Library of Clean Reads: Football

Monday, May 20, 2013

Truths and Roses by Inglath Cooper

Truths and Roses by Inglath Cooper
Fence Free Entertainment
ISBN: 978-0615701585
Published Oct 10, 2012
Kindle version, 296 pages

Sometimes I'm in the mood to read a romantic book, a love story into which I can escape. So I picked up Truths and Roses, and was happy to discover it was just what I was looking for.

Professional football player Will Kincaid ends his career by busting his knee just as he crosses the line for a glorious win at the Superbowl. He returns to his hometown a hero, wondering what he is now going to do with his life. But when he bumps into Hannah Jacobs, the only girl who ever rejected him in high school, old feelings come alive as they learn to deal with old secrets, bad memories and the growing attraction between them.

This was a fun book that dealt with serious issues realistically, yet without too much drama. I enjoyed the plotline and the characters as they both grew and changed. Hannah was stuck in a quiet life with unfulfilled dreams and couldn't move beyond a tragic event in her past. Will's whole life had been football and it seems he couldn't get his father's approval otherwise. He needed to come to terms with his strengths and weaknesses to determine where he was now headed in life.

Together Will and Hannah help each other, but must overcome their obstacles to be able to give the best of each other in their relationship. This is the message I really liked in this story. The romance builds well without silly bodice-ripping scenes or phrases telling me how gorgeous the characters are. Yes, there are some hot kissing scenes, but they are in good taste. And the sex scene isn't explicit.

I will definitely read another of Cooper's books when I'm in the mood for a good solid romance. Recommended to lovers of romance books.

Note: This book is rated S = some sexual content, not too explicit.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Kid Konnection: Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat

Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat (Rated: C)
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 978-0545055949
Publication date: September 2010
Hardcover, 160 pages, Ages 7-9

First off, my kids thought this was a great title. And it suits the story well. Bobby is a 9 year-old boy (same age as my daughter) who loves to skateboard and doesn’t like to play football because he’s not good at it. Problem is, his father is an ex-football pro star, and Bobby’s greatest fear is letting his Dad down, especially since his sister Annie is a quarterback of the high school football team and their father’s pride and joy.

This book was really fun to read to both my kids. It was a little advanced for my 6 year-old son but he got the gist of it and liked the story. It has some funny scenes, themes that most kids can relate to and revolves around school and home. Bobby is a very likable character, who is kind to his younger sister Casey, and whose insecurities and dilemmas are very real. My kids thought Bobby was brave when he handled well the teasing about his asthma attack at school. They learned what it means to have asthma and how serious an attack can be. My kids were satisfied with the ending as all the plot elements were neatly resolved. It was a good change to read a book with a boy’s perspective on things. (My daughter is a girly girl.)

This is the second book in the Bobby series and I think it will do very well. I also think it’s a great father and son read, especially since Bobby's father is a stay-at-home Dad. This was a refreshing change. Altogether, this is a great book.

Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts a feature called Kid Konnection—a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, visit Booking Mama.

Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole from Scholastic Canada for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.