REVIEW: Furious Rush

Furious Rush, by S.C. Stephens
Publish Date: August 23, 2016
Publisher: Forever Romance
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 3.5 STARS

(Synopsis) For Mackenzie Cox, racing motorcycles is in her blood. Born into a family legacy, she's determined to show the world that she has inherited her father's talent in this male-dominated sport. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team's newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Hayden, exceedingly arrogant and outrageously attractive, immediately gets under Kenzie's skin and she can't help but be distracted.

As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense - and strictly forbidden - attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie needs a win, and she also needs to stay away from Hayden. Unfortunately for her though, one thing has become all too clear: she can't.

Fuelled by passion, driven by desire, Hayden and Mackenzie both want to win more than anything else. Except for, maybe, each other. But anger, jealousy and extreme competitiveness aren't their only obstacles . . .

I was really excited to read Furious Rush. I loved the idea of a female motorcycle racer. And the Romeo and Juliet aspect is not to be ignored. I'm always a sucker for those forbidden romances. And Hayden's and Kenzie's relationship was pretty darn forbidden considering she was racing for her father and he was racing for her father's former BFF and now biggest enemy and rival.

Yes, there was lots of stuff I loved about Furious Rush. I loved bad boy Hayden. Most of the time I liked Kenzie. I really loved the racing both on the track and on the street and that Kenzie was so good at it. Girl power and all that. I liked how Kenzie and Hayden fed off each other's competitiveness and used that in races. And I'm glad there was so much racing in the book and that it wasn't just a backdrop for the relationship angst and drama.

However, there was also lots of stuff I didn't love. Pretty much every other character in this book, for starters. They were all - seriously, ALL - horrible in their own ways, and it frustrated me to distraction that none of them ever really got what they deserved. Kenzie or Hayden always forgave them or brushed their actions aside like the things they did and the ways they betrayed others were no big deal.

I also wasn't a fan of the ending - mostly because there really wasn't one. So many story threads were left flapping in the breeze, not even close to being tied up. And that twist at the very end wasn't my favorite part. <-- *understatement* Does this mean that there will be a follow-up book? A part of me hopes so - it's mean to leave us hanging like that. Another part of me just wants to focus on Hayden and Kenzie driving off into the sunset, happy and together, and just leave it at that.