For 25 year old attorney, Hindley Hagen, life is all about staying one step ahead of the game. Avoiding surprises and keeping people at a distance is the only way she has to protect herself from the painful scars and shattered memories of her past. When Hindley is offered a new position at her prestigious Austin law firm as sports agent for pro skateboarder, Rory Gregor, she’s ready for the new challenge but completely unprepared for the man who captures her heart. Suddenly, Hindley is thrust into a world where protecting all their secrets could cost her everything; her family, her career, and maybe even her life.
Professional skateboarder and X Games royalty, Rory Gregor knows what it’s like to be at the top. But after two years of bad decisions and one-night-stands, he’s having to make a comeback he never anticipated. Hiring a new agent may be what his team thinks he needs to rebuild his career, but what if it costs him his heart in the process? Just when he thinks he’s posed for a comeback, secrets from his past threaten to ruin his chance for gold and a new love. In a sport where trust means everything, this time... it may not be enough.
Professional skateboarder and X Games royalty, Rory Gregor knows what it’s like to be at the top. But after two years of bad decisions and one-night-stands, he’s having to make a comeback he never anticipated. Hiring a new agent may be what his team thinks he needs to rebuild his career, but what if it costs him his heart in the process? Just when he thinks he’s posed for a comeback, secrets from his past threaten to ruin his chance for gold and a new love. In a sport where trust means everything, this time... it may not be enough.
Find out the dramatic conclusion to Book 1 of the X-Treme Boys Series, Skater Boy.
For the first time in her life, Hindley Hagen has something she’s always looked for, unconditional love. As the attorney and sports agent for X Games golden boy, Rory Gregor, she’s worked hard to help him make a comeback in a professional sport that isn’t always so forgiving. This time, he’s won more than just a gold medal, he’s captured her heart. But now, she’s trapped, caught in the snare of a man playing a deadly game. She must choose, protect the one man who’s made her come alive for the first time in her life or risk losing everything she’s worked hard for, including him. To save them both, Hindley must do the unthinkable or face a life without the one thing Rory Gregor has finally given her; hope. But protecting them means her own demons may surface and from that, there is no recovery. Hindley must learn the hard way, in love and life, there is no such thing as a safe secret.
Trust isn’t something that comes naturally to Rory Gregor. Even his own professional achievements as an X Games multi-gold medalist can’t wash away a childhood filled with abuse, which has left him with a lifetime of insecurities and self-loathing. But now, he’s finally found a woman who makes him feel the one thing in life he never thought possible-smart. With Hindley Hagen by his side, he’s skating better than ever, securing deals that could make them both rich. Yet something is off. Just as he gets inside the walls she’s constructed to guard herself, she pulls away again. She’s hiding something. But then, so is he.
As their need to protect one another grows to escalating heights with deadly consequences, will Hindley and Rory finally find the future together they so richly deserve? Or, will they discover the one thing that could destroy them both forever is actually each other? Find out in this exciting conclusion to the first book in the X-Treme Boys Series, Skater Boy.
For the first time in her life, Hindley Hagen has something she’s always looked for, unconditional love. As the attorney and sports agent for X Games golden boy, Rory Gregor, she’s worked hard to help him make a comeback in a professional sport that isn’t always so forgiving. This time, he’s won more than just a gold medal, he’s captured her heart. But now, she’s trapped, caught in the snare of a man playing a deadly game. She must choose, protect the one man who’s made her come alive for the first time in her life or risk losing everything she’s worked hard for, including him. To save them both, Hindley must do the unthinkable or face a life without the one thing Rory Gregor has finally given her; hope. But protecting them means her own demons may surface and from that, there is no recovery. Hindley must learn the hard way, in love and life, there is no such thing as a safe secret.
Trust isn’t something that comes naturally to Rory Gregor. Even his own professional achievements as an X Games multi-gold medalist can’t wash away a childhood filled with abuse, which has left him with a lifetime of insecurities and self-loathing. But now, he’s finally found a woman who makes him feel the one thing in life he never thought possible-smart. With Hindley Hagen by his side, he’s skating better than ever, securing deals that could make them both rich. Yet something is off. Just as he gets inside the walls she’s constructed to guard herself, she pulls away again. She’s hiding something. But then, so is he.
As their need to protect one another grows to escalating heights with deadly consequences, will Hindley and Rory finally find the future together they so richly deserve? Or, will they discover the one thing that could destroy them both forever is actually each other? Find out in this exciting conclusion to the first book in the X-Treme Boys Series, Skater Boy.
At 25,
Hindley Hagen had been through a lot in her past. She puts a wall around her -
protecting herself and most especially her heart had been her number one
concern. She doesn’t easily trust people and she prefers to stay in the ‘safe’
zone. Then she had met Rory Gregor – a pro-skateboarder, who according to her
was a living breathing oxymoron.
He was a professional skateboarder, a bonafide player of the most dangerous kind. He was a delinquent, a trouble maker, a punk and he made no excuses for it…. He was so kind, caring, offering up something I’d search for probably my entire life if I was honest.
They had
met in the most unusual circumstances – it was her step-sister’s bachelorette
party, and she was having the worse time of her life. They got her so drunk,
and then left her. He just saved her from being taken home and molested by a
stranger. Out of the goodness of his heart (AHEM), he brought her home (thanks
to the help of the cab driver), and put her to bed, without taking advantage of
her (which is hard for him, most likely). It didn’t help when Dana caught them
the next morning… the next thing he knew, he was Hindley’s date to her sister’s
wedding.
But everything
got complicated when she was assigned to him as a sports agent for Rory. She needed
to put a halt to whatever she’s feeling and be professional with her dealings
with him. How can she ever do that, when every time they stand in the same room
– fireworks erupt and she couldn’t even breath evenly? Not to mention, she had
some deeper, darker secret (even darker than his) that she had been keeping not
just to protect her career, but her family as well.
It was a
good comeback for Professional skateboarder, Rory Gregor after he rolled down
from the top post due to his drinking, womanizing and drug problems. Everyone wanted
to see him skate once again. Hiring a new agent might seal the deal to it, but
it may cost his heart in the process… Hindley was everything any guy would have
dream of, and he was lucky enough she was wasting her time on him. But what if
she knew about his past? About his secrets? She would run as fast as she could
to the other side of the room. She was way beyond his league. Would she ever
accept him if she knew?
I love
some characters, and hated some too. Hindley – she has self-esteem issues, no
thanks to her past. I didn’t know why she allowed herself to be treated like
that by her step-sister! I wished she stood up against her. Geneva was a piece
of work, and I hated her so much. For her to continuously sabotage Hindley’s
life, and for Hindley’s mom not paying attention towards the situation makes me
want to wring their necks and smashed their heads together. Argh! And there was
Paul, her step-dad who would move heaven and earth to keep her safe and
protected. He had treated her like a real daughter, and given her everything
she wanted without even her asking for it. So, if he ask her to baby sit her
evil sister, who is she to refuse? Then there’s Dana – OMG! I so love her feistiness!
She was the strong foundation Hindley needed and leaned on when things got
rough into her life.
Rory, on
the other hand, has some self-esteem issues as well. His reasons are enough for
him to think twice before jumping into bed with Hindley. She was a lawyer, beautiful,
successful – what would she want to do with him? I understand his dilemma, but I
still wished he would see his worth. He was not just an athlete, but he was a gentleman, and a hero too!
Hindley
tried to fight it, she knew what the consequences would be if she would give in
to her desires and they would get caught. Rory might turned hot then cold at
the beginning, but when he finally got over his insecurities – he would do
anything to have her.
Two
broken people clothed with insecurities, Dark past, mysterious secrets, and
secret love affair – Skater Boy was one heck of a ride. I laughed, cried a
little, got frustrated, angry, fell in love and drunk with anticipation for the
next book. I was blessed to have both books ready to review rather than
agonizing to wait for the next one to come out. Nevertheless, I eagerly started
to read the next one – because you will honestly want to finish this series and
know the ending ASAP!
Hindley
and Rory are finally a couple! Rory had given her the unconditional love she
had been looking for. She helped him make a comeback, securing endorsement and
even a commercial in his behalf. Both of them were happy, and just waiting for
the right moment for the both of them to announce their relationship. Their reputation
would suffer, most especially hers. Even though Rory didn’t like it one bit, he
agreed. Just as when everything seems to be perfect for Hindley and Rory – an envious
rival goes into a full-blast blackmail scheme that can ruin not just their
careers but their relationship as well. Hindley gets too choose – to protect
the man she loves and cared so much or risk everything she had worked so hard
for, which still includes him… She was caught between the devil and the deep
blue sea, a vile trap that had me on the edge of my seat as well!!!
Rory
Gregor had been through enough from his past for him to be careful on whom to
trust. The abuse he got from home, had scarred him for life – leaving him with
insecurities and self-loathing. But now, he had finally caught the heart of
Hindley Hagen. Despite knowing his secret, she stayed with him, and even helped
him deal with the problem. He’s skating better than ever, and securing a lot of
endorsement along the way. But then he felt than something is OFF. Just as when
he thought he had broken all the walls surrounding her heart, she puts them
back again. He feels she’s hiding something from him…
And I thought
that was the only secret. Imagine my surprise when I was treated with a whole
lot more in between the novel. I didn’t want to stop reading, I wanted to know
how this thing would end. There were just too many people involve, exposing the
secrets would be too much risk – so when everything was outed: hell broke
loose. My heart ached until it broke, and I wonder if everything would ever be
okay after.
It took
one SUPER GRAND Gesture for him to get back into her good graces – him,
professing his love, his apology for everyone to hear. But it didn’t stop there
– I know right?! – just as when my heartbeat is about to go back to normal,
another problem occurred, and it made Hindley spiraled down. Would his love be
enough to bring her back?
My heart
is in serious trouble all throughout reading this – but all those shift in my
beats was worth it when I finally reach the ending. Everything that they have
been through, even their past is nothing compared to where the both of them are
by the final chapter. I very happy with the ending, and of course, I can’t wait
to read Dana’s story!
The blurb
says – dramatic conclusion: How dramatic is DRAMATIC, exactly? I expected
sooooo much from the conclusion of the book 1 of X-Treme Boys Series, thank
goodness I wasn’t disappointed! It was filled with so much twist and turns, one
HUGE secret divulge on top of the other, the ultimate betrayal, and not to
mention the most dramatic reconciliation ever!!!! And because of this, you, KAY
MANIS, gets a spot on my favorite authors list!
Amazon / Amazon CA / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
SKATER BOY
(X-Treme Boys Series, Book 1)
(X-Treme Boys Series, Book 1)
--Hindley--
Sensing my anxiety, Skater Boy headed toward my bedroom door but I didn’t want him to leave, not yet. I had an overwhelming need to touch him so I reached out and caught him by the arm. His muscles were defined and hard and I held on longer than I should have. His eyes looked down at my hand then back up to me.
“Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for last night. I really appreciate you taking care of me,” I said. I could see him working hard, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. I’d been right about his height. He was tall, over six feet, but my five foot eight stature seemed to match his perfectly.
“Why do I feel like that might have been one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to do?” I raised my eyebrows in disbelief, shocked at how well he already knew me. I prided myself on not needing anything from anyone, so words of gratitude from me were few and far between.
“Probably because it was,” I answered, pushing past him and through the door on my way to the bathroom, feeling every bit as vulnerable now that I was fully dressed as I did lying next to him in nothing but my underwear. Somewhere deep inside, I wished I was back there, though, back in bed with him, relishing how beautiful he was.
MY SKATER BOY
(X-Treme Boys Series, Book 2)
(X-Treme Boys Series, Book 2)
--Rory--
Today was the day I’d dreaded forever, the day I realized I was the source of Hindley’s pain and anguish. It truly was me I had to protect her from, not all the others threatening to harm her. The only way I could do that now was to leave her alone. I bolted out of the elevator, running to my room as fast as I could, afraid I may actually vomit in the hallway before getting to the bathroom. Losing Hindley wasn’t an option, but the choice wasn’t mine to make. Suddenly, that one realization, the fact I was no longer in control, scared me more than anything I’d ever known.
Kay Manis lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, daughter and five pound Chihuahua affectionately named "Tiny." When not writing or researching you'll find Kay reading a good book, eating out with friends or napping.
Kay's biggest goal in writing is to amuse, inspire and entertain. If she's done that for you then she says she'll always consider herself a success.
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