The Right Swipe

by Alisha Rai

[Sam@WLABB]

Rhiannon had shared one hot and sexy night with a hookup she had arranged via her own dating app. Though it went against her self-imposed rules, she accepted a second "date" with this mystery man, JUST to have him ghost her. Fast forward several months, and what to her wondrous eyes should appear, but said mystery man, who happened to be an ex NFL star and working for the company she hoped to acquire. Rhiannon's straight forward plan just got complicated.

This book had so much "yes". First and foremost, I absolutely loved Rhiannon and Samson. They were perfection together. Yes, there were many bumps in the road on their way to the HEA, and yes, things went hot and cold quite a few times, but this was an important part of both their healing processes.

Rhi came off as hard and closed off, and she was, but with good reason. A former lover more or less tried to destroy her, both personally and professionally. She was forced to rebuild her life and her career after the breakup, and I could not fault her with having some trust issues. She did what she had to do to protect herself, but she didn't just wallow in the pain. She used it to drive her to do more for herself and for other women. Her revenge was to become a success, which she did. She also challenged the idea of being a victim and found her voice in the process. It was rather wonderful watching her come to terms with her past, and seeing her slowly form more open relationships with those around her.

Samson sort of owned me. He was such a sweet and wonderful teddy bear of a guy. I was rooting for him from the very beginning. I really wanted Rhi to stop and listen to his explanation about that night. I wanted her to give him a chance, because I believed there was something between them. Like Rhi, Samson had a lot of hurt to unpack. The ending of his career, the death of his uncle and father -- all of these things had taken a toll on Samson. I loved the support he received from his former teammates, and really liked the direction Rai sent him in.

The focus on CTE was unexpected, but I thought Rai incorporated it quite well. She did a nice job showing how the condition not only affected those suffering from it, but how it affected their loved ones. I probably shed the most tears over the parts associated with this plot, than any other.

Then there was the romance. At first, it was mostly attraction, hot sex, and great banter, but it evolved into so much more. Together they learned to be themselves, to enjoy life, and trust again.

This book had so much more than romance going for it too. It was about being a successful woman of color, and the obstacles and barriers that exist, as well as being an example to a younger generation, and speaking up for what's right. This was my first Alisha Rai book, and I was NOT disappointed. I will eagerly await the next Modern Love book.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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