ARC Review: Playing Defense by Cate Cameron

Playing Defense is the second book in the Corrigan Falls Raiders series by Cate Cameron. Each book in this series is a standalone story, though the characters are connected. While I liked the first book, I didn't love it. Sadly I didn't like this book as much as I did the first, and I think that this will be the last I read in this series. 

Looking to add some extra-curriculars to her applications for college, Claudia Waring agrees to give tutoring a shot when her guidance counselor suggests it. Though Claudia doesn't want to tutor anyone, she has little choice as everything else is already full. But things go from bad to worse when she finds out that not only will she not be tutoring elementary kids, but rather fellow senior Chris Winslow. Chris is everything that Claudia isn't, he is a fun-loving prankster and a popular star of the hockey team. Soon Claudia and Chris are spending time together and not just trying to help improve Chris's grades. As they each begin to venture outside their comfort zone, Chris begins to wonder what a smart girl like Claudia could possibly see in him. 

While I liked Chris and Claudia enough, I felt like they acted a bit immature and young for their ages. These characters felt more like freshman than seniors, and I just had a tough time really connecting to them. I didn't feel invested in their story and I didn't really see the connection that they should have been developing. While I did enjoy some of their moments together and thought that they were cute, I wanted to see more of them getting to know one another and it turning into something real. These two were so different from one another, and I never felt as though they really had anything in common to bond over. 

I also wanted there to be more hockey. It was made a pretty big deal of that Chris is one of the team stars and the series is titled after their team, yet it was such a minor part of the story that it almost felt like it had nothing to do with the story at all. I also have to say that I absolutely hated Claudia's mom. She was awful and just made me extremely angry. The other thing that bothered me here was the fact that the POV would often switch in the middle of the chapter. It was a bit confusing at times to keep track of which POV we were getting, and I wish that had been more clear. Overall, this one was a miss for me even though I really wanted to like like it. What could have been a really cute YA story for me was cliched and tired, with nothing new or exciting to offer. It is a short and light read though, and if you are a fan of Cate Cameron's or the first book in the series, you might give this one a shot.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Center Ice by Cate Cameron

Center Ice is my first book by Cate Cameron, but I love hockey and couldn't wait to read this one. While I had some moments that I really enjoyed, this book ended up just being okay for me. I wish that a few things had been done differently, and ultimately I just wasn't able to ever really get into this story. 

After losing her mother, Karen goes to live with the family she never met. They live in the small town of Corrigan Falls where hockey is big and everyone knows everything about everyone else. Though Karen doesn't get off to a great start with anyone in town, that all changes when she meets Tyler. Tyler is the star of the hockey team, but he is the only person that seems to be able to relate to Karen. But Tyler is known to be a player both on and off the ice, and Karen doesn't want to be involved with someone like that. The more Tyler and Karen get to know one another though, the more Karen begins to realize that Tyler is a different person than everyone thinks he is. But can Karen take a chance on something with Tyler with everything else she is dealing with? 

I liked Karen and Tyler, and they were great together. I thought that they were so cute with one another, and I really enjoyed how easy and light their connection was. These two were able to just be together and have fun, and that was something that they both desperately needed with everything going on in their lives. I was glad that Tyler was able to transform from a player into a guy that only wanted Karen. He was more than happy to have a girlfriend in Karen, and that was good to see. Karen was struggling with so much, and I thought that Tyler was exactly what she needed. I will say that I thought that Karen's mother's death was pretty much never dealt with. I felt like her grief was visible on a few occasions, but I really wish that the author would have sort of shown more of that because it really felt as though it was missing from this story. I also felt like the drama with Karen's new family situation as well as Tyler's parents sort of took on a life of their own and it sort of got out of control in my opinion. Those things sort of took over the story, and I felt like Karen and Tyler got a bit lost in all of that. 

Overall, this was an okay read but it just sort of fell flat for me. I had been hoping for more of Karen and Tyler because those parts were so much fun to read about, but with so much going on I felt like that got lost a bit. I also pretty much couldn't stand any of the secondary characters throughout this story with a few exceptions. Karen's little sister Sara was a sweetie and I liked how great she was with Karen from the start. I also liked what we saw of Tyler's best friend and teammate. But it wasn't until the very end of the story that I started to come around on Karen's dad and her stepmom. I think that I might look for more from Cate Cameron in the future, and I am interested in seeing what happens with the next book in this series.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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