Thursday, January 10, 2013

Hooked-Liz Fichera

Hooked


Liz Fichera

Harlequin Teen, Jan 29 2013, $9.99

ISBN: 9780373210725



Lone Butte High School Golf Coach Larry Lannon consistently watches his team come in last place in Maricopa County, Arizona. Principal Graser warns Lannon if the team fails to improve, he will lose his coaching position and return to teaching history fulltime. Desperate to avoid the dire straits of classroom instruction, Lannon observes a teen girl displaying the most natural golf swing he ever saw.



After persuading her poor Gila River Indian Reservation family he will keep her safe, Lannon arranges for Fred Oday to attend affluent Lone Butte and join the golf team. To make room for his new star, Lannon kicks Seth off the team. Seth’s best friend Ryan Berenger, other team members and much of the school are irate though the golfers acknowledge the Rez female has skills. Fred feels like a complete outsider, but is attracted to Ryan when he is nice though more often he is nasty to her. Meanwhile someone filled with anger sabotages Fred’s game taking the assaults to dangerous levels.



Hooked is a refreshing teen romance starring an arrogant spoiled rich kid and a poor lack of confidence Rez female. The concept of an athletic female playing with the boys is deftly handled as is the changing relationship between the protagonists who rotate perspective though I did not like the change in print to delineate who’s the lead is as that felt like dumbing down. Even with the attacks eventually feeling over the top of the Estrella Mountains, fans will be Hooked by fabulously feisty Fred.



Harriet Klausner

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