The Rival

Looking to Score

By: Kendall Ryan

Narrated by: Jacob Morgan, Vanessa Edwin

Dump my cheating ex? Check. Land an amazing job with Boston’s professional hockey franchise? Check. Fall stupidly in love with hockey’s favorite bad boy? Ugh.

After wasting years of my life with the wrong person, I told myself all I wanted was a little no-strings fun. Enter Alex Braun - a wealthy, handsome, notorious playboy who’s equal parts charming and dangerous as hell to my wounded heart. After enduring a very public breakup of his own, the sexy player doesn’t want to be anyone’s forever. Too bad he barreled his way into my heart, instead of just my bed.

But this professional athlete knows a thing or two about competing, and he won’t let go so easily.

©2021 Kendall Ryan (P)2021 Kendall Ryan

Falling for the bad boy

This is book 2 in the Looking to Score Series and it is Alex and Aspen’s story. It isn’t necessary to read the first book The Rebel but I would recommend it since this one has characters that crossover and it will help you make the connections.
Alex is known as the bad boy of his hockey team and he is also the ex-boyfriend of the owner of the team Eden. Aspen works as Eden’s assistant and is coming off of a bad break up. That is one thing that her and Alex have in common. When they both attend Eden and Holt’s engagement party, they find themselves hanging out together. The season is over and Alex is helping out a guy on the team by looking after his cabin in Canada and he suggest that Aspen should go the cabin as well to do some cleaning. What will happen when these two spend their summer in the same cabin? Will Alex show Aspen that he isn’t the bad boy that Eden made him out to be?
Kendall does a great job with Alex’s story and you can’t help but to fall in love with him especially since he was painted the bad guy in the previous book. I loved his sweetness and the chemistry he shares with Aspen is explosive. I didn’t want their story to end. I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one in this series. I also purchased the audible version as well and I have to say it is so worth the credit. Jacob Morgan and Vanessa Edwin did an outstanding job narrating this book.

Good

My only issue with the book, which I enjoyed, is the weird way she framed the drama and resolving the drama at the end. Just seemed pretty contrived. Also - the Eden/Alex stuff was just weird. Didn’t make sense how they wrapped that all up. A bunch of trite phrases and words were thrown together as an explanation for their troubles and then it was done. Just weird.

Pure Wizardry

Kendall Ryan is a wizard! I didn’t think she could get me to love the bad boy, hockey star Alex but she did! After a tough season last year, he was looking to change his ways. All he needed was someone to believe in him to see him. Aspen, who is also going through her own struggles, is that person Alex is looking for. She was the perfect match for him.

Staying in a cabin in Canada gave them the perfect opportunity to get away from it all. To take some time to reset their lives. Little did they know that they would discover so much more not only about themselves but about each other. Through their friendship they discovered that they brought the best out of each other and they could be each other’s safe place and champion. The chemistry between them is insane! These two set the pages on fire! I loved this story so much. Can’t wait for the next book in this already incredible series.

Sweet Summer Romance

I love the minimal drama in this story. The sexual tension builds nicely so that you feel like both characters are fighting for release once they finally hook up. A perfect HEA…

THE RIVAL ❤

Kendall Ryan can tell a story like no other ❣ Alex gives you all the feels and more ❣

Everyone has a person meant for them

I love the concept of finding that person that is meant specifically for you. And this story sticks true to that philosophy. Alex is coming off a tumultuous year in which his life was upended from a long-term relationship and making decisions that might not have reflected him in the best life. Aspen is stumbling around after an emotionally stunted relationship ended and now needs to find her way back to herself.

Enter off season/summer, where they both find themselves at a friends vacation cabin and keeping their distance just won't work. What neither expected was to fall in love and what it might look like after the summer bubble bursts.

I enjoyed the story, steamy-ness and listening to the narrators bring it to life.

The Narrators!😍

This was a solid romance. I loved the characters and I liked the storyline. I’ll read another book by Kendall Ryan for sure. What made this book absolutely shine, however, was the narration. These narrators were outstanding at bringing the characters to life with their voices. I’m extremely picky about audiobook narration...I’ve dumped many audiobooks because of mediocre narrators. Jacob Morgan and Vanessa Edwin are stellar!

The Rival

The Rival is the second book in the Looking to Score series. This book is told from dual perspectives from Alex and Aspen. We have met these characters before. I wasn't a huge fan of Alex in the first book, however, he redeemed himself in this book, and I enjoyed getting to know his character.

Alex and Aspen both ended up staying at one of their friends/teammates' cabin and they decided to have a fling. Both characters have had some things going on in their past, and Alex needs to keep a clean reputation after he gets caught up in a scam.

They both start to have feelings for the other, but Aspen isn't sure if she can trust Alex after her friend had badmouthed him from her relationship with him.

Once they are back home some news comes out about Alex, and it's not taken well by others. Can Aspen forget all that was said about Alex? Can Alex prove to Aspen that she is the one for him? Can their friends get on board with their relationship?

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and felt for them with everything they had to go through! I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. I'm enjoying it so far!

loved it

wonderful storyline, great narriators and I will be listening to more of this author and narriators because of this book.

Hockey Player Heaven

Dang Kendall Ryan sure knows how to write a hockey romance! Loved Alex and Aspen together and Jacob and Vanessa did perfect narration to bring them to life!! So sweet with some great steamy parts. Perfection!! ❤️‍🔥