Shattered by Tracy Wolff

The Basics:
Shattered by Tracy Wolff
Flirt
Book Two in the Extreme Risk series
Romance
Published May 20, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

Liked the first one in the series, plus damn that model is hot!


Blurb:

Ash Lewis has poured every last ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the very top of the professional snowboarding world—until the unthinkable happens. After the biggest competition win of his career, Ash’s mother and father are killed in a tragic accident. Unable to handle the idea of going back out on the snow to pursue the dream his parents shared with him, Ash feels that he has no choice but to walk away from snowboarding forever. Then he meets Tansy Hampton.

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy has a different look and a new passion every week. As a cancer survivor who spent the past several years waiting to die, Tansy has a fresh perspective on life—even if she doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants to do with it. But she’s determined to find out, and that means making the most of her time while she still can.

From the very beginning, their chemistry is intense. But while Ash can’t stop chasing the ghosts of what can never be, Tansy stays firmly focused on the possibilities the world holds for her—and for them. She’s already picked up the pieces of one shattered life. Now she’s determined to help Ash do the same.

My thoughts:

Once again, Wolff pulls no punches. I think this might be what makes me love this snowboarding series so much - the gutwrenching honest emotion of it all. There's not much that's sanitized about the adrenaline junkies at the core of the Extreme Risk series.

This one focuses on Ash, who's suffered a catastrophic loss and is reeling to figure out how to live in the wake of it. He's approached by Tansy, who is trying to find herself after surviving years and years of cancer treatments and is finally remission. Ash is wrapped up in taking care of his little brother and Tansy threatens that by splitting his focus.

The plot revolves around, not only the romance, but also a Make-A-Wish for a young boy with terminal cancer. As I said, no punches are pulled. It was an emotional read, definitely, with a hot and heavy love story woven into it.

The sex was well-written, hot and steamy. Tansy manages to be pretty cheeky throughout, while privately acknowledging her concerns, and I think that was pretty awesome. I also felt that Ash' voice felt appropriately masculine.

The language is suitable for a group of people involved in snowboarding - liberally dosed with the jargon of the sport *and* with curse words. The entire atmosphere of the book, really, suits the themes. I felt totally immersed in this extreme sport - Ash' status as a professional snowboarder of the highest caliber was not merely window dressing to make him sexier, but rather an integral part of the story.

Ultimately, when I finished this book, I actually wanted to go back and re-read the first in the series, which I reviewed here. I've often thought that the highest compliment I can give a book is that I'm dying to read the next in the series. I've discovered now that no, the highest compliment is wanting to re-read previous entries. Kudos to Wolff and Shattered.

Bottom line:

Read this one. Read it! It might not be perfect, but I enjoyed it so much that  I couldn't spot the flaws. Ash and Tansy drew me in, but I was engaged by all the emotions - the family conflict, the dynamics of the tight-knit snowboarding friends.... So good.

5 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, snowboarding, extreme sports, hot men, hot sex scenes