Tag: Hoops Series

Eye Candy Friday: Lotus DuPree from Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Posted April 19, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 8 Comments

Eye Candy Friday is all about the heroes that I’m loving and wanting to spotlight right now. Sometimes I’ll do full-on gush fest posts on why I love these guys, sometimes I’ll post pictures of what I think these guys look like and that’s it but if they’re featured here, the one thing that will be constant is I loved the hell out of these guys and want everyone to know. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Today’s Eye Candy Friday crush is Lotus DuPree from Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan.

I loved the book but I loved Lotus the most because of how strong she was and how imperfectly perfect she was to me. She worked through some pretty tough stuff over the course of her book and I was rooting for her from the jump but what cemented her place as my favorite heroine of the year (so far), and the main reason she’s this week’s Eye Candy Friday, is how strong she was to give up one of the good things in her life for someone else. She did the hard work so that Kenan didn’t have to and she did it with love for someone that Kenan loved. Gah, she’s just the best and if you haven’t read her book, fix that. It’s soooooooo good.

Heroine Casting

Hoops Series

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The Wednesday Post (10)

Posted April 10, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tessa over at Wishful Endings and it was based on Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog. I’m bringing them together and calling it The Wednesday Post. Here’s what I’m up to this week.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

Fumbled by Alexa Martin | The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen

I finished Fumbled last night and The Shameless Hour the night before last night. Both books were great reads and I’m super glad that I requested Fumbled for review. Poppy could have been me. She even talks like me and I really enjoyed seeing her with Ace and Big Ace. The romance was fantastic, the dialogue was real and I really need to go back and read Intercepted. Alexa Martin has made herself nice and comfy on my auto-buy list with just this one book. Total score for me.

Ever since Sarina Bowen put her Ivy Years series on Kindle Unlimited, I’ve been binge reading these books during the day at work. I love this series and it continues to be a favorite of mine. I liked Bella’s story a lot more with this reading than I did the first time and I can’t wait to jump into my work re-read of DJ and Lianne.

What are you currently reading?

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews | Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan

What do you think you’ll read next?

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs | The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Can’t Wait Wednesday

I will always look forward to new releases by Sarah Dessen. She writes the kind of stories that I absolutely love and always want to read. This upcoming release sounds like a great addition to her back list and I can’t wait to dig into my review copy of it. Woot!

The Wednesday Post (10)The Rest of the Story
by Sarah Dessen
Published by Harper Collins on June 4, 2019
Genres: Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Buy It: Amazon|Barnes & Noble
Add It: Goodreads

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about?
Are you looking forward to The Rest of the Story? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

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Review: Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Posted November 1, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Block Shot by Kennedy RyanBlock Shot
by Kennedy Ryan
Series: Hoops #2
Also in this series: Long Shot
Published by Kennedy Ryan on September 10, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating First Person
Pages: 444
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
four-half-stars

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If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat... The heart everyone assumes is frozen over. Her anger is . . . arousing. Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, gets me . . .well, you know. If I had a dollar for every time she's put me in my place, I'd be an even richer man. I'm a successful sports agent because I assume "no" means you'll think about it. I'm sure what you meant to say is "Coming right up.” They say even rich men don't always get what they want, but those men don't know how to play the game. The trick is to keep them guessing. Take Banner. She assumes she's winning, but this game? She doesn't even know how to play.

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If I had a dollar for every time Jared Foster broke my heart, I’d have exactly one dollar. One night. One epic fail. One dollar . . . and I'm out. I've moved on. I’ve found success in a field ruled by men. Anything they can do, I have done better. They can keep the field while I call the shots, blocking them when I have to. And Jared has the nerve to think he gets a second chance? Boy, please. Go sit down. Have several seats. I'll just be over here ignoring the man carved from my fantasies with a lust-tipped chisel. Oh, I didn't say the struggle wasn't real. But I've got that one dollar, and Jared won't have me.

Block Shot is the second book in Kennedy Ryan’s Hoops series and it’s another enjoyable romance from this new to me author. After reading Long Shot and bawling my eyes throughout the entire book, I was expecting another gut punch with this book and while my heart hurt for both Jared and Banner in this book, it wasn’t the same kind of gut punch that I had for August and Iris.

Jared and Banner went to college together and they were friends. Banner is a bigger girl and Jared is a hottie so she didn’t think she ever had a chance with him but Jared had a huge crush on Banner. He was head over heels in love with her. He was obsessed with how smart and determined she was, her weight never registered for him. He liked the way that she looked and wanted her body just as much as he loved her mind. When he finally shoots his shot, things go horribly wrong and Banner vows to never let Jared Foster in her life again.

Years later, they’re both at the top of their field as sports agents and they still hate each other so much. They were able to avoid each other when Banner was on the east coast and Jared moving to the west coast but now Banner is running the Los Angeles office of her firm and Jared has moved his firm to Los Angeles after being in San Diego for a while. Of course, they were going to run into each other. One of her clients is Jared’s brother’s teammates.

Seeing each other again after all these years stirs up resentment in Banner and lust in Jared. He’s over what happened even though Banner never gave him a chance to explain what happened. Sure, he was angry at her with that because she believed the worse in him but seeing her again has stirred up everything he knew and loved about her back in the day. Her brain is just as great now as he knew it was back in college and with every moment they spend in each other’s company now, Jared believes more and more that they belong together.

Kennedy Ryan writes angst really well. I shouldn’t have loved Jared and Banner together in the present day so much because Banner was in a relationship. It was a good relationship too, her boyfriend wasn’t bad for her. He wasn’t mean or anything like that and yet, as much as I liked her boyfriend, it was Jared that I was rooting for. It was Jared that I wanted Banner to be with. What a difficult situation for Banner to be in. Her heart wanting one but that same heart not being able to let go of the other one because of…things.

This book wrapped me up with feels from beginning to end. My heart hurt for both Jared and for Banner and seeing their journey through was hard and it was emotional but it was good. I enjoyed getting to know both Jared and Banner and loved that they were able to overcome a lot of their issues to be together and I really loved the way that they loved each other. They loved each other fiercely and passionately and they were perfect for each other. Kennedy Ryan has cemented herself on my auto-buy list with this book and I am looking forward to reading Hook Shot I just know that it will be just as good as the other books in this series.

Final Grade

4.25 out of 5

Hoops Series

four-half-stars

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Buddy Review: Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Posted October 9, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Buddy Review: Long Shot by Kennedy RyanLong Shot
by Kennedy Ryan
Series: Hoops #1
Also in this series: Block Shot
Published by Kennedy Ryan on March 22, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating First Person
Pages: 460
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
five-stars

A FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA...

Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl? You don't. My fairy tale is upside down. A happily never after. I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud. I was a fool, and his love - fool's gold. Now there's a new player in the game, August West. One of the NBA's brightest stars. Fine. Forbidden. He wants me. I want him. But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go

*Certain aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers.

Rowena: Our October buddy review book is a book that we both read last month but it’s also a book that both of us really enjoyed.

August West met the girl of his dreams the night before he played in the national championship game. He knew after that one conversation they had that she was his person, too bad she already had a boyfriend. He may have won on the court but he didn’t win the one thing that he wanted more than he wanted anything else.

Iris DuPree has plans for her future but when those plans go up in flames, she needs a new plan and time to make that plan happen. Her road to freedom becomes a lot harder than she anticipated and with each passing day, her freedom is bogged down with complications but she can’t mess up her escape so she fights day in and day out for the day when her and her daughter can get to freedom, safely.

August and Iris are dealing with a lot of things on their own but coming together again is inevitable because the heart wants what the heart wants.

Gah, this freaking book. What did you think, Ames?

Ames: This book gave me all the feels! I went into it with no expectations and I was blown away. I remember messaging you the morning after finishing this book. I’ve turned into an old lady these days and don’t sacrifice on my sleep. This book kept me up until 3am! Do you realize what that means? This book was amazing. Part thriller and full on epic romance this book was a roller coaster and I loved it all. Really, I don’t want to say anything more because it will just be fangirl gibberish at this point. LOL.

What did you think Ween?

Rowena: I agree. As much anxiety as I felt while reading this book, I couldn’t completely walk away because I needed to know that things would get better. That Iris would get the happy ending that she deserved and so desperately needed. Never have I ever wanted someone to get their happily ever after as much as I wanted Iris to have hers with August. I cried while reading this book and I couldn’t get enough. You’re right, it was pretty amazing and hard to read at the same time. Gah. I have so much love for this book, for these characters and for everything that they went through to get to that ending. So much love.

Ames: I agree that it was hard to read because you know what was coming wasn’t going to be easy. But I think we need to read books like this to shake things up from time to time. The topic here isn’t dealt with in a lot of contemps I read so I liked that it didn’t make it something that happened in her past that she got over – it was something happening to her NOW and that made us root for her and rejoice when she found that inner strength and rallied and made things better for her and her daughter. As much as this was a great romance between Iris and August (loved him!!) it was about Iris and her journey. This was a scary feel good book. It scares you and then you feel good. LOL

And kudos to Kennedy Ryan for writing such an amazing story. I know I tried reading one of her earlier books and I couldn’t finish it (this was years ago) but she’s come a long way and I can’t wait to read more by her.

Rowena: Yes, exactly what you said. I don’t think this story would have been as powerful for me if we weren’t right there with Iris while she’s going through everything. Seeing her motivation to be better for her daughter, seeing her fight for their freedom, it all made me anxious at the same time that it made me eager for her to finally get out on the other side. There wasn’t a moment of this book where I wasn’t invested in what was going on. This is my first Kennedy Ryan book but it won’t be my last.

I loved Iris but I also really loved August. I loved seeing how determined he was when he figured out that Iris was his person. I loved that he knew what he wanted and where his heart lay, he didn’t question the who, the how or the why. He just understood that Iris was his future and he was patient waiting for her to catch up to him. I loved the way that he was with Sarai and I loved Lotus too. Gah, so freaking good!

I give this one a 4.75 out of 5, you?

Ames: I liked that about August too. That he knew Iris was his person and that never wavered. This couple went through hell before they even got to be a couple and August’s steadfastness was great. And the love he felt for Sarai? Melt my heart! He wasn’t perfect and that’s what made him such a great character.

I hope Lotus gets a story. That would be even more epic if possible. LOL

Okay, I have to give this one a 4.75 as well. This was one of the best books I read this year. I highly recommend it.

Buy the Book

AMAZON || BARNES & NOBLE || GOOGLE BOOKS || KOBO || THE RIPPED BODICE

Final Grade

Ames: 4.75 out of 5
Rowena: 4.75 out of 5

Hoops Series

five-stars

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Book Boyfriend: August West from Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Posted September 14, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

This feature keeps changing because I’m trying different things out but I think I’m going to stick with this format from here on out. Thanks for coming along this ride until I figure out what the hell I want to do here. LOL.

Book Boyfriend: August West from Long Shot by Kennedy RyanLong Shot
by Kennedy Ryan
Series: Hoops #1
Also in this series: Long Shot, Block Shot
Published by Kennedy Ryan on March 22, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating First Person
Pages: 460
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
five-stars

A FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA...

Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl? You don't. My fairy tale is upside down. A happily never after. I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud. I was a fool, and his love - fool's gold. Now there's a new player in the game, August West. One of the NBA's brightest stars. Fine. Forbidden. He wants me. I want him. But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go

*Certain aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers.

It took me a long time to read this book and when I finally did, I was in love with August West. It’s really easy for me to love a basketball player because they love the game of basketball just as much, if not more, than I do. And I love basketball a lot. I grew up a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan and even though we haven’t been a contending team in years, they’re still my team. I still love them just as much now as I did when I was little. So I was already won over when we find out that Iris DuPree, the heroine of this book is a huge Lakers fan.

I’ll discuss my thoughts on the book when I review it with Ames but for this post, I want to focus on my love for August West.

From the moment that August West met our heroine, Iris DuPress, he knew that he found his person. Too bad, circumstances kept them apart for years and yet, his faith that they would end up together kept him going and he was true to those feelings. He tried to get over it but once he realizes that there will never be another person for him, shit starts getting real for him. When a window of opportunity comes his way, he jumps on this chance to be with Iris and when she disappears for reasons he doesn’t know or understand, he stands by those feelings and boy did I stand by him.

What really took the cake for me and won me completely over was when he tells Iris this:

“If you were mine, I’d play you at the 5.”

I didn’t need the author to explain this to me because as a basketball lover, I knew. I knew what he meant and holy cow did he melt me with these words because the #5 position is the center. A center is normally your biggest position player because they’re in charge of protecting everything in the middle, and he said that she’d be his center. The center of his body is his heart. <3<3<3 He believed it and he wanted it so bad to come true that he didn't give up on her. Gah, to find a love like that in this day and age? How can you not fall in love with August West? This is why August is my book boyfriend for this week. For this reason but for so many other reasons that I won't even get into because you should read the book for yourself.

Hero Casting

That’s exactly who I pictured while reading this story. The curls, his coloring, it’s all perfect and cover boy is beautiful, exactly how I pictured August to be. August is just a small portion of why I loved this book. Check back soon for all the reasons why you should read this book.

Buy the Book

AMAZON || BARNES & NOBLE || GOOGLE BOOKS || KOBO || THE RIPPED BODICE

Hoops Series

Have you read this book? If so, did you enjoy it as much as I did and love August as much as I did? Who is your book boyfriend of the week?

five-stars

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