Review: Winning Ruby Heart by Jennifer Lohmann

May Contain Spoilers

Review:

I had a hard time with Winning Ruby Heart. I was fascinated with the premise, especially with all of the reports of terrible behavior by athletes during the last week. While Ruby hasn’t committed domestic abuse, she has committed abuse of another kind: she doped before the Olympics, costing her a gold medal and leaving her reputation in tatters. She was forced to forfeit the one thing she lived for. Now she can no longer participate in any Olympic sport, and for a period of five years, she can’t compete in any sport at all.

The story begins right after her five year suspension has ended. Ruby has always loved running, and she can’t give it up. She’s competing in her first ultramarathon, and as luck would have it, Micah Blackwell, the reporter responsible for crumpling up the last of her career and tossing it in the trash, is covering the race. He recognizes Ruby and is instantly curious. Why is she there? What is she up to? Is she breaking her suspension by participating in the race? He smells a story, and he won’t rest until he’s uncovered it. Besides, there’s an anchor slot available at his network, and he knows that this story will seal the deal for him and give him his dream job.

My biggest problem with Winning Ruby Heart was Ruby herself. I didn’t understand her. She was already the best in the world at her distance, so why did she allow herself to be talked into cheating? She is firmly convinced that she would have won the race anyway, but she let her coach chide her into blood doping. Everyone is doing it is not a good enough reason to risk your entire livelihood and your ability to participate in the one thing you love most in the world. She knew the consequences if she got caught, but she cheated anyway. Worse, when she was first interviewed by Micah, she wasn’t even repentant. With his skillful prodding, she came across as spoiled and self absorbed, and certainly unworthy of a second chance.

The romance left me unmoved as well. At 29, Ruby has always been dependent on her parents. She lives in their home, her father’s law firm has been handling her legal matters at no cost to her, and with no job, she has no means to support herself. Her parents are fearful that she’ll embarrass them again, and they make no secret of their disapproval. Once Micah reenters Ruby’s life, they know it’s only a matter of time before the family is paraded through the papers again, making their lives a nightmare.

I wasn’t convinced that Ruby and Micah made a good match. Micah has had to work hard for everything he has, while Ruby was given the world on a silver platter – which she promptly threw away. After an accident on the football field leaves Micah paralyzed, he turns all of the energy and dedication that made him a stand out player into becoming a stand out sports reporter. And that was where all of my skepticism for their HEA flourished. When Micah was kicked on his backside, he found the strength and the willpower to reinvent himself. Ruby crawled into a hole and hid. I just don’t see them making it for the long haul, because I wonder what Ruby will do when things go south again? Even with Micah’s support, she doesn’t come across as a fighter to me, and she’s not one to deal adequately with adversity.

I found the training interesting, and I can’t remember reading romance with a paralyzed hero in a long time. I enjoyed the introduction of Dotty into Ruby’s life (because dogs make everything better), but overall, I was disappointed with Winning Ruby Heart.

Grade: C

Review copy provided by publisher

From Amazon:

It’s a race to their beginning…

Exposing world-class athlete Ruby Heart’s cheating scandal five years ago made reporter Micah Blackwell’s career. Falling in love with her now could end it. Yet watching her determination to return to the top, he can’t resist the woman she has become.

Working with Ruby to tell America her story, Micah falls deeper under her spell. But at a crucial moment, his feelings for her conflict with his job—the very thing that once saved him. Now he must choose between his skyrocketing career and the unlikely love of a good woman….

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