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.

So we met Matt in the last book of this series. He's a sports agent, fierce when needed and loyal to a fault. We meet Parker in this book, she is Matt's sisters friend who comes with her to stay at Matt's house for a while. While there we watch Matt be a total jerk to Parker then move to friend and then to more. I felt terrible for the characters and what they were going through at times and others I was laughing out loud at their shenanigans. This book had great character development, it was a joy to watch them change and grow. It was fun to watch Parker grow from a scared shell of a woman and become brave enough to fight for what she wanted and what was right. I enjoyed everything about this book.

Wow. Van Dyken takes a "ripped from headlines" topic and gives it an intense treatment surrounded in a touching love story.

Poor Parker has been through too much off-field drama that threatens her brilliant soccer career. Too many women will identify with the situations Parker has been forced into. Her way to deal is to shut others out, be defensive and isolated.

Like everyone else who's seen Parker's story in the news, Matt's too quick to believe the worst of his sister's friend. He sees her amazing talent and after some manipulation by his sister (she's really good at it!), he agrees to take Parker on as a client.

The couple must deal with all the normal getting to know each other stresses but Parker has so much more she's still dealing with. Can she trust Matt? Can she get through the PTSD? Can she land that big pro contract?

I found this book so compelling beyond the romance angle. Van Dyken did an amazing job describing all the ways the abuse effects Payton and it was all very realistic. A good read with a hard to come and heartwarming happily ever after.

Kickin' It comes out swinging and scores big. Van Dyken puts her heart in this fight to the finish tale. Parker is a hotheaded athlete with talent to spare. Matt is an all or nothing agent, who finds himself in heart deep with his new client. Their alliance breaks all the rules and maybe a few hearts along the way. Parker is my favorite type of character. She's not afraid to be herself, even at the worst of times. Her temper is epic, her smart mouth is legendary and her spirit is a force all it's own. Matt is no match for this firecracker.

3.5 stars!

This story was one I was curious about. I liked Matt from Risky Play so I’m happy to have his story.

I enjoyed this story. It was a little more than friends to lovers but it was very sweet at times. There was a bit of a twist that I didn’t see coming and that made this story all the more interesting. Matt and Parker were fun to watch as they try and stay professional with each other. Of course that doesn’t last for long.

The usual banter and snark you’ve come to know, from a RVD book, is weaved throughout this story. And it’s always nice to see some familiar faces as well.

I'm a sucker for the best friend's sibling romance and Kickin' It didn't disappoint. Loved this one! Can't wait to read the others in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is the second book among the Red Card series but can totally be read as a standalone, although you might get to know Matt more if you've read Risky Play where he was first introduced.

Broody Matt + feisty Parker = banter galore that will makes you laugh if not smile. They tried to resist their attraction towards each other until they couldn't anymore that eventually leads to some sexy times. I like that even though Matt is grumpy at times, he has a sweet side and he could see the real Parker.

I love Matt's sister, Willow! A book about her would be great.

An enjoyable read with low angst.

ARC copy provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review

I have read many books written by Rachel Van Dyken and I have loved most of her books.

I have to say I very much liked this book. I was hooked from the very beginning. And I love Matt and Parker.

I am giving this 4 out of 5.

I absolutely loved this book! Parker is such an inspiration and example of empowerment in today’s world for young women! But aside from that... this book was hawt! Matt and Parker are the absolute cutest couple! This book is a must read! It’s even better than Risky Play and that’s saying something because I loved Slade and Mack’s story!

This one was a definite winner for me. A super easy to read sports romance with well developed characters, great dialogue and a storyline that had me churning through the pages to see what was coming next. I love that she had a backbone and some depth to her and he didn't try to tame that - he worked with her for her best interests. Loved it!

I loved Matt from the first Red Card series book and was so excited for him to get his own story! It was everything I hoped for and more in this sports romance!

Matt and Parker's story was incredibly emotional and raw. The pull between these two on a professional and personal level was amazing! I loved their shared joy of the sport, their understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices and dedication it takes to make it on a professional level and the fact that relationships often take a back seat to the job. This made the bumps and stalls in the relationship so much more realistic.

The traumatic element of Parker's story gripped my heart and drew me to her character. I cringed and teared up as she wandered through her emotions and faced her demons. I appreciated how the author gave closure to the character and her experience.

This book kept my attention, had me giggling and left me swooning. Such a great read with wonderful characters, even Jagger redeemed himself a bit!

4.5 stars.
This was a very cute and interesting ride, i didn't read book nr 1. But the books are standalone so that is alright. I loved Matt and Parker's relationship from start to finish.

Kickin’ It is the second book in the Red Card series. I actually liked this one better than the first. It’s a sports romance, with the main characters being an agent and a soccer player. It also hit on the roommates and enemies tropes. Their banter was fantastic! The writing and pace of the book were impeccable.

All the characters from the previous book were seen in this one and I loved that. Matt was kind of a jerk in the beginning of this one, but then his true personality came out, and he was nice, protective, sweet and just an all around good guy. Parker was a great character. She had me from the very beginning. She was strong, driven, determined but also super weary about men based on a really bad past experience. This experience was a main focus of the book, and I won’t spoil it, but I will say it was handled exceptionally well. This is another solid read from an always consistent author and I would definitely recommend it.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

An enjoyable story, but for me I was missing the chemistry here, I just wasn’t feeling it for the main characters. The tale was good and well written, but without chemistry I just couldn’t connect with it well enough.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I am beginning to have a feeling that Rachel Van Dyken can never write a bad book. Like never. Because I just fall in love with her writing a bit more with each new story. Kickin' It turned up the heat along with her brilliant witty banter. And I have another unforgettable story from her.

This story is a complete opposite of her last book Debase which was a dark mafia romance. And she steps into the realm of a sweet, sexy and funny contemporary sports romance like a queen. Matt and Parker literally knocked it out of the park. Matt is the best sports agent around but he has no personal life. No love, no commitment, nothing. Enter Parker. A talented soccer player who desperately needs his help to go pro. But ( and there will a lot of these buts) she is his sister's best friend. She is also the woman Matt cannot stop thinking about. She also has the burden of her past filled with guilt, shame, insecurity and anxiety. They start on the wrong foot. Soon they start to have difficulty coping with the flood of emotions. Matt wants to protect her, cherish her and give her the world. Can they have it all?


I love Parker. The idea of making thr heroine a player with lots of rage and attitude was a refreshing and unique idea. This woman is the epitome of strength and survival. I respect her, adore her and find her absolutely inspiring. She is not perfect. But all her trauma and scars made her more beautiful. And then we have Matt. The male POV chapters were real gems. He can be arrogant, bitter and judgemental asshole but when he gives his love, he is all in. And I love this man with his faults and achievements. The chemistry is simply stunning. Sometimes I was chuckling, sometimes I laughed out loud, sometimes I swooned and sighed anf sometimes I was heartbroken over their mutual pain. The crazy attraction was burning the pages. I loved meeting some of my favourites from Risky Play.


Rachel Van Dyken's stories never have a single dull moment. She hooked me and lured me in from the first page. And I couldn't let the story go even after finishing it. It was perfect balance of humour, angst and swoonworthy feelings. It was a story of true love and it's true strength. An exceptionally well written, heart rending and awe inspiring love story!

Received ARC for Honest Review