Challenge Me: Breaking

by V.M. Rose

Challenges, I love them, heck I thrive on them, and Jason knows exactly how to challenge me in all the right ways.

Lizzy:
Despite his harsh and secretive exterior, each time I see him, I want more of him.
He is infuriating, pushes all my buttons, and constantly challenges me...but God can he kiss.
I know just how to give it back to him with my quick quips and my flirty antics.

Jason:
She is so beautiful and she doesn't even know it.
She always has some quick quip and smart remark for me, but the things that I want to do to that smart mouth in return are anything but smart for a man in my position.
My temper and the secrets I have will probably be our undoing and ultimately be what breaks us.


This steamy adult romance series is sure to please with its fun and flirty characters, swim team antics, second chances, and love triangles. But, will passion be enough to save Lizzy and Jason from heartbreak?

Elizabeth Dixon greets her freshman year of college just as everyone else does: with high expectations and hope for positive new experiences. She’s quickly confronted with new challenges in her social life, school work, and swim team, but her biggest challenge will be dealing with her best friend’s roommate Jason—who’s also her teammate.

Jason Green knows how to push all of Elizabeth’s buttons and never passes the opportunity to let her know that they will never be more than teammates. That is, until one unexpected kiss after practice changes everything. Despite his harsh and secretive exterior, Jason has a softness when it comes to Elizabeth, but will he allow himself to open up enough to keep her by his side?

Their newfound back-and-forth relationship brings more tribulations than Elizabeth is willing to bear, and Jason’s ill-temper might not be strong enough to carry the extra weight. Will their passion for one another be enough to withstand their issues, or will heartbreak be another challenge to break Elizabeth?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

263 pages, ebook

First published January 8, 2022

About the author

I do some of my best writing poolside during the summer, with a hot cup of coffee or by the fire with a glass of wine.

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Reviews

[Edea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into Challenge Me: Breaking blind, after author Victoria Maurer requested a read and honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Breaking is the story of a young student athlete off to college and living on her own for the first time; learning to balance the dynamics of dorm life, making new friends, doing well in classes, building team camaraderie, and the balance it takes to succeed. Elizabeth meets up with an acquaintance and finds more than she was looking for in his mysterious roommate…who turns out to be her teammate. Something draws her to him, and their chemistry is explosive. With secrets and touch her and you die vibes, Maurer’s story builds to Lizzy questioning everything. Is it all too much for her first semester?

Funny coincidence, I swam NCAA D1 in my college years, so this book hit me hard with nostalgia. I love how accessible coming-into-her-own-story is, even with any insider knowledge. All the culture specific jargon and experiences are handled well and seamless with the plot. I loved the characters, their relationships, and I can’t wait to see more from Victoria Maurer.

What I Loved:
I lived this experience--college swimming, dating, classes, and living pseudo on your own. Maurer’s work contains accurate portrayals of the changes and growth that happens in your first year away.

Strong female character. Lizzy is strong and developing as she moves into the adult sphere of managing everything herself. Her group of girlfriends (when present), mother, and sister are also portrayed in a dynamic way that doesn’t cloud over our FMC’s perspective, but adds to the realistic portrayal of women and their relationships.

Accurate team relationships. Ok, I know not everyone has been on mixed gendered sports teams. The team I joined went from being separate to combined under the same head coach my first year—there were a lot of growing pains for everyone, but the team energy was very similar. Well written banter and big brother energy. I wish I had seen more interaction between Lizzy and other female members of the team, but her training group seemed very specific.

Spice was excellent. The romance scenes were written with care and provided heat to the story. The whole touch-her-and-you-die vibe Jason has going was fun in the instances it came out.

Mystery build--I will HAVE to read the next one. I’ll admit, I shamelessly asked to be an ARC reader for the next book. I loved this one that much. The dawning Lizzy had as she learns that Jason may not be who she thinks he is sneaks up on her and when it hit, it was startling–just as it should have been. The slow build to the events at the end kept me looking for more pages and answers.

Family relationships, like above, I loved the F to F relationships, but I will also mention Jason’s family. We don’t see them for long, but the closed off son in a family in crisis was well written.

What Didn't Work for Me:
One thing that caught my attention at the end was Lizzy’s belief that she stood up for herself to Jason every time he pulled something she didn’t like. She might have called him out on things, but very realistically, she backed down quickly each time. It’s one of the unhealthy things about their unlabeled relationship and a major catalyst for different plot points as the mystery unfolds. I was hoping she would realize this with her end of book epiphany, but it wasn’t the case. More growth coming in book two?

So, this one is a little nit-picky, but Lizzy does seem to be overly aware of how awful she is acting whilst she is drunk. I haven’t experienced being in anyone else’s head when under the influence, so I can’t say that doesn’t happen, but it seemed to be convenient that she goes from full on weepy drunk to aware that she needs to clean up and get things together very quickly. As well as a few other plot points that I would think are hazy based on the actions that happen around them.

There was a slut shaming scene that seemed very unnecessary--not sure if it will build into something else that makes it integral to growth, but it seemed like a throw away moment between two friends about another friend. I didn’t care for it.

All in all, the writing was well-researched, well-done, and there is a mystery building and a budding romance.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A steamy college sports romance. I devoured it in less than a day. The chemistry between Lizzy and Jason is insta-lust right away and the tension is 🔥 with a good buildup to some spice. Jason has very sweet moments when he’s with only Lizzy. But he has some serious red flags and he’s keeping some secrets. You best believe I ran to KU and have book 2, Challenge Me: Broken, queued up and ready! Especially with that cliffhanger!!

🌶🌶🌶

*I received a free copy for an honest review*

[Madhur Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super intriguing read

This is my first book by the author and what a ride it was. I love how she writes. You genuinely are invested in the book as a reader and it's super hard to let go. The writing is easy and simple but super captivating. And the characters, Jason and Elizabeth, are the exact complication you need to read about.

The push and pull between Jason and Elizabeth makes the entire romance in the book epic. The emotions run wild and at times I was just way too frustrated with Jason. I really want to know what is it with him? Why is he the way he is? What is it with his personality?

I think i really need to get to the next installment in this series. So to conclude, this is an amazing story that you should definitely read, if you like enemies to lovers and then enemies again.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am so glad my book friend recommended this book and author to me. Once I download it I wasn't able to put it down. The characters are well written and the story line flows well. Lizzy is a little bit competitive and sassy. She has no issues put people in their place. The only thing she is forgives to easily. Jason is a big jerk. I know that he has issues going that makes him that way. Hopefully we will fi d out more later. I love Mark. You can tell he cares for Lizzy and is a great friend. But am wondering if he's to good to be true. Guess we will find out later

[THE EXTRAORDINARY YOU · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHALLENGE ME : BREAKING

Blurb :

Elizabeth Dixon has high expectations and hope as a freshman in college. She is a young, vibrant girl, with major in history and have swimming as passion. She confronts many challenges in her new college life, Handling College, Social Life, Swim Team, and most of all her best friend's roommate Jason. What could possibly go wrong with a hot swimmer!?

Jason Green, a cold man with an attitude that nobody could ever stand, knows how to stir something in Elizabeth. But also, he makes it clear that they can never be more than friends. But after an unexpected kiss after practises makes her question if he really don't want to be more than friends. She gets to know Jason more, how can a rough and secretive boy has softness inside him.

But will he entirely allow Elizabeth inside his life? Their complicated but steamy relationship makes her feel good and confused. Will she be able to tolerate Jason's attitude and temper? Will their passion towards each other has hope for anything more than just passion? Or Will heartbreak be another challenge to Elizabeth?

My Thoughts:

This story has that Young Adult touch, which I really loved. The way Elizabeth was strong and brave to face any challenges made me question myself, Am I strong enough to accept these challenges? It made me realize that Being Strong and Confident is a major thing that one has to have in life.

I took my time to read this book as i didn't want it to end. Lol. I didn't know this was a trilogy until the book ended in a cliffhanger. Yes, read the title! I'll say no more😂

The sequel to this book is out for Arc Readers and I can't wait for the book to be published.

This made me enjoy the college days. How a college could be fun and exciting. And all of Jason and Lizzy was damn good. I need to know more of Jason's Pov though!

If you are looking for a Spicy Romance Novel, that gives you Ya feel, this is the perfect choice.

[Zeena Becks · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this is part one in a series. I feel like I should put that warning out there because I didn't know and as the pages left in the book kept getting fewer, I felt my panic slowly creeping up and heard me internally screaming, "how does she want to squeeze a HEA into the remaining 1% of the story???"
Luckily, it looks like there's going to be a part 2, and I already find myself thirsty for more. For a conclusion. For the answer to so many questions...

But, first of, what is this book even about?
It's a feel-good college romance with just enough drama and friction to glue you to your seat and binge through it until you've reached the end.
Elizabeth is a freshman at college. She's competitive, she's disciplined, and she's determined to get through college with good grades in her history major and the best possible performance in her swim team. What she doesn't need is distraction, but who could possibly resist if distraction presents itself in the deliciously well-shaped body of her teammate Jason?
Unfortunately, Jason is an infuriatingly moody a$$hole who keeps challenging her at practise, ignores her during the day, and turns her world upside down with his charm at night. All too soon, Elizabeth finds herself falling for the guy she can't help hating all the same...
She just feels there's so much more to him, so many secrets left to discover, so much potential for something that could be real. Until his mood shifts yet again.

This first part is a nice introduction to the characters. I easily clicked with Elizabeth, and since it's only her POV, I find myself just as thirsty for info on the charming bad boy as she is. The whole vibe of the book made me feel so content and good, as if I was lying at a beach in the hot summer sun, even if it definitely tackles more serious topics, too. In fact, I did cry the one or other time... It contains quite a few mature scenes, but not too many. A good, well-measured amount to please those smut-seekers without overdoing it for everyone else.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this romance, and I can't wait for more!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a college age romance this is a good one. I say this just because personally I can't stand when the characters act too much their age but in this case that was not a problem. Yes, Lizzy did come off as a freshman, but it was not too overwhelming that it turned me off. In fact, in this case, I liked that Lizzy was not well versed in men.

I too like Lizzy in the beginning thought Jason was going to be trouble. You could just feel the vibes he was giving off. Yet, you could not help but be drawn to him at the same time. Although, I will say that Lizzy and Jason's relationship is an angsty one. Which I look forward to continuing their story with the next book.

[Erika Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge Me: Breaking by Victoria Maurer immediately pulled me in. Lizzy, a prude freahman has met her match, co-distance swimmer, Jason Green. The electricity between them is more than small sparks. The downfall is his need for privacy and she needs and deserves more than she gets from the blue-eyed Sophomore who gives off more mixed signals than crossed wires. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. The relationship brings the full gamete of emotions, the descriptions and spicy nuances made it impossible to put down! I can't wait to see what the second book, Challenge Me: Broken brings about for the duo!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

[Danneika N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as an ARC team/group read. This book was a cute coming of finding yourself story. The "freshman" meets the pretty boy and falls hard for him. They both are going through life changing situations. The struggle of juggling college life, and dealing with emotions.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/6/2022)! 🎁

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance books is not my normal go-to but I wanted to try something new.

I enjoyed the relationship that Lizzy had her friends and family and how supportive they were. Her friends built each other up throughout the most of the book but it was instantly thrown away with the slut shaming.

I also enjoy seeing the different dynamic between Mark and Jason. I would have preferred seeing a little more of Mark. I think it would have book given the characters just a little more depth.

Lizzy seems like she is a strong female character but just loses her power around Jason. She recognized and calls him out on it but just no follow through.

The spicy bits are nice though

I am interested enough to continue to read the next book. I would like to see how everything unfolds.

[Rimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

❇ Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

❇ Review:

Steamy college sport romance, and it's swimming, yes, interesting setting that I never read anything before and I really like this book. The book has some very realistic approach of college life, beautiful family dynamics, interesting convos between friends about different topics, and some very likeable characters.

The story is told from Lizzy's perspective and she's really funny, quirky character to follow.

The romantic parts, the spice of this book is also good. But only thing that dampness the mood is our other main character Jason. There's time when I like him but mostly I didn't. I like Mark and Micah more than him.

But it's only the first book of the series, so I'm hoping to see more of Jason to understand him properly.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!! I loved the connection between Lizzy and Jason. I also loved the tension between the two. The spice was so hot, and seriously the ending, I can’t wait for the next one!

[Anna J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth is going away to college and trying to adjust to dorm life, classes, and swim team schedule. How quickly she falls for a guy on the swim team-Jason who just happens to be her friend Mark's roommate.

Mark is British and charming, caring, attentive, nice guy and he treats her like a queen. Unfortunately she isn't attracted to that. She goes for Jason who is one controlling, manipulative, lying jerk. He treats her like dirt and she keeps going back for more. This is where I wanted to scream at her why? What the heck is wrong with you? Of course it is always easy to see how toxic a relationship is when you are on the outside looking in. She is all wrapped up in her emotions and thinking this is love.


This is first in series so left up in the air wondering what is going to happen next.

[Kayla Morren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t get over how much the main character cried in this book. And while I understand it’s a bully romance (at least it seemed like it for sure), it was instalove with no build up to falling in love and just doing it? I tried to enjoy it but then were also grammatical errors 70% through that just really turned me off of this book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking is the first installment of the Challenge Me trilogy by Victoria Maurer. This college sports romance is a compelling story that is fast-paced and filled with explosive tension and angst, seductive romance, suspense, unraveling secrets, and acts of betrayal. You will devour this novel and experience a roller coaster of emotions from start to end!

Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Dixon is a talented young student athlete attending her freshman year of college at SWCU. She is a disciplined long distance swimmer majoring in history with a promising future. Lizzy is on her own for the first time and must balance demanding classes and coursework, a rigorous training schedule, a blossoming social life, and temptations of lustful distractions.

Jason Green is a brooding and mysterious junior at SWCU with a domineering presence that is alluring. He is attractive, athletic, and unashamedly arrogant. He is the bad boy player with a closet full of secrets and Lizzy is the good girl that falls victim to his dazzling temptation. Their chemistry is undeniable and scorching hot. Their relationship quickly turns toxic with Jason’s hot-and-cold act. He is sweet and gentle in the privacy of Lizzy’s dorm room but appears heartless and uncaring in the outside world. What do you get when there is a hidden identity, secret relationship, tragic loss, and a love triangle? A relationship that combusts.

Lizzy was a likable and relatable character. She has a competitive nature that makes her strong and independent. My only complaint is that she would make a decision to distance herself from Jason and would allow a simple gesture from him to win her heart again. She was also a very annoying party-goer that needed to lay off the alcohol. Jason was a typical alpha-hole. There were so many times I wanted to smack him because he was behaving so stupidly. Most of the fights could have been avoided if he had just told Lizzy the truth. This book will definitely make you feel so many things!

This book does end on a cliffhanger and I am so excited to read book 2!

Tropes: College romance, sports romance, virgin heroine
Hethat: 2/5
TW: Bullying, Alcohol use, Terminal Illness, Cancer, Mature themes

[Alysia Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spice: 🌶🌶

Unfortunately, sometimes it's all too much, and you break.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Dixon is heading off to her first year at college. When she arrives, she's ready to have fun, but not too much fun. Between swim practice, swim meets and homework, she's got plenty on her plate. She finds a friendly face, Mark, who she briefly met in high school. Luckily he's not far from her dorm room since her building is co-ed. Then Lizzy meets Jason, Mark's roommate. Lizzy feels an instant electricity between the two of them. But she's not sure why. No matter how much space she puts between them, they keep gravitating towards each other. And it doesn't help that they are both on the college's swim team. With Jason and the other swim captain, Micah, always giving her a hard time, Lizzy doesn't know what to think about Jason. One minute he's kind and considerate, the next he's acting like she doesn't exist. They get all hot and heavy with each other while trying to figure out what they are to each other. When the two of them finally feel like they've gotten into a routine with each other, one night together changes everything. Does Jason share the same feelings as Lizzy? Will he realize how he effects her? Will she put up with his antics or finally walk away from him?

I REALLY resonated with Lizzy in this story. Although I wasn't active in high school sports like Lizzy, I definitely felt invisible to all the guys at my high school. Which caused me to have zero self-confidence and little to no experience with guys at all. Then I met my husband, who had plenty of experience with women, like Jason. Although miscommunication is not a favorite of mine, it completely makes sense for the age of the characters. I remember having the same conversations with my college friends as well as all the confusing emotions that come with it.

*This book was given to me in exchange for a review. These are my own thoughts & opinions.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storyline and plot of this book. I just wish the FMC would have been a little different and I say that because she was just really hard to like. She acted immature and kind of annoying but I do realize that she is a freshman and this might be how the author wanted to portray her. I just felt like sometimes she acted way younger than a college freshman but then would recognize that her behavior was wrong and instantly act like an adult, almost like someone flipped a light switch on her moods. But again there could be a reason for this from the author which will be explained in the next book. I feel that Lizzy could grow a lot through the next book and become a stronger girl and more confident in herself so she doesn't have to boy crazed.

The MMC came off as your regular broody guy who doesn't normally date younger girls. He did come off as more than just grumpy a lot but he also had some stuff going on in his life plus I don't think he really wanted them to actually date because they are teammates and it's "frowned" upon dating teammates. He was also pretty shady but you find out the reason behind that later.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of five is because I wasn't a fan of the writing style, I wish it would have been dual pov. I also believe that Lizzy has a lot of potential, she just needs some serious inner and emotional growth. I also think that with this being the very first book in this series, the story has potential as well. The author has a good storyline, I would just like to see the characters esp Lizzys character have more depth and explore college. She's a freshman and on the swim team, she's just starting out on her own and college is suppose to be fun and a time to find yourself, learn who you are.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the book, Challenge Me-Breaking by Victoria Maurer, in exchange for an honest review.

I had mixed feelings when I ended this story. While the beginning of the story starts with a strong female lead, Lizzy and her navigating her freshman year at college quickly turns dark as she enters an abusive and manipulative relationship with fellow swim teammate, Jason Green.

What I thought worked well was Lizzie’s relationships with her sisters, mom and her friends. She isn’t overly eager to count on them for her own self image and there is a strength about her when they are around. She isn’t the queen bee of the group, but she’s also not a wallflower. The same could be said about the relationship she has with Mark, Micah and her swim team mates with their witty banter and Lizzie’s determination to show the male swimmers that, even if she doesn’t win, she doesn’t back down from a challenge.

For all of the strength Lizzie shows in these situations, all of that is thrown by the wayside whenever Jason Green is around. Jason Green, in one word, is abusive. In two words he is abusive and manipulative. While Lizzie gives herself pats on the back for standing up to Jason, she actually doesn’t do that at all. Instead she challenges him, he challenges back, she gives in and they have sex. Or, some form of sexual contact. As soon as that starts Lizzie gives in wholly and completely.

There is a second book coming behind this one and I hope that it puts Lizzie on a path away from Jason and his irredeemable qualities. Challenge Me-Broken is currently being edited and does not have a release date yet, but details will be posted on the author's Instagram account as they are available.

[ReadaholicDeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book is spicy, angsty, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. It brought me back to the feelings I had reading the After Series and Beautiful Disaster. A sweet, somewhat innocent college freshman who runs into the troubled a**hole that she can't seem to resist. You won't find me complaining.

Lizzy wasn't naive. She knew exactly what she was getting into with Jason. I liked how she recognized this and reminded herself when he was a jerk. In real-life girls do get wrapped up in the "bad boy" knowing he will break their hearts.

Jason was the a**hole that I could not help but fall for. The banter between the two was a lot of fun. Plus, I'm a sucker for possessive MMC's so when this side showed I was silently cheering. If you like dirty talkers, he's your man!

This does end on a cliffhanger as this is the first book in a trilogy. There is a little mystery building up, who is Jason, and what is he hiding? I can't wait to find out. I'm also looking forward to more scenes with their families and friends.

I'm blown away that this is a debut novel. The storytelling and setting up of scenes are wonderfully done. The characters are well-developed and interesting. Many scenes reminded me of my college days living on campus. This is an angsty book about an inexperienced college freshman. Pay attention to the author's warning.

There isn't much I would change about this book. I loved the banter and Lizzy was quite witty. A few times conversations felt like they were abruptly cut off too quickly. This book is setting up the world and introducing Lizzy. I'm hoping for more interactions with friends and family in the coming books.

[Jennifer Gödecke · Rating 3 out of 5]

᪥ 𝑅 𝑒 𝑣 𝑖 𝑒 𝑤 ᪥


𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: Challenge Me: Breaking
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Victoria Maurer

⭐️ 3,5/5 ✰✰✰
🌶 1/5
————————————————————

Let me start with the fact that the book is a trilogy. So there are Book 2 (already available) and 3 (not out yet!)

The book is about a college swimmer who basically falls in love with her teammate.

🇹‌🇷‌🇴‌🇵‌🇪‌🇸‌

- 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
- 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
- 𝙶𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚢/ 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎

The book was good!

Unfortunately I was not a fan of the FMC. She just wasn’t relatable. At least for me. She falls in love with her teammate (knowing it’s frowned upon) acts partly really immature, and kinda was a tad bit annoying.

The MMC is your typical grumpy asshole. He tells her that he doesn’t want to put labels on the whole thing and acts kinda shady sometimes, but as we find out later, with good reason.

I finished the book and I liked it. Just not enough for me to read the second and third book.

𝗕𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱!! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿!

Unfortunately i also wasn’t a fan of the writing style.
𝐁𝐔𝐓!! I still give the book 3,5 ✰ as I really liked the story and the storyline. And everyone who can identify more with the FMC will really like the book.




——🏷

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[Kat’s Corner ♡︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge Me: Breaking by Victoria Maurer
4 Stars
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Short Synopsis:
Elizabeth goes to college and tries to navigate her new hectic class schedule, swimming schedule, and the feelings for her friends hot roommate.

I really enjoyed this book, I devoured it in one sitting 😍 I totally forgot that it was apart of a series so I was freaking out as the pages dwindled and I wasn’t getting any answers. Beware this book ends on a cliffhanger!!

Things I liked:
🏊🏻‍♀️I really liked the college setting, it was fun experience for me to kind of live vicariously through Lizzy, because I never had the college experience myself.
🏊🏻‍♀️Learning about swimming and stuff was cool as well, fun fact, I can’t swim. So it was just a fun experience for me.
🏊🏻‍♀️I liked the relationships Lizzy had with her mom and sister, and just the realistic friendships
🏊🏻‍♀️I can’t even be mad at Lizzy giving into Jason at every turn, because ive been there before.
🏊🏻‍♀️I really liked Jason’s mom and family, for the brief bit we get to see them.

Things I didn’t like:
🏊🏻‍♀️I didn’t like the slut shaming that happened in the book, but the author made a note about it, and I really appreciate that.
🏊🏻‍♀️I didn’t like the cliffhanger ending, but that’s just me and I’m impatient 🤪

All in all this was a really fun, spicy read, that also touches on some heavier topics. I can’t wait to read the next book as soon as it’s released 😍

[Ariel_reads_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we start this story off with Lizzy starting her freshman year at college, she is a history major and a swimmer. She arrives to campus and catches up with an old friend named Mark and his room mate Jason. Instant connection here instant slow burn here and I was hooked and here for it.

We progress through the story where Lizzy holds her own with the guys and realises that Jason is on the swim team as well. The feelings ignite but Jason says he is no good for Lizzy. Clearly not an option for Lizzy and calls him whilst she is drunk at a party and well it all starts from there.

I enjoyed Lizzy and her character, lots of self development there, I am interested to see where her confidence comes in, she is told consistently that she is confident and she states consistently that she is confident in many things but when it comes to men she looses it. This is a bit flakey to me and I would love to see her grow more confident within herself.

Jason, typical grumpy male, unsure what he wants but doesn't want anyone else to have Lizzy. He is protective of her but also super private. I have a suspicion that he had a secrete girlfriend or something but the real secrete revealed at the end of the book was interesting and I am keen to read on further.

The spice was good with a substantial amount of plot as well. I am interested to know what happens next and I want to read the next book. I'd give this book 4 stars it was a great book one and really set me up ready for book 2!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you author Victoria Maurer and the Katie and Brey team for the opportunity to read this.

I was hooked on this one immediately. Lizzy is a bit of a prude, starting her freshman year of college as an elite athlete and having been in honors classes in high school. Pretty quickly though we find out that she isn’t always so uptight. She isn’t trusting though, and there is nothing wrong with that. Lizzy has a friend in her roommate, Kayla, before going…as well as Mark. There’s a bit of sexual tension between those two immediately, but then there’s Mark’s roommate, Jason.

Jason is also an elite athlete, and happens to be a distance swimmer just like Lizzy. He’s guarded, but also completely in love with Lizzy when he knows he shouldn’t be. He has too much going on. There are matters of his family, school, swim, and his keen sense of just being jealous for all the wrong reasons.

I wish we would have gotten a bit of back and forth POV’s on this. At times getting everything from Lizzy was a little bit too much “things aren’t going exactly my way so I’m mad” - so that was my only big downfall. It does make me want to learn what’s next for these two though, and I’ll definitely be diving into Broken soon!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.
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It took me a little while to really get into the story but once I did it kept my attention.
Lizzy is a typical College Freshman who falls for the mysterious Jason almost instantly. Their attraction is like an electric charge and something they can’t ignore.
It’s not long before they give in to their feelings but once they do it’s a roller coaster gone crazy.
Jason is infuriating at times because he’s so burning hot then suddenly ice cold. Lizzy has serious trouble handling the back & forth within him but always seems to be able to forgive him.
There are tons of secrets that Jason is keeping from Lizzy which could ultimately be their undoing.
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What I loved about this book:
It’s fascinating to watch how Lizzy truly starts to grow into herself and become more of her own person.
What drove me crazy:
Jason just needs time pull his head out of his ass and decide what he truly wants. Because I several times I wanted to reach into the book and strangle him.
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This is the 1st book in a trilogy so there’s more to come and I hope we see Jason mature and learn from his mistakes in the future.
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4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Blaire White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a delightful read to me! In the beginning we see Elizabeth Dixon enter her freshman year of college and with that comes many new challenges for her. Such as her hard swim practices, her school work, and the mysterious Jason Green. Elizabeth was an enjoyable character for me to read about she was confident but also allowed her self to feel and express her emotions. Which made me really like her a lot as a main character. I also really liked Jason and Mark. Mark was the softie who was always there for Elizabeth whenever she needed anything. However Jason was way more mysterious and hid his emotions a lot more when it came to Elizabeth. As the story progresses we come to realize that Jason is hiding things about his personal life and his identity. This ends up scaring him because he has genuine feelings for Elizabeth. I enjoyed many things about this book such as the portrayal of college life, the aspect of being on a sports team, and most of all I really enjoyed the banter between the characters. I also loved that there was always something going on in this book which is what kept me really hooked into it and made me order the second book because now I can't wait to see what happens in book two! This book was well written and very entertaining!

[Cheyenne (moumantai.bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of Breaking and was excited to check out Victoria’s debut novel!

My college experience was very different than Lizzy’s but it was nice to live vicariously through her experience. Otherwise I feel like I relate to her quite a bit. College was hard, figuring out boys/relationships was hard and honestly the slut shaming— I’ve been there. In no way am I justifying it because 10 years later I have learned A LOT and have grown from what I was like at 18 but I know I made terrible judgements of my own friends back then and am ashamed of it.

And ooooh Jason. Boy would I love to get inside his head to see what the heck is going on in there. I can’t blame Lizzy for her feelings because that is exactly the type of guy I fell for and I also can’t help but want to justify his actions somehow because of the circumstances at home.

I don’t know, this story has me feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions 😂 and has a cliffhanger in the best spot because I wasn’t expecting it to just end where it did. Sometimes I felt a little information overload but still appreciated it because it helped me understand more (ex. swimming)

I can’t wait for Broken— which is out June 22nd!

[Jahara - Jarjarbindings · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Love should be treated like war: fight until the bitter end and never give up on those who touch your soul. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s all too much, and you break."

"I feel the light, not the darkness, when I am with you.”

Lizzy is a gorgeous, witty, freshman in college who has a passion for swimming and being on the swim team. She is filled with excitement and hope for new, fun experiences, like every college freshman with high expectations for the future. The minute she sees Jason there is an electricity between them she can't explain, and when she finds out he's also on the swim team, she has absolutely no chance of escaping his seduction. Around the team he's brutal, and knows how to push all her buttons.... but when they are alone he's a completely different person that she can't imagine ever living without. But will the secrets be keeps from the world be the breaking point?

❤ I received the first book in this series in exchange for an honest review from @katieandbreypa and the wonderful author @authorvictoriamaurer but then when I noticed the second one was also on KU, I COULD NOT STOP!! This series was so easy to read and it immediately sucks you in!! I love the characters and all their different quirks! It had a perfect amount of spice and drama that you had to find out what happens next! Over all I really enjoyed this one and can't wait for the 3rd one!!

I give The First two books in the Challenge Me series by Victoria Maurer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This steamy adult romance between young student athletes, Lizzy and Jason, follows Lizzy’s introduction to college and all the drama that comes with balancing classes, swimming and dating.

I never participated in college sports, so that coed team dynamic was a bit lost on me, and I wished there was more character building with the other female friends Lizzy made in her dorm. I have a feeling they are going to play bigger roles in the next book.

I think Victoria did a great job building the mystery around Jason’s life, while still making the reader fall in love with the parts that we did see. He comes across as a little bit mysterious, with some red flags, but definitely protective of Lizzy and their relationship.

The back and forth between Lizzy and Jason was worth the ride, but some of Lizzy’s personal ups and downs were a bit exhausting (she seems to sober up super quickly after being drunk, especially for a college Freshman).

The slow build in this book sets up the next, Challenge Me: Broken, perfectly. I received both books at the same time and I’m thankful I did not have to wait to read them back-to-back!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Challenge Me: Breaking is about a girl starting her first year of college. She moves into her dorm room and prepares for the beginning of her independence from her parents and older sister. She is on the swim team and is majoring in History and quickly realizes balancing school, sports, family and relationships is going to be harder than she thought. Especially when she meets a blue eyed mysterious boy on her swim team who immediately catches her eye.

As a girl who went away to college and lived in a dorm this was a fun trip down memory lane, getting to relive my own personal experience at that age. I really admire Lizzy’s hard work, determination and independence while trying to navigate a very new and very complicated sexual/romantic relationship.

The book prefaces with a slut-shaming trigger warning and I think there is also male dominance/controlling aspects in the relationship that can border on abusive and may be triggering for some.

I look forward to seeing these characters grow and change in the second book in the series!