{Blog Tour} Book Review: Played - Liz Fichera

Title: Played (Hooked #2)

Author: Liz Fichera
Release Date: May 27th 2014

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Age Group: Young Adult
Source: NetGalley

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This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when I saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decided to try to save me.

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

It's been more than a year since I read Hooked, and so it's been more than a year since I started waiting for Played. In the first book, Fred and Ryan got their happy ending, but no one said happy endings are forever. Not even theirs, especially when Ryan's younger sister Riley decides to get all Lannister-like and pay her debt to Sam, Fred's old friend who she turned down.

Jeez, she looked exactly like her brother, with that same know-it-all, confident face that always got on my last nerve.

Sam dislikes Riley by association, and although she's usually all-around nice, Riley dislikes Sam because she has no idea why he's so grumpy, particularly to her. This kind of relationship between two strangers is often irritatingly childish, but not this time because the history between them, albeit indirect, just feels somewhat personal. Talk about living vicariously through books.

The verbal smackdowns don't last long, however, because there's nothing quite like getting stuck in the woods with torrential rains and a sprained ankle to bring two people together.

"I'm in love with your brother's girlfriend," I blurted.

Now there's a real icebreaker. And when they finally get rescued, Riley makes a promise to Sam to help him win Fred's heart (because Fred/Ryan is bound to end up in flames some time soon, anyway, she thinks). Soon, Riley's running around coordinating Sam's wardrobe and cutting his hair, and Sam, knowing she won't take no for an answer, decides to let her have at it until she finally gets bored and moves on. Except she doesn't get bored and Sam finds himself using body spray even without Riley forcing his hand.

All is fine and amusing at first as Sam undergoes a not-to-hot transformation at the hands of the younger Berenger, but that is until their efforts actually start affecting Fred and Ryan. I really pitied the golden couple because dude, I invested one entire book's worth of emotion until that ship sailed! One must not puncture its hull!

But aside from Riley and Sam's conspiring, they have their own problems to deal with. Riley is a confused girl, desperate for people to see her as more than the good girl and the little sister of The Ryan Berenger. Sam, on the other hand, is struggling to get over Fred and to know why there feels to be a mile-long distance between him and his father even when they're under the same roof. These personal problems bring them closer than their scheming does, and slowly they become friends to more-than-friends. Sam knows he should stay away from Riley who seems to bring nothing but trouble, but when he's with her, his indifferent facade gets tossed out to reveal the true him. Their antics were so adorable, as in grin-and-giggle-at-seven-in-the-morning adorable.

While definitely a lighter story than Hooked, I loved Played just the same, possibly even more. It certainly made me laugh more than I remember the first book doing, and it's just what I needed to read for the past few lazy days. Now, how long do I have to wait for book three?

MY FAVORITE PART is Riley's first visit to Sam's house :3

RATING:

Book Review: Hooked - Liz Fichera

Title: Hooked (Hooked #1)

Author: Liz Fichera

Release Date: January 29th 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Source: signed ARC won from author (Thanks again, Liz!)

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When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done. 

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred. 

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile... 

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

I feel like the blurb promised a hot romance—which wasn't quite what I got—but true to its title, I was Hooked from page one.

The main reason for that was Fred Oday, the girl from the Reservation who learned how to play golf just by watching it. Right off the bat, I immediately worried about her because of her joining the all-boys golf team; I knew it wasn't going to be easy for her. She was painfully shy most of the time and, disappointingly, rarely stood up for herself when she was being bullied... but not on the golf course, where she showed her inner fire and left everyone's jaws hanging. It's also on the golf course where I admired her the most because she was no prodigy and her parents weren't able to provide for lessons—she worked to get that killer swing.

But that isn't to say Ryan Berenger didn't work for his swing. Although he was the typical spoiled jock, he did take golf seriously, too. I hated how he questioned yet still followed Seth's every whim, but it was nice to see him change from that pushover to a guy who stood up for what he wanted. I have to mention that his transition was slow, so I'd expect some people to hate Ryan for the most part of the book. I would know—I wanted to smack some sense into him, too.

I really loved Fred and Ryan's slow-building romance. It was believable because they're basically from two very different worlds, and that fact just made it so much sweeter. How I wish this book was full of sweetness, though. It is not, and that's mostly thanks to Seth, Ryan's best friend who got kicked off the team to make way for Fred, and Gwyneth, the girl who would always be found clinging to Ryan. They deserve being mentioned here because this homicidal douchebag and arrant bitch (god I hate using that word, but Gwyneth deserves it!) gave me murderous feels.

Another thing I loved was the golf. Before reading this book, I only had two thoughts when I encountered that word: 1) Tiger Woods, and 2) I walk in the middle of a freaking golf course to get to school. Oh, and I consider it a grandpa sport... Anyway, now I'll think of Fred and Ryan! ♥

The alternating perspectives endeared this couple to me, and the touches on bullying and racism made Hooked so much more than a YA contemporary romance novel. I loved the ending, and this early in the year, I am already looking forward to 2014 because of Played!

MY FAVORITE PART was Fred and Ryan's day at the golf club. Oh, the lurve.

RATING:

(cover and summary from Goodreads.com)