Let me just start off by saying, even as someone who doesn’t usually gravitate towards sports romances, this book was soooooo amazing! It is the perfect balance of romance, sports, and also a serious issue that Parker has to face. Kickin’ It addresses the topic of sexual abuse, specifically in an athletic environment. It’s the unfortunate and sad truth that this stuff happens and I love Parker so much for being so brave and standing up for herself and all the other men and women who are hurt by these tragedies. This book is a light in the darkness to remind us all that we are not alone, and there is support out there for everyone.

Now on to the happier parts! This book is so fun! I seriously was laughing out loud. I fell in love with Matts hilarious convos between the guys in Risky Play and this book did not disappoint with giving me more of that! I hope Jagger gets his own book next. And also I think now I need to go reread Slades book. I love these characters so much and I know you will too!

Also, I may or may not have squealed like a 13 year old at the EE surprise mention!! :P

Oh my gosh I just love Matt! He’s like the brother/father everyone needs in their life. He gets you out of a jam, keeps you in line (sorta) and has a love for his crew like no other! He’s the guy that needs a woman but is always too busy picking up the pieces for everyone else good thing his sister needs a place to stay and so does her friend so she just happens to fall into his lap. She just so happens so be his ideal woman athletic, beautiful without knowing it, strong, and attitude to go with it. This is a must read i couldn’t put down.

This book was good. It definitely falls into the sweet romance category compared to Rachel’s mafia books.

I liked watching Parker grow and learn to come out of her shell. I loved the strength she had. She fought hard to learn to stand and fight for what she knew was right!

Matt the old man. Lol. I loved him. I love the support he offered Parker. I love that he was there and was a shoulder for her. I don’t know if she would have gained all her strength back without him. He taught her what a real man is!!!

I loved watching Matt and Parker fall.

*blows whistle* 5 whistle while you work stars!!

This was such an incredible read! From start to finish the push and pull kept me on the edge of my seat. We’re immediately pulled into it, when our heroin Parker lands on Matt’s doorstep. From the very beginning I wanted to know who or what was haunting Parker as she let’s thoughts loose. Thanks to Matt’s sister and Parker’s BFF, he agree to be her agent as she is looking to move pro teams. The simmer of attraction is there, and both are fighting it for different reasons. This is definitely worth your time to read, go on an adventure with them, and let them tell you how it ends!

**As a prayer Incase RVD reads this I want to hear more about Willow & Jaggers HEA too please :)

Kickin’ It by Rachel Van Dyken is the second book in her Red Card series and gives us Matt Kingston’s story, who we first met in Risky Play. Though this can be read as a standalone, Risky Play is so worth the read as well. This sports romance had a bit of a forbidden romance and was sweet and fun to read.

I loved Matt when we first met him, but here we really get to know him better. A successful sports agent who was sexy and charming. Parker Speedman just had quite the year. She was shaken but determined to move forward and Matt was just the man to help her. As his client, she should be off limits, but as they spend time together, there is just no denying what they feel! I loved their interactions and banter so much fun. Kickin’ It by Rachel Van Dyken was such a fun sports romance with great characters.

Happy reading!

This is the second book in the Red Card series. It is a complete stand alone. So if you haven’t read the first book, it’s okay. But just a warning, you will get sucked in and want to read it asap.

Trust me.

Rachel did an amazing job writing Parker’s story. What she was going through, and went through, is gut wrenching.

I cried for her, and with her.

She’s a survivor.

She’s a fighter, literally.

Matt is an amazing man, coach, agent, friend, and brother.

The writing and story telling is just as awesome as the characters are.

I’ve been in a reading funk for the last month. Nothing was completely capturing me, until this.

Loved it.

You can’t go wrong with a one-click of this story.

Kickin' It is a fun and flirty sports romance with a twist! Too-old-for-his-age Matt and spunky Parker make a great couple. I love their flirty banter. Parker is a strong but vulnerable girl who has been through the worst ordeal. Matt is the big brother figure/agent/coach who becomes her biggest supporter. There's a great cast of secondary characters that often steal the show (Jagger and Willow totally need their own book), and I loved catching up with Slade and Mac from the first book in the series. I love it when authors throw in little nuggets of goodness from their other books, and the mention of a certain Italian family brought a big smile to my face. Kickin It is the perfect summer beach read!

RVD’s Kickin’It right in the net – score! What a wonderful, well-written sports romance. Not only is it a sports romance, it’s got the best friend’s older brother, forbidden agent-athlete romance theme.

I will admit, though, it took me a minute for my love of Matt to take hold. He was a bit brash in the beginning, but yes, I did fall for him, and HARD. I loved Parker’s sass and attitude. She didn’t take anything lying down and it was AWESOME! The banter with Matt and Parker and all of the secondary characters was freaking hilarious!!

Rachael Van Dyken did an outstanding job with Parker’s story and what she suffered, one that is unfortunately all too real. My heart broker for her, and everyone who has had this happen to them. I loved how Matt helped Parker find the strength to find her voice, to tell her story.

Wonderful job RVD!!

I absolutely loved Matt in Risky Play (book one of the Red Card series). His interactions with his "clients/friends" is always absolutely hilarious to read. Some of the best banter ever. Matt is everything a woman is looking for, smart, successful, fit and handsome as heck. He might have been a player at one time but doesn't come across as one...at least not to me. Parker is an unforeseen consequence of Matt's inability to say no to his sister as well as not actually listening to her, but he is stuck with her in his home for the foreseeable future. What he doesn't count on is that something she seems to have that draws him in completely. But Parker has demons and Matt will have to dig deep in order to get to those and convince her that she is worthy of a future both with love and with her career. While the banter is not as entertaining as it is with his boys, it is still fun and witty and just...sigh...swoon-worthy.

Another amazing book by Rachel! I really loved Matt and Parker! I especially loved that when Parker met Matt she was scared and lashed out to perfect herself. But Matt made her see that she can he strong and brave and stand up for yourself and what's right!

Matt's sister needs a place to stay and convinces Matt to let her stay for a couple of months but Willow wants to bring her friend because she would be homeless. So Willow and Parker move in and immediately sparks fly. But Parker thinks that everyone is the same and won't let anyone in!

Can Matt see past is grumpy old self to see that there's a beautiful talented woman standing in front of him and can parker forget her past and focus what's in front of her?

I hope this series continues with Jagger I'd love to see him get his happy ever after!

Oh my, all the yesssssss to this series! Matt has definitely become my favorite in this series so far. He's looming and demanding as an agent, a friend, and even a coach. But he's good at what he does. And seeing him trying to avoid crossing that blurry line between him and Parker was an absolute sight.

Everything about these two was intriguing. Parker definitely has a story to tell, but it isn't an easy one. Her character development was something that I was eager to read about. The pain she has endured, she's doing everything she can to move on with her life. But the only way she be able to move on is to face what happened to her.

Matthew was such the perfect person to have in her corner. Despite these two being like oil and water in the beginning, there was always this simmering layer underneath all of that. I just loved how fierce and protective he became of Parker almost instantly. And I can respect a man that changes his tune when he knows he was wrong about something.

We got the see more of the bromance between Matt, Slade and Jagger. And it's just the absolute best, can these 3 go on a boys trip. I would love to read about it. Their banter alone could seriously be it's own book.

Overall, just a solid read with real issues that need to be brought forward more and more. Parker was so bold and strong by the end, and I just admired her so much. And Matt was just EVERYTHING!

Loved this book so much and everyone in it!

Brilliant! Such a fantastic follow on from book one.
I was looking forward to see what happened with Matt and I wasn’t disappointed.
I fell in love with Matt and Parker straight away, there chemistry was electric.
I liked that there was more to the story than I originally thought, and was written beautifully.
Highly recommend this book.

The phrase "opposites attract", definitely applies to Matt and Parker. Going against all the rules, this romance is a must-read that'll have you wanting to throw caution to the wind and take chances you never would have before. A wonderful addition to the Red Card series!

Sports agent, Matt Kingston has his work cut out for him when his two best clients are also his best friends. His sister is heading to live with him and work as an intern, only when she arrives she has a friend with her who needs a place to stay. Parker Speedman is a soccer player looking for a new start. She is hoping Matt can help her find a new team while she is living with her best friend (and his sister) for a time.

I loved the addition of Parker to this group of friends. She can hold her own, even as she is working through the reasons she had to leave her previous team and trying to keep those reasons a secret. And her role as a women’s soccer player made her a great, timely lead. I was a little disappointed in Matt though. He always struck me as a workaholic, and I blamed his short attitude on the shenanigans of the guys he worked with. But in this, his own book, he transitioned from the cranky agent we met in the first book to a different personality so quickly that I felt like he wasn’t following his own character arc.

The storyline had a lot going for it though. I really enjoyed watching these two as they worked through the balance of working together and falling in love, dealing with the past and working on a future. This was a fun, forbidden romance with sports elements and a few heavily elements as well.

I breezed through this book, it was so enjoyable and I loved the dynamic between the two main characters.

This has a little bit of a forbidden element along with a little bit of love/hate and I ate it up. At first Matt's got a bit of a douchey attitude towards Parker. I mean I get it, he's a bit blindsided by her sudden appearance and the circumstances in which these two meet was so funny, I was giggling early on in this.

Parker has a bit of a speak first, think later and I loved it. At times I did cringe with some of the things that came out of her mouth, not in a bad way though more in a ohhh girl you didn't just say that to him. Honestly this book was super entertaining.

Rachel Van Dyken manages to infuse comedy with some pretty sad and serious subject matter, but does it amazingly as only she can do. It's one of the many reasons that I continue to gobble up whatever books she puts out. She's consistently on point and always delivers romances that I find myself powering through with ease.

Kickin It is a fun and sexy book with some emotional moments that will grab you and suck you into this book! Matt and Parker are an amazing couple. I enjoyed watching them turn from a grumpy old man and a sassy woman to a couple so in love! I love the forbidden romance part of it, the sports agent/client who shouldn’t be together. The secondary characters were outstanding and I enjoyed seeing Slade and Mack (from Risky Play) again as well! Great fun, great laughs and great sexy times make Kickin It a GREAT read!

This was one powerful emotional read. I loved every word of it and had a hard time putting it down. Parker was so brave and strong and I loved her. Matt was a bit of a butthead at first, but he turned out to be such a great guy. These two weathered the storm in a magnificent way. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I would like to thanks Netgalley and Skyscape for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge RVD fan so I'm not sure why I am having a hard time thinking of what to write for this review. This book hit all the things you think a sports romance would hit. Powerful female lead. Sweet moments. Sexy, yet not a jerk male lead. An issue that society faces today. A pretty quick read and perfect summer romance. Yet, something held me back in this book. Maybe the romance or chemistry felt a little rushed. I would have liked a little more build up in that area.

I do like the overall message in this book that empowers women, especially in sports. I like how Parker was able to get through the what she went through and come out and speak up about it to help other women/girls who may be experiencing the same thing.

I think the best part of this book is Willow. Matt's sister. That girls stole the show and I hope her and Jagger's book is next.

All in all I gave it a 4 star read. I think the ending was a little much or not as believable and a little more chemistry between Matt and Parker.

Have you seen that meme?
“Welcome to Adulthood, I hope you like ibuprofen?”
If Matt had a facebook, that meme would be his profile picture. Poor guy, he has so much patience for the crazy women in his life.
My favorite kind of female characters are the ones that have no apology for their prerogative of being a complicated and self-loving/respecting woman. My favorite male characters, are the alpha men who love and understand these females and this book has an abundance of both!
Parker is a confusing woman. You can see that she wants to be the carefree and dedicated woman but her past hurts put such a strain on her daily life. It is heartbreaking watching her trying to live and overcome what she has been through.
Matt is what dreams are made of, slow and steady is sexy and exactly what Parker needs.
What is also fun, is you see Matt’s best friend and sister get together as well. This book is a twofer! And I hope we get to read more about Jagger and Willow!
This book can easily become an absolute favorite of mine.

5+ Stars!!

I am so glad I took a chance on this book! I have become a big fan of Rachel Van Dyken’s writing; however, I am not a fan of sports romances, so I nearly passed on reading Kickin’ It. I would have missed out on a strong, truly amazing heroine!

Parker is a talented athlete who plays soccer with her whole heart. Unfortunately, she has a reputation for being a hotheaded diva and her career is on the brink of ruin. Things are not always what they seem, though, and I knew within a few pages why Parker seemed so unapproachable and angry. She is, in fact, one of the bravest, toughest women I’ve read in a while.

Matt was a bit of a jerk at first in my opinion. Yes, Parker had a reputation, but she was also his sister’s best friend. Nevertheless, he did make up for it in the end, and he was definitely a great big brother, friend, and agent.

The plot was interesting and somewhat angsty. Had I known going in that the book had a trigger for me, I probably wouldn’t have read it. I loved the book despite the trigger and hope to see more of Willow and Jagger.