Reviewed by Elizabetta
TITLE: Double Up
AUTHOR: Vanessa North
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 139 pages
BLURB:
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.
REVIEW:
Double Up is a well-done, quick and easy-to-read romance. The combination of lakeside setting, waterboarding action (think water skiing on a snowboard), and sexy, ripped guys makes it a perfect beach read. It’s hot fun under the summer sun with just enough turmoil to give it weight.
When Davis Fox walks into Ben’s board shop looking for wakeboard lessons and gear, Ben takes him for a spoiled rich kid living on daddy’s trust fund. Well, the rich part is right but at thirty, Davis has made a career as a brilliant architect. And he has the lakeside house he built himself to prove it.
Davis is desperate to re-connect with his half-brother, Ridley Romeo (love, love love this name!!), who, at thirteen, is the hot up-and-coming local wakeboard champion. Davis’ homophobic stepdad has done all he can to keep the brothers apart and Davis wants to change that. So learning some board skills and entering the local Double Up tournament seems the way to do it. Even though he’s never been on a board in his life.
At forty years old and an ex-wakeboard champ himself, Ben is long off the tournament circuit due to a serious injury. He is more than aware of what this sport requires but he agrees to train Davis, and we get wonderful insight into Ben’s love of the sport…
“… I settle into the lake, let the water and my board buoy me up… the drag of board against water, the way my muscles bunch and strain, are old friends… I can still remember the sense of victory… the first time I went from horizontal to vertical behind a boat. And the rush… between the wakes it’s a glorious mess, white and green churning together… out there on the other side of the wakes, it’s glass just waiting for me to etch its surface with my board.”
Working with Davis brings it all back to Ben, and it’s not just Davis’ stubborn determination to learn that catches at Ben’s heart.
Which brings me to my other favorite part of the story: blushing boys who bite.
Turns out Davis has the hots for Ben, too, and he’s a take-charge topper with some pushy smexin skills. Ben is uncomfortable about this– he likes to be in charge himself. But, he comes to find that a cute, freckled guy who blushes while dirty-talking him around in bed… well that’s pretty damn sexy too.
“He laughs and his cheeks turn pink. I interpret his blushes like a secret code. I think this one means I’ve passed a test.”
It’s a real change-up to have the older dog learn some new tricks. I love this kind of sexual table-turning; it keeps things fresh.
There are a couple tests to be passed in Double-Up. It’s not all smooth sailing for Ben and Davis. But, while there is some tension, the action is mostly on the water with some great wakeboarding scenes and just enough between-the-sheets mamboing to cook this romance tender.
I wish that Double Up had been just a little longer. There’s some lingering mystery about Davis and his architecture work… he seemed oddly reticent about discussing it with Ben at the beginning of the story. And Ridley Romeo, young wakeboard god… I’d like to see him at least five years older and where boarding takes him. The author has a real feel for this sport and it’d be fun to read more of it. Recommended.
RATING: 
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