ARC Review: Rush by Samantha Towle

From Samantha Towle, New York Times bestselling author of Breaking Hollywood and Ruin, comes a new powerful, passionate and dramatic contemporary romance.

“With the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select…”

It’s been three years since quarterback Ares Kincaid’s NFL dream came true, and he’s living the high life. The days of cleaning up after his drunk of a father are long gone, and he has no intention of going back.

A car crash and DUI charge meant a lengthy stint in rehab for Arianna Petrelli, and her dream of being a professional artist slips further away when she’s sacked from her position at a gallery. Her need for a job stronger even than her dislike of football, Ari goes to work for her father, the head coach of the New York Giants.

Ares hates alcoholics, which is fine with Ari because she thinks he’s a brainless jock. Yet when Ares rescues Ari from a situation with her ex-boyfriend, an unlikely friendship begins – one that quickly becomes more.

But messing around with the coach’s daughter can only lead to one thing…trouble.

My Review: 

Man this book.

I don’t even know how to write a review that will do this book justice but I will do my best.

We met Ares in “Ruin” and I had a feeling he would be a tough shell to crack. Right off the bat he made his mind up when it came to Ari due to her past and her struggles with alcohol. That’s one of the issues I had with Ares in the story. As a child of an alcoholic I get where he is coming from but to be so judgmental really struck a nerve with me in the beginning. I wasn’t sure if he would be able to redeem himself in my eyes but he did. In many ways.

Ari was such a refreshing character and I really felt her struggles with staying sober and so many times I wanted to reach in and tell her she would be okay and I was rooting for her. I loved her character so much. She was strong, caring, feisty and had the mouth of a sailor.

After the initial dislike and judging of each other Ares and Ari build a friendship and feelings start to develop. I loved this couple so much. You could feel their passion and connection and the sexy times were off the charts. We did have some tense moments and I had my heart in my throat as I read. My stomach was clenching and I felt my heart ripping right along with the characters. This was the best part of the book because I loved how Towle didn’t go the predictable route. We also got to catch up with Zeus and Cam from Ruin and that made me happy as well.

I’ve been a fan of Samantha Towle for a very long time and she brought everything to the table with this book. Better yet this whole series. Each book just keeps getting better and better. I finished this book in 4 hours and now I’m sitting here sad that it’s over and wishing I could read it all over again for the first time. Well done, Towle.