Publisher: Self Published
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Reviewer: MinnChica
Former Olympian turned physical therapist to the elite Julia Bailey knows all about pushing the limits. But when a sexual harassment suit costs her a dream job—not to mention her reputation—she takes on the biggest risk of her life. Rehabilitating the X Games’ most notorious bad boy might be just what she needs to secure the funds for her own treatment center. Problem is, the only kind of recovery her new client is interested in is under-the-covers freestyle—gear optional.
Daredevil snowboarder Noah Hunt is a rock star—on and off the slopes. A recent accident might have him down, but he’s far from out. He doesn’t care what the sexy therapist with the sweet curves says. He’s got sponsors to impress and trophies to collect, and taking things slow and steady just ain’t his style. A little dirty talk and a sizzling night later, Julia learns just how fast and hard he likes to play. Too bad for him, his heart goes all in, and one wrong move could cost him more than just his career.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
Everyone knows that I have a soft spot for sports romance books. I thought long and hard about requesting this one, because I know (or care) next to nothing about snowboarding. But I’m happy to report I enjoyed it.
Julia loves being a physical therapist, and working with top of the line athletes is her dream. But a scandal took away her dream, and the only lifeline she has to get it back is by working with snowboarder Noah, a playboy and bad boy to the extreme. Julia isn’t too sure she’s ready to take on his larger-than-life ego, but her life goals are on the line.
Noah thinks he can rehab himself back into top physical condition, but after just a few days with Julia, he realizes that not only does he want her in his bed, but he needs her to get him back on his feet. Working day and night together is killer on his libido, but the more time they spend together, the more Noah realizes that he wants her for the long term, not just a night.
Although I know nothing about snowboarding, I liked the way Jordan was able to bring the culture to life. Noah and his friends were so laid back and go-with-the-flow kind of guys, but at the same time they also were dedicated to their sport and each other. I liked that Noah had a lot more depth to him than I thought he would, and liked seeing Julia get broadsided with his wit and intelligence at every turn.
While I really enjoyed Julia’s character, there were quite a few times when the medical mumbo-jumbo had my eyes glazing over and actually pulled me from the story. While I respect the fact that Jordan most likely did a ton of research for Julia’s character, I didn’t need all the terminology and long-winded explanations into nerves and bones and damage and what-not. Like I said, it was jarring enough that it pulled me out of the enjoyment of the story. That being said, I did like Julia. She was hard-headed and stubborn to the extreme. She refused to take crap from Noah and his friends, and she pushed everyone around her to be better, be healthier.
The romance between these two was full of chemistry. Despite their one passion-filled night together before starting their working relationship, much of the book is full of sexual tension as Julia imposes a sex ban. 🙂 The build up is really good, and I enjoyed watching as they worked on becoming friends and co-workers before jumping back into bed together. It added another layer to their relationship that I really enjoyed.
I also wish that we would have been given a few more clues earlier in the book regarding Julia’s history. The hints were so vague that I felt like we weren’t really given the chance to build up to the big reveal, and it made everything a little anti-climactic for me.
All in all, I enjoyed the first book in the Xtreme Heroes series and will look to see if future books will feature some of the secondary characters I enjoyed. I thought Julia and Noah were a wonderful and fun couple, and I really enjoyed their romance.
I give The Risk a B
I rarely read sport romances, as I am just not interested in sports at all. But the few that I read, I enjoyed, and this one sounds good. Thanks for the review!