Anatomy of a Player

4 stars — I don’t know why, but I was cautious about this story…worried it wouldn’t be my thing. But I was surprised by how much I liked both characters, and this one just fit in so well with the series! Whitney had won me over by the end of the first book in the series, even though she’s not a girl I felt like I’d have a lot in common with. But I loved how sweet and sensitive, and empathetic she was. I loved how she wanted to do the right thing, and while she wanted to expose truths, she didn’t want to hurt anyone…she truly looked at things from all angles. I also liked how Ms. Madsen shows that caring about your appearance and liking doing makeup and wearing heels and stuff doesn’t necessarily make you vain…she brought depth to that and took away some of the stereotyping. It’s an area where I definitely differ from Whitney, but I hate how characters like her are often portrayed. I also appreciated that she was quite clearly not a dumb blonde. I warmed up to Hudson more than I expected as well. I was annoyed with him at first, b/c we don’t know much about his past, and he does come off cocky and entitled, and doesn’t seem to care too much about others. But there was a lot going on with him that I hadn’t expected, and I appreciated how his past shaped him and how he interacted with others. I wouldn’t have minded if someone had talked to him about anger management though…he had pretty good control, but it would have been nice to see that area explored a bit more. With that depth, I loved how Ms. Madsen made it so that the bet didn’t make you hate him…or Dane. I mean, it was a dick move, and not something to be proud of, but there was a lot more there. And there was genuine remorse. I loved how insecure he was about his standings at school, and how at war he was between his desire to do good, and how he struggled with having faith in himself. And I loved that he had his own nerdy little thing! I’m with Whitney, that was adorable. I loved the chemistry between Hudson and Whitney…I felt it, and I loved that they learned so much about each other and had a lot of interactions that were NOT about sex…I’m doing a bit of comparing to my previous read here, but I really felt like I understood why they fell for each other. It wasn’t all magic wand hand wavy either, they had a bit in common with their childhood struggles, and though they were quite different, there was a thread of commonality. I truly felt them become friends, and that made their jump to the next level that much more satisfying (and I was able to appreciate the steam more). I also loved that they both had guilt, and they both tried to mitigate it; neither of them were totally innocent, they both had flaws and things to work on. I loved seeing Lyla and Beck again, especially seeing Lyla and Whitney’s friendship, which was important to both of those girls. I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more interplay with Hudson and Dane though, given that Dane was his best friend for so long…that is one area where I feel like this story missed its mark a bit, in secondary character interactions. I was excited about the topic of athletic perks/entitlement being addressed through the undercover article, again, especially after my previous read where that bugged me. I enjoyed some of where that went, but I wouldn’t have minded the athletes seeing the other side more. But they were a lot more grateful and less entitled and I appreciated that. So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with this one!! I don’t know why I had lower expectations, I truly don’t. But it’s always nice when a book exceeds them!

Loser magnet Whitney has decided to turn the tables. Payback is a B. Having been used one too many times by heartbreaking Casanovas with more brawn than smarts she sets out to even the score. She gets more than she bargained for when her saucy expose' leads her to the guy that may contradict all her beliefs about athletes. Her head may be saying "no" but everywhere else is screaming "YES". I received an ARC of Anatomy of a Player by Cindi Madsen in exchange for an honest review. Is the story predictable? Yes! Despite it's predictability Cindi Madsen manages to leave you smiling and entertained at the end of this cute read.

I loved Cindi Madsen’s Anatomy of a Player. This contemporary new adult sports romance takes place at Boston College. Journalism major Whitney Porter swears off dating after once again being dumped by a player. She decides to focus on her career. She gets a job as a sports writer for her school newspaper covering the hockey team with the intension of uncovering a story about the perks the athletes receive. Meanwhile, left winger Hudson Decker’s team mates challenge him to a bet to get the uptight new reporter to sleep with him by the end of the semester. We were introduced to Whitney in book one, Getting Lucky Number Seven. She is Lyla Wilder’s roommate. Hudson Decker is a teammate of Beck Davenport, who is also from book one. Both Whitney and Hudson start off their acquaintance with lies. As they get to know and like each other, both feel guilt for their secrets. I love Hudon. He is considered the team bad boy but there is a lot more to him then his image. Except for making a bad bet choice; he is typically honest. He is upfront with girls, even though they sometimes choose to hear what they want and not what he says. He does not want to cheat. He works hard. I like that he does not want to enable his mom’s bad dating choices and put himself before her for once. I love that he values the gift he was given by being on scholarship for his team, and appreciate that he wants to pursue being a social worker, so he could help kids who have a difficult upbringing like he did. I like that Whitney wants to be more than a pretty face. She wants to be taken seriously as a journalist. She is clever and determined. I like that she didn’t let her mom bully her into following in her footsteps. I like that she is open minded. She sees more than one view point in a situation and recognizes when she may have been wrong. Both characters saw a lot of growth in this story. The title of the book is perfect, and I like how the name plays into the plot. Anatomy of a Player is believable and heartwarming. It is one of those books that you fall so in love with the characters that you do not want the story to end. I love Cindi Madsen’s writing style. It kept me fully engaged. I cannot wait for Dane’s story in book three. Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review.