Review: Out of Play by Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

Out of Play by: Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a drug problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—just need a little help taking the edge off sometimes. After downing a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.　

Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers to all the best schools, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absentminded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered to come home from work, let alone deal with their new tenants next door.

Penny’s not interested in dealing with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps and begins to see what he’s been missing. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I read this synopsis, I knew I had to have it. See, I played hockey with guys for over 9 years and I’ve been waiting for a story with a girl hockey player. And ahhhh I loved it. I could totally relate to things Penny was going through.

Penny was a really great heroine. I loved her feisty attitude and her badassery. She’s very self sufficient and very driven. She knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to step on people’s toes to achieve it. She is gorgeous but doesn’t know it and she’s just really down to earth. She’s so tough but I realllyyyy loved that she was girly at the same time.

Bishop was also a great character to me. At first, he was totally in denial about his problems but when he met Penny and Gramps, he had his life really put into perspective. He realized he was not as strong as he thought and that he needed some real help. It was interesting to read about someone going through an addiction because I really haven’t before. At times, he didn’t make the best decisions, but he definitely made up for them. And danggggg he was sexy!

One of my favorite characters of all was Gramps! His story was so sad but I just adored how much he cared for Bishop when Bishop really needed him. Penny’s mother annoyed the mess outta me in the beginning but she redeemed herself at the end. The boys on the team were such a great group and I could feel the camaraderie they had. It was adorable how they worked so great with Penny. It really reminded me of when I played hockey…memories. :)

This is a dual POV book, with Perry writing Penny and Dawn writing Bishop. I can’t decide whose POV I liked more because they were both amazing. I do wish there was a bit more action other than the last little bit of the book. Other than that, this book was a slam dunk. The romance was cute cute cute. I love books where the rockstar gets together with a normal girl. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite storylines ever. And this was one was just so sweettttt and well excecuted.

As a hockey lover, I knew I’d love this one and I really did. While it is not a top favorite of mine, it is most definitely worth a read.

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: His lips touch mine as he speaks. My heart starts hammering at the thought. “I—” I was going to say I don’t think so, but the way he’s looking at me... I let him take my hands with his and guide me to lying down next to him. Close. Touching. I can’t take in a deep breath with his bare chest against me, but I love it. Love that he does this to me, to my body. Love that he wants to be here. Wants to have this effect on me.
Our eyes lock in the dim light. “You’re beautiful, Penny.”

Rating: 4/5 Tar Heels!