#BookReview: Tomboys Don’t Crush On The Captain by Christina Benjamin

More Spinning! This series has been a spinoff from another series where Benjamin worked with a couple of other authors and each wrote one book in the trilogy. Here, Benjamin prepares to spinoff yet again and opens up the world in a bit of an interesting new direction while having at least one direct callback to another book in this world. Discussed the actual sport in question a bit more than is typical within these books, without sacrificing the focus on the couple in question, and also has a few “extra perspective” chapters that Benjamin has seemingly taken as part of her style here. Very much recommended.

This review of Tomboys Don’t Crush On The Captain by Christina Benjamin was originally written on May 4, 2020.

#BookReview: Tomboys Don’t Wear Pink by Christina Benjamin

Solid YA Romance. This actually continues the world introduced in Benjamin’s collaboration with Maggie Dallen and Stephanie Street last fall, The Trouble With Tomboys, and serves as Book 1 to its own series, making Benjamin’s entry in that former series what would be called a “back door pilot” in TV terms. And honestly, this was exactly the kind of bubblegum pop high school romance I know *I* needed in these challenging times. Just a fun few hours to get wrapped up in a fictional world and leave the “real” one behind, and this does that excellently. Very much recommended.

This review of Tomboys Don’t Wear Pink by Christina Benjamin was originally written on March 21, 2020.

#BookReview: Playing the Field by Christina Benjamin

Fun Sporty HS Romance. Fun and light, this book has been – along with its predecessors in the trilogy – a nice change of pace from the more “serious” books I’ve been reading of late, and this is one of the reasons I love this style of tale. Fair amount of angst here – these *are* teens we’re dealing with – and some pretty awesome pranking going on in this particular book. Overall it stays true to everything about the tale, even including a healthy respect for baseball and its traditions. Truly a great book, and now I have yet another new author to follow. Very much recommended.

This review of Playing the Field by Christina Benjamin was originally written on November 10, 2019.

#BookReview: Playing To Win by Stephanie Street

Solid YA Romance. I came into this book unfamiliar with Street, but very familiar with the author of the first book in this series – Maggie Dallen – and this book keeps much of the same feel I am used to from Dallen’s work. To the level that it is almost unclear as to whether Street’s style is just so similar to Dallen’s or if the books were heavily coordinated amongst the authors. Though this isn’t a bad thing in any way, and indeed was a bit of a comfort. Overall you can expect a fun, fast paced romance with some angst (though far from emo levels) and some humor and some minor conflict at the back of the book just before the happily ever after – and a well executed one at that. Very much recommended.

This review of Playing To Win by Stephanie Street was originally written on November 2, 2019.

#BookReview: Playing The Enemy by Maggie Dallen

Playing For Keeps. This is another YA sporty romance from Maggie Dallen, and is her usual excellent and fun work. If you’re familiar with her work, you’re going to enjoy this book. If you’re not, it is a good introduction to her style. Shortish at under 200 pages, this is a fairly light and easy read, perfect as a palate cleanser from something heavier or darker. Very much recommended.

This review of Playing for Keeps by Maggie Dallen was originally written on October 20, 2019.