BLOG TOUR: GAME. SET. MATCH. by JENNIFER IACOPELLI ~ REVIEW, EXCERPT, AND GIVEAWAY

 

 

Welcome to my stop on the Game. Set. Match. Blog Tour! My stop includes a review, an excerpt, and the tour giveaway.

 

Series: Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1

Genre: Contemporary New Adult

Publisher: Coliloquy

Publication Date: 5/1/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from author for review
 

Nestled along the coastline of North Carolina, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the best elite tennis training facility in the world. Head Coach, Dominic Kingston has assembled some of the finest talent in the sport. From the game's biggest stars to athletes scraping and clawing to achieve their dreams, OBX is full of ego, drama and romance. Only the strong survive in this pressure cooker of competition, on and off the court.

Penny Harrison, the biggest rising star in tennis, is determined to win the French Open and beat her rival, the world’s number one player, Zina Lutrova. There’s just one problem, the only person who’s ever been able to shake her laser-like focus is her new training partner. Alex Russell, tennis’s resident bad boy, is at OBX recovering from a knee injury suffered after he crashed his motorcycle (with an Aussie supermodel on the back). He's hoping to regain his former place at the top of men’s tennis and Penny’s heart, while he’s at it.

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. Her parents have seven Grand Slam championships between them and she’s desperate to live up to their legacy. Her best friend is Teddy Harrison, Penny’s twin brother, and that’s all they’ve ever been, friends. Then one stupid, alcohol-laced kiss makes everything
The Classic is what draws Indiana Gaffney out of the hole she crawled into after her mom’s death. Even though she’s new to OBX, a win at the Classic is definitely possible. She has a big serve and killer forehand, but the rest of her game isn’t quite up to scratch and it doesn’t help that Jasmine Randazzo and her little minions are stuck-up bitches or that Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and oldest brother, is too hot for words, not to mention way too old for her.

Who will rise? Who will fall?

Told from rotating points of view, GAME. SET. MATCH. is a 'new adult' novel about three girls with one goal: to be the best tennis player in the world.

I had somewhat high expectations for Game. Set. Match. Author Jennifer Iacopelli talks a big game (meant as a compliment) and so I had to wonder, could she deliver? I can say with assurance that Game. Set. Match. was not only as good as I'd hoped for. This book blew my expectations out of the water.

I'm a huge fan of sports-related books and movies. I was an athlete in high school. Though I only competed at a high school level, I can definitely relate to the team mentality, the mental toughness required to compete. So this aspect of the story immediately pulled me in. I loved that the book is set an elite tennis academy, a first for me.

As much as I loved the school and the world of tennis, what really makes G.S.M. stand out from other books of the genre is the GIRLS of OBX. Indy, Penny, and Jasmine are all three elite athletes. They have worked all their lives to get to the highest level of competition. They are focused, they are dedicated, and they are fierce.

Though Penny, Indy, and Jas' lives revolve around tennis, there are also matters of the heart to contend with. I love the OBX girls, but the guys are pretty fantastic as well.  Penny has Alex, a British tennis star. They have a connection that ignited, then flamed out. But now that Alex is at OBX, Penny can no longer deny the attraction. Indy came to OBX to train at the highest level. When she meets Penny's older brother Jack, they both feel the connection between them. Jack, older than Indy by six years, is determined to keep her at arm's length. And Indy, bless her heart, wants to be with Jack, but will not chase him or lose her head over him. And poor Jasmine. She's stuck in the Friend Zone with her best friend/would-be boyfriend, Teddy Harrison, Penny's twin brother. Teddy is the Academy's resident playboy, the guy all the girls want, and the lucky ones get. Jasmine truly wants to be with Teddy, and must learn to take care of her heart.

So while these girls do have guys in their lives, guys they care about and want to be with, the focus on Game. Set. Match. is their dedication and love to the game. This is one of the main reason I loved this story! Their lives do not revolve around finding guys, winning the guys, or keeping the guys. Their romantic relationships are simply one aspect of their very full lives. I honestly don't think we get enough of these types of books. This is why Game. Set. Match. is a book that I want my daughter to read.

Guys, Game. Set. Match. was such a fantastic read. Indy, Penny, and Jasmine rocked. The guys did, too. I loved the whole story concept. The flow was excellent, the way the story is told made me feel as if I was watching a movie. This book made me cheer, smile, and tear up. When I finished, I wanted to watch some tennis, the movie Wimbledon, even re-read the book. And yeah, I definitely cannot wait to see what Iacopelli has in store for the next book in The Outerbanks Academy series.

 

My Favorite Moment

  Alex grunted. "Speaking of not liking things and getting back to my original question, you may not hate me, what exactly don't you like about me?"

  "You're..." she hesitated.

  "Just say it, love."

  He was probably the last person in the world she would choose to say these words to, but maybe he was the only person in the world who would truly understand.

  "You said I remind you of yourself. I guess I know what you mean and the truth is, you're what I'm afraid of becoming. I almost...I wanted to be with you that night. I wasn't thinking. I didn't want to think, at all, for once in my life. I could've been on that motorcycle with you and then maybe everything I'd ever worked for would have been gone in an instant and you made me feel like..."
  "Like what?"
  "Forget it," she said, ready to jump up and leave if he pushed her to say it. That she'd never felt so alive as she had when she was in his arms, not even on a tennis court. "It's not important. I was acting like an irresponsible idiot. I lost control for one night and it won't happen again." It had practically become her mantra over the last few months.
  "You can't be in control all the time. It's okay to let go, love."
  "No, it's not," she said, pulling her hand free from his and scrambling to her feet. She was halfway to the gate when she heard him call her name.
  "It wouldn't have been you."
  She froze, but didn't respond.
  "I would have got you home safe. It wouldn't have been you."   



 

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GIVEAWAY 

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About the author: 

Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave...ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master's in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV.

Connect with Jennifer at:
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