Publisher's Weekly Review
Straitlaced heiress Mackenzie "Mack" DuPont falls for pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez in this seductive yet sweet intro to the Red Card contemporary sports romance series, set in Seattle. Months after being jilted at the altar, Mack goes in search of adventure and meets the sexy Slade, whom she doesn't recognize despite his fame. Using fake identities, they spend a glorious night together, only for her to awaken to an empty bed and no sign of the man who stole her heart-and took her virginity. Slade's father's death has left him bitter and broken. When Mack's manager hires Slade as Mack's assistant, Slade thinks Mack is stalking him and immediately shows her his bad side, trying to get her to quit. Mack will not let another man push her around, so she stays on. As she tries to help him heal, they grow closer, but their love is tested when both their greedy exes plot against them, turning their newfound peace into a media frenzy. Van Dyken (the Liars Inc. series) mixes comic relief with personal growth, making this catchy romance irresistible. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media Group. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A European soccer superstar and a wine heiress have an unforgettable weekend in Puerto Vallarta, but when real life resumes, their happily-ever-after is in for an uphill battle.Both suffering from heartbreak, Mackenzie DuPont and Slade Rodriguez meet on the plane to Puerto Vallarta. Their trips are supposed to give them both time to heal from their partners' betrayals, but they end up having a steamy affair instead. When, in the middle of the night, Slade gets the terrible news that his father has died, he disappears without a trace. Since Mackenzie and Slade gave each other fake names, there are no hopes they'll have a reunion. A month later, Mackenzie takes a job with the Blue Service Assistant Company, unable to go back to her family's business just yet since her former fiance still works there. She doesn't expect her first client to be Slade, especially when it seems like all traces of the tender, passionate man she met in Puerto Vallarta are long gone. Instead, Slade has turned into an angry, bitter shell of a man, blaming Mackenzie for the fact that he didn't call his father on the night he died. Bursting with tension and a heaping dose of melodrama, Slade and Mackenzie's path to a happily-ever-after feels very much like a soap opera. Not only do they have to contest with Slade's grief and Mackenzie's trust issues, but there are several outside forces trying to keep them apart. While over-the-top with its scheming exes and frequent masculine posturing, this one promises to be a compulsive, engrossing romance for the right readers. However, the constant emotional whiplash requires patience and a strong tolerance for contrived, manufactured drama.Truly a love-it-or-hate-it contemporary romance. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Mackenzie Dupont is a 30-year-old virgin heiress who was just left at the altar, so she decides to go solo on the honeymoon she planned with her (ex) fiancé. Airplane turbulence has her seeking comfort from her seatmate, who, fortunately, is the very hot pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez, also escaping from heartache. They give each other fake names, then have one night of crazy passion. Back in Seattle, Mack takes a temporary job as a personal assistant. When she learns it's Slade who needs his dishes washed and dog walked, she almost balks. But she knows he's hurting, too, and she decides he needs her, just not like that, at least for as long as she can hold off her own attraction to him. Some of Slade's locker-room banter with his teammates is a little too macho, but that misstep does not detract from an uncomplicated story about a guy getting over himself to stand up for the woman he loves.--Susan Maguire Copyright 2019 Booklist
Library Journal Review
When Mackenzie DuPont is jilted at the altar by childhood best friend and romantic "foregone conclusion" Alton, she's convinced she's lost the only person who really understood her. Feeling adrift, she embarks on their honeymoon trip to Puerto Vallarta alone. Destiny seats her next to Slade Rodriguez, who is traveling solo for similarly grim reasons. He's running from his troubles, including an unfaithful partner, and leaving his cushy spot on the Chelsea football team in the UK for Seattle. An emergency landing brings the pair closer, physically and figuratively. Neither tells the whole truth about their identities, as they're too willing to let the thrill of this anonymous one-night stand take the helm. But tragedy strikes and separates the two, souring their tryst and rendering their -reunion as boss and assistant entirely unwelcome on both sides. Eventually, Slade comes to terms with his destructive grief and unfounded blame, and Mackenzie learns to let in the best (and briefest) thing she's ever had. Van Dyken's (The Matchmaker's Playbook) prose is absorbing, and readers will find themselves rooting for Mackenzie and Slade individually and together. Side plots of Slade's community service with kids and his rivalry-turned-begrudging friendship with a teammate bring levity to realistic depictions of dealing with intense loss. VERDICT An enjoyable romp that blends sex with soul-searching, as Mackenzie's and Slade's attempts to outrun their problems send them crashing into each other. Recommended for collections seeking erotica with a significant emotional arc. © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.