Lights Out Lucy

A Music City Rollers Novel

By: Elicia Hyder

Narrated by: Callie Dalton

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

"It's not a matter of if you get hurt but of how bad and when."

I can't say they didn't warn me. Right now, I realize: I probably should have listened. Because if there's anyone who has no business playing a sport that requires a helmet, pads, and a liability waiver, it's this girl. The same girl who once knocked herself out during a game of backyard baseball. I stepped up to the plate, pulled the bat back a little too far to swing, and clocked myself in the back of the skull. Boom. Lights Out Lucy.

That's how I got my roller derby name. So yeah. Maybe I should have known better.

But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? That's the whole reason I laced up a pair of skates to begin with. Well, that and this other little confession I need to make. Amid all the estrogen and girl power that fuels the world of women's roller derby, this insanity may have started because of a guy. Eyeroll, I know. Sadly, today on the oval track, it's about to come to a very bloody end. And all this slow-motion introspection might be part of my life flashing before my eyes. I'm going down hard and fast, with a set of Atomic Turquoise wheels aimed right at my face. Lights Out Lucy, indeed.

©2018 Elicia Hyder (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

What A Winner!!!

I wasn’t sure but I thought I would take a chance and boy was it worth it! I am just sorry I am unable to skate! This was a fun book with a great storyline! I highly recommend it for all ages.

Loved this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Personally I don’t know a whole lot about roller derby so it was fun to watch a newbie learn the sport and come into her own over the course of the story. Narrator does a great job of bringing the story to life.

Lights Out Lucy by Elicia Hyder

2nd reading via Audible. Reminded me how much I enjoyed this story.
Amusing, energetic, and inspiring. Lucy often says she’s going to die while trying out for the women’s roller derby, but she continues through bruises, blisters and concussion. A powerful leader.
The audio was wonderfully narrated.

Lucy grows up? Not enough. Lucy comes into her own? Better. Lucy fights to become strong, resilient and successful at skating and life. Yes. Romance included.

A little sadness sprinkled throughout. That’s life, right? A mother’s passing and cancer touching many lives. You learn to adapt. In Lucy’s case, she decides Roller Derby is her jam. It doesn’t hurt that she is awesome at her day job. Now for the fun part.

A strong and entertaining read from beginning to end. You don’t want to miss this one. Sports, blood and bruises; none part of my regular reading material and certainly not something I would try, but I admire Lucy for giving it her all.

Excerpt:
“Seventeen!"
My lungs burned. My shins and calves twisted into knots. My lower back felt like someone had smacked me with a baseball bat.
"Eighteen!"
"Final minute!" Shamrocker screamed.
I fell again. This time coming down hard on my knees and on my wrist guard. My fingers smacked the floor, and I yelped with pain. But I got up. I got back-freaking-up.
"Nineteen!"
"Twenty!"
The whistle blasted, long and loud, rattling off the bleachers and metal ceiling. I skated off the rink and collapsed, my breath ripping violently through my chest. Hehn-hehn-hehn-hehn. I sounded like a goose with emphysema.
Olivia appeared over me. "You did it!"
No, I really didn't. But I couldn't answer over the fight for consciousness. The halogens above were casting a halo of light around her head. Either that or I was crossing over to the other side.
"Here." Styx handed me a water bottle.
Olivia pulled me up to sitting. I drank a few deep gulps, wishing it wasn't so very cold. My chest tightened with a cramp. "Is Zoey OK?" I asked when I could finally speak.
Styx nodded. "She's fine. She knew to not overdo it. You OK? You look like you might stroke out."
"I might." I was holding the twisted muscle in my side, just under my lungs.
She pointed to my hand. "Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth to keep from getting a stitch in your side."
I forced a smile. "Thanks for the tip.”
“The Duchess, the head coach of this sport I had no business being a part of, walked over. My smile faded. Forget the stroke. I'm dead. And this is my hell.
"What's your name?" The Duchess asked, looking down at me on the floor.
"Lucy," I answered, my stomach churning in knots.
The corner of The Duchess's mouth tipped up into an almost smile. "You don't sound too sure about that."
I cleared my throat. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Lucy Cooper."
"Well, Lucy Cooper, that was good work out there."
What the—?
Maybe she hadn't counted my laps.
"I didn't even come close to twenty-seven," I admitted.
"Most girls don't the first time," she said. "I'm talking about you getting up and finishing. You're scrappy. I like that."
Maybe I did have a stroke and didn't realize it. "Thank you."
She pointed at my face. "I'd better see you in October."
I nodded. "You will."
And I knew right then, she certainly would.”
Excerpt From Lights Out Lucy by Elicia Hyder

Wow!

I never thought I would want to derby so bad! Loved how well this was written! I also loved how the book was focused on the heroines growth!

Girl Power

The story mixes a regular clumsy girl with roller derby and a bit of romance. Cute story.

Worth the time

This was my first book for this author and I wasn't disappointed. I liked how the story developed and that "getting" the guy wasn't exactly the main focus. I'm definitely going to get the next book.

As for the narrator Callie Dalton, I would listen to anything she does. She makes each character stand out regardless if male or female. I've even listened to some of her stuff more than once.

Entertaining!

I'm not a big sports fan, so I wasn't sure about this book. Gotta admit... I loved it! Elicia Hyder adds humor to a story of self growth and moving on with life. There's romance, friendship, family and more information than I ever thought I wanted about the game of roller derby. I actually learned a lot and was able to visualize every heart-pounding moment on that derby floor. But this book was so much more than that.

The character development in this story was outstanding. We see all sides of Lucy. We see her struggles at work, mixed with a bit of humor, and how she handles all kinds of situations. We see her social life go from zero to astronomical. We see her love life go from flat out nothing to meeting and falling for Nashville's most eligible bachelor! We see her grow and become more confident.

When accident-prone Lucy decides she wants to try out for the Music City Rollers, she surprises not only herself, but her brother, her father, her employer, her best friend, and West Adler. Will she make it? You need to listen to it to find out.

The narration was GREAT! The story was read with all the emotion in place. The voices of the various characters were well-done.

Great story of friendship and romance

I absolutely loved this book so much that when I finished it I dove into book 2. The roller derby parts were great and made me want to go to a bout but what I loved about this book was the female friendships that developed in this book, I loved the romance story line with West and Lucy but I found it secondary to the overall arc of friendship stories. Lucy is a great character. She may be accident prone, but she has heart and she is a smart cookie, Highly recommend.

Girlfriends and skates!

Very cute book. I loved all the characters, this was fun and funny read. It made me want to skate again. It was PG in terms of sexiness, but it’s rather nice to read the quality of the book then deep sex scenes. The narrator was also amazing, she kept the story riveting and in the now for me. Can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Fun with skates

Laugh out loud funny and a scoop of love. The characters are hysterical. Lucy and West were a cute couple with chemistry. Lucy is accident prone and tries out for the roller derby team. Her boss cannot remember her name after working with her for 6 months. Lucy is emotionally crushed because her father has remarried. Throw in a roommate, a brother, and working in social media marketing.

This is a great story. I wanted to pull out my skates for a lap around the rink.