“The Right Swipe is everything you want in a Summer read: fun, clever, and so, so sexy.” — Popsugar
Alisha Rai returns with a sizzling new novel, in which two rival dating app creators find themselves at odds in the boardroom but in sync in the bedroom.
Rhiannon Hunter may have revolutionized romance in the digital world, but in real life she only swipes right on her career—and the occasional … in real life she only swipes right on her career—and the occasional hookup. The cynical dating app creator controls her love life with a few key rules:
– Nude pics are by invitation only
– If someone stands you up, block them with extreme prejudice
– Protect your heart
Only there aren’t any rules to govern her attraction to her newest match, former pro-football player Samson Lima. The sexy and seemingly sweet hunk woos her one magical night… and disappears.
Rhi thought she’d buried her hurt over Samson ghosting her, until he suddenly surfaces months later, still big, still beautiful—and in league with a business rival. He says he won’t fumble their second chance, but she’s wary. A temporary physical partnership is one thing, but a merger of hearts? Surely that’s too high a risk…
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A fun, modern romance novel. Everything you want in a fun read- easy to follow, fun plot line, characters you’re cheering for.
Apparently I’m a fan of prickly heroine and teddy bear hero set ups because this was just what I needed and a perfect way (in my opinion) to get hooked on a new to me author! Rhi is a bad@$$ boss b!+(h and I’m so here for it, as is Samson – the sweet, sexy Samoan giant of my dreams. I adored this twist on a second chance romance, as well as all of the family dynamics, friendships, and dating-app world intrigue. It was so good to see empowered, intelligent women in a modern and realistic (or at least seemingly) setting, the relevant commentary and connection to the #metoo movement AND CTE. I do think that Samson may have been a bit too much of a pushover at times, but I can get over that really easily. The Right Swipe is smart, emotional, clever, and sexy and I can not wait to get the story on Rhi’s brother now that I know his HEA and I hope we get books for Lakshmi and Katrina too! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
Smart and sexy modern romance set in the world of online dating apps. Woman entrepreneur meets former pro football player and their sizzling chemistry fits beautifully into a story that also incorporates serious topics ranging from anxiety to workplace #MeToo to NFL-related brain injuries to eldercare and beyond. Great on audio (though be careful who’s close enough to overhear the sexy parts, which can get pretty explicit!) My favorite of her books so far.
Really TIMELY storyline with characters who don’t always act perfectly. Emotional but never preachy or formulaic. Love the protagonists, as well as the tertiary characters. Looking forward to read Katrina’s story next. Love, love, love this author.
I really liked this book. can’t wait for the next one
I found all my favorite features in this book. The characters are over 35, from minorities, the heroine is a strong independent woman, tough on the outside, fragile on the inside. The male character, although a former football player, is not the typical alpha male. Even if there isn’t any doubt that this is a romance novel, all the usual clichés were avoided, and it was amazingly enjoyable. When you read a lot of romance like me, you notice the lack of imagination in writing. Or maybe the authors think that’s what romance readers want. For instance, to be attractive, women have to wear matching lace underwear, high heels, and something that hugged all her curves. Men all fantasize about those long legs with high heels wrapped around their lean waist and that they would be screaming their name.
Well, nothing like that in this book, and I’m very thankful for @alisharaiwrites.
Here Rhiannon has built a hard shell around her and is not the sappy young woman waiting for love to knock on her door. She had an awful experience and decided that the best way to get over it is to reach professional success and to avoid getting attached to men. But is life that simple?
An overall entertaining book. Lead female character was hard to warm up to and the rationale for her initial hatred of the lead male character was over the top.
When dating app developer Rhiannon Hunter discovers that her hot hookup turned ghoster works for a rival company, she’s surprised and… hurt. But that won’t stop her from going after what she wants. Former pro-football player Samson Lima can’t stop thinking about the mysterious “Claire” who he had an amazing night with and who he inadvertently ghosted, and he desperately wants a chance to explain himself.
‘The Right Swipe’ is a perfect iteration of a modern romance novel. Alisha Rai has always been adept at creating characters that don’t fit into the stereotypical romance mold, and praise all the romance gods for that! Her characters are diverse, layered, damaged, complicated, and beautiful. In a word, they’re REAL.
There’s a place for fantasy in this genre (which is fun, but wholly ridiculous), and there’s a place for realness (i.e. real-life scenarios, traumas, and relationship dynamics), and Rai has realness in spades. The chemistry between Rhi and Samson is white hot, and the dialogue is smart, witty, and hilarious. I’m very excited to see what comes next in this series.
Alisha Rai has written a thoroughly modern romance with The Right Swipe. The characters feel real and the situations do too. I loved meeting Rhi and Samson, and the reader believes in their HEA. I happily recommend this wonderful romance.
Following Alisha Rai on social media, I presumed that this would be a very sex-positive story with a woman having a strong sense of her own agency. And it is. Rhiannon is smart and independent, courageous enough to leave her old start up and create her own company. What I didn’t expect was an exploration of the NFL’s not so dirty little secret – the consequence traumatic brain injuries – through the hero, Samson. Ironically, I thought that was the better part of the story.
This story has been promoted as a romcom, and there are certainly those elements, but it lacks the light-heartedness I would expect from a romantic comedy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great contemporary romance that incorporates the struggles of modern romance, but more serious than I expected.
I adored Rhi and Samson. Both so guarded in different ways and yet needing of the connection they find with the other. In turns sweet and sassy and smart. I enjoyed every minute.
Samson, a former pro football player who is also a complete gentleman and caretaker, is a direct attack on me.
Alisha is one of my favorites and this is by far one of her best! Definitely read The Right Swipe!
I borrowed this from the library originally, but I’ll be buying my own personal copy pronto. This is probably the best, most interesting romance I’ve read in a long time.
I respect and support so much of what Rai writes about and includes in this novel. Diverse, smart, funny, amazing female characters. Female empowerment. The best and most supportive female and male friendships. There’s so much more and I’m all here for it. I love all of these characters and want each of their stories to consume immediately.
I will be raving about this book forever because my love knows no bounds. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Now for some of my favorite quotes from the book because I can (these aren’t spoilery):
“She had two modes when it came to texts: reply immediately, or decide to reply later and completely forget, which was why she had Lakshmi to remind her.”
#me
“‘You’re pretty stunning no matter what. But you went to fix your hair when I told you who was here, which tells me you’re not totally secure in how you look right this minute. Let me help you feel confident.'”
“Every time you hurt someone, you break off a little piece of them. Not only do they have to live with that broken piece, then the next person who comes along has to figure out a way to spackle that spot. Your behavior has ripple effects.”
A wonderful story that brought about the subjects of sexual harassment in corporates and the suffering from neurological diseases related to brain injuries in pro football players.
Rhiannon was a founder and CEO of Crush, a widely successful dating app. She was brilliant, strong, independent, and compassionate. The downfall of her prior relationship has left her with serious trust issues when it came to men.
Samson was a retired NFL player who came from a famous family with both his father and uncle being pro players who suffered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy due to repetitive brain injuries during their active years. He was also the nephew of the founder of Matchmaker, a long-standing dating website that Rhiannon was interested in acquiring. He was a caring and loving son and nephew, and a fiercely loyal friend. After losing his parents and uncle, he was trying to protect his heart by not letting anyone getting too close.
Their chemistry and attraction for each other were instantaneous right from the beginning. While there were misunderstandings along the way, circumstances either by chance or by arrangements have brought them closer together. This book was about the paths they both took to overcome their own issues, their vulnerabilities, and insecurities. I enjoyed the nice flow of the story, the events naturally unfolded like a nice movie. The supporting characters were also well portrayed.
A 5 read, alpha female heroine, low angst, stories of survivors.
**ARC of The Right Swipe provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review**
I have been out of the dating life for so long that I feel like the Duke of Avon (The Devil’s Cub): “I feel an almost overwhelming interest in the methods…employed by the modern youth.”
The Right Swipe is not only a delightful look at the modern dating scene of apps and swipes and ghosting, but it was one of the best and sweetest (and steamiest) romances I’ve enjoyed in quite a while. It was about family and trust, and how we protect ourselves from vulnerability.
The protagonists were dealing with real world issues while navigating the difficulties of finding your perfect match, and their story kept me entertained and enthralled. I can’t wait for the next volume in the Modern Love series!
As usual, Rai hits it out of the park. I especially loved her heroine–equal parts fierce and vulnerable, you root for her from page one.
Smart, sexy and current … in the sense that it deals with themes of CTE in the NFL and the Me Too movement. I highly recommend it
A Total Match For Me!
There was literally not a single thing I didn’t like about Alisha Rai’s The Right Swipe
Pacing: great
Humor: great
Steaminess:
An alpha heroine with trust issues: excellent
A hero who is patient without being a pushover: excellent
Extended family and friends who get the main characters’ personalities but also aren’t afraid to drop the truth: great
Exploration of CTE : great
Depiction of sexual harassment, victimization, and society: perfection
See literally nothing I didn’t like. Also I’m going to need Lakshmi and Tina’s book really quickly and Jia needs to get to LA really soon too!
Oh, and Samson, PERFECTION!
I loved Alisha Rai’s “The Right Swipe.” This book took me by surprise in the best way. I was expecting a light, fun read, and there were certainly some light and fun elements to it, but there were also several very serious subjects explored, including sexual harassment/abuse in the workplace and the consequences of repeated head injuries in pro football, among others. The author clearly did her homework on these topics, and her passion for bringing much needed attention to them was clear.
That said, IMO the romance between the main characters, Samson and Rhiannon, was still the core of the book. There was a tremendous amount of emotional depth to these characters and the overall story, and I couldn’t help but empathize with Samson and Rhiannon. I found them both to be well-developed and incredibly likeable. It was maybe a bit difficult for me to warm up to Rhi at first, but as I continued to read and got to understand her better, I liked her more and more. Learning about her background and past experiences explained so much about her actions and personality traits in the present. She was tough, but she had her reasons for that. Fortunately, Samson was able to make a case for Rhi to break her own rule against giving people second chances, because the two of them made a really great couple.
I guess my one complaint about this book – if you can really call it a complaint – is that there was no epilogue. It would have been nice to see Rhi and Samson a few months or years down the line, after they’ve settled into their relationship and worked together on overcoming some of their remaining issues. Hopefully we will get updates on them in future books in the series.
Speaking of future books, I am very much looking forward to reading Rhi’s best friend Katrina’s story in book two. She was an incredibly likeable secondary character here, and I can’t wait to learn more about her!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.