Do nice guys always finish last? In the new Extreme Risk novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff, a burnt-out underdog and a vulnerable tomboy defy the pressure to be perfect and go after what they really want. 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.
Thank you to Loveswept Publishing for the free copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I like this series, I really do! "Slashed" is the third in the "Extreme Risk" series by Tracy Wolff, and the thing is, every one of these books falls firmly into the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am category. Quick, fun, easy, a rockin' good time while it lasts, they're great! In fact, I like to use this type of book as a sort of palate cleanser after something a little more serious or lengthy, which is exactly what I needed after my last read.
But...yeah, there is a "but". But, there are also some elements that could be improved in order for me to give higher than a 3 star rating. For example, background info on the characters could stand to be a lot more in depth. I wanted to know how Cam and Luc became friends. It seems like they went to elementary school together, but so what? I attended elementary school with lots of boys, but I was never best friends with any of them. Was it because they all boarded at the same hill? I assume so, but none of that past history was ever shown. I was just supposed to believe that Cam and Luc were best friends because the author told me so, but I was never shown anything to really back it up, make me believe that this was true.
Then there were Cam and Luc's families. Cam's mother left when Cam was very young, leaving behind a husband and seven kids (really?! Seven?! Why seven?) then reappears at the beginning of this book. Why? I didn't ever really find out. Where did she go, what did she do for a living? And why did Cam's dad and six brothers (again, really?! Why six?) all expect Cam to forgive her mom and just carry on like nothing happened? Again, no reason given. A couple of lines of explanation would have sufficed.
Luc's family situation was also kind of weirdly thrown in to the plot. Luc's self-esteem is pretty much non-existent. He counts himself as the low man on the totem pole in relation to his friends and everyone else, and I think I'm supposed to believe that at least part of this problem is due to his music prodigy twin sister. Luc's mom up and left him to bring his sister to New York to further her music career, but this is really only delved into once in the book, and I just wasn't buying it. And what about his father? Nary a mention.
So yeah, holes, holes, and more holes. Although I'm able to ignore these little annoyances for the most part, I still can't help but feel that "Slashed" would be so much better with a bit more attention to detail.
My rating:
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