A Bookish Escape: Blog Tour : Out Of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Blog Tour : Out Of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

Out Of Play
By: Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Source: Author

GR's Summary:

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.

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Welcome to our stop on Out of Play. To see the rest

of the tour schedule, click HERE.

Lindy's Thoughts:

I've been excited about Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry since I first saw the book cover, and read the book synopsis. The story begins in Bishop's point of view were we learn that he is a talented drummer in a famous band called "Burn." Bishop doesn't do well with crowds, close spaces, and loud noises. He develops acute anxiety when he hears the crowd of fans chanting his name, and when he's trying to get away from the paparazzi. His method of coping, or lack thereof is pill popping, and chasing it down with hard liquor. Unfortunately, he takes too many pills one night and almost aspirates. He wakes up in horrible condition, and is offered an ultimatum by his band's manager (Don). His ultimatum is Alaska with Don's brother, Paul, to try and clean up his drug addiction, or he will be forced to leave the band. Bishop doesn't think that he has a problem, and is angry with Don, but he feels like he doesn't have much of a choice. Drumming is his passion, and he can't imagine not being a part of the band anymore.

Then there's Penny. She is a tough chick who plays on her high school's all male hockey team. The best part is she's one of the top players, is independent, puts the boys in check, and is well respected by her team mates, as well as her community. Penny's father died when she was young, so she has been brought up by her single hard working mother, and "Gramps," who is suffering from the beginning of Alzheimer's. Penny loves to work on her retro Corvette that used to be her father's, spending quality time with Gramps, and having fun with her team mates. Her best friend is her team mate Mitch. She has had feelings for Mitch as more than a friend, yet Mitch is going out with Rebecca. Rebecca is Penny's opposite in many ways, and Penny can't help but feel jealous and aggravated by Becca's constant prescence.

Paul (who has experience with working with drug addiction) ends up renting a set of mini cabins from Penny's mother for Bishop's stay in Alaska. Bishop is not allowed to tell anyone who he really is. He become's Penny's next door neighbor, develops a close friendship with Gramps, and gets to know Penny on an intimate level. This story was told from Bishop and Penny's alternating point of views. These two develop a close connection, get to know one another on a deep level, and help each other deal with the current stresses and problems in their lives.

I really loved Out of Play. The story was smooth and seamless. The descriptions were perfect, and gave me great visuals of the story. Penny and Bishop were well-rounded characters that fascinated me . I loved the uniqueness of Penny's character. She was a refreshing change from the more typical female characters that I read about in romance novels. She was a great role model for what females should strive to be. I loved her strength, independence, perseverance, loyalty, and compassionate heart. Not to mention that she was competitive, not only kept up with her teammates, but could kick series butt! The setting of Alaska was both different than most settings I've read about, and fun! I loved reading about all of the competitive and extreme outdoor activities! I could feel the cold Alaska snow on my face, and the adrenaline rush from going sledding down huge hills, and using snow machines. Out of Play was a book full of adventure, transformation, and self actualization. I loved the themes, and deep messages contained within its pages!

My Rating:

I give Out of Play by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry 4.5 heartfelt, Romantic, Adventurous, and Journey Filled Stars! Ms. Dawn and Ms. Perry have proven to be a dynamic duo when it comes to creating a fabulous, gritty, and emotional story! I loved this story, and I know Ms. Dawn and Ms. Perry's fans will love it as well! A word of warning--get your tissues ready because you will cry with this one! New Adult Readers, add this story to your TBR!

My Favorite Quote:

"And I want you. I slide my lips against his, and his reaction is immediate. I don't melt into his kiss-I dissolve into it. Into him. And as screwed up as everything got, it's pretty perfect right now. And there's no way in hell I'm going to let that change." (eARC, pg. 229)

~Penny

Mikki's Review:

Meet Penny

The way I see Penny

Hockey star in a team full of guys, Penny knows how to fit in. She has stolen the spotlight and is being offered scholarships to join some of the best hockey teams there is. The only problem is that these scholarships are all from women's hockey teams. Penny's ultimate goal is to stay in Alaska and play for the guys hockey team.

Meet Bishop

The way I see Bishop

Drummer for the famous rock band BURN, Bishop is living in a world of fame, fortune and drugs. Anxiety rules his life and he just wants to numb every emotion that comes from it. The most important things in is life are his Mom and Drumming.

When Bishop needs an escape from the real world he turns to drugs and alcohol. He does not deal well with the crowds and paparazzi that are constantly following him. The anxiety he feels is too much to handle. In an attempt to forget about everything, he submerges himself into a night of hard partying. That night, his life is changed forever. He almost overdoses and ends up in the hospital. For the sake of the band and himself, his band manager decides to send him to Alaska. This is what he needs to clear his head of all the negative in his life. After seeing what his actions have caused, he decides to go.

Penny has been playing hockey with the boys since she was a little girl. Hockey is her life. She wants to play for the guys hockey team in Alaska, but nobody gets it. Everybody around her wants her to take the plunge and discover what all these schools are offering her. Penny has many reasons to why she wants to stay and play in Alaska: Her family and her friends. She secretly hopes that one day her best friend Mitch is going to realize that he loves her. She has been in love with Mitch for as long as she can remember, but Mitch does not share her feelings. Life gets complicated for Penny at home. Her dad passed away in a tragic accident, her grandpa suffers from Mild dementia and her mom is suddenly less present in her life.

Out Of Play is the story of two young individuals who are faced with life decisions and many obstacles in their paths. At the end of the road what they least expected was to help one another.

My Rating:

I give Out Of Play 5 MAGNIFICENT stars! I was really happy when I got the chance to review this book. I have never read a book from either of these ladies before. I know ... I know ... What was I thinking?!?!?! Their writing style is just impeccable. I went through so many emotions while reading this book. I wanted to be Penny's best friend and give her a hug when she most needed it and just tell her that everything was going to be OK. I wanted to scream at Bishop for not following his heart and taking the easy way out. I laughed, cried, screamed and swooned with this amazing story. I want more! More! More! Is it to greedy of me to ask for book 2?? I may have started a little addiction called ''NyJo'' and I am in no way looking for a cure ;)

About Nyrae:

Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn’s passion. There have been times in her life where she wasn’t able to chase that dream the way she desired, but she always found her way back to telling stories.

One of her loves has always been writing about teens. There’s something so fresh and fun about the age that she loves exploring. Her husband says it’s because she doesn’t want to grow up. She doesn’t think that’s such a bad thing and luckily for her, he doesn’t either.

Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she’s a total romantic at heart and proud.

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids.

When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her.

She writes for Entangled Publishing, Grand Central Publishing and is self-published.

Nyrae is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

Nyrae Dawn also writes adult romance under the name Kelley Vitollo.Website: http://www.nyraedawn.com/

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About Jolene:

Jolene grew up in South-central Alaska. She’s lived in Anchorage, near the Alyeska ski resort, on a cabin on an island on a lake, and then in a boring old house.

Jolene kissed a boy on her high school graduation night. One she’d wanted to kiss for a long time. They got married two years later, have built two homes together, survived military deployments, law school, student loan debt, and two children.

Jolene plays the guitar, takes pictures, and loves to hike. She doesn’t like rivers, but loves the ocean. She loves to fly, but gets motion sick. Her ultimate vacation would be to sail through the deserted islands in The Bahamas. Two years ago, she got that wish when her parents retired on a sailboat. She taught high school French when she was only a few years older than her students, and then taught middle school math with her degree in political science and French. She spends grocery money on designer fabric, shoes, and books.

Jolene cannot express how many times she wished she could write a whole novel. And now she has. Many times. Life is good.