Out of Play, by Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

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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.




I have been in love with Nyrae Dawn's writing ever since I read What A Boy Wants.  So I jumped for joy when I was approved for this galley!

Like WaBW, the storyline is predictable (though there were a couple of surprises), but I didn't care.  Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry have created such a fantastic mash-up of characters that it really doesn't matter.  The characters are the most important, and they are perfect and perfectly flawed.

Penny is a kick-ass heroine: an ice hockey player who has always been on an all-male (except for her) team.  She's strong--both physically and emotionally--and is well-liked by her teammates and friends.  She's a tomboy and hates all of that "girlie" stuff, so we'd never be friends in real life.  But I'd admire her from afar and think she was really cool.  Scary--she could totally kick my ass from here to the next century--but definitely cool.

Poor Bishop just can't handle being famous and needs to chill with the drugs and alcohol.  He's a cocky asshole who gets taken down a peg in a place where no one knows his true identity.

I loved the snarky relationship between Bishop and Penny.  It was laugh-out-loud funny when they'd push each others' buttons.

And the make-out sessions?  Swoony.  Totally swoony.

I'm definitely purchasing the Kindle version for my personal collection.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.