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Play of Light
I lived in paradise, and I loved Spencer Pierce. At fourteen, my life was perfect. The beach was my playground, and the boy who stole my heart lived just around the corner. But perfect never lasts. In one horrifying moment, I lost it all. My family was destroyed, and the boy I believed in turned his back on me. Paradise became a nightmare. That was five years ago. Everything changed when we moved from our home by the sea. I’ve changed, and I don’t like who I’ve become. I miss the smiling, carefree beach girl who disappeared that terrible night. I want to find her again. I want to face the people we ran from so long ago. Most of all, I have to face Spencer. So I can prove that when he broke my heart, he didn’t break me. But when I see him again, Spencer Pierce is no longer the boy from my memories. He’s now a man who could devastate me if I let him. He watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. There’s regret written on his face when he’s near. Each time I see him, my heart aches for what might have been, and I think his does too. How can I convince myself I’m over him when I suspect he never got over me?
240 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2014
69 people are currently reading
1266 people want to read
About the author
Debra Doxer
13 books372 followersDebra Doxer was born in Boston, and other than a few lost years in the California sunshine, she has always resided in the Boston area. She writes fiction, technical software documents, illegible scribbles on sticky notes, and texts that get mangled by AutoCorrect. She writes for a living, and she writes for fun. When not writing, she’s walking her Havanese puppy and forcing her daughter to listen to New Wave 80s music.
Connect with Debra:
www.facebook.com/AuthorDebraDoxer
www.instagram.com/debradoxer
www.twitter.com/debradoxer
debradoxer@gmail.com
Connect with Debra:
www.facebook.com/AuthorDebraDoxer
www.instagram.com/debradoxer
www.twitter.com/debradoxer
debradoxer@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
February 9, 2017
3.5 Sarah Smile stars
Sarah had the perfect life; a wonderful family while living in paradise with the perfect "for her" crush, Spencer. When her world comes crashing down, she is left with no voice and choice but to follow, leaving everything and everyone behind. Sheltered from the truth because she's too young, she doesn't understand why no one will listen and why no one will do what's right.
Deep down she knows she is missing pieces of herself, and the only way to find it is to go back... Needing to face the demons that drove her away,in order to find the honesty, courage and closure. She thought five years was enough for her heart to forget, but one look at Spencer and its far from over... the only question is, what's next?
Play of Light was a sweet sad story about truth, justice and a second chance at love and life. This is a book you have to feel, as it takes you to the past and present. Sarah and Spencer, were two special souls that were lucky enough to have found each other, both finding solace and comfort in each others company, when the rest of the world is just too loud. I find it hard to judge the characters after all they've been through, whose to say at that point what is the wrong or right way to act. I may not have a greed with some decisions, but it's how they chose to deal and cope. I loved how all the wrongs were made right, that no matter what the truth mattered. A good enticing stand alone read.
Copy kindly provided by Xpresso Book Tours, via NetGalley, for an honest review .
***Quotes above are taken from the version of the book I received and may differ from published edition.
Sarah had the perfect life; a wonderful family while living in paradise with the perfect "for her" crush, Spencer. When her world comes crashing down, she is left with no voice and choice but to follow, leaving everything and everyone behind. Sheltered from the truth because she's too young, she doesn't understand why no one will listen and why no one will do what's right.
So I pretended to be fine until the fake girl became the truth and the real me stayed bottled up inside.
Deep down she knows she is missing pieces of herself, and the only way to find it is to go back... Needing to face the demons that drove her away,in order to find the honesty, courage and closure. She thought five years was enough for her heart to forget, but one look at Spencer and its far from over... the only question is, what's next?
I thought I couldn’t really love anyone until I saw Spencer again. Then I realized the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t love—it was that I couldn’t love anyone but him.
Play of Light was a sweet sad story about truth, justice and a second chance at love and life. This is a book you have to feel, as it takes you to the past and present. Sarah and Spencer, were two special souls that were lucky enough to have found each other, both finding solace and comfort in each others company, when the rest of the world is just too loud. I find it hard to judge the characters after all they've been through, whose to say at that point what is the wrong or right way to act. I may not have a greed with some decisions, but it's how they chose to deal and cope. I loved how all the wrongs were made right, that no matter what the truth mattered. A good enticing stand alone read.
Copy kindly provided by Xpresso Book Tours, via NetGalley, for an honest review .
***Quotes above are taken from the version of the book I received and may differ from published edition.
December 15, 2014
**Play of Light generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
5 'Sara Smile' Stars
This title hails as my first from this author and it certainly won’t be my last. Play of Light centers itself around two main characters surrounded by unfortunate circumstances yet completely destined for one another. Debra Doxer’s exquisite writing envelops the reader from the very beginning of the story until the very end. I found myself consumed by Sarah and Spencer’s story.
The blurb hints this story could be second chance love and while in a way it is this love story brings so much more to the pages. Woven throughout the love of Sarah and Spencer brings heart break, poignant memories, sharp focus, strength and determination, kindness, and humility. Each of these characters relied on each other, on a beautifully scarred friendship. When they come into each other’s lives again the implausible attraction remains intact and is palpable to the reader thanks to the way Ms. Doxer’s pens their story.
As Sarah’s focuses on remembering the bright spots of her past in order to shed the darkness surrounding her memories, Spencer’s honest portrayal of the guilt he carries makes him as vulnerable to the reader as he was to Sarah. Their connection lives through the pages of a delicately plot, delving into the dark side of life in order for the characters to see the light.
Play of Light came as an unexpected, pleasant surprise. If you enjoy New Adult romances where two people destined to be together work their way back to each other you’ll enjoy this story. It's a journey to forgiveness through understanding and discovery. I'm so glad I experienced it and look forward to more from this author.
March 1, 2015
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
When Sarah meets Spencer that day on the beach she has no idea her life is going to be forever changed with that single moment. Just a few years older than her, Spencer is new to town, moving in with his uncle after his parent’s death – Sarah is drawn to the boy that has become her friend, the boy that she’ll fall in love with and eventually the boy that will break her heart.
Spencer confides in Sarah, secrets that exposes his pain – things that she wants to tell her father about, who happens to be a cop in their coastal town. But eventually she breaks and runs to her father to save the boy she loves. That decision destroyed her world. In a single moment everything was taken from her. Now years later, Sarah is attempting to find the girl that was left devastated on that service road.
Returning home she encounters that boy again, only now he’s all man. She didn’t expect that getting closure would include healing the wounds he caused. But one thing hasn’t changed after all this time, her heart still beats for the boy she knew. When Spencer explains his reasons for pushing her away five years ago they fall back into an easy friendship that is laced with tension, their old feelings growing into so much more.
As Sarah learns more about what took place five years ago she knows that the only way to make it right is to expose the secret the town kept for all those years. It won’t change the past but she knows that it is what is right. This time Spencer isn’t going to let her down, he’ll speak up and tell the truth. What started off as a journey to heal old wounds turns into a love story; we watch as these to grow from childhood friends into so much more.
This book. This story. This is one of those books that had a blurb that intrigued me, a new author for me and no real idea as to what to expect. I thought this would be a simple second chance love story but it was so much more. The author did a brilliant job telling this story. The before parts, the innocence of childhood tarnished by the ugly things – but yet you still saw how beautiful their shared moments were. The change into adulthood. The lost boy becoming a man that is no longer just wandering, but that knows what he wants while he waits for the girl to find her place again. The reversal of roles. The broken to the healed.
Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
There was just something about this story that touched me. It’s not as simple as a single moment that occurred, but the story as a whole that just left me filled to the brim with feels. The characters were perfectly developed and it took only a few moments to fall completely in love with them. Loving the heroine just as much as the hero is rare for me. But Sarah was just one of those characters that I got. From start to finish I was her champion. I connected instantly and felt her emotions gripping me from the pages. It wasn’t a feeling of being overtaken by emotions, but a slow grip that tightened as the story continued. Almost as if I didn’t even realize how much until I was completely consumed by it.
Debra Doxer delivered a love story that was tangled in tragedy that gave you hope. Hope that two kids could dig through the ruins of their past and find a future, together. Two characters that found what they needed within each other, a love that had the power to break them but in the end healed both of them.
This story surprised me from start to finish and I am glad that I took a chance on this one. This is a story that sticks, one you’ll remember. A touching tale of two kids that fell in love one day on a beach and although life got in the way, that love never faded, it just needed to be remembered.
When Sarah meets Spencer that day on the beach she has no idea her life is going to be forever changed with that single moment. Just a few years older than her, Spencer is new to town, moving in with his uncle after his parent’s death – Sarah is drawn to the boy that has become her friend, the boy that she’ll fall in love with and eventually the boy that will break her heart.
Spencer confides in Sarah, secrets that exposes his pain – things that she wants to tell her father about, who happens to be a cop in their coastal town. But eventually she breaks and runs to her father to save the boy she loves. That decision destroyed her world. In a single moment everything was taken from her. Now years later, Sarah is attempting to find the girl that was left devastated on that service road.
Returning home she encounters that boy again, only now he’s all man. She didn’t expect that getting closure would include healing the wounds he caused. But one thing hasn’t changed after all this time, her heart still beats for the boy she knew. When Spencer explains his reasons for pushing her away five years ago they fall back into an easy friendship that is laced with tension, their old feelings growing into so much more.
As Sarah learns more about what took place five years ago she knows that the only way to make it right is to expose the secret the town kept for all those years. It won’t change the past but she knows that it is what is right. This time Spencer isn’t going to let her down, he’ll speak up and tell the truth. What started off as a journey to heal old wounds turns into a love story; we watch as these to grow from childhood friends into so much more.
This book. This story. This is one of those books that had a blurb that intrigued me, a new author for me and no real idea as to what to expect. I thought this would be a simple second chance love story but it was so much more. The author did a brilliant job telling this story. The before parts, the innocence of childhood tarnished by the ugly things – but yet you still saw how beautiful their shared moments were. The change into adulthood. The lost boy becoming a man that is no longer just wandering, but that knows what he wants while he waits for the girl to find her place again. The reversal of roles. The broken to the healed.
Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
There was just something about this story that touched me. It’s not as simple as a single moment that occurred, but the story as a whole that just left me filled to the brim with feels. The characters were perfectly developed and it took only a few moments to fall completely in love with them. Loving the heroine just as much as the hero is rare for me. But Sarah was just one of those characters that I got. From start to finish I was her champion. I connected instantly and felt her emotions gripping me from the pages. It wasn’t a feeling of being overtaken by emotions, but a slow grip that tightened as the story continued. Almost as if I didn’t even realize how much until I was completely consumed by it.
Debra Doxer delivered a love story that was tangled in tragedy that gave you hope. Hope that two kids could dig through the ruins of their past and find a future, together. Two characters that found what they needed within each other, a love that had the power to break them but in the end healed both of them.
This story surprised me from start to finish and I am glad that I took a chance on this one. This is a story that sticks, one you’ll remember. A touching tale of two kids that fell in love one day on a beach and although life got in the way, that love never faded, it just needed to be remembered.
December 1, 2014
In a genre that is saturated with sameness, it is so refreshing to find something different than the norm. And if there is one author I can count on to deliver such a thing, it is Doxer.
In a genre where anything goes and the same tropes are used over and over again, it is so refreshing finding something not only different, but completely entertaining as well and such is the story of Spencer and Sarah.
While her reads aren't what I would consider a mystery, they are filled with the mysterious. There is always that element of surprise and suspense that keeps you reading and keeps you guessing.
Never knowing how the story will unfold but always hoping for the best.
With the right amount of romance mixed with intrigue and a fast moving plot line, this is one that will be sure to keep you turning the pages.
And while this one is minus the paranormal element of her YA series, it certainly isn't lacking for anything else.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of getting to know Spencer and Sarah. Their history, their hardships, their friendship, and their story.
This was so well done and written and had my attention from page one to the very end.
In a genre where anything goes and the same tropes are used over and over again, it is so refreshing finding something not only different, but completely entertaining as well and such is the story of Spencer and Sarah.
While her reads aren't what I would consider a mystery, they are filled with the mysterious. There is always that element of surprise and suspense that keeps you reading and keeps you guessing.
Never knowing how the story will unfold but always hoping for the best.
With the right amount of romance mixed with intrigue and a fast moving plot line, this is one that will be sure to keep you turning the pages.
And while this one is minus the paranormal element of her YA series, it certainly isn't lacking for anything else.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of getting to know Spencer and Sarah. Their history, their hardships, their friendship, and their story.
This was so well done and written and had my attention from page one to the very end.
December 8, 2014
I love Debra Doxer, she is the author of the Remedy series. As soon as I found out about her next release, Play of Light, I asked her about it. I was so excited when the cover was revealed, it was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen, don’t you think so? And that’s not the only thing beautiful about it, the story as well.
“I knew it would be you,” he said. “I knew you were the one to stay away from.” Blinking rapidly, I reared my head back at his words. He sat there, dangling his hands between his bent knees. My eyes burned with ushed tears. I hadn’t imagined it. He was distancing himself from me on purpose. What did he mean, I was the one to stay away from? Because I saw too much?
Debra Doxer is so perfect for contemporary, she creates such fascinating poignant stories that’ll bring you to tears and twist your stomach. Play of Light took a different turn if you compare it to her other series, this one was a bit lighter yet heavier. It’s not a fluffy tale to tell, it has drama and a little bit of fury. I can’t reveal why though but it was strongly evident in the story.
Swallowing, I noticed he looked bigger, more filled out. Every time my eyes landed on his exposed abs, my mouth felt dry.
What I love so much from Doxer is that she writes such heartfelt characters, they feel very surreal. If you were to ask me, who ought to be one of the strongest authors when it comes creating characters, it would be this author. Why? When Debra writes it becomes more than just words, they don’t scatter, they somehow paint in my head and then my eyes follow. Her characters are what brought me to really enjoy this book.
We cried together, and I was crying for everything he’s gone through. I thought of how calm and controlled he always looked on the outside, compared to how broken he was inside. It must have taken so much work to pretend the way he did all the time.
The book doesn’t fervently hold onto the genre, mystery because it was more of a healing process for Spencer and Sarah, they were both so young and so troubled. Together, they made an even bigger mess. You can tell why I loved it so. To finally wrap this review up with a tight bow, Debra Doxer has my attention once again and she’s not getting away. I can’t wait to read her future books!
“Music did save me,” he agreed. “But it wasn’t the only thing.” He cleared his throat and gland away for a moment.
September 13, 2016
I thought I couldn’t really love anyone until I saw Spencer again. Then I realized the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t love—it was that I couldn’t love anyone but him.
New Adult, step it up, you're predictable. This is how to sum up my experience with Play of Light. Although I enjoyed it more than the majority of New Adult, it's still more of the same.
We have Sarah and Spencer. Her family was forced from town after a series of unfortunate events that caused Sarah's death. A few years earlier before this all happened, Spencer moved to the town, and Sarah, a young girl almost immediately starts to crush on the new (older) guy after he helped/rescued her one day. But when Sarah leaves town, she and Spencer lose touch for several reasons. Now, years later, Sarah is ready to return to where she grew up, hoping to find closure with her past, but also with Spencer. Or so she thought.
I'll give Sarah credit: she's one of the few New Adult heroines that didn't drive me up the walls. She was a nice character who really wanted the best, both for herself but for others too. And while I didn't agree with all her choices, I could still see her point of view. It's worth mentioning that the author's writing was on par, not exaggerated or overly dramatic in comparison to other NA titles.
Apart from Sarah and the overall writing though, Play of Light is still a bunch of New Adult tropes thrown into a mixer. We have the abusive background, traumatic experiences, slutshaming (the girl interested in the heroine's love interest is a bitch and a skank, all groupies are skanks, hell, even the heroine's own sister is labeled a skank), the heroine's best friend is "slutty" (not in a bad way since she's the heroine's best friend), a "destined" love interest (a guy who pushes her away despite his love), misunderstandings and miscommunication. It's everything that almost all New Adult books are. The big difference is that it's not overly dramatic in its presentation of these already dramatic themes. So while it's better written than a lot of other NA titles, it's still, as said, more of the same, and at this point I'm looking for more than that when it comes to New Adult.
November 30, 2014
*ARC kindly provided by Xpresso Book Tours*
Play of Light is a story about justice, secrets, family, courage and love.
Past
Twelve years old Sarah - a sweet and naive girl - is saved by Spencer, the new boy in town and two years older than her.
I feel in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the pirates.
This is the beginning of a beautiful and SECRET friendship.
Time passes and Sarah's feelings are bigger than friendship but she is afraid because Spencer is older than her, popular and handsome.
Like any 14 years old girl, she is insecure with her body.
My chest is flat. My hips were straight without a curve in sight. Calling me sexy would be like calling a telephone pole sexy.
So she never talks about her feelings. She choose just being his friend.
Between her relation with him and her own problems, she knows something is wrong with her father's work. He is a cop trying to be the right man...
Present
5 years later
Something terrible happened that change Sarah's family forever.
Now, with a broken heart, she wants justice. What she didn't expected was to see again Spencer Pierce.
Two broken lifes. One single past.
This was a good story about how the real world is. Not black and white, but with a lot of gray between.
My only complaint was the ending. I was expecting a epilogue.
Genre: Young Adult.
Play of Light is a story about justice, secrets, family, courage and love.
Past
Twelve years old Sarah - a sweet and naive girl - is saved by Spencer, the new boy in town and two years older than her.
I feel in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the pirates.
This is the beginning of a beautiful and SECRET friendship.
Time passes and Sarah's feelings are bigger than friendship but she is afraid because Spencer is older than her, popular and handsome.
Like any 14 years old girl, she is insecure with her body.
My chest is flat. My hips were straight without a curve in sight. Calling me sexy would be like calling a telephone pole sexy.
So she never talks about her feelings. She choose just being his friend.
Between her relation with him and her own problems, she knows something is wrong with her father's work. He is a cop trying to be the right man...
Present
5 years later
Something terrible happened that change Sarah's family forever.
Now, with a broken heart, she wants justice. What she didn't expected was to see again Spencer Pierce.
Two broken lifes. One single past.
This was a good story about how the real world is. Not black and white, but with a lot of gray between.
My only complaint was the ending. I was expecting a epilogue.
Genre: Young Adult.
December 9, 2014
Ever since the day he saved her at the beach, Sarah has been in love with Spencer Pierce. In a nutshell, her life was pretty perfect. She had a wonderful family, great childhood, and the boy she loved lived just around the corner. Until the horrifying day that changed her life forever, causing her family to fall apart and the home she knew was gone forever.
Years later, Sarah doesn't feel like the same person anymore. She had moved away from her home by the sea to live with her aunt, but continued to pursue her love for art. Now with a scholarship to a school close to her old home town, Sarah feels it is time she faced the music once again. Venturing back to town wasn't easy, not with the memories of her father's death still feeling so fresh on her mind. She see's him again, of course, Spencer Piece and he is no longer the boy she remembers...
Wow! Did I enjoy this story, it totally grabbed me by surprise and held onto me through the entire book. I had a difficult time putting this down. I really wanted to know what was going on, and what had happened. Sarah was a great character, given a little obsessed with Spencer at the beginning, but I enjoyed her tone of voice as she told the story from her POV. I watched her break apart and lose a lot, only to rebuild and be happy again. The storyline was great and I enjoyed most of it. I liked Spencer, I thought he was a very wounded soul that made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and keep him safe. I understood why he did what he did to Sarah before she left, his fear was genuine and came from years of abuse. A boy that was broken, broke just a little bit more everyday.
The story had some really sad tear jerking, mouth hanging moments. Especially when Sarah recollected her childhood and what was happening between Spencer and his uncle. Sarah's life falling apart and the way it happened was also really heart-breaking. I cannot even begin to imagine what she went through.
What I did have a hard tim
e understanding in the end thought is okay...why did no one go to the FBI with this? With people unable to trust their local cops and Spencer's uncle being such a big issue in this book. I would think FBI would have had a large play in helping out in this situation...
I got a copy of this book for free in exchange of an honest review.
Years later, Sarah doesn't feel like the same person anymore. She had moved away from her home by the sea to live with her aunt, but continued to pursue her love for art. Now with a scholarship to a school close to her old home town, Sarah feels it is time she faced the music once again. Venturing back to town wasn't easy, not with the memories of her father's death still feeling so fresh on her mind. She see's him again, of course, Spencer Piece and he is no longer the boy she remembers...
Wow! Did I enjoy this story, it totally grabbed me by surprise and held onto me through the entire book. I had a difficult time putting this down. I really wanted to know what was going on, and what had happened. Sarah was a great character, given a little obsessed with Spencer at the beginning, but I enjoyed her tone of voice as she told the story from her POV. I watched her break apart and lose a lot, only to rebuild and be happy again. The storyline was great and I enjoyed most of it. I liked Spencer, I thought he was a very wounded soul that made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and keep him safe. I understood why he did what he did to Sarah before she left, his fear was genuine and came from years of abuse. A boy that was broken, broke just a little bit more everyday.
The story had some really sad tear jerking, mouth hanging moments. Especially when Sarah recollected her childhood and what was happening between Spencer and his uncle. Sarah's life falling apart and the way it happened was also really heart-breaking. I cannot even begin to imagine what she went through.
What I did have a hard tim
e understanding in the end thought is okay...why did no one go to the FBI with this? With people unable to trust their local cops and Spencer's uncle being such a big issue in this book. I would think FBI would have had a large play in helping out in this situation...
I got a copy of this book for free in exchange of an honest review.
December 3, 2014
A sweet New Adult romance about a love that finally had a chance to bloom, Play of Light was a nice book and I enjoyed it.
Both characters were good. Sarah was resilient and determined when she set her mind to something. Spencer was a sweetie who cared deeply for his loved ones and tried to protect them, no matter what. I liked both of them.
The romance was very sweet. Sarah and Spencer had loved each other from when they were young and they finally had a chance to be together. I thought they were a lovely couple.
The pacing was what dropped the book for me. For the first half of the book, I was only vaguely interested. I think it was because a large chunk of the beginning was devoted to portraying the past, rather than getting on to the present, which was what I was really interested in. But, for the second half, I got fully drawn in and engaged in the story. So, overall, I liked the story.
Play of Light was a good New Adult romance. It might not have been perfect, but it was a nice read that I enjoyed. Romance lovers, you might want to check this one out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Both characters were good. Sarah was resilient and determined when she set her mind to something. Spencer was a sweetie who cared deeply for his loved ones and tried to protect them, no matter what. I liked both of them.
The romance was very sweet. Sarah and Spencer had loved each other from when they were young and they finally had a chance to be together. I thought they were a lovely couple.
The pacing was what dropped the book for me. For the first half of the book, I was only vaguely interested. I think it was because a large chunk of the beginning was devoted to portraying the past, rather than getting on to the present, which was what I was really interested in. But, for the second half, I got fully drawn in and engaged in the story. So, overall, I liked the story.
Play of Light was a good New Adult romance. It might not have been perfect, but it was a nice read that I enjoyed. Romance lovers, you might want to check this one out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
January 2, 2015
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Email: sizzlingpages@gmail.com
Some books keep you smiling and leave you warm. Some make you cry and laugh and even both at the same time. Then there are stories that whisk you away and you come back changed and look around feeling a sense of melancholy because nobody around you is feeling the same way. But you are undeniably changed.
Debra Doxer is a master at not just writing a story. She writes a journey. An adventure through every heartfelt emotion. From the first crush to the first heartbreak. From lust to love and back again. I just traveled through a beautiful love story. I felt so many things for this couple. I cried tears of pain with them and healing. I am so full right now of hope and romance that I could sigh.
Spencer took my heart on a thrilling ride as I felt everything Sarah felt for him and with him. I wanted to save him and Sarah too. Spencer was 100% perfect sweet-alpha approved.
From the moments on the beach to rooftop secrets. I was overwhelmed with beauty and with a deep feeling of kinship.Like Debra took my hand and introduced me to these characters in person. Every single trial they went through I felt
Debra handled gracefully and with utmost care the situation with Nate and I respect her so much for that one area in this book. No games were played and lies told. These were purely honest characters dealing with Fate's crappy hand they were dealt. But when time for their chance to feel all the joy they deserved came due. Debra dealt them a winning hand.
Beautifully written with passion and healing. I have no more words.
Nichole's Sizzling Reviews
Sizzling Pages @ Facebook
Sizling Pages on TSU
Twitter:@Sizzlingpages
Email: sizzlingpages@gmail.com
Some books keep you smiling and leave you warm. Some make you cry and laugh and even both at the same time. Then there are stories that whisk you away and you come back changed and look around feeling a sense of melancholy because nobody around you is feeling the same way. But you are undeniably changed.
Debra Doxer is a master at not just writing a story. She writes a journey. An adventure through every heartfelt emotion. From the first crush to the first heartbreak. From lust to love and back again. I just traveled through a beautiful love story. I felt so many things for this couple. I cried tears of pain with them and healing. I am so full right now of hope and romance that I could sigh.
Spencer took my heart on a thrilling ride as I felt everything Sarah felt for him and with him. I wanted to save him and Sarah too. Spencer was 100% perfect sweet-alpha approved.
From the moments on the beach to rooftop secrets. I was overwhelmed with beauty and with a deep feeling of kinship.Like Debra took my hand and introduced me to these characters in person. Every single trial they went through I felt
Debra handled gracefully and with utmost care the situation with Nate and I respect her so much for that one area in this book. No games were played and lies told. These were purely honest characters dealing with Fate's crappy hand they were dealt. But when time for their chance to feel all the joy they deserved came due. Debra dealt them a winning hand.
Beautifully written with passion and healing. I have no more words.
February 25, 2015
I LOVED this. Play of Light is one of those stories that ends and I've fallen in love with the characters. Full review soon.
This book was originally reviewed on The Book Hookup.
**I received a copy of this book, but that did not influence the review**
4.90 stars Sometimes I finish a story and feel like I know the characters inside and out. And when I say know, I mean I feel them with my whole heart. I’m telling you, Play of Light is one of those stories that ended and I suddenly I realized that I’d fallen in love. This book just took over my brain, and that’s the reason it’s a top shelf story for me.
The scene setting in this story was divine, and I happen to live right over the bridge from Cape Cod where this story takes place. I could picture the views, the dunes, the smell of the ocean, and the beach houses. It was so vibrant for me and I loved it. But not only did the world building bring this alive for me, these characters are what made the story. They were real, they were deep, they were sad, and they were strong. The connection between Spencer and Sarah was there from the moment they first spoke, and even though nothing romantic happened for a long, long, LONG time I could feel the bond tugging on my heart. I can’t say it enough, I just felt all of it.
The romance…oh my oh my oh my. It was so good. SO GOOD. Did I mention it was so good? I wanted that first touch, kiss, and then more. Spencer Pierce is swoony and delicious, broody and cocky, gorgeous and tatted. Yep, he was hot stuff. It was a very slow build up, but it was so worth the years of waiting. Then the time was finally right and oh, I loved it. That’s all you need to know. *clutches heart*
You’re dying to know why 4.90 stars, right? Well it’s truly a top shelf book for me, but the nit-picker in me found beginning to be a little stilted. Just a little, trust me! But it did make me go back and reread when I got to 12% to make sure I didn’t miss anything (THE kiss). No, I didn’t, but it was written in a way that made me think I had missed a crucial scene. However, once I was sure I was told all I needed to know, I settled in and just devoured the book, trusting that Ms. Doxer would fill me in as I needed to know anything. I’m not totally sure I get the title either, but that stunning cover makes up for all of it.
The ending made my heart sing, and I was so happy that both Sarah and Spencer were on their way to finding peace, and so much had to do with the fact that they found each other. It was a lovely HEA.
Would I rec this? YES YES YES YES. A totally heartfelt story, that even though was terribly sad in places, showed me that becoming whole was worth the pain it took to get there. A fantastcailly written love story that would make your TBR very happy.
This book was originally reviewed on The Book Hookup.
**I received a copy of this book, but that did not influence the review**
4.90 stars Sometimes I finish a story and feel like I know the characters inside and out. And when I say know, I mean I feel them with my whole heart. I’m telling you, Play of Light is one of those stories that ended and I suddenly I realized that I’d fallen in love. This book just took over my brain, and that’s the reason it’s a top shelf story for me.
The scene setting in this story was divine, and I happen to live right over the bridge from Cape Cod where this story takes place. I could picture the views, the dunes, the smell of the ocean, and the beach houses. It was so vibrant for me and I loved it. But not only did the world building bring this alive for me, these characters are what made the story. They were real, they were deep, they were sad, and they were strong. The connection between Spencer and Sarah was there from the moment they first spoke, and even though nothing romantic happened for a long, long, LONG time I could feel the bond tugging on my heart. I can’t say it enough, I just felt all of it.
The romance…oh my oh my oh my. It was so good. SO GOOD. Did I mention it was so good? I wanted that first touch, kiss, and then more. Spencer Pierce is swoony and delicious, broody and cocky, gorgeous and tatted. Yep, he was hot stuff. It was a very slow build up, but it was so worth the years of waiting. Then the time was finally right and oh, I loved it. That’s all you need to know. *clutches heart*
You’re dying to know why 4.90 stars, right? Well it’s truly a top shelf book for me, but the nit-picker in me found beginning to be a little stilted. Just a little, trust me! But it did make me go back and reread when I got to 12% to make sure I didn’t miss anything (THE kiss). No, I didn’t, but it was written in a way that made me think I had missed a crucial scene. However, once I was sure I was told all I needed to know, I settled in and just devoured the book, trusting that Ms. Doxer would fill me in as I needed to know anything. I’m not totally sure I get the title either, but that stunning cover makes up for all of it.
The ending made my heart sing, and I was so happy that both Sarah and Spencer were on their way to finding peace, and so much had to do with the fact that they found each other. It was a lovely HEA.
Would I rec this? YES YES YES YES. A totally heartfelt story, that even though was terribly sad in places, showed me that becoming whole was worth the pain it took to get there. A fantastcailly written love story that would make your TBR very happy.
December 11, 2014
This is my first Debra Doxer book, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect , I started it with an opened mind , and I found my self getting wrap up in the plot.
The story is about a girl named Sarah and an older boy Spencer , they live near each other , but they have very different lives , while Sarah has a loving family , Spencer lost both parents and is living with his abusive uncle, Sarah tries to be his friend , and falls for him in the process, he shows that he cares for her (maybe too much)
“I knew it would be you,” he said. “I knew you were the one to stay away from.” Blinking rapidly, I reared my head back at his words. He sat there, dangling his hands between his bent knees. My eyes burned with unshed tears. I hadn’t imagined it. He was distancing himself from me on purpose. What did he mean, I was the one to stay away from? Because I saw too much?
But there's an event that changes their friendship and their lives are never the same when they get separated.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
Years pass and they see each other after she goes back to her old town for the answers that she needs to move on , but she cant' denied the feeling that she still has for Spencer and apparently neither does he.
Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
>b>“Music did save me,” he agreed. “But it wasn’t the only thing.” He cleared his throat and gland away for a moment.
One could think that this a very hard genre to write about because there are so many novels about young adults and their quest to their past to find happiness after some tragedy, but this book is refreshing , it's a simple plot but very well-developed, and very enticing to read , the characters on Sarah and Spencer are lovely and complicated , full of deep feelings ans longing.
I didn't know what was going to happen next and that was one of the reason to be so in to this book , and there was kind of intrigue plot also , but the love story was beautiful as well
I don't want to explained the plot I just want to say that this book was very fun to read it was an easy read, and it stirs something in me , I kind of remember what it was like to love at such a young age.the first and true love ,and the hurt of feeling the lost of it.
I really liked it was very nicely written and very endearing
ARC kindly provided via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
The story is about a girl named Sarah and an older boy Spencer , they live near each other , but they have very different lives , while Sarah has a loving family , Spencer lost both parents and is living with his abusive uncle, Sarah tries to be his friend , and falls for him in the process, he shows that he cares for her (maybe too much)
“I knew it would be you,” he said. “I knew you were the one to stay away from.” Blinking rapidly, I reared my head back at his words. He sat there, dangling his hands between his bent knees. My eyes burned with unshed tears. I hadn’t imagined it. He was distancing himself from me on purpose. What did he mean, I was the one to stay away from? Because I saw too much?
But there's an event that changes their friendship and their lives are never the same when they get separated.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
Years pass and they see each other after she goes back to her old town for the answers that she needs to move on , but she cant' denied the feeling that she still has for Spencer and apparently neither does he.
Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
>b>“Music did save me,” he agreed. “But it wasn’t the only thing.” He cleared his throat and gland away for a moment.
One could think that this a very hard genre to write about because there are so many novels about young adults and their quest to their past to find happiness after some tragedy, but this book is refreshing , it's a simple plot but very well-developed, and very enticing to read , the characters on Sarah and Spencer are lovely and complicated , full of deep feelings ans longing.
I didn't know what was going to happen next and that was one of the reason to be so in to this book , and there was kind of intrigue plot also , but the love story was beautiful as well
I don't want to explained the plot I just want to say that this book was very fun to read it was an easy read, and it stirs something in me , I kind of remember what it was like to love at such a young age.the first and true love ,and the hurt of feeling the lost of it.
I really liked it was very nicely written and very endearing
ARC kindly provided via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
December 17, 2014
4.5 Stars
This book was a pleasant surprise, it was different from the normal which I loved, but still had the same elements that contribute to New Adult.
Sarah knew she loved Spencer when she was fourteen. Gravitating to the mysterious boy who had lost both parents and hid even more. She said it was his eyes, they spoke to her, beneath them should could see right into Spencer. What she saw wasn't what she wanted to see either; a scared little boy who was only being brought down by his ass of an uncle.
Then one night changes their lives forever and soon there is no more Spencer or little town she grew up in her whole life.
5 years later, Sarah finally wants answers, and the best way to do that is so go back to where everything started. Back to her little shore town and back to him.
Things are different now. Where she grew up isn't the same anymore, and neither is Spencer. For one he's a talented musician.
The attraction between them is something fierce but neither of them are quite ready to act on it. There's still to much between them. One being Spencer's uncle and what happened on that one night that changes them both forever.
To find out what really happened was surreal, it was crazy but just enough that still felt believable in such a small immunity where secrets get buried.
I loved watching them grow up together, it was sad but also eye-opening to their relationship later on in life. All of the characters had their own personalities and their own story, which was pretty refreshing.
I though the writing was great and really helped tell the story wonderfully!
I definitely recommend
This book was a pleasant surprise, it was different from the normal which I loved, but still had the same elements that contribute to New Adult.
Sarah knew she loved Spencer when she was fourteen. Gravitating to the mysterious boy who had lost both parents and hid even more. She said it was his eyes, they spoke to her, beneath them should could see right into Spencer. What she saw wasn't what she wanted to see either; a scared little boy who was only being brought down by his ass of an uncle.
Then one night changes their lives forever and soon there is no more Spencer or little town she grew up in her whole life.
5 years later, Sarah finally wants answers, and the best way to do that is so go back to where everything started. Back to her little shore town and back to him.
Things are different now. Where she grew up isn't the same anymore, and neither is Spencer. For one he's a talented musician.
The attraction between them is something fierce but neither of them are quite ready to act on it. There's still to much between them. One being Spencer's uncle and what happened on that one night that changes them both forever.
To find out what really happened was surreal, it was crazy but just enough that still felt believable in such a small immunity where secrets get buried.
I loved watching them grow up together, it was sad but also eye-opening to their relationship later on in life. All of the characters had their own personalities and their own story, which was pretty refreshing.
I though the writing was great and really helped tell the story wonderfully!
I definitely recommend
December 11, 2014
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Love. As an avid reader, I’ve read many stories on love. The power of it. How love can destroy, consume, and overcome. Play of Light goes beyond that. It’s about a beautiful kind of love. The love that exists simply because two people recognized their soul in another.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
From the moment fourteen year old Sarah Walsh placed her eyes on Spencer Pierce she was never the same. Meeting him caused a complete shift in her life. Spencer is new in town and lives with his uncle after the death of his parents. As they begin their secret friendship, Sarah learns that Spencer has secrets that cause him a great deal of pain physically and emotionally. Spencer shouldn’t let Sarah in, but he does. They never agree upon a secret friendship, but it happens. It’s as if they do not want to share this special connection with others. Despite the darkness in Spencer’s life, he found his light in Sarah.
“He’d given me a glimpse of the darkness he felt every day, and I didn’t know what to do with it or how to make it better for him.”
A tragic event forces Sarah and her family to leave the only place she has called home. The boy she has fallen for, thinks it’s best she leaves too. However, unknown to Sarah, he has his reasons. Loving her enough to know that she is better off elsewhere, even if it means she’s away from him. This devastates Sarah. Five years later, Sarah returns home. The place that caused pain, loss, and heartache. The one place her mom begged her not to return to because of the secrets and lies left behind. The place that shattered their lives into pieces that will never be whole again.
“Then I realized the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t love-it was that I couldn’t love anyone but him.”
Sarah tried to love again. But she could never fully give her heart to any man that it did not belong to. Spencer found nothing but emptiness in the women he encountered as there is only one woman to make him feel whole. Play Of Light goes beyond the cliché second chance romance, childhood love. It’s deeper than that. Spencer and Sarah share a connection that cannot simply be put into words. But you feel it. You LIVE it. The author’s words give these characters life. The emotions grip you. You are immersed into Spencer and Sarah’s story the moment you start the first page.
“I’m not going to break, Spencer. “I know”, he said. “But you can if you want to.”
This story made my heart happy. There are secrets, lies, and pain, but despite that, love triumphed. There are broken pieces, slowly mended as two lovers are reconnected. By fate. By something stronger than them. Spencer and Sarah’s love story is not an easy one. I loved that the author didn’t make their love easy. It’s genuine and realistic. Their love hurts. But their love also heals. Their love consumes. Even years later, their connection feels stronger than ever.
“Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
The writing was both flawless and effortless in it’s delivery of a well developed, touching story of two people that love never gave up on despite their circumstances. The story weaves seamlessly through the past and present for the reader to fully understand the story and the depth of the love and frienship that exists between Spencer and Sarah. The pacing of this story was beautiful. I connected not only to the story, but to the characters. I teared up, I laughed, I simply lived through this story. Sarah and Spencer will stay with me for a long time to come. Play of Light is a beautiful, heartfelt story that gives hope to love and all it is capable of overcoming. Their love wins.
Love. As an avid reader, I’ve read many stories on love. The power of it. How love can destroy, consume, and overcome. Play of Light goes beyond that. It’s about a beautiful kind of love. The love that exists simply because two people recognized their soul in another.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
From the moment fourteen year old Sarah Walsh placed her eyes on Spencer Pierce she was never the same. Meeting him caused a complete shift in her life. Spencer is new in town and lives with his uncle after the death of his parents. As they begin their secret friendship, Sarah learns that Spencer has secrets that cause him a great deal of pain physically and emotionally. Spencer shouldn’t let Sarah in, but he does. They never agree upon a secret friendship, but it happens. It’s as if they do not want to share this special connection with others. Despite the darkness in Spencer’s life, he found his light in Sarah.
“He’d given me a glimpse of the darkness he felt every day, and I didn’t know what to do with it or how to make it better for him.”
A tragic event forces Sarah and her family to leave the only place she has called home. The boy she has fallen for, thinks it’s best she leaves too. However, unknown to Sarah, he has his reasons. Loving her enough to know that she is better off elsewhere, even if it means she’s away from him. This devastates Sarah. Five years later, Sarah returns home. The place that caused pain, loss, and heartache. The one place her mom begged her not to return to because of the secrets and lies left behind. The place that shattered their lives into pieces that will never be whole again.
“Then I realized the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t love-it was that I couldn’t love anyone but him.”
Sarah tried to love again. But she could never fully give her heart to any man that it did not belong to. Spencer found nothing but emptiness in the women he encountered as there is only one woman to make him feel whole. Play Of Light goes beyond the cliché second chance romance, childhood love. It’s deeper than that. Spencer and Sarah share a connection that cannot simply be put into words. But you feel it. You LIVE it. The author’s words give these characters life. The emotions grip you. You are immersed into Spencer and Sarah’s story the moment you start the first page.
“I’m not going to break, Spencer. “I know”, he said. “But you can if you want to.”
This story made my heart happy. There are secrets, lies, and pain, but despite that, love triumphed. There are broken pieces, slowly mended as two lovers are reconnected. By fate. By something stronger than them. Spencer and Sarah’s love story is not an easy one. I loved that the author didn’t make their love easy. It’s genuine and realistic. Their love hurts. But their love also heals. Their love consumes. Even years later, their connection feels stronger than ever.
“Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”
The writing was both flawless and effortless in it’s delivery of a well developed, touching story of two people that love never gave up on despite their circumstances. The story weaves seamlessly through the past and present for the reader to fully understand the story and the depth of the love and frienship that exists between Spencer and Sarah. The pacing of this story was beautiful. I connected not only to the story, but to the characters. I teared up, I laughed, I simply lived through this story. Sarah and Spencer will stay with me for a long time to come. Play of Light is a beautiful, heartfelt story that gives hope to love and all it is capable of overcoming. Their love wins.
December 13, 2014
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kimberlyfaye reads
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Take an unrequited first love, second chance romance, a hint of mystery and suspense and a whole lot of feels, combine them all together and you have Debra Doxer's Play of Light. It was utterly addicting and I couldn't stop reading once I started. I wanted all the answers. I wanted Sarah to find peace and happiness. And, I got it all... without an overly-angsty journey.
At the beginning of the book, the reader doesn't have the entire story. We know *something* happened back in Sarah's old hometown and that it affected her quite deeply. We know her father is gone and that there's a boy named Spencer in her past. As the story continues on, the details are revealed slowly. It was enough to keep me hanging on every word. Her story was heartbreaking and emotional, but it was never overwhelmingly angsty. And, let's face it, it could have been. Through it all there was still an air of hopefulness.
Sarah was a win straight off the bat for me. I thought she had a quiet strength and I admired her determination. She was a sweet girl who had seen things no girl ever should have to. After being ripped from the only home she ever knew as a teenager, she tried forget the past and live her "new" life, but something keep trying to pull her back to her home. While in college, she decides to go home to get closure, despite the wishes of her mom. It's there she runs into Spencer, the boy who she loved when she was a teenager, and who subsequently broke her heart when she needed him most.
I really didn't know what to make of Spencer. I didn't know where his head was. Had he really used Sarah when they were younger or was there more to their story than what met the eye. He had always been a moody guy, but I always felt he cared about Sarah and he was as protective of her as she was of him. It was difficult to reconcile the guy I thought I knew with the one whose actions broke her heart that night when she was younger. I knew there had to be more to it. It wasn't black and white.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading along as Sarah and Spencer were reunited. I went through all the emotions because everything was so up in the air with them. She had a boyfriend at school. He had a girlfriend-type person and a ton of groupies. But, when they were in the same room again, it was like everyone else didn't exist. Regardless of how they left things, it was always apparent there was something between them. I wanted them to get back to the place they were before things went pear-shaped. I wanted Sarah to get the answers and closure she needed.
This is the first of Debra's books that I've read, but it will definitely not be the last. The characters were incredible. The story had just enough mystery and intrigue to keep me fully-invested from the first page. It's not quite as overtly sexy as a lot of new adult novels are, but it didn't need to be. The chemistry and feelings between Sarah and Spencer were enough to make it steamy. I really enjoyed this book. I love most of all that it's a standalone. I read a lot of series and I love them (cliffhangers and all... most of the time), but there's still something to be said about getting the full story, with rich characters, in just one book.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Take an unrequited first love, second chance romance, a hint of mystery and suspense and a whole lot of feels, combine them all together and you have Debra Doxer's Play of Light. It was utterly addicting and I couldn't stop reading once I started. I wanted all the answers. I wanted Sarah to find peace and happiness. And, I got it all... without an overly-angsty journey.
At the beginning of the book, the reader doesn't have the entire story. We know *something* happened back in Sarah's old hometown and that it affected her quite deeply. We know her father is gone and that there's a boy named Spencer in her past. As the story continues on, the details are revealed slowly. It was enough to keep me hanging on every word. Her story was heartbreaking and emotional, but it was never overwhelmingly angsty. And, let's face it, it could have been. Through it all there was still an air of hopefulness.
Sarah was a win straight off the bat for me. I thought she had a quiet strength and I admired her determination. She was a sweet girl who had seen things no girl ever should have to. After being ripped from the only home she ever knew as a teenager, she tried forget the past and live her "new" life, but something keep trying to pull her back to her home. While in college, she decides to go home to get closure, despite the wishes of her mom. It's there she runs into Spencer, the boy who she loved when she was a teenager, and who subsequently broke her heart when she needed him most.
I really didn't know what to make of Spencer. I didn't know where his head was. Had he really used Sarah when they were younger or was there more to their story than what met the eye. He had always been a moody guy, but I always felt he cared about Sarah and he was as protective of her as she was of him. It was difficult to reconcile the guy I thought I knew with the one whose actions broke her heart that night when she was younger. I knew there had to be more to it. It wasn't black and white.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading along as Sarah and Spencer were reunited. I went through all the emotions because everything was so up in the air with them. She had a boyfriend at school. He had a girlfriend-type person and a ton of groupies. But, when they were in the same room again, it was like everyone else didn't exist. Regardless of how they left things, it was always apparent there was something between them. I wanted them to get back to the place they were before things went pear-shaped. I wanted Sarah to get the answers and closure she needed.
This is the first of Debra's books that I've read, but it will definitely not be the last. The characters were incredible. The story had just enough mystery and intrigue to keep me fully-invested from the first page. It's not quite as overtly sexy as a lot of new adult novels are, but it didn't need to be. The chemistry and feelings between Sarah and Spencer were enough to make it steamy. I really enjoyed this book. I love most of all that it's a standalone. I read a lot of series and I love them (cliffhangers and all... most of the time), but there's still something to be said about getting the full story, with rich characters, in just one book.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2014
The beginning
This started out so good. I was sucked right into the story and very curious about the characters. The intro was great and really helped me to get a sense of what the plot was going to be centered on.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
The entire first scene really showed why she started liking Spencer but it takes the rest of the book to really delve into her feelings.
Then the author switched to past tense and confused me for a bit. I don't love when plot lines jump around BUT in this case I think it worked wonderfully.
The plot and pace
First of all the plot could not be linear. Which I did not understand to begin with. The beginning is all about introducing the characters but there is so much more to this story than meets the eye. To keep things fresh and moving the plot needed to be mixed up. I still don't love traveling back and forth mentally, but it did do wonders to keep the pace of the story. After finishing I can look back and see that although I enjoyed reading about the characters, the middle portions of Sarah's life are fine and all but nothing to write home about.
By mixing things up Debra Doxer was able to spread out the normal parts of Sarah's life with the much more intriguing and scarier parts.
"Dude, you've got to hit the gym if you want your ass to be text-worthy."
The romance
At first I was not sure how this was going to play out. Sarah's crush on Spencer. I really hoped it wasn't going to be girl loves boy, boy loves skank, girl is crushed because skank is mean to her and boy is oblivious. Thankfully it was not like that AT ALL.
They each have gone their separate ways and had to deal with the drama of their youth. It was hard and they had to grow up but neither really moved on. It takes the entire book to find out if they are really going to be good for each other or if the drama was going to be too much for either of them to move past.
And what a great play list! I loved this!
Living on a Prayer
Hungry Like the Wolf
Sara Smile
Volcanoes
The drama
Whoa! For a romance, this has some serious thriller plot lines. I think it was about 60% when I started really worrying about where the plot was going. It does go places other than just Sarah's little crush on Spencer and we find out so much about the town. SO MUCH!
Even with the thriller elements the story was fantastic. The thriller portion did not take away from the main relationship but actually added to it.
"You can't keep second-guessing the past. You'll never be able to move on. Believe me, I know a little something about that."
In the end
I'm really happy with how Debra Doxer ended this. It was clean but still left some questions. This says it's a stand alone so I'm now curious if there are other books surrounding this town or these people.
Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to read for an honest review.
4.5/5
This started out so good. I was sucked right into the story and very curious about the characters. The intro was great and really helped me to get a sense of what the plot was going to be centered on.
“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”
The entire first scene really showed why she started liking Spencer but it takes the rest of the book to really delve into her feelings.
Then the author switched to past tense and confused me for a bit. I don't love when plot lines jump around BUT in this case I think it worked wonderfully.
The plot and pace
First of all the plot could not be linear. Which I did not understand to begin with. The beginning is all about introducing the characters but there is so much more to this story than meets the eye. To keep things fresh and moving the plot needed to be mixed up. I still don't love traveling back and forth mentally, but it did do wonders to keep the pace of the story. After finishing I can look back and see that although I enjoyed reading about the characters, the middle portions of Sarah's life are fine and all but nothing to write home about.
By mixing things up Debra Doxer was able to spread out the normal parts of Sarah's life with the much more intriguing and scarier parts.
"Dude, you've got to hit the gym if you want your ass to be text-worthy."
The romance
At first I was not sure how this was going to play out. Sarah's crush on Spencer. I really hoped it wasn't going to be girl loves boy, boy loves skank, girl is crushed because skank is mean to her and boy is oblivious. Thankfully it was not like that AT ALL.
They each have gone their separate ways and had to deal with the drama of their youth. It was hard and they had to grow up but neither really moved on. It takes the entire book to find out if they are really going to be good for each other or if the drama was going to be too much for either of them to move past.
And what a great play list! I loved this!
Living on a Prayer
Hungry Like the Wolf
Sara Smile
Volcanoes
The drama
Whoa! For a romance, this has some serious thriller plot lines. I think it was about 60% when I started really worrying about where the plot was going. It does go places other than just Sarah's little crush on Spencer and we find out so much about the town. SO MUCH!
Even with the thriller elements the story was fantastic. The thriller portion did not take away from the main relationship but actually added to it.
"You can't keep second-guessing the past. You'll never be able to move on. Believe me, I know a little something about that."
In the end
I'm really happy with how Debra Doxer ended this. It was clean but still left some questions. This says it's a stand alone so I'm now curious if there are other books surrounding this town or these people.
Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to read for an honest review.
4.5/5
December 14, 2014
4 out of 5 Stars
*** ARC received in exchange for a honest review ***
Five years ago and further to her father’s tragic death, Sarah Walsh and her mother and sister left their quiet Massachusetts seaside town. She also had to leave behind her friend and secret crush Spencer Pierce, a boy who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and whom she always felt the need to comfort - but that same boy broke her heart the day she needed him the most.
Now, Sarah is back in town, ready to shed light on what she witnessed the night of her father’s death. And although she is still heartbroken over Spencer, she is determined to go through with her plan and to not be intimidated by seeing him again after all those years.
First and foremost, I absolutely loved Play of Light’s storyline, because it was extremely refreshing and intriguing. Debra Doxer’s writing was perfect in conveying powerful emotions and it sucked me in from the very start.
This is a standalone new-adult book written in Sarah’s 1st person POV. You will easily fall in love with her and with Spencer, but you will also enjoy reading about the lovely side-characters. There is very little to no steam in this book, as it relies more on the emotional side, and on the weight of both Sarah and Spencer’s secret burden.
Throughout the book, you will learn about their painful and heartwrenching past, and how the two of them are now free to right things both between the two of them and with regards to Sarah’s family tragedy. This tragedy - a cold-hearted murder with many consequences - represents the main intrigue of the book.
The only thing I missed in this story - and this is also the reason why I didn’t give this book a full 5 stars - was that the romantic plot was a bit overshadowed by the story’s intrigue. Of course, there is a reason behind this, but I found that the romantic development wasn’t given enough time: in a matter of two weeks, all was said and done . It came a little to easily in my opinion, even if there was obviously history between Sarah and Spencer.
Still, I very much enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more books from this very talented author.
*** ARC received in exchange for a honest review ***
Five years ago and further to her father’s tragic death, Sarah Walsh and her mother and sister left their quiet Massachusetts seaside town. She also had to leave behind her friend and secret crush Spencer Pierce, a boy who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and whom she always felt the need to comfort - but that same boy broke her heart the day she needed him the most.
Now, Sarah is back in town, ready to shed light on what she witnessed the night of her father’s death. And although she is still heartbroken over Spencer, she is determined to go through with her plan and to not be intimidated by seeing him again after all those years.
First and foremost, I absolutely loved Play of Light’s storyline, because it was extremely refreshing and intriguing. Debra Doxer’s writing was perfect in conveying powerful emotions and it sucked me in from the very start.
This is a standalone new-adult book written in Sarah’s 1st person POV. You will easily fall in love with her and with Spencer, but you will also enjoy reading about the lovely side-characters. There is very little to no steam in this book, as it relies more on the emotional side, and on the weight of both Sarah and Spencer’s secret burden.
Throughout the book, you will learn about their painful and heartwrenching past, and how the two of them are now free to right things both between the two of them and with regards to Sarah’s family tragedy. This tragedy - a cold-hearted murder with many consequences - represents the main intrigue of the book.
The only thing I missed in this story - and this is also the reason why I didn’t give this book a full 5 stars - was that the romantic plot was a bit overshadowed by the story’s intrigue. Of course, there is a reason behind this, but I found that the romantic development wasn’t given enough time: in a matter of two weeks, all was said and done . It came a little to easily in my opinion, even if there was obviously history between Sarah and Spencer.
Still, I very much enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more books from this very talented author.
November 30, 2014
Check out my other reviews at Little Miss Bookmark!
First of all, this cover is amazing. It's actually one of my favorite covers of the year! Everything about it just made me want to read this book. Yeah, yeah ... don't judge a book by its cover. But everyone does and we just don't talk about it. Well, we don't talk about it unless you're in one of those underground book clubs that meet in secret and sit around and drink rather than discuss books all the while judging adults who read young adult novels and only picking up books that are on the Oprah Book List.
With derailment #1 out of the way, let's get this review started. I've never read anything by this author before but I would be open to another one in the future. This is a really nice coming of age novel and I enjoyed pretty much everything about it. Not all authors can successfully jump between past and present in a novel and keep the reader interested but Doxer did an amazing job of just that! Play of Light switches from past to present seamlessly and the novel couldn't have been written any other way.
The story as a whole was completely heartbreaking. The beginning of the novel just rips your heart out and then it continues to happen over and over throughout the entire thing - think Nicholas Sparks. Yeah. It was that sad. I just wanted the characters to catch a break. At any time. Any kind of break but they were dealt hardship after hardship. You would think that kind of novel would be horrible to read. And it was at times. There were some times that I just didn't think I could read any more because it was just too much. Too emotional, too sad ... just too much. The ironic thing was while I wanted to take a break from this novel because it was so charged that is what really pushed me to finish reading at the same time. I just had to know how this whole thing ended. I wanted to know if everything would be okay. I NEEDED everything to be okay.
All in all, a pretty good novel and I'm looking forward to what the author has in store for future novels.
December 8, 2014
I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The tale revolves around Sarah, who returns to her face the demons from her past - the main one of them being Spencer, the boy she had fallen in love with, and the boy she had allowed herself to be crushed by. Still haunted by the intensity of her wounds, her heart winces every time she encounters the boy on her return - except for the fact that she is conscious of how they have both grown from being a boy and a girl. Spencer tries to explain to her about why he did what he did, however cruel it had been. While Sarah attempts to reveal the truth behind the devastation that changed her life, she counts on Spencer's support this time, and trusts him to not betray her, all over again.
It's tremendously difficult to box this tale into a specific genre - it has elements of beautiful friendship and a sprinkling of soulful romance. It also has moments of intrigue and mystery. Having found the blurb irresistible, I started on the book with a lot of expectations - which were more than met! The book gripped me from the very start and I finished it in one setting. The narration was spectacular. The way Doxer weaves the story to morph the childhood into adulthood for Sarah and Spencer was remarkable - in fact the reader can even feel that one moment when they aren't just innocent children anymore, burdened with the brutality of fate. Spencer's characterisation was fabulous - the turmoil inside that boils constantly because of his helplessness has been brought out very well.
I was thoroughly consumed with the destinies of Sarah and Spencer and their intertwining lives, and the mild melancholy lingering throughout the tale was so powerful that it was heart-wrenching! I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of emotional drama and romance genres.
My rating for this book: 5 stars
The tale revolves around Sarah, who returns to her face the demons from her past - the main one of them being Spencer, the boy she had fallen in love with, and the boy she had allowed herself to be crushed by. Still haunted by the intensity of her wounds, her heart winces every time she encounters the boy on her return - except for the fact that she is conscious of how they have both grown from being a boy and a girl. Spencer tries to explain to her about why he did what he did, however cruel it had been. While Sarah attempts to reveal the truth behind the devastation that changed her life, she counts on Spencer's support this time, and trusts him to not betray her, all over again.
It's tremendously difficult to box this tale into a specific genre - it has elements of beautiful friendship and a sprinkling of soulful romance. It also has moments of intrigue and mystery. Having found the blurb irresistible, I started on the book with a lot of expectations - which were more than met! The book gripped me from the very start and I finished it in one setting. The narration was spectacular. The way Doxer weaves the story to morph the childhood into adulthood for Sarah and Spencer was remarkable - in fact the reader can even feel that one moment when they aren't just innocent children anymore, burdened with the brutality of fate. Spencer's characterisation was fabulous - the turmoil inside that boils constantly because of his helplessness has been brought out very well.
I was thoroughly consumed with the destinies of Sarah and Spencer and their intertwining lives, and the mild melancholy lingering throughout the tale was so powerful that it was heart-wrenching! I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of emotional drama and romance genres.
My rating for this book: 5 stars
December 13, 2014
I don't know what it was about this book that appealed to me. At first glance it was for the second chance love story with a childhood love, but once I started reading, it surpassed any expectations I had. I fell in love with Sarah and the journey she went on.
The book captured my interest from page one. I wasn't surprised by my first introduction to Sarah or how she met Spencer. I was happy when that first chapter ended and had high hopes that whatever was coming would be wonderful. The next chapter both confirmed and negated my hopes. I love how the story unfolded. There was back and forth between the present and the past. This slowly revealed all. With each tidbit that was revealed, my heart broke a little. Sarah and Spencer had gone through so much and their struggles weren't still finished.
I loved being on that journey with them. It was emotional for both them and me. I really felt like I was there with them on the Cape and experiencing everything they did. I wanted so badly for then to find a way through the past and into something better. The events that broke Sarah and Spencer apart changed them irrevocably and it was both gratifying and difficult to watch them come to terms with what happened.
This book raised so many questions about fine lines and struggling with the truth. It is my sincere hope and wish Debra Doxer will write more about not just Spencer and Sarah, but also their friends and family. I would love to know more about Sarah's sister Emma, and her best friends Riley and Tessa. I also feel like there is more in Sarah and Spencer's story, both together and apart. Honestly, no amount of words can do this story justice. You've got to read it for yourself in order to experience the magic I did. With this novel, Debra has shot onto my must read list.
The book captured my interest from page one. I wasn't surprised by my first introduction to Sarah or how she met Spencer. I was happy when that first chapter ended and had high hopes that whatever was coming would be wonderful. The next chapter both confirmed and negated my hopes. I love how the story unfolded. There was back and forth between the present and the past. This slowly revealed all. With each tidbit that was revealed, my heart broke a little. Sarah and Spencer had gone through so much and their struggles weren't still finished.
I loved being on that journey with them. It was emotional for both them and me. I really felt like I was there with them on the Cape and experiencing everything they did. I wanted so badly for then to find a way through the past and into something better. The events that broke Sarah and Spencer apart changed them irrevocably and it was both gratifying and difficult to watch them come to terms with what happened.
This book raised so many questions about fine lines and struggling with the truth. It is my sincere hope and wish Debra Doxer will write more about not just Spencer and Sarah, but also their friends and family. I would love to know more about Sarah's sister Emma, and her best friends Riley and Tessa. I also feel like there is more in Sarah and Spencer's story, both together and apart. Honestly, no amount of words can do this story justice. You've got to read it for yourself in order to experience the magic I did. With this novel, Debra has shot onto my must read list.
December 27, 2014
Review by Leeann
This is the story of Sarah and Spencer.
They knew each other when they were younger. Sarahs dad was a local cop and Spencers uncle whom he lived with was the local crime boss who paid off the local cops to keep him above the law.
These 2 young kids learnt the hard way that no matter how much you want things to work out sometimes fate intervenes and control of your life is taken away.
See, Spencer went to live with his uncle after his mum passed away and his uncle would beat him whenever he was having a bad day or whenever he felt like it. Spencers uncle also hated Sarahs dad because he was the one cop he couldn't pay off.
As a result, Sarahs dad ends up dead and she witnessed his murder. She and her mum and sister end up moving away.
Sarah inherited her dad's strong sense of right and wrong. Years later she has won a full scholarship to college in the town she grew up in and her dad was murdered in. When she returns to her home town she finds that Spencer still lives there. Although they haven't kept in contact for all that time it's like they were never apart and they pick up where they left off.
Things take a turn when secrets from the past come to light and both Sarah and Spencer need to decide if they want to put put it out there so the past can be laid rest which means putting themselves in danger or just let it go.
This story is sad and emotional for Sarah but also for Spencer. They have both suffered huge losses at such young ages and both bear the scars from their traumatic childhood.
The lesson in this story is that no matter how dark your life seems to be, keep going, there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you work towards it when you get to that light it will work out and it will be worth it.
I found this book to be very inspirational!!
4.5 Stars
This is the story of Sarah and Spencer.
They knew each other when they were younger. Sarahs dad was a local cop and Spencers uncle whom he lived with was the local crime boss who paid off the local cops to keep him above the law.
These 2 young kids learnt the hard way that no matter how much you want things to work out sometimes fate intervenes and control of your life is taken away.
See, Spencer went to live with his uncle after his mum passed away and his uncle would beat him whenever he was having a bad day or whenever he felt like it. Spencers uncle also hated Sarahs dad because he was the one cop he couldn't pay off.
As a result, Sarahs dad ends up dead and she witnessed his murder. She and her mum and sister end up moving away.
Sarah inherited her dad's strong sense of right and wrong. Years later she has won a full scholarship to college in the town she grew up in and her dad was murdered in. When she returns to her home town she finds that Spencer still lives there. Although they haven't kept in contact for all that time it's like they were never apart and they pick up where they left off.
Things take a turn when secrets from the past come to light and both Sarah and Spencer need to decide if they want to put put it out there so the past can be laid rest which means putting themselves in danger or just let it go.
This story is sad and emotional for Sarah but also for Spencer. They have both suffered huge losses at such young ages and both bear the scars from their traumatic childhood.
The lesson in this story is that no matter how dark your life seems to be, keep going, there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you work towards it when you get to that light it will work out and it will be worth it.
I found this book to be very inspirational!!
4.5 Stars
November 30, 2014
Play of Light summarized in a few words. Or a brief look into “The Awesome Spencer Pierce and Those Other Douchebags.”
Sweet.
Funny.
Frustrating.
Cute.
Heartbreaking.
Sexy.
Charming.
Satisfying.
Adorable.
Y’all, it has been a while since a book has made me giggle and grin and cry as much as this one did. It’s so simple, yet so complicated that I couldn’t help but get caught up in the madness.
My Kindle arc is riddled with highlight marks of all the beautiful little quotes I wanted to look back on. So many things that captured my heart and played with my emotions. Little pieces of perfection that spoke to me on a deeper level.
Some of my favorite things:
Riley.
Riley with Colby.
The Great Tequila Shortage.
Sara Smile. (I had to download that song to fully understand how much it meant to Sarah).
Uncle Russ.
Would you ever.
Sarah’s drawings.
Spencer’s tattoos.
The dunes.
Short and sweet. I devoured this book in a few days. Once I started, it was hard to get away from it.
Play of Light is a book worth checking out if you want to have your heart strings tugged. A beautiful book worthy of ending 2014 with. (It’s a book I need a physical copy of so I can give it a hug)!
Sweet.
Funny.
Frustrating.
Cute.
Heartbreaking.
Sexy.
Charming.
Satisfying.
Adorable.
Y’all, it has been a while since a book has made me giggle and grin and cry as much as this one did. It’s so simple, yet so complicated that I couldn’t help but get caught up in the madness.
My Kindle arc is riddled with highlight marks of all the beautiful little quotes I wanted to look back on. So many things that captured my heart and played with my emotions. Little pieces of perfection that spoke to me on a deeper level.
Some of my favorite things:
Riley.
Riley with Colby.
The Great Tequila Shortage.
Sara Smile. (I had to download that song to fully understand how much it meant to Sarah).
Uncle Russ.
Would you ever.
Sarah’s drawings.
Spencer’s tattoos.
The dunes.
Short and sweet. I devoured this book in a few days. Once I started, it was hard to get away from it.
Play of Light is a book worth checking out if you want to have your heart strings tugged. A beautiful book worthy of ending 2014 with. (It’s a book I need a physical copy of so I can give it a hug)!
December 11, 2014
At one time Spencer Pierce was her everything, her rescuer, friend, and one true love. When her life shattered, he turned on her. Five years later Sarah is back and although she knows she might bump into Spencer, there is no way she is going to cross that bridge again. Spencer though is not going to give up, he just needs to convince Sarah he is worthy of the love she once so freely gave.
This was a complicated story because at the time when it was Sarah and Spencer in their youth, they were coming of age. I felt so much for both of them, I think when you are young you react with all those pressing feelings that often are surfacing on the top. You don't think of the path it will lead to or the hurt one will feel. I thought this story was completely relateable and was hoping Sarah would open to Spencer once again. Wonderful read.
This was a complicated story because at the time when it was Sarah and Spencer in their youth, they were coming of age. I felt so much for both of them, I think when you are young you react with all those pressing feelings that often are surfacing on the top. You don't think of the path it will lead to or the hurt one will feel. I thought this story was completely relateable and was hoping Sarah would open to Spencer once again. Wonderful read.
June 21, 2015
I would like to thank Debra Doxer for saving me from one of the worst book slums ever.
May 22, 2015
*Review copy provided for blog tour.
*Review can be found at The Fox's Hideaway.
Okay, so I'm gonna be honest here, I totally judged this book by its cover. I mean, how could I not? That is seriously a gorgeous cover! And I'm so glad to say that the book lived up to the prettiness and beauty.
I had an immediate connection with the main character, Sarah. Her life and her thoughts were eerily similar to my own. Her voice made it easy to read the story, though she sounded a bit younger than her age suggested sometimes. She was only fourteen when a tragedy tore her away from the only life she'd ever known and changed her in ways she didn't even fully understand. She was so young to have gone through what she did and to become the "parent" of the household. I found her to be very relatable and genuine. And I could totally understand her grieving process. I also loved her strength, which showed through some tough decisions she made in the book. There were moments when Sarah annoyed me, but ultimately, she had great character development.
I'm a little iffy on the romance aspect. Not that I didn't love it, but the way the past and present were written kind of turned me off from it a little. Spencer and Sarah were friends when they were teens. Friends who shared very private and personal thoughts and feelings. However, I can't help but feel that Spencer took advantage of Sarah a little bit. Played with her emotions and led her on. I know he had a really bad home life, and there were moments he couldn't pull himself out of the darkness. Sarah was his light in that time of his life, but instead of feeling all happy and mushy about it, I thought he used her. Not intentionally, but she was only a preteen, two years younger (which doesn't seem that huge, but it felt like it), and had a huge crush on him. And I think he used that against her.
However, I loved the development of their relationship in the present. It felt so real and genuine that they both still carried torches for each other. They had something special, even if I wasn't a total fan of it. I think they were good for each other, Spencer and Sarah. He helped heal the damage of her past, and she was the light at the end of a dark tunnel for him. Together, they were stronger. But they had issues to work through, and the past was a constant presence. As much as they were both trying to move on, they had to learn that letting someone in can make life a little brighter.
I loved the secondary characters, but mostly Riley and Colby. I loved Riley's protectiveness and Colby's humor. I would adore a book about them or even a novella! They were so cute together. But I wish the other characters had been a bit more developed, especially Sarah's "Uncle" Russ. I was also hoping that her sister and mother would be more prominent figures in the story, but they weren't.
At first, I wasn't happy with the way the before and after chapters were written. But then, as I read the relationship developing between Sarah and Spencer, I was okay with it because I think it helped give their romance depth. I still think the tragedy and past would have had more impact had it been spread throughout the novel, or at least not one chapter after another. Jumping from the present to the past in one huge chunk left me feeling disoriented and all I wanted to do was go back to the after portion. The placing of it just felt off. But after that, I could see how having it all out in the open in the beginning helped develop Spencer's and Sarah's romance. And oh my gosh, I adored that ending so much. Just adored.
Play of Light was a New Adult book about overcoming your grief and moving onto living your life without the past holding you back. It was about having faith in yourself and who you are as a person and not being defined by the events in your life.
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
*Review can be found at The Fox's Hideaway.
Okay, so I'm gonna be honest here, I totally judged this book by its cover. I mean, how could I not? That is seriously a gorgeous cover! And I'm so glad to say that the book lived up to the prettiness and beauty.
I had an immediate connection with the main character, Sarah. Her life and her thoughts were eerily similar to my own. Her voice made it easy to read the story, though she sounded a bit younger than her age suggested sometimes. She was only fourteen when a tragedy tore her away from the only life she'd ever known and changed her in ways she didn't even fully understand. She was so young to have gone through what she did and to become the "parent" of the household. I found her to be very relatable and genuine. And I could totally understand her grieving process. I also loved her strength, which showed through some tough decisions she made in the book. There were moments when Sarah annoyed me, but ultimately, she had great character development.
I'm a little iffy on the romance aspect. Not that I didn't love it, but the way the past and present were written kind of turned me off from it a little. Spencer and Sarah were friends when they were teens. Friends who shared very private and personal thoughts and feelings. However, I can't help but feel that Spencer took advantage of Sarah a little bit. Played with her emotions and led her on. I know he had a really bad home life, and there were moments he couldn't pull himself out of the darkness. Sarah was his light in that time of his life, but instead of feeling all happy and mushy about it, I thought he used her. Not intentionally, but she was only a preteen, two years younger (which doesn't seem that huge, but it felt like it), and had a huge crush on him. And I think he used that against her.
However, I loved the development of their relationship in the present. It felt so real and genuine that they both still carried torches for each other. They had something special, even if I wasn't a total fan of it. I think they were good for each other, Spencer and Sarah. He helped heal the damage of her past, and she was the light at the end of a dark tunnel for him. Together, they were stronger. But they had issues to work through, and the past was a constant presence. As much as they were both trying to move on, they had to learn that letting someone in can make life a little brighter.
I loved the secondary characters, but mostly Riley and Colby. I loved Riley's protectiveness and Colby's humor. I would adore a book about them or even a novella! They were so cute together. But I wish the other characters had been a bit more developed, especially Sarah's "Uncle" Russ. I was also hoping that her sister and mother would be more prominent figures in the story, but they weren't.
At first, I wasn't happy with the way the before and after chapters were written. But then, as I read the relationship developing between Sarah and Spencer, I was okay with it because I think it helped give their romance depth. I still think the tragedy and past would have had more impact had it been spread throughout the novel, or at least not one chapter after another. Jumping from the present to the past in one huge chunk left me feeling disoriented and all I wanted to do was go back to the after portion. The placing of it just felt off. But after that, I could see how having it all out in the open in the beginning helped develop Spencer's and Sarah's romance. And oh my gosh, I adored that ending so much. Just adored.
Play of Light was a New Adult book about overcoming your grief and moving onto living your life without the past holding you back. It was about having faith in yourself and who you are as a person and not being defined by the events in your life.
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
November 25, 2014
We all remember our first love - fresh, new, undying, and loyal. But what happens when your first love is entangled in the worst night of your life? PLAY OF LIGHT by Debra Doxer is a novel all about firsts: first loves, first heartbreak, first promises, and first tragedies.
RELEASE DATE: December 2014
PUBLISHER: Xpresso Book Tours
DISCLAIMER: Novel sent via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review
SYNOPSIS: I lived in paradise, and I loved Spencer Pierce. At fourteen, my life was perfect. The beach was my playground, and the boy who stole my heart lived just around the corner. But perfect never lasts. In one horrifying moment, I lost it all. My family was destroyed, and the boy I believed in turned his back on me. Paradise became a nightmare.That was five years ago. Everything changed when we moved from our home by the sea. I’ve changed, and I don’t like who I’ve become. I miss the smiling, carefree beach girl who disappeared that terrible night. I want to find her again. I want to face the people we ran from so long ago. Most of all, I have to face Spencer. So I can prove that when he broke my heart, he didn’t break me. But when I see him again, Spencer Pierce is no longer the boy from my memories. He’s now a man who could devastate me if I let him. He watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. There’s regret written on his face when he’s near. Each time I see him, my heart aches for what might have been, and I think his does too. How can I convince myself I’m over him when I suspect he never got over me?
REVIEW: This novel had an amazing beginning. I was instantly hooked on this tragic story. A super easy read that hooks you from the beginning? I was in.
The first time 14 year old Sarah see's Spencer, she's instantly smitten. He's perfection - but he's harbouring a dark secret. Said secret leads to the destruction of Sarah's perfect family life ... and shatters her relationship with Spencer. Driven from the place they grew up in, Sarah's family leaves behind everything they once knew. Years later, Sarah is offered a scholarship at a prestigious college located within her home town. Going home means confronting her demons ... and Spencer. Still harbouring a torch 5 years later, Sarah sets out to bring closure to her own wounds and find out what ever happened to the 16 year old boy who stole her heart and cost her her teenage years.
The premise of the novel had me hooked immediately. What looked to be an intriguing read about letting go and closure was exactly that. Doxer does an amazing job of crafting a realistic story without getting lost in the drama 'details'. She doesn't go overboard on the sap, the drama, the sometimes 'corniness' of first time love. Everything Doxer writes is perfectly poetic in nature. The bond between the characters is genuine and it plays out perfectly in Doxer's words.
The characters are well written themselves. The characters of Sarah and Spencer hold their own scars - scars that they still bear 5 years after the 'climatic' separation. Each character depends on the strength of the other character and it works in a way that seems genuine in nature. This isn't an "I'd die without him" story, it's an "I need him, he compliments me" type of story. It's refreshing to read two young characters actively acknowledge that they need each other to compliment their scars, rather than the whole "I'd die without him" overplayed storyline (forever looking at you, Twilight).
My only gripe was the last few chapters of the novel. It started to come together fast and furious, and felt almost "fan-fictiony" to me (I mean this with respect). For such an awesome beginning, it felt like a rushed end.
Overall, a great read from Doxer that has me looking into her other work. Any novel that does that is a win in my books!
RELEASE DATE: December 2014
PUBLISHER: Xpresso Book Tours
DISCLAIMER: Novel sent via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review
SYNOPSIS: I lived in paradise, and I loved Spencer Pierce. At fourteen, my life was perfect. The beach was my playground, and the boy who stole my heart lived just around the corner. But perfect never lasts. In one horrifying moment, I lost it all. My family was destroyed, and the boy I believed in turned his back on me. Paradise became a nightmare.That was five years ago. Everything changed when we moved from our home by the sea. I’ve changed, and I don’t like who I’ve become. I miss the smiling, carefree beach girl who disappeared that terrible night. I want to find her again. I want to face the people we ran from so long ago. Most of all, I have to face Spencer. So I can prove that when he broke my heart, he didn’t break me. But when I see him again, Spencer Pierce is no longer the boy from my memories. He’s now a man who could devastate me if I let him. He watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. There’s regret written on his face when he’s near. Each time I see him, my heart aches for what might have been, and I think his does too. How can I convince myself I’m over him when I suspect he never got over me?
REVIEW: This novel had an amazing beginning. I was instantly hooked on this tragic story. A super easy read that hooks you from the beginning? I was in.
The first time 14 year old Sarah see's Spencer, she's instantly smitten. He's perfection - but he's harbouring a dark secret. Said secret leads to the destruction of Sarah's perfect family life ... and shatters her relationship with Spencer. Driven from the place they grew up in, Sarah's family leaves behind everything they once knew. Years later, Sarah is offered a scholarship at a prestigious college located within her home town. Going home means confronting her demons ... and Spencer. Still harbouring a torch 5 years later, Sarah sets out to bring closure to her own wounds and find out what ever happened to the 16 year old boy who stole her heart and cost her her teenage years.
The premise of the novel had me hooked immediately. What looked to be an intriguing read about letting go and closure was exactly that. Doxer does an amazing job of crafting a realistic story without getting lost in the drama 'details'. She doesn't go overboard on the sap, the drama, the sometimes 'corniness' of first time love. Everything Doxer writes is perfectly poetic in nature. The bond between the characters is genuine and it plays out perfectly in Doxer's words.
The characters are well written themselves. The characters of Sarah and Spencer hold their own scars - scars that they still bear 5 years after the 'climatic' separation. Each character depends on the strength of the other character and it works in a way that seems genuine in nature. This isn't an "I'd die without him" story, it's an "I need him, he compliments me" type of story. It's refreshing to read two young characters actively acknowledge that they need each other to compliment their scars, rather than the whole "I'd die without him" overplayed storyline (forever looking at you, Twilight).
My only gripe was the last few chapters of the novel. It started to come together fast and furious, and felt almost "fan-fictiony" to me (I mean this with respect). For such an awesome beginning, it felt like a rushed end.
Overall, a great read from Doxer that has me looking into her other work. Any novel that does that is a win in my books!
December 12, 2014
Can I get a HELL YEAH for a new adult novel with cool characters that I love and an intriguing storyline that is encapsulated in a SINGLE BOOK? Don't get me wrong. I love series. I love seeing characters' stories continue on through three, four and five books. But, sometimes you really would like to see things begin and end in 350 pages. You know? Debra Doxer game me just what I needed in Play of Light.
Sarah was only 12 when she fell in love with 14-year-old Spencer. Over the next two years, their friendship grew through a sharing of intense experiences, mostly on his part, as he was growing up in his abusive uncle's home. And then, tragedy strikes and Spencer lets her down. Sarah and her family move away and she spends the next five years living, but not really living. Enough is enough. Before starting class in the fall, she takes a few weeks to go back to the old neighborhood to try and find some closure. She finds that some things never change. Some things do. And, some things she had absolutely no idea about.
Play of Light was an emotional book on so many levels. First there was Spencer's situation. He was just a young, impressionable and creative teen who got dumped on his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents. His uncle is a horrible human being. He is angry, ruthless and verbally and physically abusive. Spencer found a friend in young Sarah, and their times together were bittersweet. Gah - I just wanted to give that boy a cookie and a hug.
Sarah was amazing, even as a little kid. She was always so patient and understanding with Spencer. He wasn't always the easiest kid to be friends with. He brooded a lot and didn't share much. But, when he did share things with Sarah, you got the impression that that was monumental, and she treated those moments with care and love. Because even at 12, she loved him in the sweet, platonic way, and she wanted only what was best for him.
And, sure as they both got older, the type of love shifted and changed for both of them. Then, when everything came to a head one night, Sarah's only concern was helping Spencer. Unfortunately, the results of her efforts meet with devastating results, and when she wants comfort from Spencer, he deals with his guilt and sadness badly. And she leaves. For five years.
Play of Light started in present day, and through Sarah's flashbacks, we revisit what happened between Sarah and Spencer - how they met, became friends, an weathered each of their horrible situations - before returning to the story in the present. Although the story in the past was contextually important, I found myself reading that part as fast as possible so that I could get back to the present. I couldn't wait for that first meeting between Spencer and Sarah. I knew it would be good. And it was.
I didn't know where Spencer's head was. Did he have a girlfriend? Would he be happy to see Sarah? That first meeting was so good, and the subsequent meetings were even better. Sarah was, understandably, distant with Spencer at first, but he worked hard at rebuilding their connection, and goodness, was he good. This man was super sexy, sensitive, complicated, and completely dedicated to making things right. I loved him when he was 14. I adored him when he was 21. And, Sarah didn't make it too easy for him, which I also loved. He had to work hard to get back in her good graces.
Play of Light was told entirely from Sarah's POV, and while I was okay with that, I would've loved SO MUCH to read that first meeting in the bar from Spencer's POV. I would've loved to know what was going through his head.
I've read several of Debra Doxer's books, and Play of Light was the most emotional and the most sexy of them all so far. I freaking loved it.
Sarah was only 12 when she fell in love with 14-year-old Spencer. Over the next two years, their friendship grew through a sharing of intense experiences, mostly on his part, as he was growing up in his abusive uncle's home. And then, tragedy strikes and Spencer lets her down. Sarah and her family move away and she spends the next five years living, but not really living. Enough is enough. Before starting class in the fall, she takes a few weeks to go back to the old neighborhood to try and find some closure. She finds that some things never change. Some things do. And, some things she had absolutely no idea about.
Play of Light was an emotional book on so many levels. First there was Spencer's situation. He was just a young, impressionable and creative teen who got dumped on his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents. His uncle is a horrible human being. He is angry, ruthless and verbally and physically abusive. Spencer found a friend in young Sarah, and their times together were bittersweet. Gah - I just wanted to give that boy a cookie and a hug.
Sarah was amazing, even as a little kid. She was always so patient and understanding with Spencer. He wasn't always the easiest kid to be friends with. He brooded a lot and didn't share much. But, when he did share things with Sarah, you got the impression that that was monumental, and she treated those moments with care and love. Because even at 12, she loved him in the sweet, platonic way, and she wanted only what was best for him.
And, sure as they both got older, the type of love shifted and changed for both of them. Then, when everything came to a head one night, Sarah's only concern was helping Spencer. Unfortunately, the results of her efforts meet with devastating results, and when she wants comfort from Spencer, he deals with his guilt and sadness badly. And she leaves. For five years.
Play of Light started in present day, and through Sarah's flashbacks, we revisit what happened between Sarah and Spencer - how they met, became friends, an weathered each of their horrible situations - before returning to the story in the present. Although the story in the past was contextually important, I found myself reading that part as fast as possible so that I could get back to the present. I couldn't wait for that first meeting between Spencer and Sarah. I knew it would be good. And it was.
I didn't know where Spencer's head was. Did he have a girlfriend? Would he be happy to see Sarah? That first meeting was so good, and the subsequent meetings were even better. Sarah was, understandably, distant with Spencer at first, but he worked hard at rebuilding their connection, and goodness, was he good. This man was super sexy, sensitive, complicated, and completely dedicated to making things right. I loved him when he was 14. I adored him when he was 21. And, Sarah didn't make it too easy for him, which I also loved. He had to work hard to get back in her good graces.
Play of Light was told entirely from Sarah's POV, and while I was okay with that, I would've loved SO MUCH to read that first meeting in the bar from Spencer's POV. I would've loved to know what was going through his head.
I've read several of Debra Doxer's books, and Play of Light was the most emotional and the most sexy of them all so far. I freaking loved it.
October 22, 2015
My longer review and teaser image can be found on GenGen's Book Blog.
I don't know where to start with this review. It was very touching and it hit me on a deep level. While some of the readers may identify with Sarah, I related to Spencer a whole lot more.
Sarah met Spencer when she was only 14-years-old. She had a crush on him as soon as she met him because he was a very good looking guy. Sarah was/is an artist and she would see things for what they really were and not only the exterior; as days passed and she would see Spencer from time to time and have a glimpse into his real self, she started falling for Spencer's personality—there was more to Spencer than he led people to believe and only Sarah saw glimpse after glimpse until Spencer started opening up to her while he was drunk.
Sarah knew that Spencer was being beat up by his uncle Jackson but wouldn't dare say anything to anyone because Spencer begged her not to do so. She wanted to tell her dad, knowing he would help since he was a police officer, but Spencer wouldn't have any of it. It wasn't until one night that Sarah finally told her dad, which played a part in Sarah's father's death, sending Sarah, her mom and her sister to a new territory, never to look back to the town where Sarah had fallen in love and got her heart broken.
Five years later, Sarah decides to come back to the town she left behind because she wants justice for her father's murder and she uncovers dark secrets that her mother knew, but never told Sarah. She also sees the guy that broke her heart, only to find out that Spencer really loved her but he pushed her away because he was too fucked up to stay in her life and he wanted to protect her.
"I knew it would be you," he said. "I knew you were the one to stay away from."
I know you want to hear (or rather read) more about Sarah but I want to talk about Spencer. Spencer was the kind of guy that every girl liked and wanted, He was very kind and charismatic, but he also had secrets that were scarring him inside and out and this is where I related to him. He was so closed off, not wanting to get close to anyone, not wanting to open up, only to deal with everything on his own until Sarah came along.
His outlet was music, just like mine was reading, but it wasn't enough for Spencer and it wasn't enough for me. After five years, his feelings for Sarah were still there, growing each day he would spend time with her. Their secret place? The sand dunes at the beach.
"The ocean had always been the only witness to our relationship."
This story is definitely something great and amazing and beautiful. I had never read a book by Debra Doxer but after Play of Light, I will pay attention to her because she has a way with words that really hooks you until the end. I wanted more, I needed more every time a chapter would end. Even at the ending of the story, I still wanted more because this story is breathtakingly beautiful. The romance in the story develops at a pace that is in between of slow and fast. It doesn't go too slow so the reader won't get frustrated but not fast, which leaves the readers needing air to breathe.
While I gave you a small summary of what the story is about, a LOT of stuff happens in the story that will throw you in a great, wild ride that you will enjoy entirely until it ends and you will want more.
Read my personal experience through this journey on GenGen's Book Blog.
I don't know where to start with this review. It was very touching and it hit me on a deep level. While some of the readers may identify with Sarah, I related to Spencer a whole lot more.
Sarah met Spencer when she was only 14-years-old. She had a crush on him as soon as she met him because he was a very good looking guy. Sarah was/is an artist and she would see things for what they really were and not only the exterior; as days passed and she would see Spencer from time to time and have a glimpse into his real self, she started falling for Spencer's personality—there was more to Spencer than he led people to believe and only Sarah saw glimpse after glimpse until Spencer started opening up to her while he was drunk.
Sarah knew that Spencer was being beat up by his uncle Jackson but wouldn't dare say anything to anyone because Spencer begged her not to do so. She wanted to tell her dad, knowing he would help since he was a police officer, but Spencer wouldn't have any of it. It wasn't until one night that Sarah finally told her dad, which played a part in Sarah's father's death, sending Sarah, her mom and her sister to a new territory, never to look back to the town where Sarah had fallen in love and got her heart broken.
Five years later, Sarah decides to come back to the town she left behind because she wants justice for her father's murder and she uncovers dark secrets that her mother knew, but never told Sarah. She also sees the guy that broke her heart, only to find out that Spencer really loved her but he pushed her away because he was too fucked up to stay in her life and he wanted to protect her.
"I knew it would be you," he said. "I knew you were the one to stay away from."
I know you want to hear (or rather read) more about Sarah but I want to talk about Spencer. Spencer was the kind of guy that every girl liked and wanted, He was very kind and charismatic, but he also had secrets that were scarring him inside and out and this is where I related to him. He was so closed off, not wanting to get close to anyone, not wanting to open up, only to deal with everything on his own until Sarah came along.
His outlet was music, just like mine was reading, but it wasn't enough for Spencer and it wasn't enough for me. After five years, his feelings for Sarah were still there, growing each day he would spend time with her. Their secret place? The sand dunes at the beach.
"The ocean had always been the only witness to our relationship."
This story is definitely something great and amazing and beautiful. I had never read a book by Debra Doxer but after Play of Light, I will pay attention to her because she has a way with words that really hooks you until the end. I wanted more, I needed more every time a chapter would end. Even at the ending of the story, I still wanted more because this story is breathtakingly beautiful. The romance in the story develops at a pace that is in between of slow and fast. It doesn't go too slow so the reader won't get frustrated but not fast, which leaves the readers needing air to breathe.
While I gave you a small summary of what the story is about, a LOT of stuff happens in the story that will throw you in a great, wild ride that you will enjoy entirely until it ends and you will want more.
Read my personal experience through this journey on GenGen's Book Blog.
February 23, 2015
❝ I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.❞
The day he saved her from the pirates was the day their souls bonded together.
Spencer found a friend in Sarah, and she found someone that made her feel something new and amazing.
She wants to save him. He knows he can’t be saved.
Her determination lights the fuse that leads to a life changing event.
Tragedy now ties these two together and pushes them apart.
Years later, her memories still plague her every moment and his guilt becomes him.
Uncontrollable forces may have kept them from ever discovering the potential they had as a couple, but five years apart hasn’t done a thing to weaken their powerful connection. Finally reunited and that attraction is as poignant as ever. This time, they’re not letting anything get in the way, especially their shared dark past.
Sarah is determined to get to the bottom of what happened all those years ago, she knows it’s the only way she can move on and attain any semblance of closure. Yet in doing so she may be putting the life of her and the boy she loves in danger.
❝ I thought I couldn’t really love anyone until I saw Spencer again. Then I realized the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t love—it was that I couldn’t love anyone but him.❞
From reading this blurb, the book comes off as just another second chance love story. When you start to get into the heart of it however, you realize it goes beyond all that. What starts off as an innocent moment of childhood shenanigans and crushes, quickly turns into a painful world of abuse, betrayal and the journey through the healing process.
Neither one of these main characters is more damaged than the other. They equally share a spot in the darkness and together they learn to overcome it and step back into the light.
I’ve read two other books from this author and I remember the moment I picked up the first one, confused as to why more people weren’t discovering this fabulous writer. If there’s one underrated author that I strongly feel needs to be noticed, it’s Debra Doxer. She shined again in my eyes with this contemporary romance. Her writing is detailed enough to give you a connection to the characters and their stories without flooding you with information.
If you enjoy New Adult romances that are more on the cleaner side, I recommend picking up any one of Doxer’s books. She packs a punch with every plot line she presents, giving us everything we need to take us back in time to an age of innocence and young angst.
December 8, 2014
3.5 stars
It was mostly Sarah, the main character, that kept this story going. To her the little town she lived in was paradise, though really it wasn't as it had plenty of secrets. After a big tragedy, she and her family are almost forced to move away. Leaving pretty much her youth behind her, Sarah had to grow up fast and she slowly turned into someone she doesn't really like.
Now it's been five years, and before going off to college she wants to pay her old town a visit. Sarah's hoping that she can put the nightmares behind her and think more about all the positive memories. This visit also includes Spencer. The young boy she had a huge crush on and inadvertently broke her heart in the end. Though seeing him again is much harder than she was prepared for. Spencer has grown up very well, and it's clear from the beginning that connection between them is still there.
Sarah was a strong character. She dealt with the tragedy in the best way possible, but it almost made her detached from the world. Now she tries to revert that feeling, hoping she can one day be Sarah Smile again. Especially this part about the injustice that was done in the past keeps eating away at her. The grown ups did what they thought would be best, but now that she's an adult Sarah wants to right a wrong. Though it seems that there was so much more going on than she believed.
Spencer was a troubled young guy, in a terrible situation. The only person he ever confided in was Sarah, but when things went sour he turned away from her. He hated to do that, but in his young mind it seemed to be the best solution. Though he never forgot about her and now that she's back, he doesn't want to let her go again. Being near her makes everything so much better and clearer. Spencer too struggles with what happened so many years ago, and while he supports Sarah in her endeavor, he is also slightly terrified of the consequences.
Play Of Light is a combination of romance and mystery. There is that sweet connection between Spencer and Sarah, that has you rooting for a happy answer. But there is also that constant weight of the past upon their shoulder. They will need to be careful that it doesn't bring them down. I had a bit of trouble with the 'secret', and I had difficulty coming to terms with the injustice of it all. To me it didn't make sense, that for all these years nothing had happened yet and that it's now up to a ninteen-year-old to bring out the truth.
Other than that I really enjoyed this novel. There was definitely plenty of drama and unresolved issues, not making this the happiest story. Though when Spencer and Sarah are together, those scenes are often lighter moments in the darkness. It was very well written and most of all this felt like a story of hope. That despite everything that has happened, there is still a way for it to become good.
*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
It was mostly Sarah, the main character, that kept this story going. To her the little town she lived in was paradise, though really it wasn't as it had plenty of secrets. After a big tragedy, she and her family are almost forced to move away. Leaving pretty much her youth behind her, Sarah had to grow up fast and she slowly turned into someone she doesn't really like.
Now it's been five years, and before going off to college she wants to pay her old town a visit. Sarah's hoping that she can put the nightmares behind her and think more about all the positive memories. This visit also includes Spencer. The young boy she had a huge crush on and inadvertently broke her heart in the end. Though seeing him again is much harder than she was prepared for. Spencer has grown up very well, and it's clear from the beginning that connection between them is still there.
Sarah was a strong character. She dealt with the tragedy in the best way possible, but it almost made her detached from the world. Now she tries to revert that feeling, hoping she can one day be Sarah Smile again. Especially this part about the injustice that was done in the past keeps eating away at her. The grown ups did what they thought would be best, but now that she's an adult Sarah wants to right a wrong. Though it seems that there was so much more going on than she believed.
Spencer was a troubled young guy, in a terrible situation. The only person he ever confided in was Sarah, but when things went sour he turned away from her. He hated to do that, but in his young mind it seemed to be the best solution. Though he never forgot about her and now that she's back, he doesn't want to let her go again. Being near her makes everything so much better and clearer. Spencer too struggles with what happened so many years ago, and while he supports Sarah in her endeavor, he is also slightly terrified of the consequences.
Play Of Light is a combination of romance and mystery. There is that sweet connection between Spencer and Sarah, that has you rooting for a happy answer. But there is also that constant weight of the past upon their shoulder. They will need to be careful that it doesn't bring them down. I had a bit of trouble with the 'secret', and I had difficulty coming to terms with the injustice of it all. To me it didn't make sense, that for all these years nothing had happened yet and that it's now up to a ninteen-year-old to bring out the truth.
Other than that I really enjoyed this novel. There was definitely plenty of drama and unresolved issues, not making this the happiest story. Though when Spencer and Sarah are together, those scenes are often lighter moments in the darkness. It was very well written and most of all this felt like a story of hope. That despite everything that has happened, there is still a way for it to become good.
*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
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