Review- Wild Cards (Simone Elkeles)

Synopsis  

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 boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. 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?

 - Goodreads.com

My Review

So first off I’m going to start with the good news, this book was really enjoyable. Entertaining, Witty, Laugh out loud moments, and dreamy southern boys, are just a few words I’d use to describe Simone Elkeles Wild Cards. The bad news however is that this book doesn’t really offer up anything out of the ordinary, it’s pretty mainstream contemporary romance. Enough said. So if you’re looking for a new groundbreaking book, I would be cautious about picking this up. However Simone Elkeles knows how to write contemporary and write it well. 

So the story starts off with our main male protagonist Derek, being kicked out of boarding school and having to move across country to Chicago with his stepmom and  her 5 year old son back into her old family home. Enter Ashtyn, our female lead and  high school football player. Ashtyn just so happens to be, Derek’s stepmothers younger sister.... (confused yet?)

Ashtyn is a rather intriguing character, the fact that she’s a girl who plays football is scandalous enough, but the fact that she get’s voted team captain creates a whole new array of problems, including her quarter back boyfriend leaving the team and joining the opposing football squad. Learning Ashtyn’s motive behind playing football gives her character depth, and you can clearly see that she is passionate about football.

"That's what football is to me. It's my passion, my life… my escape. When I play, I forget everything that sucks in my life. And when we win…" She looks down like she's embarrassed to admit what she's about to reveal. "I know this is going to sound stupid, but when we win I think miracles can happen.”- Ashtyn, Wild Cards (Simone Elkeles)

What was most enjoyable was the witty banter between the two main characters. It’s pretty obvious from the start that they find each other attractive, but it’s enjoyable watching each of them torment the other. At times the romance can appear rather clichéd, but if you’re a softy like me and don’t mind some of the more corny monologues, you’ll melt in your seat, and fall for Derek. 
 

"Because I'm tryin' to push you away when all I want to do is hold you. I know you say you don't want a hero, but damn I'd like to be that guy who'll save you from spiders and whatever and whoever else hurts you.” – Derek, Wild Cards (Simone Elkeles)

Overall this was an enjoyable book, which served it's entertainment purpose very well. If your looking for a light fluffy read, that is hard to put down then this is one to check out :)
 

Things I loved about the book:

• Great one-liners. Especially in a particular scene where Derek takes Ashtyn on a date to go synchronized trampolining. Needless to say Derek in a leotard is rather comical.
• While still remaining a mainstream romance novel, the female lead was different and unique. You don't get female footballs in books very often.

Things I didn't enjoy so much about the book:

• It was on the short side, and there was a lack of actual football playing in the book, mostly just talk of it.

My rating: 4/5

Other series by Simone Elkeles