Tag Archives: Extreme Risk

Review: Shattered (Extreme Risk #3) by Tracy Wolff

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No-Brainer

Title: Slashed
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 9/29/15
Length:   190 pages
Series:  Extreme Risk #3

Overview

Bighearted and easygoing, Luc Jennings is falling behind in a family of serious overachievers. While he may be decent enough at snowboarding to turn pro and rack up some sponsors, he’s never topped any podiums—unlike his friends Z, Ash, and Cam. Luc’s always been head over heels for Cam Bradley, but she’s never seen him as anything more than a friend. Now, after years of coming in second, Luc can’t take it anymore—especially if it means watching Cam chase another guy.

Cam hangs out almost exclusively with dudes, and that’s fine by her. She’d much rather be shredding at the Olympics than primping in the mirror. Cam’s wildest dreams have a way of coming true—except when it comes to getting her longtime crush and best friend, Z Michaels, to notice her. Then her mother suddenly shows up after being gone for, like, ever, and Cam’s whole world comes crashing down. Desperate for a place to lay low, she turns to the one person who’s always had her back.

Try as he might to move on, Luc could never leave Cam hanging. He lets her crash at his place—and it isn’t long before she winds up in his bed. With Cam running scared and her icy facade starting to melt at last, Luc’s determined to finally win the only prize that matters.

My Thoughts

I think that we’ve all been waiting to see how the chemistry and miss-match between Luc and Cam would play out, and if we thought we’d get the obvious story – well i think we were all wrong.  We know that they’ve each been attracted and pining for one another for years, yet never admitted it.  Well, we learned that over the course of the other 2 installments, there was a drunken night where these 2 came together, and well, that’s not something that worked out well for them both.  As a result, they haven’t spoken in months, and it’s been horrible for everyone.

So it’s only after a day out on the lake, watching each other do tricks on a wakeboard that somehow the ice has been broken and the conversations start again.  There’s obvious discomfort, and obvious chemistry still, and you have to wonder what it’s going to take to bring them together.

Well, easy enough – it’s the fact that Cam walks in on her dad on the couch with her mom – who had walked out on the family (the mom that is) 17 years ago, and well, that never ends well.  Where else does Cam feel she can go – to Luc, and that gives us a level of really combustive chemistry.  You see the fire and sparks pretty much leaping off the pages between them, and we get some of the steamiest writing from Ms Wolff yet!  One would assume that it’s all easy and smooth from there, 2 best friends finally coming to terms with what they mean to each other, yet, there’s jealousy that makes it worse, and they find themselves further apart than before.

It’s not until something life changing, potentially career ending strikes one of them that we see what they truly mean to each other and if they are able to make it work.  The question that we’re all forced to ask – Cam who’s on the cusp of the best season of her life – will she get to see the successes that she’d due?  Luc – the guy who’s always been on the rim, good but not great – will he ever get his chance to shine? You want to hope for the best, but you don’t know if it’s going to happen for them.  So – that’s where this series seems to close out – we find closure and endings where we could only hope to see them.  Enjoy!

Review: Shattered (Extreme Risk #2) by Tracy Wolff

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No-Brainer

Title: Shattered
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 5/20/14
Length:   340 pages
Series:  Extreme Rish #2

Overview

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy Hampton has a different look and a new passion every week. As a cancer survivor who spent the past several years waiting to die, Tansy has a fresh perspective on life—even if she doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants to do with it. But she’s determined to find out, and that means making the most of her time while she still can.

Ash Lewis has poured every last ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the very top of the professional snowboarding world—until the unthinkable happens. After the biggest competition win of his career, Ash’s mother and father are killed in a tragic accident. Unable to handle the idea of going back out on the snow to pursue the dream his parents shared with him, Ash feels that he has no choice but to walk away from snowboarding forever. Then he meets Tansy.

From the very beginning, their chemistry is intense. But while Ash can’t stop chasing the ghosts of what can never be, Tansy stays firmly focused on the possibilities the world holds for her—and for them. She’s already picked up the pieces of one shattered life. Now she’s determined to help Ash do the same.

My Thoughts

Coming from the shock that we got at the very end of the first book Shredded, i think that we were all wondering where this story was going to go for Ash, one of the boarders that we’ve come to know and love.  This 2nd installment takes us a few months into the future, where Ash is trying to recover from the news that his parents were killed in a car accident on their way to one of his competitions, and that his brother is now paralyzed from the accident as well.  Life as they knew it is completely changed.

Tansy, as the summary above notes, has finally gone into remission from her own bout with illness, and now she’s working for the Make A Wish Foundation, where there’s a little boy who’s dying wish is to watch Ash snowboard.  Of course, it’s an uphill battle for her as she’s  trying to come into her own as a ‘healthy’ 19 year old, and she’s trying to make dreams come true before it’s too late.

The path that this story takes is one of personal growth, getting past fears and uncertainties and learning to open up and listen, not just pretend to listen, but to actually do it.  Ash specifically has put himself into a position where he thinks he’s doing all the right things by his brother and by Tansy, but in reality, he’s not paying attention to what’s best for everyone, himself included.  We see this result in several fights, relationships broken up, families getting torn apart, just because folks are stubborn.

We go from Park City to Chile, from half pipes to avalanches, and then end up in a hospital, wondering if someone’s life will end too soon.  Different from the first book in this series, we get some of that passion and heat that Ms Wolff is known for coming back into play.  Where Z and Ophelia definitely had chemistry, there are scenes in this 2nd book that are sizzling and i think that it’s a bit of what i missed before.  I can only hope that we get more of that in the next book, so that we can see either Luc or Cam get some of what they seem to be missing.

So on that note, happy Monday and i’ll be back soon!

Review: Shredded (Extreme Risk #1) by Tracy Wolff

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No-Brainer

Title: Shredded
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 2/4/14
Length:   304 pages
Series:  Extreme Rish #1

Overview

Twenty-one-year-old professional snowboarder Z Michaels is the bad boy of Park City, Utah. He’s always had his pick of any girl in town—and on the competition circuit. But underneath his cool exterior is a young man in turmoil, trying to take the edge off tragedy by overindulging in sex and shredding the slopes. In fact, Z’s rash behavior is a thinly veiled attempt to blunt his emotional suffering with physical pain.

Ophelia Richardson isn’t like any girl Z has ever met. Though she’s from New Orleans, she’s no Southern belle—and she’s not shy about being miserable in frozen, godforsaken Park City. But after nearly dying in the same drag-racing accident that killed her boyfriend, she needs a place to heal, both physically and emotionally. The last thing Ophelia wants right now is a boyfriend—especially one as rich and reckless as Z. But Ophelia soon discovers that he isn’t what he seems. If anything, Z may be even more damaged than she is.

Feeling alone in the world, Z and Ophelia find a connection unlike any they’ve ever known. But their tormented pasts pull them in every direction, forcing their relationship into a downhill slide before it even begins—unless they can find the strength in each other to trust, grow, and love again.

My Thoughts

As you guys can probably tell by now, i’m a big fan of this author – Tracy Wolff has managed to get me interested and intrigued by all of the characters that she writes and all of the story lines.  there’s just the right amount of passion and heat followed up by a worthwhile story line that keeps me invested.

In this introduction to the series, we find ourselves in Park City at a ski resort with a group of 4 best friend snowboarders (3 guys and a girl) who have a close enough bond to be considered family while there are romantic feelings muddling things up among some of them.

We have our leading man, Z – who’s probably the best boarder in the group but he’s got a lot of baggage that constantly gets in the way.  he’s a manwhore for sure – different girl every night, but he’s also got some trauma in his past that makes things even tougher for ppl to get close and in his head. Then there’s the fact that one of his closest friends keeps making advances on him, and he’s trying to get the attention of a new girl who’s shown up at the resort.

That’s where this story takes us, as we have alternating chapters from Z’s perspective and from Ophelia (the new girl).  She’s got her own history and story that takes some time to come out, but it’s something that makes a whole lot of sense once you get the back story.

As expected, we see a clashing of personalities here underlined by the fact that there’s an intense attraction and a similar thing that they both see in each other.  The heat’s there but it’s a slow build.  And different than what we’ve seen in other series that Ms Wolff has written, this one is a bit more R rated than NC-17 if you get what i’m saying as aside from a few scenes, while it’s hot, it’s not over the top hot.

There of course are a series of crazy, near death experiences that bring this crew apart and together, and it’s the last paragraph or sentence even that makes your heart break – as someone’s just died.  who?  well it’s more than one person, and what will that mean for this budding romance and the crew?  we’ll, have to wait and see in Shattered – book 2.  On that note – happy sunday!