Review: A fun, romantic story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2013
Fair Play by Tracy A. Ward proved to be a quirky, sweet, romantic little gem of a novel. I was pleasantly surprised by how well-rounded, complex, and how invested I became in Ashlyn and Noah as characters. Their relationship with each other and with fellow people of the small town of Phair, gave me that close-knit, southern feel that I felt when I watched Sweet Home Alabama all those years ago and attempted to convince my parents that we just had to move down south.Told through alternating points-of-view, Fair Play gets us in the heads of both Ashlyn and Noah. Ashlyn, a playwright struggling to make a name for herself, is trying to write the play of her lifetime to save not only her career and inheritance but also the small town of Phair and the theater she works for, has a lot on her shoulders. Being stuck in close proximity to her brother's best friend and her former crush from long ago is so not the thing she needs...or is it? Noah, a successful, dedicated, kind man with a bit of a shaky past, is dead-set on protecting his best friend's little sister, if only he could ignore the feelings he's had for her over the years. These two characters, with all of their extra baggage and the feelings that they both harbor for one another, made some pretty intense, interesting moments that sparked off the pages.Ashlyn was such a fun, well-rounded character. She was flawed in the best ways possible. She was insecure of her writing talents at moments, she was wounded by her past feelings for Noah, and the stress she felt for keeping her career and the town afloat, was no laughing matter. It was because of these faults, or human characteristics depending on how you look at it, made Ashlyn seem so real to me. I felt that it was so easy to connect with her as a character. It was so nice to see her work through all of her problems, family, work, and romantic, and find that confidence within herself to fight for what she wants.Noah was just as fantastic of a character as Ashlyn was. He was a swoon-worthy character with is good looks and hero complex but like Ashlyn, he had flaws that made him truly come to life. Worry over turning into his alcoholic, abusive father, dictated a lot of what and how Noah does what he does. Also, his loyalty to his best friend prevented him from going after what he really wanted, his best friend's little sister, Ashlyn. Watching him work through his inner demons and like Ashlyn, learn to fight for what he wants, was one of the best parts of this story.Tracy's writing also played a big part in why I loved this story so much. First off, the whole story line, while seemingly simple, was so interesting. I loved how this one woman had the fate of a small town basically falling on her shoulders. I loved how the theater and play writing played a part in the story. And I especially loved how the past relationship between Noah and Ashlyn played a part in this story. There were actually quite a few pieces of the puzzle when it came to Noah and Ashlyn's story, and Tracy managed to piece them together really well.It seems as I have stumbled across yet another story that would make a great beach, or anytime read. This story had the romance, it had the cuteness, and it had two wonderfully crafted characters. If these all sound like aspects of a story that you enjoy, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Fair Play!