What else can a virgin do when sheās ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True pleasure. But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger is left in her broken heart.
Suffering a tragic personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing without a goodbye. Right or wrong, heās blaming the beautiful and infuriating stranger he never wants to see again. Theyāre both in for a shock when Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know, including a common enemy whoās playing his own games. And heās not afraid to get dirty.
Now thereās only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies theyāve told, the secrets theyāve kept, the mistakes theyāve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.
| Title: | Risky Play |
| Author: | Rachel Van Dyken |
| Series: | Red Card Series (Book 1) |
| Pages: | 247 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | One Night Stand Sports Romance (Soccer) Workplace Romance |
| Point of View: | |
| Location: | Washington, US |
| HEA: | āļø |
| Release Date: | 19th March, 2019 |
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Banter for miles
Oh, my my myā¦where has Rachel Van Dyken been all my life and why is this the first book of hers Iāve ever read?! Seriously – this book hit all the marks for me and then some.
To get all the important bits out the way first – this is the first book in Van Dykenās Red Card series – which Iām hoping will continue to focus on players from Sladeās Seattle soccer club. But this book stands completely alone – no pesky cliffhangers – and has the required HEA.
While being keen to read this story, I was also slightly wary based on a couple of things from the blurb. I tend to shy away from heavy emotions – such as grief – in my romances. And, I was already annoyed at Slade for blaming Mackenzie for his fatherās death before I even picked up the book. So if youāre in the same position as me – please believe me when i tell you to put your fears at rest – this book is worth taking the chance on and then some.
The first thing I noticed is Ms Van Dykenās writing style. Itās so fresh, fast and youāre engrossed in the book before you even realise whatās happened. Reading it feels like youāre chatting with your bestie – itās funny, comfortable and I just loved when I could really get stuck in and spend some time with the characters. The chapters are also quite short, which I found tempted me to read just one more. Then another. And another.
Normally in a novel I fall in love with one of the main characters more than the other. Not so in this book. I loved both of them. Everyone. And Alfie the dog, too!
Slade is perfection in his annoying, jackassy, sexy, teasing way. He was so broken that I just wanted to give him a big olā hug. And then slap him around the head for being such an idiot on more than one occasion. But I still loved him.
Mackenzie turned into one of the best heroines for me – which surprised me quite a lot. She grew so much in the course of the book – from quite a shy, reserved person who bent to the whims of others, to a strong – yet still vulnerable – woman who became herself and owned it. At times, I saw so much of myself in her fears and vulnerabilities that I was in awe of the connection I felt with her.
“Reading it feels like youāre chatting with your bestie – itās funny, comfortable and I just loved [it]…”
But it was when Slade and Mack came together that things really came to life. I felt the heat and the sparks, the anger, recriminations, the teasing and the nervousness. It was just their connection – no matter how you framed it – they clicked. And it was glorious. The little texts they sent each other. The banter. Top notch.
And that extends to more than just our main couple. The banter between Slade and Matt. And Slade and Jagger. And Slade and Jagger and Matt. It just made my day – it was bloody hilarious! There was a total bromance going on with those three and Iāve got my fingers firmly crossed that both Jagger and Matt get their own stories in the rest of this series and we get more moments of magic between those lovely men.
Iām not going to lie, I shed a wee tear with a few of the scenes about Slade and his Dad. But it never goes too deep, which Iām thankful for. There were many occasions where I laughed out loud and even more when I found myself sighing in delight with my hand clutched at my throat like a Victorian virgin. Sigh.
It was also delightful to read a book where our hero – despite being a worldwide celebrity – has the same fears as the heroine about their relationship. That he puts himself and his feelings on the line before our heroine. That there truly is balance in their relationship.
You can tell how much I rated this book because Iām giving it five stars despite this atrocious line being included:
āWhat the hell kind of name was Joanna, anyways?ā
*side eye*
This is the kind of book that really rings my bell. Itās sexy, sweet, funny and with banter for miles. A really highly recommend romance and an author I think Iāll be heading out to buy up her back catalogue. 5 stars.
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and, adorable son. She loves to hear from readers!
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Red Card Series:
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