One night changed everything.
Every hope and dream I had vanished with the touch of a hand.
Whoever said love lasts forever obviously has never been in love with their brother’s best friend.
Ever since high school, I have been trying to replace the painful memories of my past with new ones. Forgetting every trauma was working until I ran into him…Conrad Stone. The man who broke my heart into a million pieces.
I’d locked him out of my head for so long that when he stood in front of me I could barely believe my eyes. I thought I was hallucinating until he spoke.
“What are you doing here?”
I should have been excited. I should have been ecstatic, but all I felt was anger. How could I let my first love back in my life after thirteen years?
This should be fun.
Past the Rush is a heartfelt and steamy sports romance. The book features some popular tropes, including second-chance romance, brother’s best friend, workplace romance, and forced proximity. The novel’s short length of 214 pages coupled with its fast pacing makes it bingeable in one or two sittings! There are several lengthy, steamy scenes that will delight spicy romance fans—and they are tastefully written with emotional depth!
The story follows Lenna and Conrad, who have not spoken since a tragic car accident killed Lenna’s brother over a decade earlier. Lenna has worked hard to build stability, burying her past beneath work and walls. Conrad, now a professional football player, comes back into her life, forcing both of them to revisit memories they’d rather avoid.
The story alternates between the POVs of protagonists Lenna and Conrad, allowing readers to get a glimpse inside both characters’ hearts and minds. This dual POV is especially effective in this second-chance romance, as readers get a clear picture of Lenna’s pain from the loss of her brother and past betrayal and Conrad’s intense desire for reconnection and to make amends. The story has a dual timeline structure, with most of the past timeline scenes presented as flashbacks. Some of the transitions are abrupt, but they’re still easy to follow and add weight to the character development.
Lenna is a guarded, cautious, and resilient protagonist. Her journey is about learning to trust again and to forgive. Conrad is an introspective character whose inner monologues are a mix of determination and regret. His re-entry into Lenna’s life is far from smooth—he has to make a huge effort to prove to Lenna that he’s sorry for abandoning her years earlier and is worthy of a second chance. The chemistry between Lenna and Conrad is palpable, believable, and fiery from their very first scene together. Unfortunately, the order in which their relationship unfolds doesn’t feel entirely believable. Lenna is, at first, hell-bent against forgiving Conrad or letting him back into her life, but then their relationship suddenly becomes deeply intimate and emotional—and from there it seems to go back to ground zero (at least from Lenna’s perspective). The constant changing dynamic of the relationship may send readers on a tailspin—and it may have been more effective to have a gradual transition to sensual lovers for their words of endearment to carry more weight and credibility.
The Crescent City Kings football world adds glamour and intrigue to the story, but it mostly serves as a backdrop—and there’s a lot of room (and potential) for more “football world-building” in future books in the series. For such a short novel, the story has several powerful themes, including the path to forgiveness, trauma and healing, and exploring how love can coexist amidst grief and scars. The short chapters and relentless pacing make it hard to put down, and it’s a great option for a weekend or road trip binge!
Overall, Past the Rush is a short, emotionally charged sports romance that’s perfect for fans of authors like Meghan Quinn or Maya Hughes or those who love sports romances with heartfelt undertones!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Past The Rush is an immersive duet narration performed by accomplished narrators Lauren Beck and Brandon Francis. The duet narration enhances the immersion for listeners and provides clear and believable emotional shifts between Lenna and Conrad, especially when they are in heated arguments!
Lauren Beck portrays Lenna as independent and sassy, using an engaging, smooth voice that accentuates the character’s strength and guarded vulnerability. Lena’s inner monologues, where she mulls over her feelings for Conrad, her resentment, and unresolved trauma, are delivered with a wide range of emotional intensity, giving listeners all the feels—from grief to anger to defensiveness to warmth!
Brandon Francis portrays Conrad with a strong, determined voice and “golden retriever” energy, perfectly capturing the character’s contrasting sides of “badass, foul-mouthed” football player and protective hero. The charm that Francis conveys in the character makes him not only redeemable but also swoon-worthy—and listeners will be rooting for Lenna and Conrad’s second-chance romance!
Overall, Beck and Francis both deliver deeply human, emotionally rich portrayals of Lenna and Conrad, making the listening experience even more compelling than the written version. Readers who enjoy immersive duet narration with sizzling chemistry, spicy scenes, and feisty protagonists will love this audiobook!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Past The Rush is an immersive duet narration performed by accomplished narrators Lauren Beck and Brandon Francis. The duet narration enhances the immersion for listeners and provides clear and believable emotional shifts between Lenna and Conrad, especially when they are in heated arguments!
Lauren Beck portrays Lenna as independent and sassy, using an engaging, smooth voice that accentuates the character’s strength and guarded vulnerability. Lena’s inner monologues, where she mulls over her feelings for Conrad, her resentment, and unresolved trauma, are delivered with a wide range of emotional intensity, giving listeners all the feels—from grief to anger to defensiveness to warmth!
Brandon Francis portrays Conrad with a strong, determined voice and “golden retriever” energy, perfectly capturing the character’s contrasting sides of “badass, foul-mouthed” football player and protective hero. The charm that Francis conveys in the character makes him not only redeemable but also swoon-worthy—and listeners will be rooting for Lenna and Conrad’s second-chance romance!
Overall, Beck and Francis both deliver deeply human, emotionally rich portrayals of Lenna and Conrad, making the listening experience even more compelling than the written version. Readers who enjoy immersive duet narration with sizzling chemistry, spicy scenes, and feisty protagonists will love this audiobook!
The audiobook of Past The Rush is an immersive duet narration performed by accomplished narrators Lauren Beck and Brandon Francis. The duet narration enhances the immersion for listeners and provides clear and believable emotional shifts between Lenna and Conrad, especially when they are in heated arguments!
Lauren Beck portrays Lenna as independent and sassy, using an engaging, smooth voice that accentuates the character’s strength and guarded vulnerability. Lena’s inner monologues, where she mulls over her feelings for Conrad, her resentment, and unresolved trauma, are delivered with a wide range of emotional intensity, giving listeners all the feels—from grief to anger to defensiveness to warmth!
Brandon Francis portrays Conrad with a strong, determined voice and “golden retriever” energy, perfectly capturing the character’s contrasting sides of “badass, foul-mouthed” football player and protective hero. The charm that Francis conveys in the character makes him not only redeemable but also swoon-worthy—and listeners will be rooting for Lenna and Conrad’s second-chance romance!
Overall, Beck and Francis both deliver deeply human, emotionally rich portrayals of Lenna and Conrad, making the listening experience even more compelling than the written version. Readers who enjoy immersive duet narration with sizzling chemistry, spicy scenes, and feisty protagonists will love this audiobook!
