A powerful contemporary romance set in the fast-moving world of international rugby.
When your world crashes down
When they all say you’re out
When your body is broken
I will rise.
I will return.
And I will be undefeated.
Nick Renshaw is the golden boy of British rugby. When a serious injury threatens his career, he starts to spiral downwards, a broken man.
Feeling abandoned and betrayed by those closest to him, he fights to restart his life. Maybe there’s someone out there who can help him. Maybe he can find his way back toward the light. Maybe … not.
Dr. Anna Scott might be the one person who can help Nick, but she has her own secrets. And when Nick’s past comes back to haunt them both, the enigmatic doctor is more vulnerable than she seems.
Broken and betrayed, the struggle to survive seems intolerable. Who will give in, and who will rise, undefeated?
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to Undefeated, as it is former pro rugby star Stuart Reardon’s debut novel, and Jane Harvey-Berrick is a new-to-me author. But I went into the book with an open mind, and I was pleasantly surprised.
There is a sweetness to rugby player Nick and sports psychologist Anna’s romance. While their relationship is technically forbidden thanks to his team’s no-fraternization policy, the two embark on a genuine friendship at first, which gives their later romance a strong foundation. When they first meet, Nick is in a long-term relationship, and despite their attraction to the other, neither one of them do anything to cross a line. When an injury nearly ruins Nick’s career, and then his personal life falls apart as a result, Anna turns out to be the only person from that part of his life still rooting him on. She stands by him, lifting him up through one of the darkest times in his life, but when the tables are turned and Anna needs a personal cheerleader, will Nick return the favor and come through for her in the same way?
Undefeated has an uplifting HEA, even though Nick and Anna’s journey to get there is full of twists and turns and roadblocks and a helluva lot of angst. The rugby scenes are gritty and raw, no doubt colored by Reardon’s own personal experience with the sport. The story is told in alternating third person POVs; while I do love being able to read both his and her sides to a story, third person is not my favorite perspective. And there are several times where POV changes mid-chapter; it’s not a huge deal in terms of the flow of the story, but my personal preference is a clean character break with the start of a new chapter.
Overall, Undefeated is a solid feel-good romance, and I was rather impressed by Reardon’s first offering as an author. We all know he makes for a beautiful cover model (like on Undefeated!) and now he can say that he’s a pretty good romance writer as well. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Stuart is a retired England International Rugby League player who’s career spanned 16 years as a professional playing for several top League clubs. He has had several major injuries that nearly ended his career just as in Undefeated, the amazing collaboration with Jane.
Currently he is a Personal trainer living in Cheshire, and has an online fitness program: Fear Nothing Fitness.
enjoy watching surfers at my local beach, and weaving stories of romance in the modern world, with all its trials and tribulations.
It’s been the best fun working with Stu on this story. And yes, he did think about joining the Marines once.
Sunny Shelly Reads 