4.5 <b> Are we going to die? </b> Stars
So I am crazy new to this author.. I have been dying to read her books for ever.. I made a point to read her in 2019. I finally picked up a few books by her with the Liars INC series which I received ARCs for. I decided to take the dive. I decided to call this book a badass heroine because she doesn’t take any ish from any man. She is fun, sassy, wild and a dang sommelier for goodness sakes!! She is left at the alter vulnerable and a virgin. She decides she still earns her honeymoon and ends up seated next to “Hugo” on the plane ..sparks fly immediately. She then departs the plane and find outs her honeymoon suite is next to “Hugo”.. CAN YOU IMAGINE!!... after a wild vacation and finding herself in bed with him he leaves suddenly never to be seen again. Mack decides she will keep the good memories and continue to take over the world with no regrets. The story is stupid cute and I really was sensing a ménage and sadly didn’t get one :P .. I am in such a ménage mood it appears. The story is cute and perfect. I will be following this story/series.

Happy New Year! I’ll be back to write a review, but I have to say MUST READ!

This book kept me sucked in the whole time, I could not put it down. It’s true what they say, you can find true love anywhere and at anytime. Even through loss and devastation. Mackenzie knew that Slade was going through something devastating and he needed a friend. Slade treated her really bad, but she kept trying, he kept helping him and pushing through his assholeness lol

He knew though, from day one. That she is it for him. He would do anything for her and she means everything to him.

I loved this book so much and I would 100% recommend it to everyone! I can not wait for more books in this series.

Mack and Slade are complicated, emotional, fiery, funny and perfect! As you start this book, you feel like it's one of those vacation romance novels like so many others but boy are you wrong!!! Rachel Van Dyken is such a master of twists and surprises, I absolutely loved this book. It's different yet still gives you all of the emotions you crave from a beautiful romance. Love, love, love!! Just like every other book 've read from RVD, it's phenomenal. Can't wait for more!!

If you love Rachel Van Dyken's writing like I do, you will love jumping into Risky Play. Mackenzie is a thirty year old virgin from a very wealthy family, who has been groomed to marry Alton, a young man who works for her fathers empire and is the son of good family friends. They grew up best friends and always knew they were expected to marry. Until....Alton tells her he can't marry her. At the alter, in front of all the guests. Mackenzie is hurt and humiliated and to make it worse, her father keeps Alton on in the business and doesn't even harbor hard feelings about him dumping his daughter. Mackenzie is distraught and decides to get away and go on her honeymoon, alone.

Slade is a soccer star and a phenom in Europe, but when his ex-fiance and his best friend hook up, he has to get away. He signs with Seattle and goes on a little vacation prior to making the move. That's where he meets Mackenzie, on the plane headed to a tropical escape, only, they both give fake names and have no clue who the other is. They spend a wonderful day and night together, but when she awakes the next morning, he is gone. He not only left her bed, but left the island, never to be seen again. Or.......does fate have other plans? When they meet again, months later, he is a real dick and treats her terribly, but she can't walk away because she unknowingly accepted a job working for him!

This is a fun story with lots of laugh out loud moments, sexual angst and shake your head moments.
If you want a lighthearted romance with plenty of back and forth, this is a book you will enjoy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Skyscape for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously blew through this book. RVD is one of those authors that is just fun to read and you want more from.

This is one of those books that have you on a roller coaster. One minute you are laughing and the next you are heartbroken. I really fell in love with her main characters and loved watching their story unfold. Their first meeting was epic and I loved the chemistry from the beginning.

If you are a RVD fan then you already love this book. I can’t wait for book two and I hope Jagger finds love.

This story is an epically fun joyride...one of Rachel’s best books yet!

Two people from different worlds, but very much the same...both trying to forget, to move on, but mired in their pasts mistakes. Finding anonymity, needing fun and spontaneity, they just might be what the other needs, at least until reality calls.

Mackenzie and Slade must be fated because their two meetings would never have happened otherwise. When they stumble upon each other for the second time, Slade isn’t the same man Mack met at first and she sure doesn’t like this version of him. She isn’t going to let the lemons life handed her define her, she’s going to make the best damn lemonade out there (love RVD’s strong female characters). Slade might be sexy as hell, but he was also infuriating. Luckily Mack makes him see the error in his ways and I totally lost track of my swoon count!

As always, Rachel Van Dyken introduces us to a cast of characters you will either love or hate, but you won’t be able to get enough of them. The teasing, sarcastic banter is seriously entertaining and had me giggling out loud on numerous occasions. Don’t even get me started on the sex scenes...just...wow!

3.5 stars

I went into this book blind and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a sports romance. This is one of my top troupes and I've really enjoyed Rachel's other sports romances. I like how the story starts off, it's full of conflict and heartache which really sets this book up.

Mackenzie was fantastic. She's the kind of character I love to read. She clearly sees what's been going wrong in her life and goes about fixing it. She doesn't blame her problems on others or look to them to help fix what's broken. She goes out and takes care of business. Both hers and those she cares about. I really liked her don't give up, do what you can to help others attitude.

Slade was just kind of there to me. There was nothing that really made him stand out from all the other sports romance hero's I've read in the past. While I enjoyed his character he's not one that will stick with me for long.

This was an emotional rollercoaster of a book that hit you in all the feels. Fans of Rachel's work are bound to love it.

Rachel Van Dyken writes such sassy and frisky books that consistently entertain. There is always an element of “What if” present that lays a great foundation for the stories she pens.
Risky Play starts with the meeting of two well known people who are unaware of whom the other is in the real world. Their paths intersect and one glorious night happens. He (Slade Rodriguez) suddenly and without notice leaves her (Mackenzie DuPont) in their hotel room. Both he and she are shaken by the enormity of their encounter. Enter fate, another intersection but with a divergence filled with trouble, struggle and emotion. This makes for another Rachel Van Dyken winner!

This book was great from the first page to the last page. Well-written, fast-paced and sometimes emotional story-line around two great characters. Can't wait to read more by this author.

I really like Rachel Van Dyken's writing and the flow of her stories! Risky Play was a very enjoyable read, and I got sucked into it pretty quickly.
It's both sweet, romantic. Plus it has characters with great chemistry, making them easy to want to follow.

Sometimes we have to take a chance. Just close our eyes and jump off that cliff. That's exactly what Mackenzie and Slade do....take a leap of faith and dive right in with a one night stand that turns into so much more. As Rachel Van Dyken shows us...sometimes it's worth the risk #RiskyPlay #NetGalley

I love that this centers around soccer players, I haven’t read a sports romance revolving around soccer before. I fell in love with the characters immediately. They are both a little broken by recent events in their lives. The reader can relate to them and the ways that they react to different situations throughout the story. A little bit of misunderstanding and misplaced blame goes a long way to creating the initial conflict in the story and just when you think they are about to get their Happily Ever After and the book is about to end, Van Dyken throws another wrench in the works before they get their HEA.

From start to finish my poor poor heart was on a roller coaster of emotion! Nothing could’ve gotten me prepared for the adventure that was Mack and Slade! So many situations, people and ugliness trying to keep them apart every step of the way!

When the past comes back to pay Slade a visit Mack has to decide if their love is worth it or if she will give in and walk away!

Slade notorious playboy and down right sexy man isn’t looking for love and wants nothing serious with the opposite sex but one plane ride changes all of that when he meets Mack! Mack is trying to escape a relationship she just left to try to find herself and what she wants! The last thing she expected was the good looking Slade derailing her plans!

Absolutely LOVED every second of this book even the heartbreaking moments because I knew they would lead to an even greater love!

Kindly provided with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.......

This was defiantly not the hum drum story line you might of have expected from reading the blurb. Yeah, yeah bride ditched at the alter, goes on to say "I'm off, I need time away !!". Here McKenzie - our fabulous leading lady meets Slade. Ah Slade......you fit so many checks its untrue !
Slade is in the process of making a BIG dramatic career move. Slade is NOT looking for romance. But wow do these two find it and that (okay I'll call is lust) turns into the BIG LOVE word !

Utterly brilliant story line and characters you can just relate to. At times I found myself trying to coach McKenzie or offer Slade a bit of womanly advice !!. Great stuff, but when really does Rachel ever write a crap book ?........that would be a NEVER as far as I am concerned !!

Top Notch Rachel and many thanks for this opportunity x

Later peeps xxx

Risky Play is about Mack and Slade, who share an amazing day together. Mack is trying to get over the embarrassment of being left at the altar. Slade is trying to move on from the betrayal of his teammate hooking up with his fiance--and getting her pregnant. Neither of them is looking for a new romance yet they can’t deny the promising spark and connection between the two of them. Everything is going perfectly until Slade receives a phone call alerting him that his father has died from a heart attack. Slade leaves in the middle of the night without a word, and Mack awakes feeling used and ashamed.
Fast forward 6 months and these two are reunited when Mack shows up for work at none other than Slade’s house. However, it’s anything but smooth sailing for these two. Slade is pissed off at the world for the loss of his father while Mack is still dealing with being left at the altar and her one-night-stand with Slade.

My Complaints:
This is a super quick and easy read--I read it in one night. However, I wasn’t a fan of Slade’s treatment of Mack. I understand he’s grieving and that it’s much easier for him to place the fault on Mack as he was with her all day which caused him to miss a phone call from his dad--the last phone call he ever received from his dad. But, grief isn’t an excuse for his behavior. He treats Mack horribly and never truly makes up for it, in my mind. Mack forgives him too easily.
I also believe that there needs to be more development in their relationship before they throw out the word love. Their whirlwind romance just didn’t seem believable to me. Everything happened so fast, without enough heartfelt scenes to effectively sell the romance.
Lastly, I’m not a fan of the drama the author threw in towards the end of the book to test Slade and Mack’s relationship. I agree that they should be tested, but this curveball came out of nowhere and wasn’t that entertaining.

What I Liked:
As I said earlier, this such an easy, quick read. One thing I love about NA Romance books is that I’m always entertained from start to finish, and they don’t require me to think. I can just mindlessly read for hours, enjoying the story until it inevitably ends. I also really love the relationship between Slade, Jagger, and Matt. Their banter is PERFECTION. I’m a sucker for great banter, so I lived for their scenes together.

Overall:
While I didn’t rate this book super high, I’ll definitely be checking out the next book--especially because I think it’s going to center around Jagger. I did enjoy this book for the most part. I just wasn’t a fan of Slade’s behavior, but other than that I was fully entertained and happy with the book. If you’re looking for a New Adult Romance that will keep you entertained, then I recommend this book. If you’re a fan of insta-romance with a dash of hate to love (more like jerk behavior, though), then this might be the book for you.

Mackenzie was left at the altar by the man that was supposed to be her "best friend". Rather than mope, she gets on a plane bound for her honeymoon. As her luck continues to hold out, she is seated next to a man who barely says two words to her. All is going well, until the plane takes a nosedive and she is faced with her own mortality and all of life's regrets flashing before her eyes. Luck has taken a funny turn since Slade, the smoking hot guy in the seat next to her, grabs onto her hand and the trip just got a lot more exciting.

Despite one passion filled night, "Hugo and Ashley" (a.k.a., Slade and Mack) end abruptly with "Hugo" hopping a plane and "Ashley" waking up alone. Fast forward months later, Mackenzie ends up working for Slade - and neither one is expecting the other's true identity. It will take a lot of explanations, a lot of tears, anger and yes, a few kisses before things are set to right.

I loved the fact that a large part of the book was written from Slade's perspective. I love reading about a man's POV when he realizes what he wants. Slade is definitely a keeper and his feelings about Mackenzie made my heart melt. I also loved Mackenzie. A heroine with spunk is a good thing and Mack has it in spades. The secondary characters of Jagger and Matt were great - dying to see who makes ends up with this pair.

This was a great book for the beginning of a new series. Left me smiling about the ending for this special couple but eager to see what happens next!

WOW- My favorite book of the year, and an amazingly great love story! This will be one that gets visited over and over and over again!

The story of MacKenzie and Slade was was epic. I never thought “I know what’s happening next!”

MacKenzie, a billionaire winery owners daughter, is so strong and refreshing heroine to read. She’s vulnerable in all the right Ways. She’s a true component t Slades more ego/eccentric super star athlete personality.

It’s an emotional journey, and the drama is fairly low- I was never worried, true love can withstand it. And that ENDING, yes yes yes!

Add this to your TBR, move it to the top, and jump off the cliff!

Heiress, Mackenzie is humiliated at the altar and decides to go on the honeymoon she planned - by herself. She wants to have a fling and forget what happened. Slade wants to forget too. His pro soccer career has taken a turn he's not too happy about but when he meets Mac things change. They share a very hot night and then Slade has to leave due to a family emergency. Since they've given each other false names, they have no idea how to get in contact with each other even if they wanted to do so. When Mac takes a job to keep herself busy, she ends up working for Slade. Things get complicated and feelings hurt before they realize what they mean to each other. Sweet sexy romance.

Fun read with a feisty female MC. Enjoyed the Slade, Jagger, and Matt (I can just hear Matt asking why he got the boring name, lol) conversations. The flow of the book make the reading fly by. While the book was very funny at times it also had some very moving moments too. The relationship was not easy and the ups and downs were realistic and not exaggerated. Can't wait for more of the Red Card series.

Being left at the alter. What could be worse? So to get away Mack decided to go ahead and go on the honeymoon she planned alone. The plane ride was the start of an adventurous ride. Slade a pro soccer player is trying to get away from the public from his ex hurting him. When he comes across Mack who doesn’t recognize him and intrigues him why not let sparks fly. But when tragedy hits and he just up and disappears. How can Mack pull herself together again and where does she go from here? Only to find her new job lands her right at his front door. But he is totally not who she thought he was and a huge jerk. But nothing is goin to stop her from doing her job even if he is the biggest jerk. Love this story and how Mack doesn’t give up on Slade but doesn’t just get walked all over either.