Review ~ Out of Play by Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

Title: Out of Play

Author: Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

Genre: YA/NA Contemporary Romance
Published: August 6^th 2013

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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I have a thing for rockstars at the moment, so when I read the blurb for Out of Play, I just had to get it! I am also a bit of a fan of Jolene Perry’s work, so it was a no-brainer to grab this book. Bishop is a drummer and Penny is an awesome ice-hockey player in a boys team. I knew it was going to be a fun read and I was not disappointed.

Bishop is a typical 18yo guy: arrogant, stubborn and does not have a drug problem, or so he thinks. After an intervention, he is shipped away to Alaska and right from the start he hates it. He truly thinks that he doesn’t have a problem and blames everyone else for being stuck in a tiny town with nothing to do. When he lets down his walls a little, he manages to go out and meet people and soon finds a purpose again.

Penny I liked immediately. The death of her father when she was only 10 shaped Penny into the girl she is today. She is the kind of girl who has spent so much time around guys that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind and is more comfortable around them than with girls. She is a confident girl with a plan of her own, to attend a college close to home so that she can still be close to her family, hopefully with a scholarship with a men’s hockey team.

Bishop and Penny didn’t get off to the best start. They clash a little at first and their bickering was amusing to watch. After a while you can see there is chemistry between them and Penny is confused by it as she always thought she would end up with her BF Mitch. The issues that they both have hold them back a little but soon they can see that there is more to life than what they originally planned. They begin to open up to one another and help each other through some difficult times.

I enjoyed how this story was told and the alternating POV’s helped strengthen the story. Having an addiction is a hard battle to fight, and even more so when the person is in denial. It was a moving story, especially when you find out how it affects Penny as well. As I live in Australia, I don’t know that much about ice-hockey, so I love to read stories about it!! I’m a sporty kind of girl, so I enjoy reading about all kinds of sports in books. The only thing I could criticize the book about is that I would’ve liked a bit more spice between the characters, but in the end I was happy with how the story panned out. It was a remarkable read and if you have a thing for sport and rockstars, you will definitely enjoy this book!!

I received a copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.