Settling the Score (Summer Games, #1)

by R.S. Grey

• ASIN: B01EY0BHJO
• Publish Date: 2016
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[ross91]

So.much.unnecessary.drama.
GOD.

[Cocktails and Books]

Another awesome KU find. If you want to get ready for the Summer Games in Rio, this is a perfect way to get started. I thought this story was going to go one direction, considering how it started, but Andie and Freddie turned out to be awesome. Two unlikely people, brought together by the Olympics, end up finding love and insane British shrews and heartache. It was the perfect mix of fun, sexiness and emotional drama. I'll definitely read more in this series.

[Sam@WLABB]

Settling the Score is the first book in RS Grey's new series, The Summer Games, and I am already in love with this series. This book is predominately set in Rio at the Summer Games. Andi is there for her first Olympics with the US Women's Soccer team, and Freddie is there for his 3rd games with Great Britain's swim team. She is the young, fresh-faced rising soccer star, and he is the bad boy swimmer.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was everything that I love about sports romances: fun, flirty, sexy, sweet, and even quite dramatic. I am sure you will hear this a lot, but I lurve Freddie! He was smooth and sweet and he never gave up. The chemistry between Andi and Freddie was smoldering, but what really won me over was the humor. Grey can write some great, funny stuff. I laughed loudly and frequently. As a bonus, we got more of our friends from Scoring Wilder. Oh, Ms. Grey, thank you for that epilogue. (HUGE smile)

Overall, solid start to what may become one of my new favorite series.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Georgie, the Minister of Espionage, stole the show.

I really enjoyed Settling the Score which was a wee bit of a surprise, to be honest. I’m not a sporty type of person and I generally don’t go looking for New Adult stories. In this case, I could hardly pass up meeting a hunky English swimmer who also happens to be a Duke. Some Royalty have been known to participate in the Olympics but normally their place is in the equestrian events, so a swimmer was definitely a surprise. We also meet a soccer goalie who is excited to be participating in her first Olympics, but also wants to take this opportunity to party a little bit and maybe even find a bit of “action”. Their first encounter was at a Rubik’s Cube party held by the Brazilian swimming team and is a little unusual. She’s flat on her back after being dropped by a Viking and thinks he’s the Devil.

Andie is so excited to be in Rio for the Olympics and to finally have a chance to do a little partying. She is 21 years old and has spent most of her years preparing for an event like this. Being a soccer star is a lot of hard work and training, but it’s worth it in the end. It’s not until she’s in the village that she realises that two of her married teammates have been asked by Andie’s mum to keep an eye on her. This puts a chink in her plans, but she manages to go to a party and sneak away from them. Looking around, she is happy with the smorgasbord of hot men to keep her occupied. One of those athletes is British swimmer Freddie Archibald.

Freddie’s life has been all about his swimming for a very long time. When his father and brother die within a year of each other, everything changes. Suddenly, he is a Duke and will have to take the responsibility of running his estates seriously. Freddie’s mother has plans that don’t really mesh with his swimming career. One of the plans he inherited was a betrothal to a family friend. It’s outdated and silly to still have betrothals, but he made the mistake of saying he’d think about it. Freddie’s mum interprets this as – sure, I’d love to marry a woman I don’t love and who I will probably never love. He knows he has to stop the plans from going ahead, but he made the mistake of putting the Olympics before dealing with the breaking of the betrothal.

There are sparks when Andie and Freddie meet. Andie doesn’t know a lot about Freddie but knows that he is royalty or something like it. Freddie’s attraction to Andie reinforces his need to break the betrothal, but doesn’t get a chance before the chick he’s betrothed to rocks up to the Olympic Village as chaperone to Freddie’s younger sister, Georgie.

Georgie is my favourite character in Settling the Score. She’s seventeen, a smartarse and not afraid of telling her big brother off when he needs it. Georgie’s quirkiness and straight talking had me in stitches and I would love to get her story when she has grown up a little.

Now, I really did enjoy this book but I had a few niggles as well. This was a pretty long story and I felt the angst was a little drawn out. I also had a really big problem with Freddie letting Andie suffer through the media frenzy and attacks by herself. It was like his Olympic dream was more important than Andie’s which didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t feel that Freddie’s mum's part in the drama was dealt with. Yes, she had been grieving over her husband and sons deaths, but I would think a mother would be more interested in her son’s happiness than a forced marriage.

I absolutely loved imagining the Olympic Village and what it would be like having so many people in one place all living their dreams. We also get a glimpse into the schedules athletes need to follow to reach their dreams and I can certainly say that I don’t have it in me to suffer through the pain.

Settling the Score was a great story that had me laughing out loud. Their love story was a little quick, but it wasn’t like he wanted to put a ring on it after a couple of weeks, so I was OK with it. There were a couple of steamy scenes that weren’t too bad at all. Freddie definitely wasn’t a stuffy old Duke. The troubles that the couple faced kept the story flowing and held my interest from the beginning to the end. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

To buy Settling the Score (The Summer Games #1) from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1Y2MM1X



I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


This book was amazing! I totally loved the Olympic setting, with a lot of sports and even soccer matches that were described so well, it was very easy to follow what was going on and understand every aspect of the game.

He was intriguing. Frederick Archibald was an entity unto himself. [...] There was definitely something about Freddie Archibald, and if I were going to make a list of sexy athletes in Rio, it'd start with him.

I have to start by saying that I loved Andie. She was strong and very independent. She knew what she wanted out of the Olympics and she thrived hard for it. When she met Freddie, she didn't know all the complications that followed him and let me tell you, it was a major complication! I felt bad for both Andie and Freddie because the attraction there was off the charts! The sexual tension between these two was beyond sizzling and I needed something to happen ASAP!

I'd work my ass off on the field, but in my free time I was going to make memories that would last a lifetime. And, sure, if Freddie Archibald somehow worked his way into those memories, then so be it.

Freddie was hot and with a freaking British accent, people! Commence swooning in 3..2..1.. Go! *swoons then melts on the floor* Don't worry about me. I'll continue my review while melted. *ahem* As I was saying, Frederick Archibald is a god. And he is so caring, thoughtful, hot, an athlete (bless his body), sweet, responsible, did I mention hot? Reading about Andie and Freddie had me with a major grin on my face. There were so perfect for one another! Give me more of this beautiful couple!

Damn didn't begin to cover it. Damn was a word for ugly peasants. This Freddie? The sight of him begged a rousing "good heavens" with a polite undertone of "new pair of panties, please".

When these two met, and Andie felt an attraction towards him, she knew she had to focus on soccer but she wanted a little fun on the side. When she found out about Freddie's complication, he's betrothed and then engaged and the woman turned out to be a freaking psychopath she distanced herself because she didn't want to be in that situation. Freddie never gave up though. He knew he wanted Andie and he set out to have her. But did Andie made it easy? Tsk tsk. Not at all. She was struggling so hard to stay away but there's only so much a heart can take.

"You're confident and you're funny and they don't know that, Andie. You're more than what they see."

This complication aggravated me and irritated me to no end and it led me to lower my rating. My reading experience with this story was fantastic until this complication turned into an even worse complication. It really frustrated me because there was so much drama behind it that could have been done without. Still, I kept reading because it's R.S. Grey and yes, I loved everything else. This story was filled with witty banter like no other! I highlighted way too many hilarious quotes and I was only on 8%. Seriously, by then I already had 12 quotes!

Overall, a hilarious story with a strong cast that you will stay on your mind (and hearts) for a while. Especially Freddie. You will never forget Freddie. I should start a Freddie fan club. I'm serious! It's been a while since I've been this excited for a male character in a book. If you read my previous reviews, you know I barely rave about a male so this is insane! I really liked him!

Another overall, just because I can. (See what I did there? I'm channeling Rachel!) This series started off with a bang and I can't wait to read the rest of the series! Give me all the books!

I received an eARC for free from the author in exchange for my honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.