The Play by Karina Halle

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A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules. 

A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.

When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.

Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

Holy cow! This achingly sweet and intense novel has given me THE biggest book hangover! So many feels going through me now that I’m still recovering from.

The Play is a case of opposites attract. Kayla is swearing off men – in theory that is until she’s introduced to Lachlan, a hot Scottish rugby player who’s in San Francisco for a visit. He makes her weak in the knees and she wants to do many things to him. Lachlan who’s in town with the sole purpose of helping with his cousin’s business venture, has no intentions of getting involved with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Kayla is a different matter. Both are interested in each other but the fact that he’s only in town for another week makes it illogical for them to start something. Her outgoing personality is a contrast to his dour one, so it’s unsettling to him that she actually gets under his skin. For Kayla, she’s simply beguiled by this guy who shows moments of tenderness behind his gruff exterior. Their hooking up is inevitable and thank the gods because these two together are positively combustible!

I admire Karina Halle for writing a fierce and brazen character in Kayla. It’s not too often that I come across a heroine who owns her sexuality and states exactly what she wants. At the same time, she’s floundering career-wise. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of someone in their 30’s who’s attempting to make sense of how their original ideals and goals hold up against their present situation. Just because you have it all figured out in one area of your life doesn’t mean that’s how it is all the way around. Then there’s Lachlan. To say he needs a massive hug is an understatement! I liked that we are given brief glimpses into his turbulent past, just enough to understand that he’s been through some terrifying things that have scarred him. While on the outside he’s guarded, the walls do come down unleashing a flood of serious emotional distress. Lachlan’s problems go way deep, and the complexity of them are described cleverly and sympathetically.

By the time I was done with The Play, I was a bit of a mess. My emotions ran the gamut thanks to Kayla and Lachlan’s heated romance, their various issues, and Lachlan’s love of rescuing dogs, particularly pit bulls. I have to admit, I didn’t realize how misunderstood and vilified pit bulls have been made out to be. By making Lachlan an advocate for stray animals, Halle has also shed light on a serious cause: that of abused or unwanted dogs in desperate need of good homes. She’s so passionate about this cause that she has even donated $1 from every pre-sale and first-week sale of The Play towards various animal shelters! (If you'd like more info on how much money has been raised from sales and where's it's going click here.) 

The Play is the second book by Karina Halle that I've read (Where Sea Meets Sky being the other one) and it contains the same passion and heat that drew me in. Set in two of my favourite locales, San Francisco and Scotland, it was like I was sight-seeing again as I immersed myself in the story. As a new fan of her writing, I will definitely be making my way through her catalogue. If you need more encouragement to read this book, will it help to know that the muse for Lachlan was based on none other than Tom Hardy, another advocate for rescuing and adopting dogs? Yeah...go ahead and drool. And pick up The Play while you're at it!

~ Bel

Photo: Esquire UK May 2015 issue

*The Play is a stand alone novel. The Pact and The Offer also feature the same recurring characters and can be read in any order.

That's What HE Said Thursday #51

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend he's speaking to us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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I've diligently been making my way through the On Dublin Street series by Samantha Young. Set in Scotland, this is one of my faves and it's going to take me some time to read them all because there are what feels like 50 of these books in the series! In any case, I recently read Down London Road and developed a massive crush on Cam. Hope you enjoy this little blurb!  ~ Bel

The scenario: Cam lives in the flat below Jo’s. He’s stopped by to give something to her brother. There’s something unspoken going on between them but neither will act on it just yet. It doesn’t mean that Cam won’t be a little mischievous just to put a smile on Jo’s face though. 

I set about making it, fully aware of his eyes on my every movement. My cheeks felt incredibly warm under his perusal, and I hurried to get his drink ready.  “You’re working tonight, aren’t you?” I said, handing him the mug.

“I am. But I wanted to drop something off first.” He took a sip of his drink. “Mmm, good coffee.”

I laughed softly. “The way to a man’s heart.”

His grin was wicked. “Only an easily pleased man,“ he retorted, suggesting he was anything but easy to please.

“Yeah, I can guess what it takes to please you, Cam, and this is a PG-13 household.”

He threw back his head and laughed, causing another flutter in my chest and my own smile to widen. “Good thing the flat downstairs is open to R-rated situations.”

I flushed and shook my head. “Moving on …”

~ Cam to Jo

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2)

by Samantha Young

   

     

   

That's What HE Said Thursday #37

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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I finally had the chance to read Outlander when I went on vacation last week. I know my reading it made Bibliojunkie Nat very happy. It was me, the beach and the sound of Sam Heughan aka Jamie Faser's lovely Scottish accent in my head the entire time. This was my ideal vacation and I ony wish that I had the second book, Dragonfly In Amber, at hand to dive right into.

Anyway, Jamie has so many quotes choose from but this is the one that I find myself reading over and over.  ~ Bel

He reached out and touched my lower lip, barely brushing the edge. " It starts out the same, but then, after a moment, " he said, speaking softly, "suddenly it's as though I've a living flame in my arms." His touch grew firmer, outlining my lips and caressing the line of my jaw. "And I want only to throw myself into it and be consumed."

~ Jamie to Claire

Outlander by 

Diana Gabaldon

For all Outlander fans out there, here's a little gift for you all from Buzzfeed: 18 Times Jamie Fraser Made You Thirsty Enjoy!

If Only by A. J. Pine

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Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.


It's been two years since twenty-year-old Jordan had a boyfriend—which means it's been forever since she, well, you know. But now she’s off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.

Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect, no-strings-attached match. He’s fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh. So why can’t she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together outside the train’s loo, kisses Jordan like she’s never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn)…oh, and his girlfriend.

Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen. But E. M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine’s Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she’s willing to go for the right guy.


Review:

Jordan is on the last leg of the trip that is taking her to Aberdeen University.  The nine hour train ride from London to northern Scotland should be fairly uneventful, right?  Well, apparently, the fates have decided that this train ride and her subsequent stay in Aberdeen will everything BUT uneventful.   Jordan strikes up an instant friendship (and attraction) with they guy sitting next to her.  Griffon, another American student attending Aberdeen, is a self professed serial monogamist.  He’s fun and easy to be around and all the girls love him – as Jordan learns when another female passenger writes her unsolicited phone number on Griffon’s hand.  But on the trip to the loo, Jordan runs into Noah.  Or should I say he runs into her when he trips out of the toilet.  When Jordan exits the bathroom, she finds Noah still standing in the vestibule because the doors are stuck.  Their close proximity and Noah’s growing anxiety over being trapped leads to a discussion learning their shared love of literature which THEN leads to a fabulous first kiss that made my romantic heart go all a flutter.

But when they arrive in Aberdeen, Jordan finds that Noah has a girlfriend that is also attending the University.  No big deal.  They just met.  Their kiss couldn’t have really meant anything.  And besides, this is supposed be Jordan’s big year of experiencing flings and being someone completely different.  So she continues a relationship with serial monogamist, Griffon.  But things get sticky when Griffon starts to fall for Jordan and Jordan and Noah can’t be in the same vicinity without sparks flying.  Instead of the fun care-free time expected of her first semester in Aberdeen, Jordan experiences months of emotional turmoil that she doesn’t know how to fix.

Griffon and many of the secondary characters were absolutely lovely.  With the exception of Griffon, many of the secondary characters seemed to lack depth.  Fortunately, it was not a major issue for me as they were still enjoyable to read and they played their part in furthering the story.   As for our main characters, Jordan and Noah?  I found myself disliking them just as much as I found myself liking them.  Much like their relationship with each other, my relationship with them was tumultuous.  You know me. I love a good angsty romance.  But these two seemed hell bent on being martyrs.  It takes them entirely too long to start fighting for the relationship they each want to have. But in the end they do fight and the chemistry between the two is just so well written that I couldn’t put it down.  Seriously.  I got 3 hours of sleep because I had to know what happened next.  So, yeah, these two may have driven me a bit batty but I still wanted to see them make it in the end.

If you enjoy a good angsty romance (with plenty of hilarious awkward moments to lighten the mood) and you are a fan of New Adult then this will be a great title for you.

Nat