Book Review: Playing for Keeps by Ranee' S. Clark

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Playing for Keeps by Ranee' S. Clark

Book Description:

Football-loving TyAnne Daws has long admired BYU's star quarterback from afar. This semester, she's determined to step away from the sidelines and she has the perfect game plan for winning the heart of Anthony "Rocket" Rogers. When some smart moves land her in one of his classes, she finds herself in the perfect position to make her play. But as she gets to know the real Anthony, away from the lights of the stadium, Ty realizes that this is no game she s falling in love . . . 

Anthony takes full advantage of his all-star status, holding girls at arms length for one reason: it keeps him from repeating the same mistakes that once led to a devastating heartbreak. When he meets Ty, his assumption that she's just another pretty face is quickly proven wrong. Though he s completely drawn in by this sweet young woman, her intriguing mix of amusing football know-how, and her quiet selflessness, he will not let himself fall in love. But when faced with the reality of losing the woman he's come to care for despite himself, Anthony's resolve is tested it s getting harder to keep his head in the game when his heart is on the line.

Rorie's Review: 

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I am a Ute fan, so therefore, reading a book focusing on BYU football was kind of difficult for me. ;)

I enjoy a good romance, but I really like it when the main character has to work for that romance. In this book that happened almost right from the start. It did get a bit saccharine for me at times too. I liked the side story with Dylan, but I feel like it could have been developed so much more than it was.

It's probably sounding like I didn't like the book, but that isn't the case. It wasn't my favorite romance, but it was a quick, enjoyable read, even if I wanted to smack Ty and Anthony upside the head a few times for their lack of communication.

The author did a good job developing most of the characters, and I feel like I got to know them really well. I like to get to know not only the main characters but also the supporting characters, and with the exception of Dylan, I feel the author succeeded with that.

Andrea's Review:

I like what the author did with this story. I struggled with it initially because I'm not a BYU fan, but after awhile I was able to get over what team this was about and just enjoy the story. The fan worship of Anthony, the QB, felt very realistic. I did not like him. He was conceited and a player which made me disrespect him immensely. It took awhile for me to warm up to him, but I felt that he grew and became a better person throughout the story.

I liked TyAnne, the main female character, a lot. She seemed like a good person in many ways. It was a little hard to understand how she was still interested in Anthony knowing he was a player. But she was able to learn more about the real guy, and her example and caring made him better.

I also liked how this wasn't just a standard romance with the big issue stemming from lack of communication. The inclusion of Dylan added an interesting twist, albeit creepy. I really liked the friendships that were formed in the story and the protection that was offered because of it.

Tarah's Review:

I enjoy sports stories, which is surprising because I don't follow them or anything, but I enjoy them all the same. A story about college sports was a little different for me. I guess I didn't realize how big of a deal college sports were, or I'm not a BYU fan :) One of the two. So while that aspect seemed a little over done to me I'll basically just echo what Rorie and Andrea said in their reviews. It took most of the story for me to begin to like Anthony (I'll admit, I struggled with his name...and school affiliation). I did like how he tried to protect his sister though. That was sweet. I almost wanted Ty to end up with his best friend. He was a fun character. Like Rorie said, the romance was too easy, and like Andrea said I didn't understand why Ty would want to have a relationship with Anthony in the first place, knowing his reputation. All that being said, it was a quick, cute, fun read. While I can't see myself reading it again soon, I can see myself picking it up again in the future.

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*June 12th:
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Title: Playing for Keeps
Author: Ranee' S. Clark
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Published: June 2015
ISBN: 1621088502
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for a review.

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