Brie never disrespect her coaches and never talks back to them, but if someone doesn't respect her, she won't respect back. Unfortunate for Brie, the coach she was supposed to train with got hospitalized and his son Erik was there to take his place. As soon as Brie and Erik meet, there's so much tension between them. They cannot stand each other at the gym and so their fighting begins. Brie has a major backbone. She would be so sassy when talking back to Erik. It would infuriate Erik so much! Seeing both of these characters act this way, made me all kinds of excited. I love the hate-to-lovers trope. And let me tell you, this is a real hate relationship until it turns to more.
He was an asshole and he was picking a fight with me in front of his entire team. For some reason, I was his target, and I wasn't going to cower in fear.
Erik is so cold and mean, but he's hot! The guy is a gymnast, for Pete's sake. He has the body, the looks, and the attitude to go along with it that makes Brie (and the reader) crave more. Unfortunately, he's a heart breaker! I broke my heart one too many times! Did I forgive him?.... Yes, yes I did. You don't turn away someone like him, okay?
Toying with Brie was quickly becoming my favorite pastime and a part of me wondered why I was doing it.
Let's talk about that sexual tension. I don't even know where to begin. I think this is the most tension I've felt off both characters from any book I've read. It was so thin, it was so close to shattering. Now, the hottest and steamiest scene I read has to be the yoga scene. If you read the book, I'm sure you agree with me. That scene was... I was speechless. I was beet red with my jaw dropped open. You need a fan or an A/C for this, so be warned and prepared. Seriously, it's the hottest book Rachel has written and I applaud her for writing such a phenomenal scene.
If you expect love to come when it's convenient, you'll be waiting your entire life.
I absolutely loved the side characters, such as Lexi and Rosie, who are in Brie's team. Both girls are so polar opposite, but both were hilarious! Lexi is the wild card. She loves to party and hook up, but she's so straight up. She will tell you like it is without holding back and I loved that about her. Rosie is only 17 and so very quiet and shy, but she's so nice and loyal. They made the book hilarious and fun. Another character that made a great addition is Erik's grandfather. He was so sweet and fun! I wish I had more of him in the story.
"You guys are the most fucked up, yet entertaining couple I've ever been around. Better than TV."
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that while Brie does have a backbone, she's putty at the hands of Erik. There were so many times I wanted her to stay strong and not give in to him. I mean, he would push her away so much and hurt her. I wanted her to have some dignity and stay away to make him suffer. When it happened, I was celebrating because I needed Brie to be strong and thankfully, she ended up being just that.
Erik wasn't a good guy. He wasn't going to run after me and plead for a place in my heart.
Out of Bounds runs at the same time as Settling the Score. Remember, they are in the Olympics in the same year, just with a different sport. In fact, Freddie is mentioned in the book, and Andie appears. Since it's happening at the same time, these books can be read out of order and as stand-alones.
Overall, Out of Bounds was hot, sexy, exhilarating, steamy, and funny. It's definitely a book I highly recommend because you will enjoy it from beginning to end!
I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.