Undefeated by Melissa Cutler

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Liam and Marlena didn't have the best of relationships in high school, but Liam had a sense of wanting to know what could have been and Marlena has always found Liam irresistible. But both have their baggage and only they can help each other overcome it. Find the official description on Goodreads.

The characters were each unique and interesting. Melanie seems like this really chill person but inside she has her secrets. And they're not all that traditional. At least not in the book worlds. And Liam was a marvelous character, well created and I enjoyed both. Especially their interactions with each other.

I loved how Liam described the meaning of hockey to him. It was beautiful and gave depths to Liam that I hadn't previously seen.

I also liked that Liam had different problems from Theo and that he had different ways in dealing with them. It made Undefeated stand out from Risky Business.

And it isn't just the main characters I enjoyed, it was everyone. Even the characters who were more to the side had depth and weren't just there to further the story.

I loved the ending. It might have been a difficult journey but it just proves that anything can happen and things can work out for the best. I just really loved this book.

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Risky Business by Melissa Cutler

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"And then she shut the door in his face, locked it, and walked away before he had a chance to spew more ugly French curses at her or cast any more angry bear glares her way." -Melissa Cutler, Risky Business

Allison is left struggling to provide for her daughter when her husband is arrested. However she's been a stay-at-home wife and hasn't any skills she can put to use in a real job. So when she gets Cloud Nine, a boat rental company, she can't say no...even though she's deadly afraid of the water. Theo was poised to buy Cloud Nine from Allison's ex-husband so when Allison arrives, he's noticeably annoyed.  But when they get to know each other, can they make it work? Or will Allison and Theo constantly butt heads? Find the official description on Goodreads.

I'm just going to say this now, but I loved this book! It was an amazing start to what seems like an amazing series, and I can't wait for the other books to be released.

The introduction we get to Allison certainly isn't her best moment, but it gives readers a look into the real Allison, and it's easy to fall in love with her. She's determined to support her daughter even if she has to face a fear that she's held for a very long time and is debilitating to her. She doesn't give up and it's great to see her grow and make friends throughout the book. Especially because it seems throughout the book as if she's creating a family, not related by blood but family all the same. And that creation of close bonds was also an amazing thing to witness as readers read through Risky Business.

Theo was a jerk occasionally and grumpy but we're given insights into him that allows us to see past this tough exterior into the real Theo. He has his reasons and his reasons for not wanting Allison there are solid and most importantly real. It was great to see that his reactions were that of any person who was close to achieving a dream and that is convinced they are going to lose everything. This struggle throughout the book was amazing to see and watch. Not to mention, he's Canadian. Us Canadians gotta stick together! And I got to use some of my French skills(although no worries, most of the times it's translated anyway. I just wanted to show off for myself, haha.)

Then there's the fact that Theo has a war wound but not one commonly thought of when thinking of war injuries. He has a mental injury and that can be just as debilitating and difficult to recover from as a physical one. Melissa Cutler definitely thought outside of the box with this injury and I was surprised but liked that she did so.

The drama was there but it wasn't in your face. It was more of a subtle thing. Although there were a few things that were obvious, many of the things were just smaller things that put together build upon each other to create one big, bad situation.

Melissa Cutler also used Risky Business to begin to make connections with the future books of the Bomb Squad series. There's one or two things that if you've read the synopsis' for the other books you can see are leading into those books. And it was fun to try and spot them.

Risky Business is a marvelous beginning to a new series by Melissa Cutler. It is being released August 19th, and I suggest that you go buy it!

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