YA Romance
Date Published: Dec 2012
Ryan Hunter's parties are legend.
And tonight she's going to be there.
Liza Matthews anticipates the return of her best friend and only love since kindergarten from soccer camp. But when Tony finally shows up, his mind is more focused on another girl. And worse, she's a soccer player. Fighting for the attention Liza craves, she's just a hairbreadth away from making a very stupid decision. But when extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, she's prepared to play ball to get her man.
The tryouts are hell, the first match ends bloody, and the morning after the selection party she wakes up in the worst place possible—in the arms of the captain of the soccer team. The hottest guy in school. Ryan Hunter.
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Play with me
YA Romance
Date Published: April 2013
Ryan Hunter kissed more girls than he cares to remember. But the only one he ever wanted is in love with his best friend.
Watching Liza Matthews’ obsession with Tony Mitchell is a torture Ryan conceals from everyone. Until after a five-week soccer camp, where Tony gets involved with someone else, things suddenly take a different turn. Ryan knows if he doesn’t make a move now and grab his chance, he might never get another.
Asked by Tony to distract Liza, Ryan is only too happy. He subtly seduces her first into his soccer team and later on to his party. He does all in his power to make her see that he’s not just an insufferable playboy but a guy who really cares about her. Some one-on-one soccer training, a passionate kiss— things seem to be going the way he wants. Except Ryan didn’t reckon on his best friend showing up at the worst possible moment and destroying everything…
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Ryan Hunter
Here are two books you can easily read in one day. I'm willing to bet if you like these sort of books, as soon as you finish the first one you will be so single minded in reading the next one you will forget children and small animals. Eating and sleeping will be become unnecessary and work?! Ha, don't make me laugh. There is no work when reading these books.
Honestly though, these are short reads, novellas really. They are essentially the same story told from two different points of view. The first book, Play With Me, is told from Liza's point of view. The second book, Ryan Hunter is told from Ryan's point of view. (bet you couldn't guess that by the title.)
I thought it was brilliant to work the story this way. I love when we get to glimpse inside the head of more than one character. Especially when the characters are well developed with strong voices of their own. The girl/boy POV was entertaining. Piper Shelly really captured the differences between the opposite sexes. There's just something about reliving a smokin' scene in a whole new way. :)
Having said that, I was a bit disturbed by the language. There was so much of it. I just hate seeing the F word in YA. Well, I hate seeing it anywhere, but especially in books that kids might be reading. I just think there are smarter ways to write expressions and feelings. Way too much language for me. Just a person preference and one I realize is not shared by everyone.
There is also a lot of sexual innuendo and sexual talk. I realize that YA covers a broad age range but this is not a book I would put into the hands of my 15 year old daughter. I would say this is more an upper YA novel. 18+ There is underage drinking facilitated by parents and other adults, which, I might add, is against the law. Yes. Very against the law.
These books are witty, engaging and very hard to put down. My thanks to the author and RABT for allowing me to be a part of this tour.
Enjoy the following excerpt from Ryan Hunter:
She nodded, and it was clear that the little distance we’d run so far had troubled her a lot more than me. She sounded like a pair of bellows. As soon as we reached the beach, Liza slumped to the sand as though she had no life left in her any more.
That was not part of the plan. I stood over her, hands on my hips, and gazed at her reddened face. “What are you doing?”
“Dying.”
I liked how she made me chuckle with such simple things. “No, you’re not. Get up, we’re not done.”
“I am,” she protested. “But don’t mind me. You just go on. I’m sure in a few hours someone will come and scrape me off the pavement.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Dig me out of the sand. Whatever.”
Laughing about her antics, I squatted down and started to untie her shoes for what was to come next. We weren’t done yet.
“Hey, what the heck—” She pulled her leg away. “You don’t steal from a dying person.”
I surrendered, lifting my hands, palms up. “Fine, then take them off yourself.”
“What?” Her mouth sagged open as she propped on her elbows in the sand and looked at me with wide eyes. “Why?” Then her gaze moved to the sea and her lips spread in a hopeful grin. “We’re going to take a swim now to cool off after the training?”
“Nope,” I said, though she put a very beguiling thought in my head right then. I could be swayed to some fooling around in the water with her. But then this would be too much of a temptation. Kisses came along with such nonsense. And I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t do that until she knew the truth about Mitchell. After a longing glance at the sea, I faced her again and said with a firm voice that wouldn’t get me into trouble, “The little run was only warm-up. The training begins here.”
All color disappeared from her face. “You can’t be serious.”
“What are you willing to bet on it?”
She grimaced and sighed, but I’d figured out by now, my word counted to her, and she slipped her shoes off to hide them with mine by the rocks. I wondered if it was just the captain she saw in me, or if she wanted to make a good impression because she saw me, the nice guy, and therefore stuck with me.
Only a few minutes later, she made clear I wasn’t a nice guy to her as she shot me a look filled with loathing. “Do your parents know about this sadistic side of yours?”
I remembered the first time that I had run on the beach for training. Her calves probably hurt like mad. But she had to get through this. We wanted to turn her into a kick-ass soccer player. I tugged gently at her high ponytail. “What can I say? You bring out my best side.”
“Ah, great. I feel so special now.” Liza shoved my shoulder, and I laughed as I struggled to steady myself with my feet sinking into the soft sand. “How far are we going?” she demanded.
“I never ran this route before, but I guess it’s about a half-mile. You know the houses at Misty Beach?”
“Your parents own a house down there?”
“Yep.” It was a nice little thing compared to the mansion we lived in, and I really liked to come out here after training on weekends and study or read on the wrap-around veranda. My dad had set up a porch swing for Rachel and me when we were kids, and it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy a warm summer day.
We still had a bit of a way in front of us, and when Misty Beach came into view, I thought Liza wouldn’t endure another step. She licked her lips, and her lungs made a weird, gasping sound. “I swear I’m going to drink up the ocean,” she cried.
“Chin up, Matthews. We’re almost there.” I grabbed her upper arm when she stumbled and didn’t let her stop just yet, dragging her along with me the last few meters. As I led her up to our bungalow, her face lit up, seriously proud of herself. And I was, too.
Wow, this is always the hardest part for me to write…don’t know why. You would think talking about my life should be easier.
I was born and raised in Austria. Half my life I spent in Vienna, but I didn’t like the city. I much prefer the beautiful countryside, with its many meadows and the breathtaking Alps. That’s why I moved to Upper Austria right after graduation. There are trees now in front of my window instead of just another ugly gray building, and I love to be woken by the cacophony of birds every morning.
At seventeen, I met the love of my life, but it took another four years until we finally got together. It was the best decision I could have made. I’m now married to this man, and I count myself lucky for someone like him. Even I will admit it can be hard at times to live with me. I’m moody and tend to lapse into my fantasy world at any given minute—well in my defense, I’m a writer. :-)
We have a ten-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and WIP. Yeah, that’s just me. I built my world around my passion, and I like it that way.
So, you see, I’m leading a pretty normal life.
Of course it will all change the day my book follows the act of Harry Potter, and I’ll become richer than the Queen. I swear I’ll never again clean my windows myself then. Yeah, one day, LOL…
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LINKS TO BUY :
PLAY WITH ME (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Play-With-Me-ebook/dp/B00AL251T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356068392&sr=8-1&keywords=play+with+me
RYAN HUNTER (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Ryan-Hunter-Grover-Beach-ebook/dp/B00CICVO30/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
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