The Wrong Game: sports romance with fun banter and angsty drama

The Wrong Game by Kandi Steiner is a sports romance with angst and spicy romance. Gemma Manchini is a diehard football fan. She bought season tickets to the Chicago Bears as a gift for her late husband. Reeling from his death and a secret she keeps heavily guarded, Gemma has zero interest in a relationship; however, in order to get her back into the dating scene, her best friend, Belle, comes up with a plan: take a new hot, preferably funny, single guy every week to the games. However, Bartender Zach Bowen offers to be a practice round for Gemma and she agrees. Gemma finds him infuriating, overbearing but undeniably gorgeous. She is still determined to keep her heart out of their arrangement. One night. One game. And he’s done. However, Zach wasn’t ready to step aside and decided to play a new game in order to show her he was worth taking a chance on. Will her plan play out? Will Zach win this game and her heart? 

I have been waiting to read this book ever since I saw an ad on Facebook and the premise intrigued me. When the chance came to read it, I dove right into it. I loved the football aspect from a fan’s perspective rather than a player. From the very beginning, Gemma is a woman who has been deeply hurt and yet has to play the grieving widow for the sake of her late husband’s family. From the opening chapter to the ending page, Gemma goes through an amazing growth and my heart broke for her when she finally hit rock bottom and shattered. However, my favorite character, by far, was Zach. He was a man who has a heart for Gemma and will do all he can to prove himself to her. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was worth the wait. I read it through the night as I could not put it down. If you enjoy sports romance with some spice, I highly recommend The Wrong Game. 

The Wrong Game is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Perfect Imperfections: finding love among the struggles of life and uncertainties

Perfect Imperfections by Mariah Ankenman is a story of finding love among the struggles of life and uncertainties. Ellie Clark deals with anxiety steaming from her OCD compulsions which makes forming relationships difficult. As one of the head aviary keepers at the Sunlight Zoo, she enjoys spending her life around the birds who don’t judge her idiosyncrasies. Her life is about to change in ways she never imagined one fateful day as she makes the split second decision to rescue a child who falls into the penguin pool. In the aftermath, she finds an unusual bond with Charlotte, the young girl, and an attraction to her handsome father, Sullivan. Dr Sullivan Green has focused his life on his medical practice and raising his daughter since his ex-wife left them both. He is taken by surprise at the yearning he feels when near Ellie. As they began to spend time together, the attraction between them built until passion ignited. However, when the ugliness of their lives interfere, they must find the courage to take a risk on love. 

Perfect Imperfections is the type of story that takes you by surprise. When I started the book, I was intrigued as the story jumps into the event which brings them together. It started to slow down a bit and I wondered if I even wanted to continue. But I did and I am so glad I did. It speeds up once Ellie and Sullivan acknowledge their feelings. Once it did, the book was hard to put down. I enjoyed all the characters from Ellie, Sullivan and Charlotte to the supporting characters of Cam, Ellie’s best friend, and Gavin, Sullivan’s younger brother. The story was so sweet and oh so emotional. There were multiple scenes that I cried as I read. I cried sad tears. My heart broke with the characters as they deal with the ugliness of life. I cried happy tears and I closed the book with a smile. The banter was great and made me laugh and smile. The heartfelt moments made my heart melt. The depiction of mental health, especially OCD, was eye opening. I highly, highly recommend Perfect Imperfections. 

Perfect Imperfections is available in paperback and eBook

Love Walked In: a love story with a twist

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is the first book in the Love Walked In series. Cornelia Brown, 31, is obsessed with the classic romantic movies and wants to find her own Cary Grant and true love. She daydreams her days away as she wants a life similar to The Philadelphia Story (1941). When a man who looks like the spitting image of her beloved Cary Grant, walks into her Philadelphia coffee shop, she believes she found him. Little does she know that their meeting would set in motion a series of events that would change her life forever. At the same time, 11 year old Clare Hobbes has been covering for her erratic mother and barely holding it together. Until one day when her mother leaves, Clare now must look for her estranged father. While meeting her father, she meets Cornelia and the two immediately develop a bond that won’t be easily broken. Does Cornelia truly find the love she desires? Will Clare’s mother return? 

The story is told between two narrators: Cornelia and Clare. The first half of the book was great but I found myself struggling to get through the second half as one unrealistic event after another pushes the story along. I found Cornelia to be annoying as she is so filled with her idealistic view of love that she is often over the top and at the same time filled with angst that she begins to question everything. I related more to Clare, the child who desperately tries to be an adult but still very much a scared child at heart. I also didn’t care for the constant movie and book references. I don’t mind the occasional reference because it helps connect with and understand the character; however, when it seems like it's the only thing the character is able to connect with, it gets old. And it gives the impression that the author wants to show the reader how smart and cultured they are with all the references. I recommend Love Walked In. 

Love Walked In is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

An Ordinary Life: one woman's journey through turbulent times

An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse is a story of one woman’s life as she lives through World War II and settles into life after. The story opens on Christmas Eve, 2019, Ninety-four year old Molly sets to write an important letter, a letter she has put off for far too long. She wakes up in the hospital, having suffered a stroke. While she has lost the ability to speak, her mind is still active and alive with her memories. The story then transports us to London, 1940s, as a young, nineteen year old Molly tries to find an excuse not to go out with friends. Little does she know that this night will change her life forever. She meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance and all is right with the world. But the realities of war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice and she finds herself going undercover for the French Resistance and other dangerous activities, all in the name of the war effort. As the war comes to an end and life returns to normal, Molly finds herself witnessing the ever-changing world with a heavy secret on her heart, a secret that only her sister knows. Witness a life of courage, strength and unbelievable love of a life that is anything but ordinary. 

With a title like An Ordinary Life, you know you are on a roller coaster of a life which is not so ordinary. From the opening prologue to the closing epilogue, Molly’s story is one of heartache and sacrifice as she must find a way to survive. At one part, a character tells Molly that war changes everything as time is compressed and stolen. It is so true as the rest of her story is one of compressed and stolen time. Despite the passage of time, her memories are vivid as if the events were yesterday. I loved Molly’s spunk and determination. She wanted a life more than was expected of her and boy, did she live it. An Ordinary Life is a beautiful story of courage, strength and love. A story of finding the love of your life and doing your best to fit a lifetime of love in the time you have because with war, you never know if you’ll get any more. Despite the loss and heartache she experiences, Molly is able to fill her life with love, family and experiences that anyone would consider an extraordinary life. Ms. Prowse does not disappoint for a story of high emotions, personal sacrifice and life lessons learned. I highly recommend An Ordinary Life. 

An Ordinary Life is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

Let Me Fall: the drama of high school can have a lasting effect

Let Me Fall by Lily Foster is the fifth book in the Let Me series. Each book stands alone and Let Me Fall is the story of Carolyn and Jeremy, secret admirers of each other since grade school and are reunited in their junior year of high school. Carolyn is the smart, nerdy girl who helps the struggling Jeremy pass his classes so he can play football. As the two draw closer, the drama and rumor mill runs wild around the school. Until one day, tragedy strikes, and Carolyn and Jeremy are torn apart and set on different plans they ever planned. Three years after high school, Carolyn and Jeremy start seeing each other around town and the old feelings are still there. Will they be able to move forward? Will the events of high school come back to haunt them?  Can the past be forgiven?

Let Me Fall is a young adult book and it is definitely geared toward that audience. The high school drama, the sexual exploits and the cattiness between the female characters feels like a teen drama show. It was a hard read. The action was slowly building with a lot of hints and rising excitement, only to be let down as the suspense is dragged on further. The sex scenes and the language were hard to get through; however, I feel it is probably accurate to the real interaction of teenagers. It was not my personal experience, but I do know it was the story of others. I loved Jeremy’s character. I sympathized with his struggles and his self-doubt as he viewed himself lower than his classmates. Carolyn was hit and miss for me. I cheered as she recovers from her ordeals than she does and says something that is so immature like geez, have you learned anything? Overall, I enjoyed the book. However, it is not a series I will be continuing. I do recommend Let Me Fall for teen and young adult audiences.

Let Me Fall

is available in paperback and eBook

Fall Out Boy: more than just a punk rock band

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band. The band members, Patrick Stump (vocals/guitarist), Peter Wentz (bassist), Joe Trothman (guitarist) and Andy Hurley (drums) were the product of the hardcore punk scene in Chicago. According to one interview, the band got their name from fans who yelled out “Fallout Boy” at a concert. They liked the name never realizing that Fallout Boy is the sidekick of comic book hero, Radioactive Man on the TV show The Simpsons. The band has been going strong since their debut album, Take This to Your Grave (2003). Fall Out Boy isn’t just another rock band. They use their music to bring awareness to an important issue: mental health and many of their fans have found comfort and support in their lyrics.

The bassist, Peter Wentz, was diagnosed with bipolar depression with rapid cycling. This means his moods swung from depression to manic states fairly quickly. In 2005, he attempted suicide by overdosing on Ativan. He claimed Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah saved his life. The song, Hum Hallelujah, was written describing the night he tried to commit suicide and the moment he thought he knew what he wanted to do. The chorus says “So hum hallelujah,/Just off the key of reason/I thought I loved you/It was just how you looked in the light./A teenage vow in a parking lot/"Till tonight do us part"/I sing the blues and swallow them too.” In my opinion, the chorus speaks of someone who has survived to look back on that moment and say I thought I knew what I was doing. The title may come from a repeated line in Hallelujah, “Sing Hallelujah.” I think the use of the word “hum” is significant. Humming is a song without words and many people who are depressed claim they are without words.

Many people of the general public don’t realize that mental health and drug use often go hand-in-hand. Individuals who with mental health issues will often self-medicate. The song, The (After) Life of the Party, is an example of this issue. One line sticks out to me is “I’m a stitch away from making it/And a scar away from falling apart.” As I listened to this line, I see an individual who is hurting. Stitch his or her life back together and being aware that one more scar could cause him or her to fall apart. As someone with her own stitches and scars, I see a person who is struggling and knows there is a fine line between surviving and falling apart. A person who is one hit from death or one day from survival. While researching this song, I came across several message boards where fans have reported feelings of peace and calm. As I listen to the melody, it is easy to see how they could feel this way.

A third song which speaks to many fans is Short, Fast and Loud. The song is about someone who is in a constant battle with his or her own mistakes and wishing that he or she could be better. The song describes a relationship where one individual continually belittles the other. “The battles only halfway done/I might look young/But I’m no less defeated” defines the internal battles that everyone often has with themselves. Some are better for it and some are not. The repeated line “Good God, I wish I was tall” is not to be taken literally, in my opinion, the line means I wish I could be want you want me to be. The closing line “Go figure, I was bigger than that” speaks to the person realizing that he or she is more than he or she thought.

In conclusion, Fall Out Boy has a legion of fans from their debut and each day their lyrics speaks to the listener in a way that only music can. While Fall Out Boy is not my kind of music, I can appreciate their honest and transparency while bringing important issues facing young adults today. Whether it be for mental health awareness or other social issues, Fall Out Boy speaks to their fans and reaches deep in their souls. And for the length of one song or even one album, they can help bring peace or realization to the listener who may need help and searching for answers. I recommend giving Fall Out Boy a listen, you might be surprised by their music and their message.