Review: Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Image & description from Goodreads

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

My Thoughts:
Every time I read a book in this series I think, "OMG this is my favorite book!".  With each new book comes an amazing story and more characters to fall in love with.  Every one of them wonderfully complicated and fascinating.  I loved how Haley & West kept saving each other both physically & emotionally.  I wish I could be as kick-ass as Haley, literally.  When it came to protecting those she loved she was fierce!  West had a lot of growing up to do.  There was a twist in his story I was NOT expecting and I was shocked.  It was the perfect situation to really help him evolve.  Both Haley & West had some past wounds they needed to overcome.  While they did help each other some, in the end they both had to face their "demons" alone and came out stronger for it.  I binge read this book like it was my first meal after not eating for weeks!  I would read all the books in this series over again.  I can't wait for the next one!

Recommended for readers 15 & up.  Mild to moderate language & sexual situations.

Katie McGarry - http://www.katielmcgarry.com/

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Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Image & description from Goodreads

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

My Thoughts:
I've been on quite a reading binge lately.  Wild Cards has been one of the better books I've read in the last few weeks.  I'm from TX so it didn't hurt one bit that Derek was a smart mouth, boot wearing, piece of eye candy.  I can see how he could drive most girls to do some crazy stuff.  His need to constantly push Ashtyn away was a little annoying, but in the end he got out of his own way.  Ashtyn is not your typical female MC.  She's one of few female high school football players and she's fought her butt off to prove she deserves to be on the field.  I loved the banter and sarcasm that flowed between Derek and Ashtyn.  The chemistry is H~O~T, HOT when a guy and a girl get such a rush annoying each other.  The only thing that bothered me about this story was the ending.  It was a little too perfect.  Without smacking you with spoilers, I'll just say it's a little unrealistic that Derek's grandmother would do what she did.  Also, a little more should have been said about Derek & Ashtyn's trip to Texas in relation to the travel.  Texas is huge and it takes at least 2 hours to get from one big city to another.  Unless her football camp was within about 30 minutes of his grandmother's house it's unlikely she'd be calling a cab to take her between the two places.  I know that seems like a minor detail to focus on, but it bugged none the less.  Over all I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, young adult romance to read.  I disagree with Amazon's Grade 9 & up rating.

I'd say for readers 16 & up.  Moderate sexual content and language.

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop ~ INT

It's time to get out those sparklers (unless you're under a fire ban) and celebrate the USA!!

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Have a fantastic 4th of July if you're in the US and great weekend all around!

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