THE HARD COUNT by Ginger Scott - REVIEW

 

Welcome to THE HARD COUNT review tour with Ginger Scott, hosted by Wordsmith Publicity. Be sure to check out all the participating blogs, reviews and enter the tour giveaway!

 

 

THE HARD COUNT

Mature YA Contemporary Romance-Stand Alone

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/1O7xc52

Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01HSM221W

iBooks: http://apple.co/1WMNjb8

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1tuu6yY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/260udA4

Google Play: http://bit.ly/29Bc3j4

Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open—where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes.

West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them—one at a time, one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run.

I’m Reagan Prescott—coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family.

Life on top.

Lies.

My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know—I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years.

In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light.

Quarterback.

Hero.

Heart.

Good.

I hated him before I needed him.

I fell for him fast.

I loved him when it was almost too late.

When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.

REVIEW:

There is so much I liked about this book. 

• I love Nico and Sasha's friendship and how they were able to start connected even after Sasha moved away.
• I love how Reagan's father (the football coach) took her opinions about Nico seriously when she approached him about Nico playing for the team.
• I love how Nico and Reagan's relationship grew and changed over the course of the story. It was a relief to read a story that didn't have insta-love between the main characters.
• I appreciate how Ginger Scott showed how petty and fickle adults act. 
• I love how much Nico loved his niece.
• I love how Nico avoided the trouble in his neighborhood and didn't allow himself to get dragged down by drugs and violence.
• I love how we saw Nico's brother break down and turn his life around when he was left to care for his daughter alone.
• I love how Reagan's family rallied around Nico and supported him in his shot at a future in football.
• I love how we saw Reagan's mom get a backbone and stop worrying so much about what the community thinks about her.
• I love the future Ginger Scott gave Nico and Reagan. There is nothing but good things coming for those two. They are smart. They are devoted. They are strong. Together, they'll accomplish their goals.

I will point out that Ginger Scott mentions that this is a Mature YA. BUT, in my opinion, there isn't much in here that pushes it too far to the mature side. A little language; a little heat, but nothing over-the-top. This is a book that would be totally appropriate in a high school library. 

THE HARD COUNT is a one-sitting read. Be prepared when you start. You won't want to stop. 

SIDENOTE: I didn't know what a hard count was until I read the book. Very cool. Here is a website that explains it. http://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/nfl/hard-count.aspx

It's so clever. Basically, it tricks the other team into going offside (I think) be delaying the snap just a little bit. Here is a YouTube video that shows it.

  

GIVEAWAY

1 signed copy of In Your Dreams, $10 Amazon gift card

Open International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless and In Your Dreams.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she

often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Connect with Ginger

Website:  http://bit.ly/1M8g5bi
Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/1U7lDvQ
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1TBkPPT
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/YHKtlF
YouTube:  http://bit.ly/1RcfgqZ
Google:  http://bit.ly/1Rcfjmt
Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/1QKNuyr