Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Book Review: The Summer Games: Settling the Score by RS Grey

Settling the Score (The Summer Games #1)
By RS Grey
Release Date: May 2, 2016
Source: Author
As an Olympic rookie, Andie Foster has spent far more time in her cleats than between the sheets. For 21 years, her Friday nights have consisted of blocking shots rather than taking them. But now that she's landed in Rio, she's ready to see for herself if the rumors about the Olympic Village are true:

The athletes are all sex-crazed maniacs...  The committee passes out condoms like candy...  The games continue long after the medals have been handed out...  As Andie walks the line between rumor and reality, she's forced into the path of Frederick Archibald, a decorated Olympic swimmer and owner of a sexy British accent--too bad he's unavailable in a way that "it's complicated" doesn't even begin to explain.

In other words: off limits.

It doesn't matter that he has abs that could bring peace to the Middle East and a smile that makes even the Queen blush; Andie fully intends on keeping her focus on the soccer field. But the Village is small. Suffocating. Everywhere Andie goes, Freddie happens to be there--shirtless, wet from the pool, and determined to show her a whole new meaning of the phrase "international affairs".



Words can't even begin to explain how obsessed I am with Scoring Wilder. Easily one of the best reads of 2015, it has been my go-to new adult recommendation to anyone who will listen. The moment I saw that Settling the Score was coming out, I couldn't wait to get lost in RS Grey's world of soccer, laughter, and undeniably sexy chemistry. 

Andie Foster has worked her entire life to make it to this moment- the Olympic Games. Once in Rio, Andie gets to see if the raunchy secrets of Olympic Village are true and finally live out her dream of winning a gold medal with the women's soccer team. When Andie finds herself crossing paths with Freddie Achibald, seasoned British olympic swimmer, their chemistry is impossible to deny. But Freddie comes with some serious baggage and Andie needs to decide if she's dedicating everything she has to the gold medal or risk it all for a man who might not be willing to risk it all for her…

I've got to tell you, RS Grey knows how to write some serious heat between her characters that just captivates you and won't let you go. I loved the attraction between Andie and Freddie and how it was impossible for them to even try to stay away from each other. It was fun seeing them run into each other around the Olympic village, between practices, and at events. There was a whole new dynamic to their relationship when they had to deal with not only their own personal feelings, but also the public's feelings about any possible relationship they may have had. Just leave them be, people!

As a sports romance lover, I have some non-negotiables when it comes to my books. A big one that is an issue in a lot of sports romances? Not enough action on the field. And for this one, I was lacking my sports that I love so much. When it was time to play in an Olympic match, Andie would walk on the field and the next sentence would be her after the game. What happened during the game!?! They were practicing their hearts out to play and we don't even get to see any of it? Even with Freddie's swimming, we never got the action inside of the pool, during the race. Only the before and after. While this may not bother many people, I wanted to see our characters in their element doing what they love to do. 

When trying to explain the intense drama involving Freddie's British world to my sister, she summed it up perfectly- A Gossip Girl Drama. At times, things got a little too dramatic with Caroline and I could have gone without how insane things were getting just to add more drama to Freddie and Andie's relationship. It definitely reminded me of something out a Gossip Girl episode. As a huge fan of Gossip Girl, that isn't an entirely bad thing, but I hadn't expected as much drama as was delivered in this book. 

Overall, I still got the same quirk and laughter that I found in Scoring Wilder, along with insanely attractive athletes and a smoldering romance. All I ask for is a little more action on the field and a little less drama as a point of conflict for the characters. In the end, I still loved this soccer world RS Grey has created and loved seeing my old friends from Scoring Wilder. I am definitely counting down the days until book two comes out and, until then, will tell everyone that they have to read RS Grey as soon as they can!

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