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Hickville High #2.5
Horseplay
Three weeks after her longtime boyfriend dumps her, high school senior and queen bee Penny Wilson declares she is over him and finished with dating. But life without her ex is more difficult than simply repeating a few affirmations. A queen bee needs a king, or she wobbles dangerously close to the edge of the popularity ladder. To make matters worse, her dad announces he’s hired Wrangler-wearing calf roper Ty Jackson to work on their English horse farm. Never mind his curly blond hair and six-pack abs—he’s a rodeo team bottom-runger and no way is Penny going to admit she knows him, let alone allow him into her social circle.
Ty convinces her he can teach her to connect more deeply with her horse and settle her nerves in the show arena. But as they work together, Penny discovers that while she might be riding better, being around Ty does nothing to settle her nerves. Will a hush-hush relationship with Ty make matters worse with her dad? And what if her friends at school discover Ty is more than just a farm hand? Because between her show ambitions and her social status, she’s walking a fine line—and the price is everything that matters to her most.
Ty convinces her he can teach her to connect more deeply with her horse and settle her nerves in the show arena. But as they work together, Penny discovers that while she might be riding better, being around Ty does nothing to settle her nerves. Will a hush-hush relationship with Ty make matters worse with her dad? And what if her friends at school discover Ty is more than just a farm hand? Because between her show ambitions and her social status, she’s walking a fine line—and the price is everything that matters to her most.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2015
5 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Mary Karlik
14 books125 followersMary Karlik (also writing as Mary J. Wilson) combines her Texas roots with her Scottish heritage to write happily-ever-afters from Texas to Scotland. When she is not writing or reading, Mary can usually be found hanging out with family and friends, or hill walking in Scotland.
Mary has five indie-published contemporary young adult romance novels and two indie-published fantasy novels.
Mary earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, Scotland. She is also a certified, professional ski instructor and a Registered Nurse.
Mary is an active member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Married to a Scott, Mary lives in both and Scotland and Texas.
Mary has five indie-published contemporary young adult romance novels and two indie-published fantasy novels.
Mary earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, Scotland. She is also a certified, professional ski instructor and a Registered Nurse.
Mary is an active member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Married to a Scott, Mary lives in both and Scotland and Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 25, 2016
Penny Wilson had just broken up with her high school boyfriend that she had been with for the last year and a half when her dad hires Ty Jackson to help out on their ranch. Penny's father insists since Ty is coming to the ranch after school that Penny can ride with him which to her might as well be social suicide after being dumped by the popular Josh. To make matters worse, Ty was once a good friend to Penny when they were kids but had ditched Penny while she was dealing with her mother battling cancer and the two haven't spoken since.
As Penny and Ty begin to spend time together again they find that renewing their friendship at the ranch wasn't as hard as they thought it would be and the two become closer as Ty helps Penny with her horse jumping. But Penny still doesn't want her friends to know she is falling for a cowboy, she sees high school as being all cliques and doesn't want to lose her status with the popular crowd but can Ty open her eyes to just being herself and not living for a group?
Horseplay is a part of the Hickville HIgh series by Mary Karlik but I haven't read the other books myself and feel this read fine as a standalone. This novella is a cute little YA read with likable characters and a fun setting that seemed to be spot on in the competitive horse world. Of course I am guessing at that because I'm not overly familiar with showing, riding or competing in the tournaments that Penny was in but it was fun reading about the animals just as much as the humans in the story.
The author did a great job giving a bit of a life lesson in this story too with touching on the high school clique world and how Ty teaches Penny that there was more to life than the popular crowd. Couldn't help but root for not only the relationship to work out in the end but for Penny to learn more about herself with her interactions with the people around her and root her on in the competitions with Maggie.
Overall, well written, sweet YA love story.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
As Penny and Ty begin to spend time together again they find that renewing their friendship at the ranch wasn't as hard as they thought it would be and the two become closer as Ty helps Penny with her horse jumping. But Penny still doesn't want her friends to know she is falling for a cowboy, she sees high school as being all cliques and doesn't want to lose her status with the popular crowd but can Ty open her eyes to just being herself and not living for a group?
Horseplay is a part of the Hickville HIgh series by Mary Karlik but I haven't read the other books myself and feel this read fine as a standalone. This novella is a cute little YA read with likable characters and a fun setting that seemed to be spot on in the competitive horse world. Of course I am guessing at that because I'm not overly familiar with showing, riding or competing in the tournaments that Penny was in but it was fun reading about the animals just as much as the humans in the story.
The author did a great job giving a bit of a life lesson in this story too with touching on the high school clique world and how Ty teaches Penny that there was more to life than the popular crowd. Couldn't help but root for not only the relationship to work out in the end but for Penny to learn more about herself with her interactions with the people around her and root her on in the competitions with Maggie.
Overall, well written, sweet YA love story.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
February 8, 2016
Lovely, sweet and sassy love story. When I first saw this book I thought the cover was great and then the description just topped it off for me and I just had to give it a read. I usually stay away from books that involve horses having been round them most of my life I sometimes find stories about riding can be inaccurate but this book was fantastic, very well written and I truly enjoyed reading it. Find the full review on my blog https://lostinsweetwords.wordpress.co...
March 20, 2016
**SPOILER FREE**
Loved this book! Sweet smooth flow, lovable characters as well as the plot of the story. Didn't realize that this is actually a series. Looks like I will be reading the other book as well!
*Received for an honest review*
Loved this book! Sweet smooth flow, lovable characters as well as the plot of the story. Didn't realize that this is actually a series. Looks like I will be reading the other book as well!
*Received for an honest review*
August 1, 2020
Penny Wilson is having a bad time of it lately. Her boyfriend has dumped her and she has decided to swear of men. To make matters worse her father has hired Ty Jackson to work with Penny on her riding of her horse. Penny is a competition rider but hasn't been able to snag a blue ribbon yet. She seems stuck in a rut with her horse riding as well as her love life.
Ty Jackson comes along and helps her in ways she couldn't count on. They rehash their relationship and deal with things never said years ago. Ty tells her he's always been there but she has changed and to him it's all or nothing.
Penny has alot to overcome in her situation. She needs to decide if she wants to be one of the cool kids or be friends with all sorts of people. This book also dealt with aftermath of Pennys mom's death and what her death did to them! Definitely a beautifully told story which I felt pulled you in until you turned the last page!
Ty Jackson comes along and helps her in ways she couldn't count on. They rehash their relationship and deal with things never said years ago. Ty tells her he's always been there but she has changed and to him it's all or nothing.
Penny has alot to overcome in her situation. She needs to decide if she wants to be one of the cool kids or be friends with all sorts of people. This book also dealt with aftermath of Pennys mom's death and what her death did to them! Definitely a beautifully told story which I felt pulled you in until you turned the last page!
May 25, 2016
Book Review-Horse Play by Mary Karlik
Penny Wilson was dumped by her cheating boyfriend Josh. She is having a hard time getting over the relationship and her obvious replacement by her “popular friends”. She has decided to concentrate on her riding and her competitions.
However Ty Jackson is now working for her dad at the farm. She now has to ride home every day from school with him. They start building their friendship that was torn apart in seventh grade. It seems to be easy to talk to each other.
However Penny starts having confusing feelings for Ty. She believes he isn’t her type. He is a cowboy on the roping team. He is below her social stratosphere. The more time she spends with Ty the more he sees the real her. He offers to help with her riding and jumping. The charity show for her mother is too important.
However Ty can’t stand the two lives she leads and refuses to be a part of it. She has no idea how she is supposed to move forward by herself.
I like this author and the Hickville High series. I was excited to get this book. It was totally separate from the first two books but I liked the characters that were introduced. Penny was definitely stuck up in the beginning. In fact the author took her time really forming the story and making Penny realize what she was doing. I wanted to shake her. In fact in the beginning I didn’t really like her. She was a bit of a mean girl that found herself losing social status because her boyfriend cheated on her. Nothing like a fall from grace to make things realistic.
It was also interesting that the author really hit home that high school never changes. It is sad how students hide their real selves in order to fight it. I like that this fact is a clear message in the book. A very realistic storyline and confusing romance for Penny. She could be any girl in any high school. A great read and I give it a 4 out of 5.
Penny Wilson was dumped by her cheating boyfriend Josh. She is having a hard time getting over the relationship and her obvious replacement by her “popular friends”. She has decided to concentrate on her riding and her competitions.
However Ty Jackson is now working for her dad at the farm. She now has to ride home every day from school with him. They start building their friendship that was torn apart in seventh grade. It seems to be easy to talk to each other.
However Penny starts having confusing feelings for Ty. She believes he isn’t her type. He is a cowboy on the roping team. He is below her social stratosphere. The more time she spends with Ty the more he sees the real her. He offers to help with her riding and jumping. The charity show for her mother is too important.
However Ty can’t stand the two lives she leads and refuses to be a part of it. She has no idea how she is supposed to move forward by herself.
I like this author and the Hickville High series. I was excited to get this book. It was totally separate from the first two books but I liked the characters that were introduced. Penny was definitely stuck up in the beginning. In fact the author took her time really forming the story and making Penny realize what she was doing. I wanted to shake her. In fact in the beginning I didn’t really like her. She was a bit of a mean girl that found herself losing social status because her boyfriend cheated on her. Nothing like a fall from grace to make things realistic.
It was also interesting that the author really hit home that high school never changes. It is sad how students hide their real selves in order to fight it. I like that this fact is a clear message in the book. A very realistic storyline and confusing romance for Penny. She could be any girl in any high school. A great read and I give it a 4 out of 5.
April 15, 2018
My favorite part of reading is when something happens during the story that completely changes my liking (for better, of course) of the story. That is what exactly happened to me with “Horseplay”.
The story starts as a typical YA novel, set in high school full of cliques that have to coexist together. There is “popular” and there is everybody else (skateboard people, rodeo team, etc.). In the middle of this high school drama there is the popular queen bee, Ty Jackson (rodeo team member), and Penny Wilson. Because there is a lot of teen angst and high school drama going on I thought that this would be just another YA romantic story. But then Penny starts to change and she starts to realize some things and she starts to grow and move away from her old self. Her metamorphosis was heartbreaking; her pain was palpable, so much that it made me cry, literary.
Full review available at: Night Owl Review
The story starts as a typical YA novel, set in high school full of cliques that have to coexist together. There is “popular” and there is everybody else (skateboard people, rodeo team, etc.). In the middle of this high school drama there is the popular queen bee, Ty Jackson (rodeo team member), and Penny Wilson. Because there is a lot of teen angst and high school drama going on I thought that this would be just another YA romantic story. But then Penny starts to change and she starts to realize some things and she starts to grow and move away from her old self. Her metamorphosis was heartbreaking; her pain was palpable, so much that it made me cry, literary.
Full review available at: Night Owl Review
March 8, 2016
i loved the second book in the hickville series and, although i didn't expect such mature story and character development from a shorter companion book, i'm still a tiny bit disappointed in this one. i think the author rushed through some of the issues that could have been worth getting deeper into and it seemed like penny got over things that should have mattered more to her pretty quickly.
apart from this (and the countless "not!"s and the not so great new cover (i loved the first set of covers a whole lot more)) it was quite a good read and i really like the southern vibe. and just like the first book, horseplay reminded me of the sweet valley series too which i was a huge fan of when i was a kid, so i'm looking forward to read the next one.
apart from this (and the countless "not!"s and the not so great new cover (i loved the first set of covers a whole lot more)) it was quite a good read and i really like the southern vibe. and just like the first book, horseplay reminded me of the sweet valley series too which i was a huge fan of when i was a kid, so i'm looking forward to read the next one.
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February 28, 2016ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Horseplay is a very well written YA book. It would be great story for the younger people of the YA world 10-13. I very much enjoyed this read. The author keeps you interested by providing just enough of Penny's home life, circle of friends and of course horse back riding. You learn lots of new information with this book. Its not the first from this author its actually the 3rd but I have not read any of the others but never felt like I was lost or not able to keep up with the storyline or the characters. It was a good read and I look forward to more from the author.
Horseplay is a very well written YA book. It would be great story for the younger people of the YA world 10-13. I very much enjoyed this read. The author keeps you interested by providing just enough of Penny's home life, circle of friends and of course horse back riding. You learn lots of new information with this book. Its not the first from this author its actually the 3rd but I have not read any of the others but never felt like I was lost or not able to keep up with the storyline or the characters. It was a good read and I look forward to more from the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2016
Despite the 3 star rating, I did enjoy this book. It was a good story about a young girl and her struggles over the loss of her mother, her strained relationship with her father, and of course, maintaining her reputation at school.
Whilst it was a fun novella, I did have some issues with it; namely that the main character could at times be incredibly annoying. She makes a rather big deal over her reputation at school, and for me that was quite tedious.
However I am a horse rider, and I found the horse elements to be quite fun and entertaining, and the story overall was quite moving in it's own way.
Whilst it was a fun novella, I did have some issues with it; namely that the main character could at times be incredibly annoying. She makes a rather big deal over her reputation at school, and for me that was quite tedious.
However I am a horse rider, and I found the horse elements to be quite fun and entertaining, and the story overall was quite moving in it's own way.
June 21, 2016
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...
I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read and review a copy of Mary’s fourth book in the Hickville High series. I thought it was a fun, sassy and good quality read. I hadn’t read the other books in the series before I read this one but I found it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all – I am looking forward to reading more from Mary and can’t wait to get my hands on her back catalogue – a fun solid, good read – 3.5 stars
I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read and review a copy of Mary’s fourth book in the Hickville High series. I thought it was a fun, sassy and good quality read. I hadn’t read the other books in the series before I read this one but I found it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all – I am looking forward to reading more from Mary and can’t wait to get my hands on her back catalogue – a fun solid, good read – 3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews