Friday, October 11, 2013

Piper Shelly's 'Play With Me' Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway


 
Play With Me by Piper Shelly
(Grover Beach Team #1)
Publication date:
December 9th 2012
Genres: Romance, Young Adult


Synopsis:
 
A short, sweet novella.

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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Purchase (FREE on Kindle for all of October!): Amazon | Barnes & Noble



AUTHOR BIO:
 


The quick-and-dirty:
I’m a cool girl with a passion for writing.
The genres you’ll find me hanging out at are contemporary and paranormal YA, but I’m also snooping into some adult paranormal right now. All of them romances…of course.
The nitty-gritty:
I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun.
I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. I. Hated. The. City. Everything about it. So right after graduation I moved back to Upper Austria, where I settled down with a nice husband and an awesome laptop.
I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Already in kindergarten, I came up with the most exotic fantasies and tales. My teacher would call me a liar. I call it the cornerstone of my writing career.
People always told me you can’t make a living with being an author. So when my first novella PLAY WITH ME came out and shot straight to the stars within the first week, I was totally dumbstruck. Took me a while to realize what was happening, LOL.
And the personal stuff:
At the (awesome) age of seventeen, I met the love of my life. But he was a playboy, and I was so not going to be his next trophy. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man. ;-)

We have an eleven-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 my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then…

If you still want to know more about me, my FAQ page is the right address for you. ;-)

http://pipershelly.com/faq/
My Review:
 
I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I really enjoyed this book. The only complaint I have is I wish it were longer. It didn't necessarily NEED to be longer. The characters are well developed and the story wasn't forced or rushed at all, but I just wanted it to be longer. I wanted more of Liza and her boys. 

Play With Me tells the story of Liza Matthews. Liza has had a crush on her best friend Tony for a long time. He has been away at soccer camp and she cannot wait to see him again when he gets home. Unfortunately she soon learns that he has a crush on another girl who just so happens to be a soccer player. Liza decides to try out for the soccer team in an attempt to get Tony's attention. She quickly realizes she's a little out of her element. Ryan Hunter, the hot team captain, decides to help her. It turns out that Ryan, who is rich and has many female admirers, has a bit of a crush on Liza. Liza ends up having to figure out exactly what and who she wants.

This story was really funny. Liza is such an awesome main character and narrator. She's brave, determined, and has a great sense of humor. She isn't afraid to go after what she wants. I wish more young adult main characters were like Liza. I also really liked Ryan. He is a tad spoiled, but he's sweet and obviously has awesome taste in girls. I enjoyed Tony too, but I have to admit I'm a bigger fan of Ryan than Tony. Pretty much all three of the main characters are awesome and made me laugh a lot.

This story was really sweet. I think it's really relatable. I don't know a single woman who hasn't had a crush on a good friend at some point in their lives. I definitely have. I'm trying really hard not to give anything away, but the story turned out exactly like the times I've been in this situation in my own life so basically I found it all perfectly realistic and true to real life. Well, assuming most people have had similar experiences to mine. I really love reading young adult stories that are realistic and not just a fantasy (well, maybe just a little fantasy).

Going into this story I wasn't totally sure I'd love it mostly because I am not into sports AT ALL. I have to say though that my lack of interest in sports in no way affected my enjoyment of this book. It's a quick, short read, but a good one. The story is sweet, the characters are awesome and realistic, and the writing and dialogue are both witty and charming. There is a companion novel telling the story from Ryan Hunter's point of view and I am looking forward to reading it. This is a world I would gladly re-enter.


My Rating:

 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Click here to view all the awesome stops on the tour!
 
 

 

2 comments:

  1. Glad you liked it, Caroline! I personally love shorter books but I don't like when it's underdeveloped because of it so it's a fine line. I'm glad this one was still characterized and unrushed! It sounds like a fun, entertaining read :) Great review!

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  2. Thanks for the giveaway, looks like a great read.

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