Maurice Ousley seems to have it all: his team captures first place after a gutsy win before All-Star Break, he's voted by the coaches to the NBA All-Star Game, and he plans a cozy evening with his girlfriend Gabrielle to pop the question.
However, the evening begins to unravel as Maurice finds out about a dark secret that Gabrielle has hidden from him. He subsequently leaves her at the restaurant once the truth is revealed. he then goes to a party hosted by one of the All-Star basketball players to blow off soe steam. There he meets a stunningly attractive actress and finds out that she has a huge crush on him.
Finally, Maurice caps off the evening by small talking to some of his teammates, and his best friend on the squad drops another bombshell on him. Just when the night couldn't get any worse, he discovers he's also the target of the same federal fugitive who kidnapped his stepfather a year prior. Will Maurice leave Gabrielle for the actress, or will he stay with her? What news does his teammate tell him? And lastly, will Maurice survive, or will his past finally catch up to him? (Taken from the back of the book)
As review books arrive, I keep them in a neat, orderly box with the next to be reviewed at the front. I have to admit, when I pulled out this book and looked at it, I groaned. The book is plain gray with black lettering and the back doesn't sound appealing. As it sunk in that this was a book about a basketball player (I'm sooo not into sports!), I realized this might be a difficult read and review for me. I was wrong :)
Let's start off with the basketball portion since I thought that would be the worst for me. I apologize, Mark, but I skipped right over it! It was easily outlined which parts of the story had to do with basketball so I was able to do so without actually missing any part of the story that appealed to me. Someone who's into basketball will definitely get a kick out of that part of the book, that someone just isn't me. I can't tell you how accurate or well-written the basketball part is, but I can tell you that if it's not your thing, you can skip right over it like I did with no issues!
The back of the book doesn't really sum up the plot very well. Yes, those things all happen in the book, but they don't lead you to where the true intrigue of the book is. Maurice has become famous as a basketball star, but not everyone knows about his seedy past. Both Maurice and his father used to be into some pretty bad stuff, and at the worst possible moment it's come back to bite Maurice and possibly ruin his future..if he even has one by the time the 'bad guys' are finished with him. I really think a revamping of the cover and blurb would help this book alot. The 'guts' of the book are great..it's just the body that needs some work.
I have no complaint at all about characters and plot. They're basic, but they work. It's a nice quick read that will keep both men and women entertained this summer. It's light reading with just enough action and drama to keep you sucked in until nearly the end.
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