BOOK REVIEW: The Hard Count - by Ginger Scott

Synopsis of the book:

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.

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Review:

Dear Ginger,

If you're going to continue to write FIVE STAR books that do things to me like make me cry, make me root OUT LOUD for your characters, and make me suffer a FIVE STAR book hangover, begging for more, then I'm going to have to THANK YOU for every heart-tugging word you put on every page!

Thank you, Ginger, for giving Nico and Reagan to the world. For allowing them to know who they are and for making them willing to overcome their own fears, to go against the grain, and to fight for themselves and for each other.

Thank you, Ms. Scott, for tackling the issues of racism and classism with fearless abandon, a tender hand, and at the same time, without being preachy. The careful grace and excellence you've availed in this book is unmatched.

Thank you, fearless Head Ninja, for making it close to impossible to pick ONE favorite of your books. After finishing The Hard Count I have decided that ALL of your books are my favorite, each for a different and specific reason.

Thank you, Ginger, for giving readers this priceless piece of art and for pouring your heart into it with reckless abandon. It's absolutely obvious that you poured your whole soul into this.

Congratulations Ginger! You've penned the quintessential YA novel.

With love,

Your "always here to read, blubbering like a baby, nose-blowing, ARC reading" chick from Philly,

T~

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About the Author:

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).

Social Media Links:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor

Twitter: @TheGingerScott

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor

Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott

Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Cover Reveal ... The Hard Count by Ginger Scott (AWESOME Video Included)

**A new stand-alone mature YA football romance from Ginger Scott releases July 15, 2016**

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.

Pre-order links:

B&N: http://bit.ly/1U3XJgE
iBooks: http://apple.co/21hVw5H
Kobo: http://bit.ly/25T2zbx

Book Cover Teaser and Synopsis Teaser: The Hard Count by Ginger Scott

Cover Reveal Teaser!!!!!

Synopsis:

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.

Book Review: In Your Dreams by Ginger Scott

In "In Your Dreams," we meet Casey Coffield. Casey's a DJ with an extraordinary talent for mixing songs so well, bodies on the dance floor are hypnotized by the beat he lays down for them. But, according to a few others, like Casey's father, Casey's a screwup.

After a video surfaces on YouTube of Murphy singing a song she wrote called, "In Your Dreams, Casey Coffield," Casey realizes that whoever the girl in this video is may not be HIS biggest fan. But, he immediately becomes HER biggest fan. Casey is enamored with her voice. He's convinced that he can make her a star.

Murphy Sullivan is a singer with purple hair, grey eyes, and a raspy voice. She works with kids by day part-time teaching music to kids in elementary school. By night, she signs herself up for Open Mic nights at a local bar called "Paul's." And, she's acquired a bit of a following. She's got a brother, Lane, who has Down's Syndrome and lives at home with Lane and their mother. She's college-educated and lacks the confidence she needs to put herself out there and go for that record deal that she wants badly but doesn't quite yet realize that she deserves to have one.

Casey knows Murphy was in the same high school class as he was but, he simply can't remember who she is or why she would write a song bearing his name that is NOT meant to be a compliment. What he does know is that her voice is something that needs to be heard. The other thing that Casey is completely sure of is that Murphy is not the type of girl that you use as a "wham, bam, thank you ma'am," or a "love 'em and leave 'em." Chase just knows by something instinctual that he needs to move slow with her, work with her, get to know her and that she's the kind you work to keep.

I've heard many refer to this particular novel of Ms. Scott's as a "slow burner." And guess what? If Casey's relationship with Murphy is the kind of relationship where Casey needs to work for her, then a "slow burner" it must be. You can't have the relationship going at one speed and the book flying on all pistons. Ms. Scott definitely chose right when setting the tone and the speed at the same pace. That does NOT mean that you will be able to put the book DOWN. Oh no! That is NOT going to happen. There's a big difference between a "slow burner" and a "slow reader."

Ms. Scott displayed two her best gifts (she has many more) in this novel just as she's done in her others: writing the first kiss scene and the "first time" scene. As I read the first kiss scene in "In Your Dreams," what I saw in my head was literally slowed down to slow motion.  Oh GAWD was it absolutely fabulous. You WILL go back and read it over and over. I even read this a few times OUT LOUD because I wanted to hear what I would sound like if I was the one reading the audiobook version. 

The coveted "first time" scene? I can't say much about the scene itself because that would be telling. Trust me, you don't want it spoiled for you. But, let's just say that the "always willing to be daring" Ms. Scott went a different kind of "all the way" with it. And the best part? She's so damned GREAT at how she writes these scenes, one feels like one is somewhat of a voyeur looking in on it all. Man, oh man, did I love "watching" THAT.

I honestly could rave on and on about everything. The characters are all multi-dimensional, including the secondary characters. Ms. Scott always gives multiple layers to all of her characters. You'll definitely want to know HOW Murphy knows who Casey is and, why he doesn't remember HER. You'll probably be mad at Casey for a few pages. Trust me, you'll get past it.

I would have liked a longer, more detailed ending as well. But I just wanted more novel because I love reading Ginger Scott's books and I'm greedy for as much of her story writing as I can get. 

I liked how the book ended. The way the book was brought to its end could have been longer. But, it gives me a chance to make up my own theories about some of the time frames not covered. 

"In Your Dreams" is definitely a FIVE-STAR novel. If it rises to #1 on Amazon like other Ginger Scott novels have done, I won't be surprised. Not even a little bit.

I received an advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ms. Scott's timing is somewhat magical. As I was writing to her about some really BAD family news and asking her if the ARC's were ready yet because I needed escape so badly, she was sending the ARC to me. And I mean it came in the email as I was writing the email to her. Definitely magic! Just like Ms. Scott and just like "In Your Dreams." 

Bring on the withdrawal until the next book! How does one quell the withdrawal of the Ginger Scott novel? By reading all of her books over again, of course!

About The Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon bestselling author of eight 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, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.

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).

Guest Blogger: How, When, And Why I Became An Ex-Democrat

by Aggrieved American

I am the Irish-Catholic son of two Democrats.  I grew up in poverty in an all black Philadelphia neighborhood during the 1970’s and 1980’s.  I knew nothing of the differences between the Republican and Democrat parties except that the Republicans were known to bring us into wars.  In fact, I was told that the Republican candidate for President (Ronald Reagan) would certainly bring us into a NUCLEAR war if he were elected.  My paralyzing fear of being drafted and dying in a war led me to one conclusion: Republicans must be BAD!  I registered as a Democrat when I turned 18 and I voted occasionally, but I had no serious interest in politics or the political process.

via GIPHY

Many years later, at the end of President Clinton’s second term, I began to notice obvious differences in the candidates for President.  Al Gore came off as an empty promise maker and panderer, while George W. Bush came off as sincere, but he was arrogant too.  My adult sense of perception now picked up on this when I’d never noticed such things about politicians in the past.  By this time, I was the proprietor of a modestly successful small business and, I was a father.  Even though the Democrat candidate (Gore) lost the election, I felt no personal defeat as a registered Democrat.  The truth was that I didn’t trust him based upon hearing him speak.  I didn’t even vote in that election.  After the beginning of the war in Iraq, I became upset and I wished to see Bush and Cheney removed from the White House.  I voted against them.  Although I was deeply saddened that they won reelection, something began to make sense to me.  They actually won by a LARGE margin.  I realized that a huge number of Americans must actually agree with them and with the war.  This was a difficult thing to accept, but accept it I did.

By the time the Bush era was coming to an end, I noticed the same Gore-like hollow promise making personality coming from a new Democrat candidate, Barack Obama.  I immediately didn’t trust him just as I didn’t trust Gore, but I gave him my vote because the other choice, war-mongering McCain and his laughable VP choice was not an option for me.  I was totally disgusted with Obama’s non-stop speeches and unrealistic promises, but I felt that this was going to be a choice based upon the lesser of two evils.   I voted for Obama then, and again four years later.  But I do recall feeling some guilt when I pushed that Obama button the second time.  I didn’t even know what Mitt Romney stood for.  I had just heard some bad things about him from Democrat friends and so I made my choice ignorantly.

It seems that my party went completely berserk after that.  I found myself engaged in endless online debates with former co-workers and classmates wherein any objection to Obama’s policies, (many of which I STRONGLY disagreed with) were met with scorn, accusation and red hot vitriol. I was attacked personally.  My intelligence was insulted.  I was labeled a “racist” countless times.  All of this came in response to the simple act of disagreeing with the President’s policies.   The Trayvon Martin story seemed to induce a psychosis in many of my Democrat friends.  The craziness snowballed and seemed to grow exponentially by the day.  I noticed that many other moderate Democrats were experiencing the same phenomenon.  It became obvious that our party was becoming EXTREME in its ideologies.  Anyone who did not agree 100% with the MSNBC-style narrative was condemned, ridiculed, and criticized relentlessly. 

via GIPHY

The very first time I pushed the button for a Republican candidate was in the New Jersey gubernatorial election for Chris Christie’s 2^nd term.  I actually felt like a traitor while doing that, but I also felt that my party was going off the deep end and it desperately needed a smack in the face to bring it back to reality.  Then I voted all Republican again during the mid-terms in an attempt to send that same message.  I was relieved to see that so many independents and moderate Democrats did the exact same thing.  This validated what I was feeling.  It also let me know that I was not alone. 

Here we are at the end of Obama’s 2^nd term.  I am so happy to see him go, but I fear that a Hillary win will only mean 4 (or 8) more years of the same horrible Obama policies.  I will surely vote Republican this time too.  I will not call myself a “Republican.”  I do not agree with all of the Republican principles.  I will admit that I am NOT a Democrat anymore.  I simply no longer view the Democrat party with respect.  All I see from Democrats is endless, promise-making and pandering to emotional voters.  Perhaps if I had been paying more attention to politics, I would have arrived at this conclusion many years ago.  As an adult and a father I am looking forward to the future and I’m certain that the Democrat party (in its present incarnation) will only expedite our country’s self-destruction.  I do not want that for my son or my future grandchildren.

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The views, opinions and positions expressed within this guest post are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Theresa Nelson / Musings Of An Aretha Freak. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.