Blog Tour~~Undefeated by Jane Harvey-Berrick and Stuart Reardon #NewRelease #Undefeated #StuartReardon #JaneHarveyBerrick #RugbyRomance #MustRead
A powerful contemporary romance set in the fast-moving world of international rugby.
When your world crashes down
When they all say you’re out
When your body is broken
I will rise.
I will return.
And I will be undefeated.Nick Renshaw is the golden boy of British rugby. When a serious injury threatens his career, he starts to spiral downwards, a broken man.
Feeling abandoned and betrayed by those closest to him, he fights to restart his life. Maybe there’s someone out there who can help him. Maybe he can find his way back toward the light. Maybe … not.
Dr. Anna Scott might be the one person who can help Nick, but she has her own secrets. And when Nick’s past comes back to haunt them both, the enigmatic doctor is more vulnerable than she seems.
Broken and betrayed, the struggle to survive seems intolerable. Who will give in, and who will rise, undefeated?
Louisa’s 4.5 Blush Review
“When your world crashes down…
When they all say you’re out…
When your mind is broken…
I will rise…
I will return…
And I will be undefeated.”
A few years back a friend suggested a Jane Harvey Berrick (JHB) book to me, and since that first read of The Traveling Man, I have devoured every JHB book. A few years back another author featured Stuart Reardon on her book cover, and I have enjoyed watching Stuart show up on covers since.
So the moment JHB announced her collaboration with Stuart Reardon on this book, there was not even a moment that I wouldn’t read this book. I have to say, this collaboration of a favorite author and book model/rugby player couldn’t have produced a better outcome.
This book is the life of Nick Renshaw, a rugby player who has hit a few bumps in the road and Anna Scott, a sports psychologist who has had her share of obstacles to overcome herself.
The book has given this American girl the inside view of Rugby in England. To see the friendships, the level of commitment, the raw brutality and undefeated will of one man’s need to survive and succeed. Nick wasn’t always at his best, so his vulnerability made him so relatable and loveable. It’s nice to see a hero in a book that isn’t perfect, he was flawed, and that’s why I think I fell for him so hard.
“How could he play with no fear, when fear was a molten core that burned from the inside out?”
I think that Stuart Reardon made this book so believable from his first-hand view of rugby that no one else could give us but someone who has lived that life. JHB can write and weave words of love, sadness, retribution that we needed from Anna’s point of view. A perfect match of authors for me. The grit and rawness of Stuart Reardon’s first-hand experience and writing then the slow burn timing that I have loved from JHB in the past is what made this was one hell of a story for me.
On a side note…
I am a HUGE fan of British romance, I love the British sayings and words that aren’t in my vocabulary, and the authenticness of this was a big plus for me.
“…what is a cockwomble?
It’s been noticed,” she began carefully, “that you’re not engaging with the team or … or with me during my teaching sessions.”
His lips pressed together and his scowl deepened.
“Look, I know this is all kinds of awkward,” she sighed, “but your behaviour is already giving Sim concerns. It’s making him wonder about your commitment to the team.”
Nick exploded, his anger filling the space as he leapt to his feet and began to pace up and down, hands scrubbing over his face roughly.
“He’s questioning my commitment?! I train harder than anyone! I train on my off-days,” he spat furiously, his voice tight with emotion.
“Nick…”
“I’m out there, slogging my fucking guts out harder and longer than anyone else during practices!”
“Nick…”
“I’ve fought to come back from injury. I’m fit! I’m ready! I…”
“NICK!” Anna slapped her hand down on the massage table. “Will you listen to me!”
His jaw snapped shut and his stormy eyes narrowed on hers.
“Sim didn’t see that commitment during my sessions.”
“And we both know why that is,” he sneered. “You don’t want any commitment from me.”
Anna’s eyebrows shot up and Nick looked as though he was already regretting his words. He took a deep breath and looked away while Anna chose her next words carefully.
“You assured me that you could be professional and…”
“Yeah, well excuse me if seeing you again is fucking with my head! Not everyone can be as cold and calculating as you!”
She knew she deserved his anger, but her own frustration was rising to meet his. The volcanic pressure inside started to build, searching for an exit, searching for weakness.
“I cannot have any sort of relationship with a client!” she hissed, her body rigid. “You know that!”
“Didn’t stop you before,” he taunted.
“You weren’t a client then,” she choked. “But you’re right—I should have stopped. Oh boy, am I regretting it now!”
And she tossed her clipboard onto the table, pointing a finger in his face.
“Are you trying to ruin this for me? Is that what this is? Your ego can’t bear it, so you’re going to make sure I lose this contract? Or maybe ruining my reputation forever will settle the score. You tell me, Nick! What do you want from me?”
She was breathing rapidly, and two points of colour marked her cheeks in an otherwise chalky complexion.
He spun around, prowling toward her, his jaw clenched, his hands balled into fists.
“What do I want? I want to fuck you so hard you’ll never forget it’s my cock that’s been inside you. I want you screaming my name. I want you to say it wasn’t a mistake. I want to make you come so hard you pass out. That’s what I want, Anna, and it’s fucking killing me to not even touch you!”
Currently he is a Personal trainer living in Cheshire, and has an online fitness program: Fear Nothing Fitness.
I enjoy watching surfers at my local beach, and weaving stories of romance in the modern world, with all its trials and tribulations.
It’s been the best fun working with Stu on this story. And yes, he did think about joining the Marines once.
“When your world crashes down…
When they all say you’re out…
When your mind is broken…
I will rise…
I will return…
And I will be undefeated.”
A few years back a friend suggested a Jane Harvey Berrick (JHB) book to me, and since that first read of The Traveling Man, I have devoured every JHB book. A few years back another author featured Stuart Reardon on her book cover, and I have enjoyed watching Stuart show up on covers since.
So the moment JHB announced her collaboration with Stuart Reardon on this book, there was not even a moment that I wouldn’t read this book. I have to say, this collaboration of a favorite author and book model/rugby player couldn’t have produced a better outcome.
This book is the life of Nick Renshaw, a rugby player who has hit a few bumps in the road and Anna Scott, a sports psychologist who has had her share of obstacles to overcome herself.
The book has given this American girl the inside view of Rugby in England. To see the friendships, the level of commitment, the raw brutality and undefeated will of one man’s need to survive and succeed. Nick wasn’t always at his best, so his vulnerability made him so relatable and loveable. It’s nice to see a hero in a book that isn’t perfect, he was flawed, and that’s why I think I fell for him so hard.
“How could he play with no fear, when fear was a molten core that burned from the inside out?”
I think that Stuart Reardon made this book so believable from his first-hand view of rugby that no one else could give us but someone who has lived that life. JHB can write and weave words of love, sadness, retribution that we needed from Anna’s point of view. A perfect match of authors for me. The grit and rawness of Stuart Reardon’s first-hand experience and writing then the slow burn timing that I have loved from JHB in the past is what made this was one hell of a story for me.
On a side note…
I am a HUGE fan of British romance, I love the British sayings and words that aren’t in my vocabulary, and the authenticness of this was a big plus for me.
“…what is a cockwomble