Passion For Pages: Risking It All by Jennifer Schmidt

Title: Risking It All
Author: Jennifer Schmidt
Publication Date: September 13, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):

Kennedy Monroe barely got her foot in her college dorm her freshman year before she was being warned about a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed self-proclaimed Casanova. There were only so many tales of heartache – and incredibly steamy nights – she could listen to before she started to believe them. But after a run in with the most sought after college womanizer, her ill feelings toward him change and soon a friendship forms that surprises everyone.

Twelve years later Kennedy and Memphis Adams are closer than ever - and only friends despite what those around them think, including Kennedy’s boyfriend Ian Brooks. When Kennedy accepts an invitation to vacation in Alaska from Memphis, her relationship with Brooks is tested as is her restraint when it comes to the desire she has always had for her best friend.

Alone with Memphis in Alaska, Kennedy finds it increasingly harder to ignore temptation and wants nothing more than to give into her secret desires with the one man that has always been off limits. But is one night of passion worth the possible risk of losing their friendship over?

Feeling torn between doing the right thing and doing what she wants, Kennedy fears losing her best friend. She knows she needs to sort out her feelings for the two men in her life and deal with the consequences of her actions, but how can she when everything seems to be falling apart so fast? And how much can Memphis take before he’s pushed too far and can no longer take Kennedy’s inability to make a decision about what and who she wants?

Kennedy discovers the harsh reality of how one night can change everything and leave her risking it all.

Review

Don't forget to check out my interview with this awesome woman!

This book needs to come with two warnings: 1) Do not read unless your man is in reachable distance, and 2) If you do not have a man and cold showers aren’t doing the trick, be prepared to jump the first male you see. The mailman, the UPS guy, hell even that creepy guy that watches you bag your groceries will start to look good.

My God this book is hot, hot, HOT. I’m panting just thinking about the things I read. It’s not so much the kind of sex because it wasn’t anything kinky or totally out there, it’s how Schmidt described it. It’s lip biting, is-it-getting-hot-in-here sex. I felt like I was right there and oh my God do I wish I had been right freaking there! But it’s not all about the scalding sex that makes this book fabulous.

The story is believable. It’s something that could happen to you or your best friend or maybe your neighbour is on the emotional rollercoaster that Kennedy and Memphis were on. The writing is so real and so emotional that you have to wonder if it was all fiction or if Schmidt herself has gone through the same thing and found herself falling for her hunky best friend.

There were times I wanted to shake Kennedy and scream at her, “what the hell are you doing?!” I cannot tell you how many times I screamed, “Tell him! Tell him! Fine, Memphis, you tell her then!” She made me scream and cry and almost throw my reader against a wall because she just couldn’t see what was right in front of her. I hated that she was so wishy-washy with her decisions and that she felt like she owed Brooks something. Why, Kennedy, why?! When she finally realized she had a backbone and used it I’m sure my victory cry could be heard for miles. Yes, because of her actions (and one decision she made in the book that I was sitting there going W.T.F?) Kennedy is a hard character to love. But that’s okay. I didn’t need to love Kennedy; I still liked her enough to root for her. And as much as she drove me nuts, I think the things she felt were honestly how a lot of people would feel in the same situation.

So who did I love? Do I even need to answer that question?

Memphis. Oh Memphis, Memphis, Memphis. Like I needed another fictional man to swoon over. He was so sweet and sexy and charming and sexy. There’s a part where he’s chasing Kennedy around the cabin and I had the goofiest smile on my face as my heart melted and my stomach did giddy flip-flops. This man is everything a girl could want. Some of the things he said made me sigh out loud and sink down into my pillow with a silly little grin. I wanted to reach through my reader, grab him out and have him show me a thing or two against a door. My heart broke right along with his when he and Kennedy got into their huge fight. His past, his feelings for her…all of it was just too much and I cried. I cried! That’s how I know it was an amazing book. It made me cry.

But let’s take a minute and talk about the other man in Kennedy’s life. Brooks. Mr. Self-Absorbed-I’m-A-Brilliant-Brain-Surgeon-And-Therefore-Can-Treat-People-Like-They’re-Dirt. Big title he has in my mind, huh? I’m glad Schmidt didn’t give us two great guys to love because that would have made rooting for Kennedy and Memphis to get their shit together so much harder. I still would have done it, but it would have been harder. But as much as Brooks comes off as an ass, there is a part in the book that I feel for the guy. I really did think he was trying to win Kennedy back when she came home from Alaska. And there was a small part of me that was terrified he would turn out to be this awesome guy. How horrible am I that I was so excited when his douche flags rose again? I didn’t think he deserved to be led on by Kennedy and made to think that she was still in their relationship, but at the same time I thought she deserved the attention from him she was finally getting because of it. Can you see how this book played with my emotions?

And can I just say that I will never look at a handicapped washroom the same again? *fans self* I needed ice chips. And my man.

Get this book. Get this book now if you can. If you want a fun, sexy, emotional read then you will buy this novel the second it’s available to order. Just make sure you have the a/c on, something cold to drink and some spare batteries just in case.

**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review