WILD CARD
Series: Rake Forge University #1
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Author: Ashley Munoz
Release Date: August 12, 2021
This was it…I could see it in my editor’s eyes.
This was the last straw. One more misstep and I was going to lose my coveted internship.
I decided right there in my room, lime-flavored tortilla chips in hand, that I would do whatever it took to write the story of the century.
And I had my target in sight—the undefeated Devil’s baseball team. They were RFU royalty, and completely untouchable.
Their parties were impossible to get into unless you were handpicked, and I was not.
Even still, I had a solid plan.
I would not get caught, definitely not seduced, and absolutely wouldn’t die. That is until I was stopped and rendered totally speechless by a pair of mossy eyes.
He lured me in, close enough to feel the press of his mouth against my skin and the heat of his hands on my body. Undoubtedly, I was a sheep headed straight for the slaughter, which only proved true when he called my bluff.
With him holding all the cards for my future success, and in order to salvage what remained of my dream, I did the only thing I could.
I made a deal with a devil.
…he was mine and I was going to be his. Even if it broke me to let him in, even if it ruined me. There wasn’t much left of my heart, but whatever there was I’d shove into his massive palm. Then I’d just let him decide what to do with it. Maybe he’d realize that our tattered pieces matched.
Clearly I have been sleeping on Ashley Munoz, because after reading this book, I’m an insta fan. I’m a sucker for a steamy college sports romance, and this one hit all of the spots I had and some I didn’t even know of.
What I liked about it most was that it wasn’t exactly your typical sports romance. There was a bit of suspense and mystery, a dash of angst, and a romance so good that I was immediately hooked.
Mallory is the sort of heroine that sneaks up on you. She’s a bit reserved and unassuming, focused on her dream internship and the article she needs to write that will either make it or break it for her chances. Refusing to rely on her rich and successful father, she’s determined to make it on her own. But when the article idea she had is torn to shreds by her editor, she’s desperate for a story and her stepsister just may hand it to her on a silver platter. A secret game that’s held by the college baseball team that involves cards, pre-arranged hookups, and willing females is just the thing she needs. And when her step sister is invited for the ultimate place on the totem pole, gets sick, and allows her to go in her place? Well, how’s a girl to pass that up.
I have to say, I loved Mallory. She knows who she is but she’s still vulnerable in her own hang ups. She’s tough and not afraid to go after what she wants. I also seriously loved her friendship with her two besties and how they’re there for each other.
As for Decker? My god. I died for this man and his poor, tortured soul. Decker is desperate for revenge and will go after it at the expense of everything in order to make the person that stole his dream from him pay. As we get his story, piece by piece, you can’t help but fall further for him. The chemistry between him and Mallory was immediate and incendiary. I loved the slow burn and I especially loved their frustrating push and pull. He fights his attraction to her with everything he’s got because he can’t afford a distraction and Mallory holds the key to his revenge.
My one quibble with the book is the twist at the end seemed a bit…far fetched. I struggled to fully wrap my mind around it and all of the messiness of it. But then once I did, I was all in, even if I didn’t fully buy it. Which is strange but true.
Wild Card was everything I love in a sports romance; angsty, steamy, and a hero with a heart of gold and a dirty mouth. I devoured this book in one sitting and desperately waiting for more in this series. I loved the step sister’s redemption and can’t wait to see how her story plays out. Talk about your HOOK LINE AND SINKER at the end there. Dang.
Ashley resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her four children and her husband. She loves coffee, reading fantasy, and writing about people who kiss and cuss.
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