New York Times bestselling author Claudia Connor follows up her heartfelt debut, Worth the Fall, with a novel about Matt’s brother, Stephen—and 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.

Goodreads Link:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22747252-worth-the-risk

It’s hard to risk everything when you have nothing to lose…

That’s Stephen McKinney’s outlook on life ever since his picturesque life exploded five years ago, turning the once affectionate and loving man into a playboy who merely uses a woman’s body for release and nothing more. Stephen’s a broken man who only gets satisfaction in building his multimillion empire but even that’s a means to an end. His life is surrounded by nightmares and dark musings and those demons haunt him daily, constructing a wall between himself and his family because the pain is still raw and his feelings of inadequacies seem insurmountable, especially when he looks at the families his brothers and sister have and knows that that’s no longer in the cards for him.

Hannah Walker has her own hell to contend with, and in many ways, she is even more broken in body and spirit than Stephen. Her 14 year old naiveté drastically altered her life, confining her to a self imposed prison due to the damaged caused to her all those years ago. She’s a recluse who finds comfort in providing therapy to children with disabilities at her inherited horse farm, Freedom Farm – an apt name for what the land and interaction provides Hannah’s battered heart. Even at 26 years old, she’s inexperienced when it comes to men, especially with someone as dominant and sexy as Stephen.

It’s a risky endeavor for these two damaged souls to form a bond and give into their attraction for one another, but anything worth having is worth fighting for, even when it’s one’s own fears and insecurities forcing a series of pushes and pulls that could end up shredding any progress Stephen and Hannah have made as individuals.

When the promise of healing is within one’s grasp, isn’t it always worth the risk?

I loved Matt and Abby’s story in Worth the Fall, Book One in Claudia Connor’s The McKinney Brothers series, and I was equally enthralled with Worth The Risk. Stephen and Hannah’s story is much different than Matt and Abby’s, which is exactly what I look for as a reader of a series. Each brother/each couple should have their own personalities and obstacles; Stephen and Hannah’s journey is much darker and gut wrenching due to their respective tragic pasts, and so the path to becoming anything more is expected to be bumpy and frustrating for both the characters and readers.

Claudia does a fantastic job of shaping her main characters in a way that makes Stephen’s hot and cold demeanor with Hannah make sense, and even though it’s maddening to witness his treatment of her at times, it’s almost expected. Someone who has suffered like Stephen and regressed in having relationships cannot simply shut that off and embrace this newfound passion he feels for someone outside of sex, and I love that Claudia stayed true to that concept throughout the book.

Hannah’s enlightenment and newfound resolve is also a work in progress, and she’s going to put up her own roadblocks and have to deal with her very overprotective brothers and their treatment of her circumstances as well, and Claudia demonstrates Hannah’s inner conflict as well as her relationship with Stephen evolves into uncharted territory.

Worth the Risk is an emotional and raw read as readers witness two deserving characters struggle to find their worth in their own eyes as well as those around them.

Claudia Connor wrote an amazing story and developed characters who readers will be rooting for from the very beginning.

Bring on Worth It All!

A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

5 poison apples

New York Times bestselling author Claudia Connor 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 spending her days putting on paper the stories in her head. She lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.