The Summer Games: Out Of Bounds by R.S. Grey Review
5 Smooches
Synopsis
I despise Erik Winter.
He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.
I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.
Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.
The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.
Fine. By. Me.
If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.
Review
‘I craved gold.’
WOW! What did I just read! The Summer Games: Out Of Bounds somehow manages to be quintessentially R.S. Grey and yet it’s also completely unlike any other book she has ever written. I have read everything that R.S. Grey has written and have love them all, so I thought I had a good feel for what I was getting with this book, but not only did she hit all the points I have grown to love from her but she has expanded and grown.
“Go to bed, Brie. I don’t play with girls.”
Brie is getting ready to go to her first Olympics and is determined to win so she can get endorsements and repay her mom for all the sacrifices she made in order for her to pursue her dream. Her coach getting sick at the last minute means now his son is taking over and Brie and the three other girls on the team must go and spend a month in Seattle getting ready for Rio. Instantly upon her arrival she is aware of two things, Erik Winter is beyond HOT and he is a GIANT asshole. Erik and Brie push each other’s buttons like nothing else can and yet they are drawn to each other. Often their fights turn passionate but the moment it is over the pain of being at war with each other is back.
‘Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. God, I hated him.’
The Summer Game: Out Of Bounds follows the R.S. Grey formula full of a quirky cast of characters, a fun yet dramatic plot and nothing too over the top as far as angst goes. And yet, it feels completely new and fresh from her other work. When I say Erik is mean to Brie, I mean he is MEAN! He often says hurtful and spiteful things to her often making sure she feel young and that he is out of reach for her. Making their mutual attraction feel to her like a one sided school girl crush. But don’t get worried for her because normally mild mannered, keep to herself Brie cannot seem to stop poking the beast. Antagonizing him to his breaking point and throwing back his hurtful comments right back to him. She gives as much as she gets and I LOVED it. Now beyond the war between the two the other point that stood out was how incredibly sexy and erotic this story got to. The build and tension that I desire in a book from R.S. Grey was there but once the story got sexy it got SEXY. All caps, WOW did that really just happen, I need to talk to someone about this ASAP, kind of sexy. I wish I could go into it more because I am still desperate to talk about all that went down (if you have read this book and need to talk about it to hit me up lol) but just know you will be surprised . . .and delighted.
‘She was fierce, she wanted to be seen, and not just for her gymnastics skills. No, she wanted to be desired. Coveted. Craved.’
Seriously, it you like a sports romance or a hate to love romance or good banter, wit , or you just love a great story than this is it. Read it. I can honestly say that this book can 100% be read as a standalone with barely any mention of the characters from the previous Summer Games story (although that one too is a top recommendation from me.) I love R.S. Grey and I ADORED this book and if my dreams and wishes come true maybe one day I will get some stories from all the side characters I fell for in this book too.
~miranda
