Even one-night stands deserve a second chance in New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken’s novel of sporting desire.What else can a virgin do when she’s ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True pleasure. But when she wakes up … But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger is left in her broken heart.
Suffering a tragic personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing without a goodbye. Right or wrong, he’s blaming the beautiful and infuriating stranger he never wants to see again. They’re both in for a shock when Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know, including a common enemy who’s playing his own games. And he’s not afraid to get dirty.
Now there’s only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies they’ve told, the secrets they’ve kept, the mistakes they’ve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.
more
Rachel Van Dyken is one of my favorite authors to read. From start to finish, my heart belongs to the characters she creates and the dramas they face. Risky Play is no exception. Slade, I admit is a little hard to love, but who really ever is when they’re nursing a broken heart. Mackenzie is the type of heroine, I root for. She’s finding her footing after numerous upheavals in her personal life. There were times I just wanted to hug her and assure her that life would get better. There were many moments were Slade needed a good throttling, but a good author, doesn’t make it easy to get to the happy ending. Once you get there, a good author makes you glad you stayed. I was glad I stayed.
Mackenzie, a 30 year old wine heiress was set to marry Ashton who’ve known each other since birth were set to be married but Ashton left her at the altar. Mackenzie bought a honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta as a surprise for Ashton but she took the trip instead of cancelling it. Mackenzie freaks out as the plane loses an engine. She proceeds to kiss her seatmate, Hugo known as Slade Rodriquez who’s a soccer player as she gives him the fake name of Ashley (known as Mackenzie Dumont).
This was my first book by Ms. Van Dyken but certainly not my last. I absolutely loved all the characters especially Mack, Slade and Jagger. I need more of them all
Risky Play is the first book in the new Red Card Series and what a way to start the series !!!! I fell for the hero and the heroine, I loved the plot and the banter they shared but must of all I loved that this author wasn’t afraid to show their vulnerability and for me that made the real somehow.
Mackenzie (Mack) DuPont was jilted at the alter but she is not going to let that honeymoon go to waste 6 months on she decides to go on her own and that is where she meets a man who makes her feel like living again who makes her want to be wild and passionate but she has given him a fake name what she doesn’t know is he also gave her a fake name so can two people who used fake names really trust each other or is it just a week of passion…….
Slate is a professional soccer player but he needs a break and is having a vacation before he starts at his new club and using a fake name is ideal if you don’t want to be stalked down the line but what happens when feelings come into play how do you tell someone you never trusted them enough to tell them your real name…..
I couldn’t put this book down and throughout it I was wishing this couple to get the HEA they so deserved even if the world seemed intent on keeping them apart. I loved the group of characters that are at the center of this story and I can’t wait for book 2 which I really hope is Matt’s story.
All I can say is that I smiled the entire time I was reading this (well there may have been a tear or two but for the most part…). I loved ALL the characters–not only the main characters Mack and Slade–but Jagger and Matt. The banter between Slade and Mack throughout is only eclipsed by the friendship that is Matt and Slade. Even enemies Slade and Jagger could not be contained. Slade is definitely a truly arrogant man, but when he loves, he really really loves. He comes across as only being for himself, but the core of him is so much more and we learn this through not only his words but his actions. Mack is so much stronger than she ever gave herself credit for and I want to be her when I grow up. While humorous, there are deeper issues…trust being a huge one…secrets that threaten to pull them apart. Will they both be strong enough to see things through?
A tender hot love story! Another must read book by Rachel.
Mackenzie was left at the alter and is reeling for her life she planned for years. On her single honeymoon she meets Slade who brings out her wild side. After a wild night she woke up alone and by herself. Months later she is assigned to be his assistant to help him move into his new home and new soccer team in her hometown. Sparks fly between them and they have to fight their attraction to one another. I loved his grand gesture to her.
Emotional ride with characters with many layers that make you root for them. Van Dyken can write a great series, I can’t wait for more of them
***5 ‘#TeamMackenzie’ Stars***
This one was a total emotional roller coaster of a ride, an amazing one, but still, the whiplash you get from this one is real. These characters, ALL of the characters, pulled everything out of me. One second I wanna gut someone with a spoon, the next I’m laughing out loud (no, seriously Out. Loud) and the next I wanna hug someone…and let’s not forget the panty melting. This one pushed all the right buttons and had me devouring every word and wanting more.
Slade. This man. I loved and adored him, I did, but I also wanted to gag him and duct tape him to a chair ~ and not for fun, smexy times ~ because he is…intense…a little volatile…I mean when this man goes big, he goes BIG. But for all the times I wanted to Gibbs smack him, there were just as many where I swooned and wanted to hug him. Mackenzie. This woman is pretty damn amazing, this isn’t to say I didn’t have my moments with her, but the strength she has to still see the good in things and hope for more was something I admired. Sassy, real and with a golden heart, she was kind of everything. (Also, she loves wine and anyone who LOVES wines is pretty awesome in my book #winoshavetosticktogether)
From the moment Slade and Mackenzie collide sparks fly. Lots and lots of sparks of all kinds: sparkly ones, nuclear ones and everything in between. No doubt starting off anything with a lie, even a white one, isn’t a good thing, but man things definitely go sideways for awhile. But even with everything in a weirdly controlled chaos, these two simply worked for me. They had that thing going on where I knew if they’d just let go (well, if ONE of them would let go…can you guess who??) then they’d be amazing together and though it was a struggle and numerous roadblocks were in their way, I loved where they were at in the end.
I’ve only read a small percentage of the books RVD has published and I’ve enjoyed them all, but this one is my favorite so far. She definitely took me on a ride as Slade and Mack worked through their issues and I loved seeing them evolve, even if it was painful at times. And then there is the supporting cast of characters. You all know how much I love well written characters and there are a couple of great ones in this baby. Matt, Jagger and Alfie were so much fun, even when I wanted to Gibbs smack one of them (many times). They definitely made this one a fun read and I cannot wait to get my hands on their books!
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
A new series by Rachel Van Dyken, sign me up always for any of her books. When I heard she had a new sports romance coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Let me begin that I thoroughly enjoyed Risky Play, but there was something that stopped me from giving this one a 5 star rating.
I was eating up every word, but there were things here and there that were noticeable enough to take me out of the story. There’s a bit of drama towards the end that I wish didn’t play out, it almost didn’t seem necessary. I think I would have absolutely loved the book more without that bit at the end.
Rachel really starts this book off with a bang! We’re introduced to Mackenzie and Slade, who have a rather crazy encounter on a plane, in a situation that is my worst nightmare come true. There’s this instant deep connection that resonates between the both of them and it’s something they simply can’t ignore. With both of them escaping to paradise before they go back to reality and face their present, they spend a day forgetting it all and taking jumps.
That little turn of the tide in the beginning really set things going for me and I was just reading so quickly trying to appease my mind to what was to come between Slade and Mack.
I gotta say, there are only so many authors who can get me to change my mind about a hero that’s a Grade-A you know what in the beginning and just loving them by the end. Even though I wasn’t on board with the way that Slade was treating Mack, I understood what he was doing. Everyone grieves differently and he was harboring a lot of that day and who he lost. But my goodness, he was gutting me with his hurtful words towards Mack. I have no idea how she found it in herself to forgive him, but she made him work for it!
Mackenzie is the absolute best! I loved that even when she was constantly knocked down by people in her life, she remained strong and did her best to keep moving forward. Rachel didn’t give us a weak heroine. It was definitely heartbreaking at times because she was just getting things thrown her way from all angles. But it didn’t matter what Slade or her ex and sometimes her father would throw her way, she ALWAYS gave it back. And I was 100% rooting for her!
There was one quick thing that I wanted to touch on before wrapping my review. There’s alot of different characters in this one and I was coming around to the bromance between Slade, his agent and probably his only friend, Matt and his ex-friend/teammate, Jagger. Their banter is absolutely hilarious and I hope we see more in the rest of the series. I was a bit iffy about Jagger and I still kind of am because the bit of side drama involving him and just some of his motives in general. I’m hoping he gets a book because I need to know more about this man.
So yeah, definitely an enjoyable read, but it was the unnecessary drama that I could have done without. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!
major thank you to skyscape and netgalley for the complimentary copy in consideration for a review. this does not affect my opinion of the book or review.
Risky Play is the first book in the Red Card series by the kickass Rachel Van Dyken. I love when authors give us a new group of characters. It’s like getting to know new friends. I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone so I will make this fast.
Slade needs to get away from his old life before he starts his new one. MacKenzie needs to figure out what she wants in life after she was left at the altar.
Mexico. That was their destination. They were both on covers of magazines but were not in the same circles. He was a professional soccer player. She was an heiress. They both wanted to feel alive. And they did for one night. Then she woke up alone. With him on a plane. They didn’t think they would see each other again. That was until she showed up at his house. As his errand girl.
Slade and Mack didn’t trust easily. They both had their reasons. She was broken hearted. He was struggling after a tragic loss. They were both just trying to get by day by day. Then they walked back into each other’s lives. He didn’t want her there. She didn’t want to give up.
I don’t want to get in to it too much more. I will say that MacKenzie is stronger than she thinks. She doesn’t put up with Slade’s bullshit and I loved that about her. Yes, he was an asshole but don’t give up on him.
Overall…I totally loved it!! It gave me all the feels. From beginning to end I was hooked.
P.S. Trust Rachel. She knows what she is doing.
Quotes:
“Oh? You often kiss strangers?”
“Only ones from Spain.”
“I’m killing him tonight.”
Matt just sighed. “You can’t tell me that if I’m supposed to be your alibi. At least be smart about it.”
“I’ll go Dexter on his ass. He won’t know what hit him.”
“Call me woman and I’m burning more than the bacon.”
I was friggin stoked to receive my first Rachel Van Dyken ARC! I was stopping myself from jumping up and down and happy dancing! She is one of my favorite authors in the world… Toxic is my favorite book of hers because it was memorable and it made me cry… I just love her. Her books usually cheer me up…
This is the love-story of Slade and Mack… Slade wanted to get away from the pressure of being a European soccer superstar and Mack wanted to forget the betrayal and humiliation she recently went through… both were on the same flight and were seated together… there was an engine failure and they both felt spontaneous… life is short and all sh¡+… and one thing lead to another… felt a deeper connection and then something bad happens and the rest is history…
I was so giddy the entire time I was reading… I devoured the book as fast as I can but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end…
This is sort of an enemies to lovers kinda thing but it just didn’t start that way… there was build up… there was anticipation… there was jealousy, angst.. and a bit of a drama. It has a bit of everything a good romance should have.
This is a story that’ll make you see that regardless of social status, people would always do whatever it is to heal themselves… whatever it is to chase that happiness and whatever it is to have a peace of mind… whether you get a pay cut or move far away etc… this is a story of second chances… that some people are worth breaking your walls… that some people are worth sacrificing for…
I loved the story… I love that it’s family centered which makes it relatable to me… I’m very close to my parents… I was a daddy’s girl and when my Dad died, it really affected me so much…
The pacing of the story was great. The characters were great…and look at how gorgeous the cover is! It’s light and an easy read and its definitely something ya’ll would wanna check out right away… I definitely recommend!
I’m just gonna start with this… if you didn’t love bulldogs before, you will now! I want Alfie, he’s one of my favorite parts of this read.
ANYWAYS! This might actually be one of my first ever sport based romance read, and it makes me want more… especially ones that include soccer! After this I may even become a soccer fan overall, just so I can connect even more with these characters. (Yes I am aware they aren’t real to you, but to me? I’ll root for any team Slade is on!)
The chemistry between Slade and Mack is OFF. THE CHARTS! How that happens barely 2 chapters into the story is beyond me, and I won’t question it. Even with the secrets they both share, you can feel the desire race through them, and right up your arm through the connection of your chosen reading style. Paperback or eBook, whatever suits your fancy. You will laugh at the dog based disasters, and hurt right along side them as well, trying to untangle your emotions from this will leave you befuddled in the most enjoyable way.
Rachel always knows how to draw you in and lock you up till the very end, and you won’t even want to get away! I can’t wait to get Jagger’s story now… *taps on watch expectantly* any day now…
Ok I know this will be hard to express how much I loved this book!!! I love Mack and Slade so much! The connection between them leapt off them pages.
My heart broke for Mack at the beginning of the book but it slowly healed with hers. She is a confident woman and I love when the heroine is strong and confident.
There’s no question this is a must read. I smiled so hard on the last few pages.
Slade and Mackenzie are both dedicated. Both with very legitimate reasons to not trust others, specially the opposite sex. Both the best in their own field. So of course they make a great match! It just takes them a lot of work to get to that trusting point. Specially since he has a lot of anger and guilt he needs to work through. The book pulled at my heartstrings a little with what happens to Slade. I felt like he needed a true friend, someone that would genuinely care for him. But the trick is that it needed to be someone of his choosing, that one person he would let in. And I loved that it was Mackenzie because in return she needed a warrior. Someone that would make her a priority and would not lie to her. And that is exactly what he becomes. Not just because he is loyal, despite the public thinking the contrary calling him a bad boy, but because he admires her. Even when his impulsive temper causes him to mess up constantly, he truly has the best intentions, he believes she is the best and treats her like it. They are equals. It’s a nice fun story for these characters. Very eye opening for them where in a short amount of time they realize that they just click. They feel right for each other.
McKenzie life had been planned out until her life fell part. Slade is a famous soccer player moving to America to play after his whole world was turned upside down. When McKenzie thinks tragedy may happen, she acts on her attraction to Slade. Will this chance meeting lead anywhere?
If I’m being completely honest, it took me about half the book to get behind these two being together. I enjoyed the book from the start but actually rooting for the couple took some time.
“How was I supposed to win her if I wasn’t even allowed to play the game?”
The “meet cute” aspect of this story was spot on. I loved the chemistry of that moment and their little vacation together. If things would have kept going as good as that stuff was I think I could have rated this more. Afterward, I think this book took two steps back and then came back to as good as it was in the beginning.
“Fight for me.
I closed my eyes.
I wanted someone – someone to fight for me.”
Rachel is one of my favorite authors, I devour her work. I started reading her about a year and a half ago. Since then I have read all her new releases and devoured her backlist. Some books blow me away, and some books are just really good. Then some are like this one, they are good books but a few things didn’t work for me. No matter what, I still never regret reading any of them. They are all worth the price of admission. I’m looking forward to more from this series.
I’m going to jump right into this one by saying that Slade is a jerk. A huge jerk. A colossal a$$ that you want to maim. But here’s the thing, MacKenzie is a certified badass. I mean it. She’s strong. I loved reading her even when she was falling apart and putting the pieces back together again. That’s the thing with this book. Something terrible happens to them both, one of them just handles it better than the other. Second chances romances are for second chances people! Something bad has to happen in order for there to even be a second chance at love. I’ve seen where other readers hated Slade but I personally think that the book is better for the transformation that you see. Who doesn’t want to read about love helping to heal and change someone for the better??? I mean, I’m sorry but come on- nice guy stays nice and has no flaws and is always sweet and perfect?? That’s not my thing. It’s terribly unrealistic and well- ugly stuff happens people. I love it when characters grow and evolve and we get to go along for the ride. That’s what this book is- a journey. Okay- end of rant.
Did I mention there’s a dog?? Like a large, happy, farting bulldog. Because there is. And he’s awesome.
And soccer. I was hooked at soccer. Soccer players are just the best thing ever. And I am dying for Jagger’s story. His character is one that hooked me from the beginning. Bring it on Rachel! I can’t wait to see where this series goes.
Honest review in exchange for an ARC.
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!
Well this Red Card new series started with a big bang, nothing prepared me for this story. I love Rachel Van Dyken books, but this took me by surprise in a very good way. Slade and Mackenzie are amazing! Being left at the altar Mack decides to take the honeymoon alone, there he meets a sexy stranger and a honeymoon romance fling gets going. When they thought they will never meet again, well let’s just say that life throws you a curveball from time to time.
I received an ARC in return for an honest review. I really got hooked on Slade and Mack. Their connection was undeniable. I loved their story from start to finish and couldn’t put my kindle down. It was a perfect second-chance romance!
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.