Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey 
Series: The Summer Games #2
Genres: Sports Romance, New Adult
Also by this author: The Allure of Julian Lefray, The Allure of Dean Harper
Goodreads
I despise Erik Winter.
He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.
I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.
Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.
The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.
Fine. By. Me.
If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.
Out of Bounds
RS Grey
Olympic gymnastics?! Yes please! I am obsessed with all things Olympic and I gymnastics is my favorite summer Olympic sport hands down. I also am a huge fan of R.S. Grey’s writing. So, yeah, grabbing Out of Bounds was a no brainer!
So, Erik is the new Team USA gymnastics coach. Brie is one of the 5 girls on the team and her and Erik have instant tension. Brie is trying to keep it professional since she is focused on winning so she can help her mom pay the bills. Erik is not immune to her, but knows she is his student. So, you get a bit of the taboo here of the coach/player type. Brie is 20, so its not an underage thing (cause I think thats weird and it makes me uncomfortable!).
The team dynamic is great. 4 of the girls get along great and then there is June. You knew it couldn’t be all sunshine and daisies when you put 5 elite athletes together. June is that typical elitist who snubs her nose at the others, tattles on them whenever possible, and pretty much avoids them unless she is bragging. I loved that the other girls weren’t like that at all. They were such a diverse group (in terms of personality) that I enjoyed reading their interactions. Even with all their differences they play off each other well and it adds humor and sorority to the story. Rosie is my favorite and I hope she gets a book! She’s just so sweet!
In typical Grey fashion, there are some witty one liners that had me chuckling but this book is deeper and steamier than anything I have read from her and I LOVED it. The scene in the yoga studio was a bit too steamy for me though (hey-I am a prude!) I have always enjoyed her writing style, and this book just showed development and evolution in her books. Her writing is evolving and its fantastic!
So, my issue with the story? Brie wavered between mature and driven and then immature and slutty. Her games with Erik got old fast and it only made her seem shallow and him seem like a control freak with no heart. He yanks her around like a toy (even telling her as much); however, he has just as much to lose if she loses at the Olympics. Why would he yank her around so much knowing she is a 20 year old girl who has been largely isolated from the world because of gymnastics? Honestly, until about the 74% mark, I didn’t like Erik. He was hell bent on FORCING respect and keeping Brie in line and it wasn’t sexy. He pulls her in, gets her all worked up, then shuts her down and reminds her she is a toy to him. Its really not that attractive. If I were to rate the book on their relationship up to the 70% mark, this book would have been an DNF. But, there is a lot more going on than just the relationship. Brie is trying to discover who she is as a young woman, she is torn up about all the sacrifices her mom has made, and she is deals with a very uncertain future after gymnastics! However, the last 25% of the book was AMAZING.
Out of Bounds is perfect for sports romance fans of any type, but if you are an Olympic junkie like me, you will devour this book like gatorade after an 8 hour practice in the Texas heat!
- POV: Dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: coach/player
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: standalone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: No
- HEA: View Spoiler »
These Battered Hands by Laurel Ulen Curtis, Blue by HJ Bellus, Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux…then you will probably like Out of Bounds!
I love when there’s good tension, but it sounds like it was a little much.
For me, at times, it was a bit much. Mostly because after he got her all worked up, he shut her down and was kind of mean about it.
This book is everywhere I look! I’m not too crazy about gymnastics and stuff but I got curious with everyone being so happy with it, it sounds intense though!
I actually liked Erik. I just disliked Brie. I hated how she would jump before Erik would ask her to jump. She would just melt. I wanted more restraint from her! Great review 🙂
Genesis @ Latte Nights Reviews
[…] Olympic hopefuls/competitors/winners or featuring the games as the setting! Check out my review of The Summer Games by RS Grey, Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux, and Shot on Gold by Jaci […]