Double Up by Vanessa North

 

 "Knowing he’s loved can make any man fly"

 
Fifteen years ago, Ben Warren was a wakeboarding champion: king of big air, ballsy tricks, and boned grabs. Until a career-ending injury left him broken in ways he still has no hope of fixing. Now he takes his thrills where he can get them, and tries not to let life hurt too much.

Then Davis Fox arrives in Ben’s sporting goods store with a plan to get in touch with his estranged brother by competing in the annual wakeboarding double-up contest. The catch? He’s never ridden before. It’s crazy, but Ben’s a sucker for the guy’s sob story—and for his dimples, too—so he agrees to coach Davis.

Davis is everything Ben isn’t: successful, confident, and in love with life. And he wants Ben to love life—and him—too. But before Ben can embrace a future with Davis, he needs to remember how to hope.

 What a pleasant surprise. Double Up was a really sweet read. I went in totally blind and I must say - I found it to be a charming, yet totally real kind of story.

Davis(30) and Ben(40) have a bit of a May December type romance with the ten year age gap. However, it’s the younger Davis that’s the more grown up of the two. Ben is still dealing with injuries and past mistakes. Never having had a serious relationship, he is unsure, yet there is something about the constantly-blushing Davis that just softens him. The sweet, yet commanding Davis is figuring out how to salvage a sibling relationship in the now with the help of the wakeboarding legend.

I liked this couple. At a hundred and thirty pages it’s a short read, but oh-so-satisfying.

4 stars for this wakeboard ride of a read!

T~

*Given via Riptide Publishing for review

 Expected publication: August 25th 2014 by Riptide Publishing