Review: Anatomy of a Player by Cindi Madsen

Title: Anatomy of a Player, Taking Shots series

Author: Cindi Madsen

Publisher: Entangled Embrace, Entangled Publishing

Pages: 165

Date of Publication: January 25th, 2015

Rating: 3.5/5

My Review:

This is a college romance, another in the Taking Shots series by this author. In this story the leading lady is determined give bad boy sporty males a wide berth after a series of decidedly detrimental experiences with players. The leading man, however, is the epitome of a player – a hockey star who believes in one night stands and nothing further. When fate throws the two of them together repeatedly, their mutual attraction and determined resistance are fighting an internal battle for both of them. Add in his team mates bet and challenge and you just know you’re in for trouble ahead!

It is a great story of students striving to achieve, of the slow development of their relationship after numerous believable encounters. It is an enjoyable college romance with a brilliant ending and, although this is the second in the series, it works well as a standalone. I found it easy to connect to Hudson, especially as he tries to cope with all the pressures from his mother, his sport and studying. Whitney wasn’t quite so easy to relate to as if she wasn’t being true to herself or her personal goals, choosing to act a part she really wasn’t happy with and, having decided to stop crushing on ‘bad boys’ goes out and immediately starts doing just that! As the story develops things do get better and I enjoyed how the romance developed.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys college romances and suspect it will probably appeal more to young adults, with many scenarios they may be able to relate to in their own lives.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

Synopsis:

After getting her heart broken by a player again, Whitney Porter is done with men. She’s focusing on her future career and her first assignment at the college newspaper: Posing as a sports writer for an exposé on the extra perks jocks receive. But Hudson Decker, the bad boy of the hockey team, is about to test her resolve. To keep herself from breaking her no-sex rule with the temptingly tattooed athlete, she decides to use him for a side project: Anatomy of a Player, to help Whitney—and women everywhere—spot a player, learn what makes him tick, and how to avoid falling for one.

With his life spiraling out of control, Hudson Decker’s looking for a distraction. When his teammates bet him that he can’t land the gorgeous but prickly new reporter, he accepts the challenge, boasting he’ll have her in bed by the end of the semester. But Whitney is so much more than Hudson expected, and soon enough, he’s in too deep. The last thing he needs is another complication, but staying away isn’t an option. One thing’s for certain: this girl totally throws him off his game.

This book is available from a variety of sources including

amazon.co.uk           amazon.com          barnes and noble

The first book in this series, which I have also read and reviewed is Getting Lucky Number Seven