4.5 STARS
I've read several Lexi Ryan books, but none struck as strong a chord with me as Spinning Out did. That book made me a true fan of Lexi Ryan's writing and her story telling and I knew after reading that book, I'd devour every book she ever released from then on. That plan started with the second book in The Blackhawk Boys sports romance series, Rushing In, and it did not disappoint.
As soon as I began reading Rushing In, I was immediately brought back into the world of the Blackhawk boys and I was just as quickly taken by the refreshing dynamic Lexi Ryan created between Christopher Montgomery and Grace Lee. While I love a good taboo romance, I was never a fan of the bandwagon craze where hundreds and hundreds of books with overtly sexual STEPBROTHER emblazoned covers flooded the romance scene. That was such a turn off for me and I avoided all those books like the plague. I much prefer it when a step-sibling romance covertly sneaks up on me like this one did. I appreciate a well developed, layered story that is sexy without being overt, is a bit taboo without feeling over the top and that's exactly what Rushing In delivered. There's a whole lot of heavy, hard-to-digest content in this book and the fact that Chris and Grace's parents just got married is actually the least difficult of all the obstacles facing these characters. This story is messy and complex and it only grows exponentially more so with each turn of the page.
For the first half of this book, I felt like the emotional component that was so evident in Spinning Out was somewhat absent in Rushing In, despite how much I was thoroughly enjoying the book. I thought maybe Lexi Ryan was simply looking to write a lighter, sexier, more angsty romance between Chris and Grace, changing things up a bit from the seriously heavy, emotionally taxing romance she'd crafted between Mia and Arrow in their book. WRONG. I had no idea how heavy this story would eventually get, how gripped I'd become, how emotional I'd feel. I read practically the entire last 40% of this book with blurry eyes. The barrage of hits to these characters just kept coming... the secrets that would finally come to light, the secondary characters that would cause such strife between them, the heartbreaking relationship between Chris and his father, the demons from the past that just refused to stay there... all of it killed me. Looking back, the pacing of this story was spot on. There was always an undercurrent of something solemn, even in the lighter, fluffier, sexier moments, but it was subtle. Peppered through the sweet romance, through the humorous banter, through the simmering sexual tension were whispers of darker secrets, but they didn't consume the storyline right out of the gate the way they did with Arrow and Mia. In Rushing In, the onslaught comes later, allowing the reader to fall first, taking this romantic ride with these characters before both the characters and the reader are blindsided.
What began as an enjoyable read became an unputdownable, emotional story that wouldn't let me go. I went in liking this storyline and I came away completely in love. I came away addicted. I loved everything about this book. I loved this couple. I loved rooting for the good guy when I typically root for the bad ones. I love the author's writing. I loved how much it hurt, how much it kept hurting right up until the wholly satisfying end. I love this vast ensemble of characters, as maddening as they can all be, and I'm so thirsty for all of their own stories. I love that each installment in this series adds further dimension to this ever changing dynamic, to this world of football and friendship and romance and the heavy emotional current that ties it all together. I love everything about this series and I can not wait for more.