Monday, January 26, 2015

Review of Worth the Risk (The McKinney Brothers #2) by Claudia Connor


"We could do a lot with chocolate mousse." - Stephen McKinney

Worth the Risk
Series: The McKinney Brothers # 2
Author: Claudia Connor
Publisher: Loveswept
Release Date: February 3rd, 2015
Source: Netgalley

Purchase Links: Amazon - B&N - iTunes - Kobo 
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When a McKinney brother falls in love, powerful emotion and overwhelming desire are never far behind.

Two hearts locked away . . . Hannah Walker spends her days coaching children through injury and trauma, one therapeutic horseback ride at a time. She knows all too well how violence can change a child and leave scars that never heal. It’s easy for her to relate to the kids; what isn’t easy is the thought of facing her own harrowing past.

Millionaire playboy Stephen McKinney could use a little coaching himself. Five years ago he encountered his most horrible nightmare—and the nightmare won. No matter what he achieves, nothing can make up for that awful night . . . or so he believes.

Both desperate for a second chance . . . Stephen is used to getting what he wants. And he wants Hannah. So when she turns him down, he’s intrigued. What he doesn’t know is that her secrets will lead him to a place he never wanted to go again . . . to a side of himself he’s tried to forget . . . a side that would scare Hannah away from ever loving him. Now his only chance to win her trust is to bare his soul, risking everything he tried so hard to protect.


Holy Hannah! To say that I loved Worth the Risk would be the understatement of the month. I freaking loved every freaking moment of this book. Claudia Connor knows how to write a romance that packs quite a punch. The emotional roller coaster Claudia takes you on is amazing. You experience the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, the lust at first sight to the final "I Love You." 

Worth the Risk, the second book in Connor's McKinney Brothers series, is the story of Stephen and Hannah, two very wounded characters. Five years ago Stephen lost the love of his life to a horrific crime. If Stephen is being honest with himself, he lost a lot of his soul that day as well. He went on a dark path that tore him apart from his loving family. With the recent marriage of his brother, Stephen finds himself starting to mend the fences with his family. Hannah knows all about a person finding themselves again after a horrific event. She too experienced a brutal crime and continues to carry the scars with her to this day. After a tearful goodbye, Hannah and Stephen share a fate encounter. They are inexplicably drawn to each other from the first moment their eyes meet and are thrown together on a whirlwind romance that not only allows them to heal, but also gives them hope for a bright future together.

I loved Worth the Risk so much that I finished it in less than a day, which is quite a feat since I'm still in a bit if a reading slump. I couldn't sleep the night before and decided to read a couple chapters. Rather than keeping me up, it actually put me to sleep. Go figure! I picked it back up the following morning and spent the day stealing moments to read a chapter or two at a time until I gave in and finished it that night. Phew! I loved both Stephen and Hannah. They were soul mates that needed each other, both physically and emotionally. Stephen had moments where I questioned his actions, but when I stopped to think about what his character went through, I was more understanding with him. I loved that he was Hannah's first for so many important events in her life. To me, that just solidified their bond. There is no one else for them and they fought through the scars and the walls built around their hearts to keep their love alive.

Claudia... I don't know whether to hug you or send you a bill for the Kleenex I went through while reading the first two books in your McKinney Brothers series. Claudia's writing is flawless. The emotion her characters feel jumped off the page. You want to cry with them, cheer with them, and give them a standing ovation when they finally have their happily ever after. I know whose book I would love to read next, but at this point, I'll take any one of Claudia's brooding heroes. Stephen and Matt aren't the only McKinney brothers that are in need of their own happy ending. And when they are all paired off, I know of some Walker men I'd love to get to know better... *wink*



Claudia Connor is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of heartfelt contemporary romance. Claudia attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and masters degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. Always a lover of happy endings, she enjoys movies, reading, and travel, but spends most of her time typing out the love stories of the almost real people that live in her head. Claudia lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.

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3 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting today! Better get on this one ASAP!!

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  2. Thank you so SO much!! What an incredible review!! I just want to read it over and over again!! <3

    xoxo

    Claudia

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    1. You're so welcome, Claudia. I am in love with the series. Is the 3rd book really not coming out until next February? Say it isn't so...

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