Ruined - Stratford High Series, Book
One
by Marian
Cheatham
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When
your life has been ruined by lies, do you seek justice … or revenge?
Blythe
Messina spends her senior year focused on her studies and college, and not on
her
ex, Stratford High's lacrosse star, DB Whitmore. At least, that's what Blythe
keeps telling herself. But her younger cousin, Bonni, knows otherwise. Same
goes for DB, who swears to be over Blythe and their breakup, but his teammates
aren’t fooled.
When
scandalous photos of Bonni and the team captain are texted around Stratford,
Bonni's virtuous reputation is ruined. She professes her innocence, but no one
believes her. No one, except Blythe and DB, who come together to uncover the
truth. But, will they stay together?
Ruined
is a modern twist on a classic Shakespearean romance.
"Deceit,
loyalty, honor, and romance--Ruined has it all! A teen version of Much Ado
About
Nothing that Shakespeare aficionados are sure to savor!”
Kym
Brunner, Author of Wanted: Dead or in Love & One Smart Cookie
All
books in the Stratford High series will be modern retellings of a Shakespeare
classic. Ruined is inspired by Much Ado About Nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review
Four Stars
Copy received for an honest review
Usually, I stay away from Young Adults but I really enjoyed this book and the premise behind it. I loved the modern twist to Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." The characters were engaging and interesting. I plan to read more books in the series. I enjoyed the author's writing style. Anyone that enjoys a modern twist to this play will enjoy "Ruined."
Excerpt One:
PAOLO PRINCE
5
I watched through the sliding glass doors as my baby brother
disappeared into the depths of Mr. M.’s house with DB. I hoped Jon wasn’t
getting sick. The Mai Tais at this party were kind of sweet. Or maybe the sun
had gotten to him. No denying it was hot outside, and this deck didn’t
have a sheltered awning. Dad used to tell Jon to toughen up,
and Jon had, once he’d started playing lacrosse. Wasn’t his fault, he was on
the short side. Jon got that from his mother. She
was just a pale wisp of a thing. Maybe that was what Dad had
liked about her. She was the polar opposite of my long-legged, big-boned Amazon
mom.
Dad. What a player. He had the best of both worlds in women
and sons.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about your
brother,” Mr. M. said. “Jon’s in capable hands. That DB is a good guy. I only
wish my niece could see his better qualities.”
Bonni shook her head. “Blythe’s too hung up on the past. At
least she pretends to be. She’s always DB did this and DB did that. Acting
annoyed when she’s really in love with him.”
“Same with DB,” said Cory. “He say he hates Blythe, but I
know he’s always plotting ways to run into her on the sly.”
“Me thinks they doth protest too much,” said Mr. M. “Too
bad. Those two seem perfect for each other. If only they could find their way
back together.”
“Maybe they just need a push.” A seed of something had taken
root in my brain.
“Go on.” Mr. M. smiled at me. “What’re you thinking, Paolo?”
“Maybe we can trick them into admitting how they really
feel. What if you and Bonni let it slip that DB wants to work things out? You
know, have a conversation when Blythe’s not supposed to be around, but really
she is. Let her overhear you talking.”
“We can do that, right, Daddy? We can make Blythe believe DB
still cares.”
“Absolutely!” Mr. M. high-fived her.
“And you and I will do the same with DB,” I told Cory. “When
we're sure he’s listening, we’ll drop the bomb that Blythe is still into him.
Then we stand back and let nature take its course.” I extended my hand. My
three co-conspirators piled their hands on top of mine. “We’re all in?”
Bonni, Cory, and Mr. M. nodded.
“Good. Operation Cupid is a go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Marian is a
full-time writer of contemporary and historical young adult fiction. A native
Chicagoan and a graduate of Northern Illinois University, Marian taught special
education and worked in the business world before pursuing her dream of
becoming a writer. She would rather be at her desk than almost anywhere else,
but of course, that isn’t always possible. So when she’s not writing, she
enjoys reading, gardening, walking the dog, travelling with her husband, and
researching new projects. Not necessarily in that order.
She adores
anything Shakespeare. An avid reader of Shakespeare biographies, she has
travelled the world to see his plays, visiting Stratford, Canada as well as
Stratford-Upon-the-Avon, Great Britain, and the new Globe Theater in London.
Her latest YA novel, Ruined, Book One in her new Stratford High series – modern
retellings of Shakespeare’s plays - is inspired by the Bard’s classic romance,
Much Ado About Nothing. Book Two, inspired by the Merchant of Venice, is due
out fall 2014.
Her debut YA,
Eastland, came out in February 2014. Based on the real-life story of the 1915
Eastland boat disaster in Chicago, Marian lectures about the Eastland to
schools, libraries, and book clubs, as well as co-hosting haunted Chicago tours
of Eastland disaster sites. She writes a post on the subject on the Tribune’s
Chicago Now blog site. Visit her at:
@CheathamMarian
www.amazon.com/Ruined-Stratford-High-Marian-Cheatham/dp/1500335444
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