Chasing the Rush Review: Where Math, Football, and Long-awaited Love Come Together

 

Genre: Adult Romance

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

We follow Chelsea Parker, a 26-year-old who grew up around football (thanks to her coach father and two linebacker brothers), but her true passion has always been math. She excels at analyzing statistics to predict outcomes, and her greatest ambition is to become the first female head of analytics for an NFL team. For now, she is working to earn an entry-level position with her father’s new team, the struggling Mastodons.

Enter Luca Maguire, a pass rusher whose career is on the line. When Coach Parker assigns Chelsea to work with him as his "personal coach" for training camp, Luca has to stay while hiding a secret about their unfinished encounter seven years earlier, and the fact that he has never stopped thinking about her.

As a Math Olympiad alumnus, I was immediately drawn to Chelsea’s character. It is wonderful to see a protagonist who is unapologetically smart and passionate about math. Chelsea captures that quirk, genuine love for numbers perfectly. I also appreciated how the football elements were written. It didn't overwhelm me even with no prior knowledge of the sport. The details felt authentic and immersive without ever overshadowing the romance and the story’s core.

Chelsea and Luca share wonderful chemistry. Their playful and romantic banter makes every interaction engaging as they find their way back to one another. What truly makes this book stand out to me is that Chelsea’s goals and interests are never secondary to the romance. Her ambition and love for her dream remain central to who she is throughout the story.

Overall, Chasing the Rush is a delightful, well-paced read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys second-chance romance and characters with their own passion to pursue.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing, Hambright PR, and Lauren Rowe for allowing me to read and review the book.