About:
Love is the toughest game of all.
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama.
Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her star-quarterback boyfriend betrays them all. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek---someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?
My Review:
I first have to say that I have been a huge fan of Simone Elkeles work for a very long time. Her Perfect Chemistry series is a huge favorite of mine and have reread it countless of times, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Wild Cards. I had high expectations with this book and it did not disappoint. It was thrilling, heart pounding, and not a book you can out down. I read it in one sitting. I know it sounds crazy, but I really did read all 342 pages in one sitting with no breaks. It was that good. I still think the Perfect Chemistry series still holds its golden crown but this definitely gets a silver tiara.
Wild Cards is about two teenagers with chips on their shoulders. Derek can't get over what happened to his mom and Ashtyn can't trust anybody because of what the people she loved did to her. All she has left is football. When these two first meet, it's a disaster. They don't get along and drive each other crazy, but there is something between them that either of them don't want to admit.
Ashtyn is bossy and controlling, according to Derek. I do think he's kind of right. She has no control so she scrambles for it. Ashtyn is a tomboy who once in a while does her best to remind everyone that she is a girl. I liked Ashtyn a lot. I loved how she stuck up for herself and fought for what she wanted. Not many people can do that. I also like how hot headed she is. I just find those kinds of characters interesting. While Ashtyn is hot headed, Derek is calm cool...most of the time. He seems to lose his head when Ashtyn is involved. She is a siren according to him. He wants nothing to do with her. He's the one time wham bam thank you ma'am type of guy. He isn't into commitment and being there for someone. Oh bt he wants to, for her. She drives him insane and makes his blood run hot but he can't stay away from her. I liked Derek a lot in the way that he seemed like a very real character to me. I mean I connected with Ashytn about the people leaving and never looking back, but I never experienced losing a love one. So when I read this book I felt like I lost someone too. He really made his emotions feel real which I have to credit Simone with. She sure knows how to invoke emotions from you through her writing. I liked both Ashtyn and Derek together. They were polar opposites but somehow they complimented each other. Truthfully though, I wished there were more sweet moments between them. There was only that one thing towards the end. Most of the time it was blazing passion, which was great, but I just wanted something that wasn't lust I guess? I know their couldn't be a lot of sweet moments but one more couldn't have hurt, could it? I absolutely loved Derek's grandmother. I found her to be hilarious. She didn't take no for an answer and always got what she wanted. She's bossy and a pain in the butt, but you could tell she really cared about Derek. She is definitely one of my favorite characters even though she only appeared in the last third of the book. Brandi was a bit of an airhead but I wish I could have seen more of her. Maybe some bonding between her and Ashtyn? That's another problem I found with this book. I felt that some issues weren't addressed properly. I mean Brandi left Ashtyn behind like their mother left them and there is no talking about it between them? Derek's issues were addressed but Ashtyn's weren't. Julian was absolutely adorable. I found him so cute and also wished I could have seen him more.
The plot is very good. I love how the story is set up. I felt there were a few holes, like with the lack of issues being addressed but the romance was spot on. It definitely got my heart throbbing. I wish I could have seen an actual football game go on in the book. There were only practices and that training camp. I would have loved the suspense of a game. Maybe in the next book I'll see one. I loved the cover by the way. Simone Elkeles covers are the best.
Overall, I loved the book. I could not put it down. I loved everything about it except for those couple issues I had. If you love romance and seeing people overcome their problems then you should definitely read this book. If you are also a Simone Elkeles fan and haven't gotten the chance to pick up a copy of Wild Cards then get a move on! This is a high recommend and a good summer read.
Stars: 4/5
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