It’s only in the U.S. where the premise of “Risky Play
That he is also a likeable and relatable fellow is a great plus. Kudos to Rachel Van Dyken for making Slade Rodriguez an unforgettable sports hero in a game that we as Americans barely know.
Personally, I don’t know much about soccer. Hailing from Dallas, it’s all about the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Burn (FC Dallas), the city’s pro soccer team barely makes the local sports news.
But I have also personally seen how beloved the game is in Europe when Italy won the World Cup on July 9, 2006. I was in Europe that time attending the menswear shows and haute couture week in Milan and Paris, respectively.
During the final four of the playoffs, Italy was playing the same time as the Versace menswear show. Donatella Versace postponed the fashion show until halftime so that everyone can watch the game on the jumbotron at Palazzo Versace.
At halftime, instead of watching the game’s halftime show, all of us fashionistas attending the Versace show saw the maison’s latest menswear collection. Needless to say, Italy won that match.
When I started reading “Risky Play” and figured that the hero Slade Rodriguez was a world-renowned soccer player, it was like reliving those two weeks in 2006. Yes, he was pre-sold to me because of my experience. Still, Rachel Van Dyken made Slade my favorite book boyfriend!
Mackenzie Dupont, the heroine is no slouch either. She might be an heiress, but she also happened to be a career woman being the top sommelier of her family’s wine company. That she has lots of insecurities made her very real.
Again, I will chalk that one up to Rachel Van Dyken’s writing prowess. If Mackenzie is a real person, her peers will be the Lydia Hearsts and Paris Hiltons of this world. These two women are the epitome of self-confidence and self-assurance. So, for Mackenzie to be written as full of self-doubt and make it very believable goes to show that the author really knows her craft.
Slade and Mackenzie’s love story is quite extraordinary for a contemporary romance. Two famous people who have no idea who the other was because they came from two different parts of the world.
There was that chemistry of course, which led to their one-night stand. It should have been just one of those nights, but fate had other plans. Of all the soccer teams in the world, Slade had to be traded in Seattle. Of all the employment agencies in the world, Slade’s team has to hire the one that Mackenzie’s family owns. And the rest as you know is their hot and hilarious love story complete with paparazzis.
“Risky Play
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Risky Play
Risky Play
It’s only in the U.S. where the premise of “Risky Play” can happen – a World Cup winning soccer player can pass up just an unknown good-looking guy!
Title: Risky Play
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: Skyscape
Series: Red Card, Book 1
Summary
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 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.
