I’m sad I can ONLY give this book 5 stars! I absolutely loved Risky Play! Rachel never fails to make me laugh with her banter between characters. That has to be one of my favorite parts of this book. The chats that Slade and Matt had were hilarious! The book starts off with a hook up in Mexico, which quickly takes a turn for the worst. Mack and Slade end up crossing paths again back in Seattle where she is now working for him. I love the dynamic of the two and the constant push and pull as both are working through past traumatic events. Throw in used-to-be-friend-now-rival soccer player Jagger also vying for Macks attention and you have the perfect amount of jealousy to keep things interesting. More drama gets drug up from the past in a huge media scandal and you’ll have to read to find out how they fight their way through the BS and if they get their HEA! Seriously, this book is a must read if you’re looking for a quick fun read that will have you smiling from ear to ear and giving you all the swooney butterflies!

This was one of those books that has you feeling all the emotions. I so enjoyed this book even with all the drama and me wanting to slap the hero right out of the book. But I loved him all the same. I can't wait to read more from this author.

4 Stars

Slade and Mackenzie met on a plane to Mexico where they were both trying to escape their home lives. They had a chemistry filled few days before Slade got some terrible news and left in the middle of the night without telling Mackenzie.

Mackenzie upon returning home wants a change for a bit so takes on a new job, little does she know her new job is actually for Slade.

When these two meet again all is not as it seems as they both lied to each other in Mexico. When the truth comes out how will they react? And what will they do when someone they both know tries to interfere and keep them away from each other?

Rachel Van Dyken has a great formula for writing books and introducing characters that you can relate to. This was a little different than her other books that she released from Skyscape publishing. This one had a little "suspension of belief" but that didn't detract from the storyline. My favorite characters in this book shockingly enough were not the main characters. I could have taken or left them and not because they weren't likable but because it's a story of been there and done that. I loved Jagger and Matt is this book!!! I think had she NOT had them in the book - it totally would have been a 3-star book for me. They made the entire book with their banter back and forth and funny one-liners. Totally worth it in my opinion.

This book starts off with a total misrepresentation of who the two main characters are and then just goes downhill for the two of them till about the middle of the book. I did love the fact that Mackenzie never gave up on Slade and that she stood by him the whole time - even when he was a total douche.

An ARC copy was provided for free by the publisher without expectation or any attempt to influence or manipulate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and do NOT reflect anyone else's.

I don't even know where to start with this one. There were so many things wrong. The hero was a total dick.

The heroine was jilted at the altar, goes on vacation, meets a man, they give fake names to one another, have wild sex. While deflowering her he gets a message from his dad and doesn't call back. Hours later his dad passes away and because the hero was too busy sticking his dick into the heroine to return his dad's call he leaves her in the middle of the night and now he blames her inwardly. Yep. He's a real charmer.

Back home she works now for an agency who does chores for the rich and famous. Slade is a soccer player and famous, something Mackenzie didn't know because of their fake names. So she is assigned to him and the first thing that comes out of his mouth is "are you stalking me?" The second thing is this:

"Whatever you think is going to happen between us—won’t. Just drop it. I’m not going to marry you just because I saw your pussy.”

A real keeper. And so full of himself. And there he started out so sweet. It was like he had a personality transplant.
He kept throwing insults at a completely innocent young woman and was overall a freaking douchebag. I've read and loved those before, it can be done well but this one? Hell to the no. Hell. No.

I just couldn't do it. I couldn't.

Another slam dunk from Rachel Van Dyken! The way that she weaves her stories together just floors me every single time. This book was no different! Slade and Mackenzie were so well written. The story flowed really well and I am so excited to get more into this new world that she has created.

One night stands are simply that and throw in fake names, totally one night stand, right? Apparently not when it comes to wine heiress Mackenzie and famous soccer player Slade. The author wove the story of finding each other again, which doesn’t mean easy going for these two. I loved how Rachel wrote the story, with romance and humor, and just enough drama that made this first in a series book perfect.

I have chosen not to review this title. My apologies for the delay in responding to this and advising you of this, especially as it is likely obvious I have chosen not to review, I thought I had sent in all of my DNF titles.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity.

Laura

If you look in the dictionary for the word creativity, there will be a picture of Rachel Van Dyken. Her latest release, Risky Play is bound to jump to the top to the charts. With a couple of characters that you want to hate but can’t help but love, Risky Play brings out the sexy romantic in these handsome arrogant athletes. There is so much drama and emotional turmoil but shows an amazingly strong heroine that was inspirational. Like all of Van Dyken’s books I could not put this one down and I highly recommend it. I will always one-click any new release by Rachel Van Dyken and I suggest you do the same, you won’t be disappointed. Risky Play is book one of the Red Card series and goes way beyond the 5-stars that are available.

Mackenzie DuPont was supposed to get married. She was supposed to take over the family winery with her husband and best friend. She wasn’t supposed to be left standing at the alter in front of all the guest and media as her soon to be husband walked away from her. Now Mack needs to find herself and what better way then an adventure and a new temporary job to get her life back on track. Slade Rodriguez is world famous, so is his breakup from his fiancé after she got pregnant by his best friend. Now playing for a new team the soccer player needs to put his life back together, but when tragedy finds him yet again, Slade can’t deal with the heartache any longer. The soccer striker literally strikers out at anyone near him no matter who he hurts. Thrown together Mack and Slade must work closely and it’s a Risky Play for both of them and their hearts.

From a bride left at the altar to a sexy one night stand on her so called "honeymoon", Mackenzie sure doesn't do thing by halves.

Poor Mackenzie is my first thought, but then she is anything but poor and the dumping is the catalyst for her to finally tackle life.

And Slade - hellllooooo sir! As much as he is a dick, as the story progresses you can understand why he is a lot of the ways he is, even thought I wanted to throw a soccer ball at his head a lot of the time.

You can feel the sparks between our lovelies from the first meeting, and I for one couldn't wait for Slade to remove his head from his sphincter and see how amazing Mack is.

I gotta say, I really, really wanted to nut punch Mack's ex, Alton. Oh man, when you read I am sure you will have the same reaction.

I liked that though yes, our lovelies did have their issues, they - eventually - sorted them out. I also had my issues with Mack's family for a while. They made me so made!

Risky Play was a cute and sweet read, just the antidote to the darker reads I have been reading a lot of lately.

I can't wait for more of this series.

Risky Play continues to show how AMAZING Rachel Van Dyken is in the way that she writes. The story captures your attention from the beginning to the end!

I absolutely love Mack, Slade, Jagger, and Alfie. Mack is a socialite that is left in the most embarrassing situation when she’s left at the alter in front of all the media by her best friend. She decides she needs a break. She can’t continue on the way things have been while still trying to work with Alton every day at her parents business. She goes on the honeymoon that for that much needed peace. She meets the mystery man while on the plane where they share some experiences. He disappears just as quickly as he came into her life.

Mack decides to help out her aunt and take time away from her family business. It’s a win win for her so that she doesn’t have to see Alton every day at work. This job is how she ends up seeing Slade again. The reunion is anything but cordial, but Mack handles it with class. Slade is a grade A jerk when they first meet again, but Alfie is the best!!!

Watching Mack, Slade, and Jagger (Alton’s friend and Slade’s former best friend) work through all of the ups and downs makes you feel like you are there with them. I truly hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did.

This is a completely new series from Rachel Van Dyken. And it is amazing! A great light read. You still get emotions and feelings, but nothing that totally rips your hearts out. Just enough to make you empathize with the characters and want to root for their HEA. From their meet cute through navigating the real world you want Mack and Slade to have their chance at happiness.

A perfect sports romance. Just a bit of sport and that world mixed in with a romance. And the secondary characters were just as interesting as the main characters. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

This book though!!! I have to say Rachel is definitely my top 5 favorite authors. The way she can captivate her audience is astounding. I was lucky enough to get a chance to grab an ARC copy. I will try to be as honest as possible but she's my fav so it may be hard. This book had a little rough ending for me but we will get to that later. It was easy and fun to read. I won't say I hated it but Im not going to say I was 100% in love either. I compare every book I read to Rachels Mafia series and maybe that's not fair. I just can't help it.
Anyway... Risky Play is about two strangers who meet on a plane on their way to a relaxing getaway. With both sides having just went through some big life changes they make a pact with theirselves to have fun and find some adventure. After spending a night together their lives take them in different directions until they come crashing back together a few months later. With Slade being a world famous soccer player and Mackenzie being a famous socialite they are very weary about each others intentions. Through the back and worth of each interaction you see that their ideas of each other shifts closer and closer to what it was that very first night. Of course with being in the spotlight things get misconstrued. However, with this comes issues of trust. Can love get them through the torture of the public eye or will they fall victim to the lies and deception of the press?
Like I said before it was fun to read. I got hooked to it around chapter 5, and next thing I know I'm at 50% into it and it's 3 am. It usually takes me until a few chapters in to decide if I want to continue a book. For me a book needs to draw me in to the point where I lose track of time or I feel like Im actually sitting their with the characters. I will say this book did just that. However my small hesitation to say I was completely in love was the ending. Now I hate a drawn out ending but I also hate a rushed ending. It needs to have that happy medium. This book seemed to rush from tragedy to resolve in 2 short chapters. Again Im use to the twists and turns of the mafia so maybe Im being too hard on the book. I will end with say the book was good. It was fun and light hearted at some parts which made it a good time. The characters are amazing and I truly enjoyed the way everything came together. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see where she will take these characters.

Wow, another great book by Rachel Van Dyken, no matter the genre, she crushes it. I loved this book. It had me laughing and sad. I love how it tugged at my emotions. These two had great chemistry and I was rooting for them the whole way. I received this book from Net Galley.

OMG! Slade and Mackenzie! I loved this book. Both suffering from heartache they find themselves having a one night stand. Never wanting to see each other again Slade leaves before she's awake.... imagine his surprise when she show up at his work to begin her job as his assistant. What could go wrong.... This book is sweet and sensual with a big dose of sexiness and heartache. I can't recommend this book enough. You can never go wrong with RVD!!

This book was so much fun! I read the synopsis quite awhile ago, but didn't reread it before I started in on the book. I'm glad I didn't! I love that I didn't know what to expect. I loved Mackenzie...she was the perfect mix of sarcastic, sweet, and vulnerable. Her bantering skills (especially with Slade) were totally on point. Besides Mackenzie and Slade, I really loved Matt! I really hope he gets a book in this series for himself! He had some fantastic one-liners and banter too.
I really loved this book and can't wait to eventually read more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this quirky love story! It pulled me straight from the beginning and I could not put it down until I was finished. Yes, the H is a jerk but it's the h that makes this book awesome! She's quirky, smart, not apologetic....I can go on.

Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Risky Play is a cute, fun, quick sports romance read.

Spoiler alert, do not read further if you do not want to know the details.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book in the beginning. Two super rich people on a plane talking about wine. I prefer stories where I can relate to a character. I also didn't think it was believable. You would think a 3o yr old virgin would be shy or timid about her sexual inexperience especially with a totally hot stranger. And a 30 yr old virgin?? She was groomed to marry Alton when they were 5 so why did it take so long for the wedding? Obviously Alton was career motivated so you would think he would marry the billionaire's daughter as soon as possible.

I liked the banter between Mack and Slade which was the redeeming quality of this book. I felt like the enemy turning best friend has been played out in other sports romance books.

All in all, I did enjoy the book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for a copy of Rachel Van Dyken's "Risky Play" in exchange of an honest review.

I've always liked this author's books, but it's been sometime since I've read anything written by her and Risky Play reminded me how much I love her writing! This is an amazing start to another series that has all the traits I love in a rom-com -- alpha hero; smart sassy heroine; funny and well-developed secondary characters (that I hope get their own books) and a fast-paced, enjoyable plot that kept me turning the pages. Definitely recommend if you like contemporary romance with enjoyable, funny moments. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

Two perfect storms collide, what could possibly happen? This book starts off with a bang and doesn't let up. There are tears and wit and full belly laughs. I haven't laughed out loud to a book in a while but this one got me a few times.
If you are looking for a book that has it all, I suggest checking out this one. Be warned you may not do anything else until you finish this book, but don't worry you will be happy you did.