SLASHED (Extreme Risk #3) by Tracy Wolff-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 29, 2015

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.

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REVIEW: SLASHED is the third installment in Tracy Wolff’s contemporary, new adult Extreme Risk romance series focusing on a tight knit group of extreme snow boarders. This is Luc Jennings and Cam Bradley’s storyline. SLASHED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from dual first person points of view (Luc and Cam) SLASHED follows the rebuilding of a friendship between Luc and Cam. Four months earlier Cam and Luc crossed the line between friends and lovers; Cam walked away distraught and embarrassed fearing reprisals and loss from her friendship with Luc. Fast forward to present day where Cam and Luc’s friendship is icy, still barely speaking to one another and making life miserable for everyone concerned. When Cam’s home life implodes, she finds herself on Luc’s doorstep, hoping for a place to stay and support when she needs it the most.

The relationship between Cam and Luc is one of friends to lovers to frenemies and back to lovers. Cam and Luc have always been attracted to one another but both of our leading characters have some major issues of self esteem, insecurity and lack the ability to communicate with one another. Cam sees herself as the ugly duckling whose mother abandoned the family when Cam was five years old; Luc’s success on the snow hills has been less than spectacular and he constantly compares himself to the success of the others. Both Cam and Luc’s mindset is tentative; they fear rejection and failure; and with it comes the inability to move forward or let go of the past. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative.

All of the previous storyline couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles including Z and Ophelia (Shredded #1), Tansy and Ash (Shattered #2) as well as Ash’s brother Logan. I am looking forward to Logan’s story but the series would have to advance several years before we see a romance for our struggling, young hero.

The world building has deviated from the snow boarding competitions and the main focus is on the couple in question. The summer months finds the friends wake-boarding and considering the upcoming snow boarding schedule while the tentative friendship between Luc and Cam hits a major change in direction-their lack of communication and too many presumptions are the major causes of most of their issues and problems. Luc’s jealousy of Cam’s friendship with another snow boarder as well as Cam’s one time unrequited love for Z is a major stumbling block on their road to reconciliation-Luc’s issues are fueled by his own preconceived inadequacies.

SLASHED has moments of heartbreak and sorrow; anxiety and tension; letting go and moving forward. Luc and Cam’s storyline was at times frustrating watching two people whose love for one another was hampered by low self esteem and demons from the past. I shed a few tears-I am not sure if the tears were due to my own particular mind set at the time but the shear pain of Luc and Cam’s insecurities is all too familiar and relatable-believing you will never be enough or the best. Cam and Luc’s story continues; the final chapters reveal a surprise twist in their relationship but with it came an abrupt ending that leaves the reader waiting and wondering about hope for the future.

The premise is intimate and dramatic; the characters are engaging, animated and heartbreaking; the romance is impassioned and emotional. In the new adult storylines there are always issues from the past that control the future where an all-consuming love is easily destroyed by painful memories and dramatic realizations. SLASHED looks at fated lovers who fell into the gaping hole of disillusionment and doubt only to come away with the possibility of a promise of forever and a happily ever after.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

SHREDDED
(Extreme Risk #1)
by Tracy Wolff
Genre: contemporary, new adult, romance
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 4, 2014

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of SHREDDED

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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 reckless 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 high society, she’s no Southern belle—and she’s not shy about being miserable in frozen, godforsaken Park City. But laying low is her only option after her ex, a rich boy who couldn’t take no for an answer, nearly killed her in a jealous rage. Following that terrifying encounter, the last thing Ophelia needs is a boyfriend—especially one as rich and arrogant as Z. But Ophelia soon discovers that he isn’t what he seems. If anything, Z may be even more damaged than she is.

Tormented by their pasts and feeling alone in the world, Z and Ophelia find a connection unlike any they’ve ever known. But with Ophelia hiding the details of her life in Louisiana and Z’s death wish reaching terrifying new heights, their relationship seems to be going downhill before it even begins—unless they can find the strength in each other to trust, grow, and love again.

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SHATTERED
(Extreme Risk #2)
by Tracy Wolff
Genre: contemporary, new adult, romance
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 20, 2014

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of SHATTERED

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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 Hampton.

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy 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.

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.