends from Arizona when her father receives an offer of a job as history professor at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Even worse, it is early November, and the school year and winter are already underway.

Natalie's dad played hockey during his college years, and one of his best friends and hockey teammates helped Natalie's father find a home in Madison three houses down from his. Their first night in town, the friend and his college sophomore son, Shane, show up to help Natalie's family settle in.

Until that moment, all Natalie could think about was the warm weather and good friends she left behind in Arizona, but Shane is a gorgeous, fit, and very friendly representative of Wisconsin, who suddenly makes her reconsider her low opinion of the cheese state. When her dad offers Natalie a deal, learn hockey (which she has never played before) and make the high school hockey team, and she can leave in June to return to Arizona, Natalie is torn in two directions. She is initially quite eager at this chance to go back home as soon as possible. But her father has asked Shane to coach Natalie, and the more time she spends with him, the less she cares about moving away.

It is such fun to read a YA contemporary romance in the midst of so much dark and dreary dystopian fiction in the YA genre these days. This story is somewhere between light drama and romantic comedy.

Natalie has a strong, forceful personality, and she's a talented athlete. She's more than a match for Shane, who is an extremely skilled athlete himself, an excellent coach, and an all-round sympathetic romantic interest. Natalie and Shane are neither one big on expressing their feelings, and are a very good match as to intelligence and interests. It was terrific fun getting a window into hockey, snow skiing, and life in a Wisconsin college town in winter time as Natalie explores them at Shane's side. The setting is a strong part of this story, and it adds a great deal, it is so well done.

The Kindle edition of this book is beautifully laid out and edited, making it a pleasure to read.

If you decide to read this terrific book because you enjoy YA romances with a heroine who is an excellent athlete, I also recommend: Cinderella in Cleats (football) by this author, Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws (basketball) by Janette Rallison, and Hooked (golf) by Liz Fichera.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 5

Sports Plot: 5

Romantic Plot: 5

Overall: 5

`

Book Review: Cinderella in Skates

Fun, YA, contemporary romance with a hockey-playing heroine

Cinderella in Skates by Carly Syms

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: February 23, 2013
Pages: 194 pages
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

I purchased the Kindle edition of this book, and I discovered it through a spot-on recommendation by Amazon based on previous reviews and purchases I've done, most likely YA books by authors such as Janette Rallison.

Eighteen-year-old high-school senior Natalie is forced to leave behind life-long friends from Arizona when her father receives an offer of a job as history professor at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Even worse, it is early November, and the school year and winter are already underway.

Natalie's dad played hockey during his college years, and one of his best friends and hockey teammates helped Natalie's father find a home in Madison three houses down from his. Their first night in town, the friend and his college sophomore son, Shane, show up to help Natalie's family settle in.

Until that moment, all Natalie could think about was the warm weather and good friends she left behind in Arizona, but Shane is a gorgeous, fit, and very friendly representative of Wisconsin, who suddenly makes her reconsider her low opinion of the cheese state. When her dad offers Natalie a deal, learn hockey (which she has never played before) and make the high school hockey team, and she can leave in June to return to Arizona, Natalie is torn in two directions. She is initially quite eager at this chance to go back home as soon as possible. But her father has asked Shane to coach Natalie, and the more time she spends with him, the less she cares about moving away.

It is such fun to read a YA contemporary romance in the midst of so much dark and dreary dystopian fiction in the YA genre these days. This story is somewhere between light drama and romantic comedy.

Natalie has a strong, forceful personality, and she's a talented athlete. She's more than a match for Shane, who is an extremely skilled athlete himself, an excellent coach, and an all-round sympathetic romantic interest. Natalie and Shane are neither one big on expressing their feelings, and are a very good match as to intelligence and interests. It was terrific fun getting a window into hockey, snow skiing, and life in a Wisconsin college town in winter time as Natalie explores them at Shane's side. The setting is a strong part of this story, and it adds a great deal, it is so well done.

The Kindle edition of this book is beautifully laid out and edited, making it a pleasure to read.

If you decide to read this terrific book because you enjoy YA romances with a heroine who is an excellent athlete, I also recommend: Cinderella in Cleats (football) by this author, Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws (basketball) by Janette Rallison, and Hooked (golf) by Liz Fichera.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 5

Sports Plot: 5

Romantic Plot: 5

Overall: 5

`

Book Review: Hooked by Liz Fichera

YA contemporary romance with a Native American, female golfer protagonist

Hooked by Liz Fichera

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 368 pages
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Native American teenager, Fredericka "Fred" Oday, is an extremely talented golfer. When the school coach sees her play, he eagerly asks her to join the all-boys team. When Fred accepts, she has no idea that she is displacing one of the boys, who is intensely resentful, even though his wild behavior and low grades made his removal completely predictable. The best friend of the displaced boy, Ryan, is handsome and popular, and very loyal to his friend. Out of that loyalty, he is determined to dislike Fred. He also becomes more than a little jealous of Fred, because Ryan soon discovers that she is a brilliant player, much better than he is. Before she came, he was the top player on the team, but no longer.

I always appreciate any YA romance novel written with dual points of view. It was particularly useful knowing Ryan's point of view, because without it some of his actions would have made him seem more like a villain than a hero.

The author did an excellent job weaving in Fred's home life, cultural background, and her desire, with her family's support, to get an education and lift up her standard of living. The juxtaposition between her family life and Ryan's was also very interesting to read.

Fred is a very strong, focused young woman, and an extremely sympathetic heroine. It was fascinating learning about golf, a sport I personally know little about.

This is Liz Fichera's debut novel, and a rich addition to YA multicultural novels.

Review Disclosure: I received review copy of this book through NetGalley.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 5

Family Drama Plot: 5

Social Drama Plot: 5

Romantic Plot: 4

Overall: 5

Book Review: V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

Utterly delightful YA contemporary romantic comedy

V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: December 5, 2012
Publisher: Bluefields
Pages: 216 pages
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Eighteen-year-old high school senior, Val Jensen, is callously dumped by her handsome, heartless boyfriend when she refuses to have sex with him after dating him for three months. Not only that, her ex smears her reputation by proclaiming to anyone who will listen that he dumped Val, not because she would not have sex with him, but because he did have sex with her, and she was a lousy lay. As if that were not bad enough, he instantly replaces Val with a popular, beautiful "Mean Girl" who has much lower sexual standards than Val.

Val reaches the breaking point when she encounters her ex lip-locking with her replacement in an obnoxious, carnal display in the lunch room. She races over to them, jumps on their table, and shouts out to the hundreds of thunderstruck students surrounding them that her ex is a liar who rejected Val because she is a proud virgin who refuses to have sex before marriage. Her bold stand is video-recorded by a fellow student, posted on YouTube, and goes viral on the Internet.

Val is tagged with the nickname "Virgin Val," and "V for Virgin" becomes her modern-day version of The Scarlet Letter. In counterbalance to the relentless ridicule from her peers, Val has the loving support of her best friend, her adoptive mother, and a wonderful letter from her birth mother that she has read over and over again across the years. Her birth mother had Val at age 16, was unable to care for her, and urged Val in her letter to learn from her mistake and not repeat it. Val feels a sacred obligation to not let down her birth mother or herself.

Before the controversy from Val's YouTube fame can settle down, she comes to the attention of twenty-one-year-old high-school dropout and rock legend, Kyle Hamilton. Gorgeous, womanizing, charming and witty, Kyle is instantly and obviously attracted to Val. He is shocked to learn she is not only a virgin, but adamantly so. Kyle decides that Val's vow of abstinence is a challenge he can't refuse, and their very public battles fuel a media frenzy.

I am a huge fan of romantic comedy, both novels and movies, and this rollicking story has the potential to be both. It is highly visual and enormously entertaining. The battle of wits between Val and Kyle makes them one of the most compelling fictional couples I've ever had the privilege to encounter. The sexual chemistry between them is explosive, made all the more so because their relationship never gets beyond a few forbidden-fruit kisses.

If you love romantic comedy with an upbeat, happy ending, this book is for you.

Fans of YA romantic comedy by Janette Rallison will particularly enjoy this book.

I read the Kindle version of this book. It is beautifully laid out; the formatting is excellent, and the line edits are outstanding. It is better done, in fact, that the ebook editing from most big publishers.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 5

Romance Plot with Kyle: 5

Overall: 5

Book Review: Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (Audrey's Guides, #1) by Jody Gehrman

Fun, girl-power, YA contemporary, paranormal adventure

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (Audrey's Guides, #1) by Jody Gehrman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: July 9, 2012
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
Pages: 294
Source: Copy from Author
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Seventeen-year-old Audrey's mother is missing, and she and her sister are very worried about her. Their anxiety is not at all allayed by the arrival of a mysterious young woman who claims to be their cousin sent by their mother to take care of them until she can return. Audrey learns the hard way that she is a witch with strong powers, but she is much in need of training, which the cousin can provide. If only she can learn fast enough to possibly save her mother's life.

I read the Kindle version of this book, which is well-formatted, well-edited and generally professionally done. This book is a magical coming-of-age story, with an action plot and a romantic subplot. It is well-written, and an enjoyable, fast read. The story takes many twists and turns and builds to an exciting, unexpected climax. I am looking forward to future books in this series.

Fans of Carolyn MacCullough and Marlene Perez will particularly enjoy this book.

Disclosure: I was contacted by the author directly for a review as a top reviewer on Amazon. I don't accept many such requests because my time is limited. However, this story's premise intrigued me enough that I agreed to read it, and I'm glad I did.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5


Subcharacters: 5


Fantasy World-Building: 4


Writing: 5


Mystery/Action Plot: 4


Romantic Subplot: 4


Overall: 4.5, rounded to 5

Book Review: All About Daisy by O'Dell Hutchinson

Social drama for young teens about bullying

All About Daisy (Daisy Rose Brown #1) by O'Dell Hutchison

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 378
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Daisy Rose Brown is a 14-year-old freshman who has been the victim of bullying at school for years, beginning shortly after the death of her mother. She is determined to make a fresh start in high school and to reinvent herself.

Daisy has a very sad, tragic life, and as someone who rarely reads social dramas and much prefers comedy, I personally found this story very depressing. However, many readers enjoy sad stories, and I would not grade it down for that reason, especially since Daisy has a strong growth arc and the book has a positive, hopeful ending. The author also does a very good job of illustrating just how destructive bullying is by showing Daisy bullied by two main girls, from two different extremes of the social spectrum.

Heroine: 4

Subcharacters: 4

Writing: 4

Drama Plot: 4

Overall: 4

Book Review: Chasing McCree by J.C. Isabella

Highly enjoyable YA contemporary romance

Chasing McCree by J.C. Isabella

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: April 4, 2012
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 219 pages
Source: Purchased
Reviewed By:Kate McMurry

Chase McCree is almost 18 and has spent his whole life on a ranch in Montana that has been in the McCree family for generations. For the past few weeks Chase has been staying in Florida with his mother, whom he hadn't previously seen for years. His mother abandoned Chase and his father when Chase was a very young child. She could not endure what, to her, were harsh conditions of ranch life, but she didn't feel right taking Chase away from his father, who was a very good parent, and Chase's birthright in Montana.

Chase's father died a few years back, and Chase's paternal uncle and his uncle's wife have been his guardians ever since. His mother has belatedly tried to make a relationship with Chase, now that she is remarried to a lawyer and has a young daughter. She has asked Chase to consider living with her permanently, but Chase has only promised to try that on a temporary basis. His mother has signed him up to attend a ritzy private school, which is a huge change for Chase, because until now he has been home schooled. Chase cannot relate to the rich, arrogant kids at the school and is living an isolated, lonely life, longing to return home to Montana.

Late one night Chase is riding his horse Ash--a companion from home he could not bear to leave behind--on the football field of his school. He runs across one of the school's cheerleaders, a small, pretty blond who is stumbling blindly across the field, clearly drunk and disoriented. Chase's strong, protective instincts are immediately aroused, and with great finesse, he rescues her and carries her away on his horse.

After that remarkable first meeting, a friendship forms between Blair, the cheerleader, and Chase. Blair is a few months younger than Chase. In knowing him, she is exposed to a type of person she has never known before. Her parents and all her so-called friends from school are social-climbing materialists with an inability to care about or be loyal to anyone. Chase is entirely the opposite, sensitive, giving, loyal, and connected to things that have real meaning, true friends, a loving family, and a life close to the earth.

When on impulse Chase invites Blair to spend the summer at his ranch, he is as amazed as he is delighted that she instantly and enthusiastically agrees to go. However, it is only possible for her to do this due to the combination of the help of a co-conspirator, her adorably quirky grandmother, and the routine physical and emotional abandonment of Blair by her parents. Blair's grandmother thinks her son, Blair's wealthy, workaholic doctor father, is an idiot for paying so little attention to Blair. And Blair's mother, who is only interested in botox and fashion, is even worse.

This story is written in the alternating first-person point of view of Chase and Blair, with each switch in point of view clearly labeled with their names at the top of the page. It is a terrific change in YA to see the use of dual POV which has been a staple of the adult romance genre for almost 30 years. It offers a great chance to get to know the hero, and Chase is an extremely sympathetic one. In spite of the fact that he has almost no flaws, which supposedly should make him a boring character to read about, he is anything but dull. The author does an outstanding job of believably demonstrating him capable of being Blair's friend, even though he has had a very conventional, rural upbringing in Montana.

Speaking of Montana, one of the most fascinating aspects of this book as a YA novel is its setting. The Big Four hooks of short, contemporary, adult romance are cowboys, cops, brides and babies, which are rarely found in a teen novel. This book, however, draws on that rich tradition of romance conventions by offering a beguiling cowboy and plenty of humorous references to these two teens avoiding a "shotgun wedding" via an unplanned pregnancy--which is another frequent occurrence in short contemporary adult romance. In this book, teen sex and resulting pregnancy are carefully skirted by these two virgin protagonists, with Chase honorably respecting the boundaries that Blair draws.

This book does what only the truly exceptional romance novels achieve, it convinces the reader that these two protagonists are soul mates whose lives would be forever blighted if they did not manage to achieve a happily ever after. I was rooting for Chase and Blair as a couple from start to finish.

Other than the heroine, against her will, being "slipped a mickey" in the beginning of the book, there are no instances of teen drugs or drinking in this book. There are examples of boys disrespecting girls and frank discussions of the need for teens to be responsible about sex, and a few makeout scenes, but no overt descriptions of sexual acts. This book is probably most appropriate for teens of about 14-18.

I purchased a Kindle edition of this self-published book. The formatting and editing is not optimal, but not so bad that it was difficult to read the book.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 4

Romance Plot: 5

Mystery/Thriller Plot: 4

Setting: 5

Overall: 5

Book Review: The Paparazzi Project by Kristina Springer

Delightful, YA, chick lit

The Paparazzi Project by Kristina Springer

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: December 10, 2012
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 137 pages
Source: Copy from Author
Reviewed By:Kate McMurry

High school junior, Livvie Peterson, is shocked, then intrigued, when Interpersonal Communications, a class she assumed would bring her an "A" grade with no effort at all, actually has a major first assignment, a social experiment called the Paparazzi Project. Everyone in the class volunteers to play a particular role: 1/3 of the class pretends to be a Celebrity, 1/3 a Paparazzi photographing them, and 1/3 a Tabloid editor creating sensational stories based on the photos. The students initially approach the project as merely an amusing game, but everyone rapidly finds themselves immersed in their roles to a degree that no one, not even their teacher, anticipated. In particular, Livvie and her Tabloid boss, handsome Chas Montgomery, unite as a highly competitive team, continually out-scooping the rest of the class. But the price paid by the unfortunate Celebrities in public embarrassment soon becomes far greater than Livvie and her classmates ever imagined was possible.

This YA, chick lit novel is a fast, fun read, with loads of humor, but some important insights, as well, about privacy and integrity in our fast-paced, media-driven, high-tech society.

I read the Kindle edition of this book. It is well-designed and well-edited, making it a pleasure to read.

I had previously read and very much enjoyed another YA chick lit novel by this author, The Espressologist, and I strongly recommend it to fans of this book.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Writing: 5

Chick-Lit Plot: 5

Romantic Subplot: 4

Overall: 5

Reviewer disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book directly from the author, who contacted me through my profile page on Amazon.

Book Review: The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

Book 4 in the Iron Fey ties up the series from Prince Ash's point of view

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Book 3 in this series, The Iron Queen , ended quite sadly for fans of paranormal romance. Prince Ash and the new Iron Queen Meghan Chase were seemingly separated forever because her iron realm would kill him. This book is from Ash's point of view as he undertakes a massive journey through the fae realm to find a means to be reunited with Meghan.

While the other three books had primary plots which were action/adventure with a strong subplot of the romance between Ash and Meghan, this book is entirely about Ash's journey, which is both psychological and an action/adventure tale. Once again the author's amazing world-building skills are on display. For anyone who is a fan of stories of the fae and high-fantasy type plots, this book is a rich, imaginative treat. It is especially enjoyable to spend most of the book in the company of Grimalkin and Puck as they accompany Ash on his arduous journey. They are two of my favorite characters in this series.

I personally am a big fan of paranormal romance and I was disappointed that there was almost no chance to experience Ash and Meghan's relationship in this book. However, the book as written is definitely worth reading as a further opportunity to visit the brilliantly executed, fantastical world of the fae that Kagawa has created.

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Fantasy World-Building: 5

Writing:5

Action-Adventure Plot: 4

Romantic Subplot:2


Overall: 4