Matt and Parker deliver a sexy, compelling and fun road to love. Matt is agent extraordinaire and Parker is in desperate need of his kind of help to repair her reputation and get signed with a soccer team. When Matt’s little sister calls and needs a place to stay, he never expects Parker to be part of the deal. From their first meeting, the sparks and snark fly showing that these two definitely have the chemistry. But Matt is all professional as he does decide to help Parker as he sees her true passion for the sport. Parker is battling many demons as she tries to cope with all the challenges of the past year. She shows amazing strength and true grit as she pushes through to ensure her dream doesn’t fade away. I was very surprised with the timeliness of this story with today’s issues and felt every heart-breaking moment Parker endured. I loved how well this issue was delivered and handled, allowing me to feel all the pain that someone might ensure in a similar situation. But most of all, I love how Parker, someone who has been alone for so long has found a family to support her. It started with one amazing friend, Willow, Matt’s younger sister, shoe shopper extraordinaire and soon to be amazing agent in her own right, I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

Everyone has their secrets, even if it is just hiding how you truly feel about someone. Kickin' It explores the discovery of finding your strength in yourself and where it can take you.
Romance novels with a message, you can't go wrong with this book. Another amazing book, by Rachel Van Dyken. Someday I would love to be in a room with some of her characters!

Matt Kingston is a Sports Agent and Parker Speedman is his sisters’ best friend. They are both coming to stay with him while Willow, Matt’s sister, comes to learn the ropes of being an Agent. Parker is hopeful for several reasons: she needs Matt to be her Agent and get a tryout with the local women’s soccer team.

Parker has been through a lot and even punched her coach in the face on National Television, I loved this! She’s very strong, yet tends to hide her emotions and feelings from everyone. She puts her heart and soul into playing soccer, which makes me cheer her on since she’s trying to accomplish her dreams.

Matt is a dream. Their interactions were hilarious and meaningful. I really enjoyed how they pushed each other’s buttons. He tries to keep her at arms length, but when he gives in, the sparks really fly.

Another great hit from Rachel Van Dyken! With several of the secondary characters trying to steal your attention, it just makes you love Matt and Parker that much more.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and I am happy to give my honest review.

This isn’t my first RVD book but her writing style isn’t my favorite. It’s short, staccato type paragraphs that feel a little shallow to me. But I requested this book because I love sports romances, her books are always funny, and I was intrigued by the athlete being a female.

Parker has had some trauma which I feel deserves a trigger warning for sexual assault, rape and physical violence. She graduated college, leaving her old soccer team, with no real prospects for going pro due to an altercation with her old coach. Her best friend Willow has her move to Seattle into her brother Matt’s house and chaos ensues.

Matt is a former pro athlete and now sports agent. He doesn’t want to take Parker on because she’s prickly and emotional. He doesn’t know about her trauma until he forces a sports physical on her and she pops positive on anti-anxiety meds. He literally hollers at her until she admits why she needs the drugs. Then he turns nice as can be and they fall in love, living happily ever after. Kind of.

The ending is a bit far fetched. It was a tidy way to see retribution for her assaulter. I did love their banter and they totally had chemistry. RVD’s writing always feels kind of wacky, with a lot of hijinks and inside jokes, which can be hard to follow the actual plot. Overall this was an entertaining read and one I’d recommend if you’re looking for good romcom.

What an absolutely wonderful story. I loved Matt & Parkers relationship from the very beginning. And i definitely can't forget about Jagger & Willow. I do wish they had gotten there own book, but I like the way there story was intertwined into this one.

Great book!!

4.5☆
I wasn't expecting the emotional kick this story would have. Parker has such depth to her and her background made her so much more interesting and just wanting her to succeed so bad. I love that Matt is able to offer her strength to do what she can, but not do it for her. I loved the slow build up they have through out and I just love the way especially Matt cares for her. I loved how Parker's story was cared for and I loved the development of her character. Their storyline was fantastic. I also love Jagger and Willow's thing they have going on and what both added to the story. Such a great read!!

Rachel Van Dyken held no punches (or should I say kicks) in this book. Kickin' It is number 2 in this series by its already #1 in my mind. It's hard not to fan girl when you see faces from the past and other stories visiting. I absolutely squealed at the realization of who was in this book. Some surprising new faces I hope we learn a lot more about in the future too!

Crazed screaming aside, Kickin' It has everything in its pages. complete with:
* A tension filled, list swirling relationship.
* A secret that crushes its owner.
* A big brother with protector complex.
* A sexy vixen with a mouthy attitude and quick wit.
* A best friend more than worth her weight in gold.
* Real men. Not those cowards who pretend to be men.

Sorry my mouthy attitude is starting to come out! Rachel Van Dyken takes a sensitive subjects and nails it's balls to the wall in a totally badass way. She shines a light on a topic that, while it gets its own sound bites, can't be said enough. I want to make her a tiara for her words and the way she makes a heroine into a hero.

Parker is a badass. She's mouthy, stubborn and the kind of girl you want in your corner. She just needs the right people in hers. Kicking' It gives her and the reader that and more.

Hard to put down and was hooked from the very beginning. This kinda had an insta-attraction, but they both kept that feeling hidden. It also kinda had a enemies to lovers vibe, though they weren't exactly enemies. Plenty of sexual tension. Some laughs (mostly due to the side characters shenanigans.) There is some angst, and while you just get some glimpses into it, there is a bit of darkness surrounding her. While that secret darkness is slowly revealed, it isn't exposed entirely until the end. (And may be a trigger for some readers.) The characters themselves are fun. Once they acknowledge their attraction, he does everything in his power to push it away. She is forbidden after all. While she has her weakness, she is a strong character and ready to fight for her dreams. The side characters are hilarious. This is book two if the series, but reads as a stand alone. Same world, different couple, so you'll recognize many of the characters. There is some sexual content, but it isn't the core of the book, and limited in it's action.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

I loved this book so much!!! It was the perfect follow up to Risky Play. I wanted Matt’s story and Rachel definitely delivered! I love that she’s able to write such strong females (they’re all bada**). Parker is troubled but tough and strong. Rachel also writes the best bromance! I love that we got more of Jagger and Slade in this one too. (Also the background story with Jagger was well done!). The only problem is that I always want more when Rachel’s books are done!

.Kickin' it totally kicked it!!!

Parker at first comes off as very angry & standoffish but what we don't know is that she is carrying a big dark secret that will have you rooting for this young woman who finally decides enough is enough and takes back control of her life.

Matt got wrangled into not only having his sister living with him but also her best friend Parker. Parker is in need of a sports agent and Matt eventually through coercion becomes her agent. It doesn't take long for the lines to blur and they both know they are not only feeling things that are professional but are on a much deeper level and connection.

Will they keep things on the straight and narrow or will the other side of the line be too tempting to ignore?

RVD has given us such a fantastic story that has some very sexy times but also some very emotional moments that end with the most perfect HEA!!

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Red Card, Book Two...

One of the eleventy billion reasons why I love Rachel Van Dyken's stories is how she can take a hot button, relative issue and make it resonate with everyone.

Another reason? I am so glad you asked!  It's the humor she brings to her romance.  I absolutely flove to laugh out loud when I am reading a story and Kickin' It does just that!

This is Matt and Parker's story.  And I absolutely fell in love with the both of them. What Parker went through was horrible and tragic.  How she tried to overcome that, and how everyone let her down before, just made me want to hug her and stand behind her.  Just like Matt did.  

I also enjoyed the realistic approach that both Matt and Parker had with their relationship.  They knew what had to happen to make it work and that's what they did.

The dialogue was witty, fresh and hysterical! The smexy times were just gahhhh melt my heart into a puddle why don't ya.  

Even though sports romances aren't usually my jive, you cannot go wrong with this story! It's about so much more than just the world of soccer!  I absolutely love Rachel's stories and cannot wait to see what comes from her brilliant mind next!

Kickin’ It by Rachel van Dyken
Since being introduced to the world of Rachel van Dyken and her incredible story telling abilities I have devoured everything she writes! Kickin’ It is book two in the Red Card series and can be read as a stand-alone, but why would you want to when everything Van Dyken writes is worth 5-stars. Once again, this book is over the top swoon worthy. The story has great characters with some steamy romance and not only sports action but a little criminal mystery to go with it. This is a must read for your summer book list, which I highly suggest you put at the very top. Worthy of 5 points, I mean stars, Kickin’ It is a game winning book for Rachel Van Dyken.

Parker Speedman has graduated college and is now looking for her big break into the pro soccer world. With her best Willow, Parker moves to Seattle where she will be staying with Willow and Willow’s brother Matt Kingston. Matt just happens to be a sports agent and Willow is going to intern with his company for the summer, while Parker hopes to get Matt to represent her. Matt will have his work cut out for him because not only does he feel an immediate pull towards his unwanted houseguest, but Parker has an anger management issue and a reputation for being violent and loudmouth with her coaches. After just a few weeks with Parker, Matt can see there is more to her story then just having a diva’s attitude, somewhere under her tough exterior Parker has been broken. Parker starts to slowly trust Matt and now that she has let her guard down, she hopes on Kickin’ It on a new soccer team and hopefully in a new relationship?

This book was amazing!! is a great story about a girl who is suffering a real struggling topic right now in the world. I love the way the author wrote it, because it was so nice and you can really feel the struggles that the heroine had. The hero was a great character too because he helped her to accept her situation and talk about it and meanwhile that happened they fall in love. This book is my favorite of the series, and it's so great to know more about the other secondary characters that we love in the first book so much.

Rachel van Dyken always writes amazing and credible stories, that this is one of my favorites by her.

Kickin' It is book two of the Red Card series but can be read as a standalone if you haven't enjoyed the previous book yet. This book gives you everything; forbidden client-agent romance, a best-friends-older-brother, sexual tension galore, and so many sweet moments you'll be swooning all over the place.

Matt and Parker were amazing together and I loved the mix of Matt's grumpy old man behavior with Parker's sass. Parker was definitely more reserved and quite at times but when she opened up and we got to see more of her true personality it made for some of the best dialogue between her and Matt. We also got to see a lot of Matt's sister, Willow, who was so crazy and outspoken and I loved that she had so much page time. Especially getting to see glimpses of her own romance going on.

Bottom line, I loved this book and I definitely recommend it. There is a brilliant mix of characters happening between these pages, as well as some crazy storyline and some amazing romance that will have you captivated from page one.

4 star Review Kickin It (Red Card #2) by Rachel Van Dyken
Matt Kingston and Parker Speedman are like fire and ice, they shouldn’t work but they do.
Matt is a successful, well jnown sports agent and Parker, a talented soccer player who wants him to not only represent her but to coach her. Parker has a colourful and fiery past and Matt to his surprise finds himself agreeing despite himself.
The chemistry between them is intense but they both know the last thing they should be doing is crossing the line. Even though Matt knows that getting involved with Parker is a bad idea he cannot ignore the passion and attraction that arcs between them.
Matt cares for Parker, that is a given, but the question is how far will he go in his support and care for the feisty soccer player? I liked how hard he fell for her and that Parker is such an interesting character, strong on the soccer field, but vulnerable off it and at times my heart hurt for her. I loved that Matt saw through all of this and was supportive and uplifting in so many ways.
The secondary characters were great, particularly Willow, Jagger, Mackenzie and Slade and were just as entertaining as Matt and Parker. The banter between them had me laughing out loud and there were some seriously hot scenes.

Thank you for this book, Rachel. It's a beautiful love story combined with an important message. There's nothing better than that, especially when it's done so right!

I was looking forward to this book a great deal after getting to know Matt in Risky Play. Matt is a sports agent and Parker has recently moved in with him along with his sister, Willow. Parker is hoping he can help her achieve her goal to gain a spot on a professional soccer team. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Matt and Parker. Initially, he couldn't be grumpier about having Willow and Parker under his roof. As time progresses, he sees that something in Parker is damaged and begins to treat her in a kinder way. Even though they were instantly attracted to one another, both of them have fought the attraction. It's forbidden for many reasons - she's his younger sister's friend, he's her manager, he's older, he's helping coach her and so on. Eventually, they crack and succumb to their desire. Then the challenge becomes trying to keep everything separate - the boyfriend and the manager/coach relationship.

Throughout all of this, the reader gets to catch up with characters from the last book, Slade and Mac. Also, Jagger is very present in this book as he decides to woo Matt's sister, Willow. That in itself gave me numerous giggles. Matt is absolutely livid over it but the two of them together seem to be a perfect match.

Kickin' It does deal with some serious topics. Parker was abused by a previous soccer coach and battles the effects of that throughout the book. It is a timely issue and is handled in a respectful manner. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it not only for fans of sports romances but also somewhat forbidden relationships (brother/sister's friend).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kickin’ It focuses on Matt Kingston, former soccer pro and Slade’s sports agent from Risky Play, and Parker Speedman, a talented young soccer player with a bad reputation. After punching her last coach on live TV, Parker is looking for a change and a new team.

This is a bit of a forbidden romance, there’s an age difference and both Matt and Parker know they shouldn’t start a romantic relationship while he’s her coach/agent, but the attraction is still there. On top of that, Parker is experiencing some trauma from the abusive and inappropriate coach on her last team. This aspect of the story is quite heavy at times, but I really appreciated how Van Dyken wrote these characters to address Parker’s trauma.

Like in Risky Play, the chemistry and banter between Parker and Matt was so well done. Van Dyken is magic at creating hilarious and lovable side characters, Jagger and Willow (Matt’s sister) are absolutely delightful in this story. After reading Risky Play, I was hoping the next book would be about Jagger, but I was not at all disappointed with the side storyline he got in this book. Seriously, the interaction between all the characters is so great! This was a 4 star read for me!

If you’re looking for a fun, sports romance with heart, banter, and addresses tough topics, I highly recommend Kickin’ It! But do yourself a favor and start with Risky Play, trust me, you’ll want to spend as much time with these characters as possible!

3.5 Stars

If rape is a trigger for you I would skip this book.

I ended up liking Kickin' It better than Risky Play, but it was a really rough start. One that caused me to almost DNF'. Thank Parker and her story for the reason I didn't. It definitely wasn't to do with Matt. He didn't make or leave the best impression. All I kept thinking was: what the hell is with all the dick headed dudes in this series. Our introduction to Matt is a bad one. His dick headedness rivaled Slade's and there was no death of his father to use as an excuse. I still don't get why RVD made him such a jack ass. It wasn't endearing or attractive. If I hadn't met him in book one I probably would have moved on quickly. Luckily I loved his girl to pieces, which kept me turning the pages, giving me a chance to see the Matt I originally liked from Risky Play. About halfway through I fell in love with him and began rooting for him to get the girl. Only then did I think he deserved Parker. And only then did I consider him book boyfriend material.

Parker's story is a hard one. She was so inspirational and brave. Even when she was down and vulnerable she was so very strong. My heart hurt so much for her and I wanted her to find her HEA. I wanted her to find that special someone who could help her heal. I wasn't sure if that would ever happen with Matt being a Grade A Prick. She deserved much more than the man she met in the beginning. I'm so glad that he finally snapped out of it and became that man.

I guess with the way Slade and Matt were written I'm glad Jagger didn't get his own book. I don't think I could have taken him being a dick like the others. At least this way we still got fun, flirty Jagger with no drama or angst. Him and Willow made me smile throughout the whole book. I loved them.

[I received a digital for an honest review]

Kickin' It by Rachel Van Dyken is the second standalone in her Red Card series. This one brings us a talented soccer player named Parker who turns to her best friends brother, Matt, to manage her and help her land a team. The chemistry and connection between them is hard for them to ignore, but they try to stick to the boundaries of their agent/Client relationship. As their hearts get involved and Parker opens up to Matt, she might have found something she loves more than her soccer career.

Kickin' it is a mixed bag of emotions. The banter between the characters is light-hearted and funny. However, this book deals with the serious topic of men in a position of power using it as a form of control over a female athletes career. It was well written with enough positive and light moments to keep the book from being too heavy. Rachel Van Dyken created a strong character with Parker. Her struggles with her situation and her way of working through them felt real. All the characters in the book were great! Parker was a fire crackers who had no filter. She and Willow had me laughing out loud. Matt was such a damn sweet heart, even if he was a bit prickly when in agent mode. The way he cared for Parker and only wanted the best for her no matter what makes your heart melt. The two of them together were absolutely adorable with the way they would goof around and push each others buttons, in and out of the bedroom.

Overall, Kickin' It was a great addition to the Red Card series. I am intrigued to see who will get a book next in the series.