REVIEW TOUR: PLAYING WITHOUT RULES by RACHELLE AYALA

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in 3 stars, Amiga Books, Contemporary Romance, Rachelle Ayala, Review / 0 Comments


TITLE: PLAYING WITHOUT RULES
AUTHOR: RACHELLE AYALA
PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 3, 2015
PUBLISHER: AMIGA BOOKS


Book Blurb
A ballplayerโ€™s girlfriend hides his daughter from him because she fears heโ€™s like his abusive father.

Marcia Powers wants nothing to do with ballplayer Brock Carter, especially after she told him to go away and pursue his dreams. She has more than she can handle with an elderly father, a business to run, and a four-year-old daughter posing as her baby sister.

Brock Carterโ€™s back in town to rekindle his romance with Marcia, and this time, heโ€™s not letting her run him out of town. Marcia is unable to resist Brock, but determined to keep her secret.

Brockโ€™s already lost his heart to Marcia once. Will he lose every dream, including baseball, when he discovers the real reason Marcia sent him away?

Playing Without Rules is available on Amazon (Read Free with Kindle Unlimited)
My Review

Initially, I thought this was going to be a clichรฉd read.  This thought was based on the bookโ€™s
synopsis. I have read so many romance stories where the main characters have a
romantic history and for some reason one ends up leaving.  After some years had passed the party that
left returns with the hope of rekindling the relationship and discovers that a
child is now in the picture.   
Personally, I believe these types of stories are predictable
as such I was wary about reading it. 
However, after reading a few of the reviews I decided to give it a
try.  Well, my initial thoughts were
confirmed, predictable plot and predictable characters. The one aspect that
made it different from other books with similar themes is its focus on abuse.

Playing Without Rules tells the story of Brock and Marcia.
Brock is a professional baseball player and Marcia is an entrepreneur.  Five years ago these two were romantically
involved with each other.  However, based
on issues that were happening in Brockโ€™s life, Marcia rejected him, which
resulted in him leaving town to pursue a career in baseball. The thing that
Brock did not know was that Marcia was pregnant. He has now returned with the
intent to rekindle his relationship with Marcia, but she had other plans. She
does not want him to find out the secret she has been hiding.  She feared that the issues from his past
would rear its ugly head.

I found Marcia to be irritating and judgemental. She never gave Brock a chance. 
She chose to judge him based on his familyโ€™s history of abuse which I
thought was unfair.  Her reason for
keeping him from his daughter was selfish. 
Another thing I could not fathom 
is why a woman who is supposed to be intelligent would give her best
friend permission to sleep with her ex believing that it would help her to get
him out of her system.  She then sits and
agonize over it. Sheesh! If that is not stupidity, donโ€™t know what is.

All I can say is that I respect Brock.  His level of self-control is very high in
light of Marciaโ€™s irritating behaviour
This alone proved that he is nothing like his father.  The fact that he is willing to forgive her
for keeping the truth from him proves that he is a man of character.
The story speaks to the longstanding issue of abuse.  It depicts the physical and emotional effects
it can have on the victim.   The story
also shows that secrets can destroy relationships and it can be used by your
enemies to manipulate you.

My feelings about this book are mixed.   There were some parts I liked and there were
some parts that had me thinking WHAT THE HELL! 
It was the latter parts that stood in the way of me fully enjoying the
book.  For me it was an ok read.  I know there are readers out there who would
enjoy this book and its on this basis that I make my recommendation.


Author Info

Rachelle Ayala is a bestselling Asian American author of dramatic romantic suspense and humorous, sexy contemporary romances. Her heroines are feisty and her heroes hot. She writes emotionally challenging stories but believes in the power of love and hope.

Subscribe to her mailing list for upcoming books and giveaways: http://eepurl.com/lR5kv and find her books at online retailers Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iBookstore, and more.

Fiction: Michalย’s Window, Broken Build, Hidden Under Her Heart, Chance for Love Boxed Set, Knowing Vera, Taming Romeo, Whole Latte Love, Played by Love, Playing the Rookie, A Father for Christmas, Claiming Carlos, Roaring Hot, Playing Without Rules, Christmas Stray (upcoming)

Want to Contact Rachelle?

Review Tour Schedule
Tour Participant Blog Name Tour Date
Amber McCallister http://thewonderingsofoneperson.wordpress.com Tuesday, February 17
Lyssa Layne http://www.authorlyssalayne.blogspot.com Tuesday, February 17
Shandi K Dews http://mamadewsreviews.blogspot.com Wednesday, February 18
Nadene Reynolds http://totallyaddictedtoreading.blogspot.com Wednesday, February 18
Jamie Fredrickson http://www.youhadmeatfreebook.blogspot.com Thursday, February 19
Cheryl Bavaro http://bavarofamilyreviews.blogspot.com Friday, February 20
Debbie Rosa

http://adivareviews.com

Saturday, February 21
Liza Cochico http://mlizcochico.blogspot.com/ Sunday, February 22
Raquel Leite http://readingssunshine.wordpress.com Monday, February 23
Kaitlyn Sigler http://kaitmar.blogspot.com/ Tuesday, February 24
Chantel Rhondeau http://www.chantelrhondeau.com Wednesday, February 25
Paige Boggs http://electivelypaige.com Thursday, February 26
Jessica Cali http://calibookreviews.com Friday, February 27
Krista Bainbridge http://www.savorysavings.com Saturday, February 28
Jessica Cassidy http://www.jessicacassidy.com Sunday, March 01
Marie Dee http://www.marieclara.com Monday, March 02
Rachelle Ayala http://www.rachelleayala.com/ Monday, March 02

Tour Giveaway

Rachelle Ayala is generously giving away a $10 gift card (Paypal or Amazon) and a key chain (US and Canada only).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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