There can be no doubt that Griffin's past has shaped his future. He enjoys taking risk, loves helping people and keeps busy to drown out the memories he can't seem to let go of. Chloe is the complete opposite she'd rather write about life than experience it. She prefers a nice quiet environment that makes her feel safe and in control. When she is in Griffin's presence she feels none of those things and she thrives on the erratic emotions he makes her feel. Risking It All was such a hot read for me. It was brilliant to bring these two opposites together. Being with Griffin made Chloe more daring. Chloe helped Griffin to relax more. What I liked most about this story is that Chloe and Griffin needed each other. Their differences made them stronger as a couple and helped center them individually. I received an ARC of Risking it All in exchange for an honest review. I am now a converted fan. ( )

So I'm so delighted to be reading another book by the marvelous Christi Barth, and I get to launch back in with another one of the ACS aka the Naked Men, and this time we get...Griffin. Now for the sake of honesty! I'm reading these out on context, I should have read Knox book second, but I was late to the party *silly of me, I know!* So bear with me...then check out My review of Knox story here!

Griffin Montgomery is a leader, Captain, savior of the guys when they were stick in the alps, after their tour bus hustled over the side of the cliff in flames, when they were in high school, and years later his is a lieutenant in the coast guards, saving people from death. But after his last dangerous mission, where he put his team in danger, but rescued 3 people, and unintentionally became a YouTube star, his commander was less than impressed, and grounded him.

Angry and frustrated, Griff went to his family...not his mother, but the guys whom always had his back. But he found a lot more than he bargained for, in the pretty little letter writer Chloe Widmore . Chloe has suffered her own trauma, but is content with her life, despite her best friend Summer from trying to get her to come out if her she'll a little. But with Griff, she wants to, that is until the past haunts the both.

Wow! What a book! These Naked boys are giving me a run for my money with theses emotional books, but I love them and couldn't give them up for anything.

I have to say that Christi Barth is an amazing story teller, her books keep you emotionally involved, and on the edge of your seat! But then there are some moments, when you are laughing so hard, that you have to stop yourself from falling out of your chair! And Risking It All is exactly the same way! The plot and writing are just amazing, that you cannot help falling for every single one of the characters! I just have one question...where the heck is Logan!!

I give Risking It All 5 stars!! ( )

Risking It All by Christie Barth
Book #1: Naked Men Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Nothing bonds a group for life like a near-death experience and that’s exactly what happened to the so-called ACS’s, or as they like to think of themselves, the Naked Men. As teenagers, Griffin, Knox, Riley, Logan, and Josh were good friends, but after surviving a horrific crash in the Alps, they were brothers for life.

Fast forward a lot of years . . . .

Griffin Montgomery has spent his life helping others. First, he led his friends out of the Alps and toward safety when they were teenagers, and now he works for the Coast Guard as a search and rescue pilot. Griffin is known for his daring rescues and though they make for dramatic and newsworthy moments, they often get him in trouble with his superiors. His latest rescue was not only dramatic and newsworthy, but just enough to get him grounded and on leave. Which is precisely how Griffin finds himself in a cute little coffee shop hitting on the nerdy girl with all the pens and the smart mouth.

Chloe Widmore is the very definition of cautious. Thanks to a horrifying event while in college, Chloe has spent her adult life in the smallest, most controlled and ordered environment she can manage. She works from home (or the coffee shop!), she limits her circle of friends, and she never travels beyond her comfort zone, ever. Griffin Montgomery is the hottest man Chloe has ever met, he’s charming and intelligent, outgoing and sophisticated, and far, far more experienced than Chloe, in so very many areas.

On the surface, Chloe and Griffin have little in common except their shared tragedies and wicked fierce attraction. Initially, Griffin sees Chloe as nothing more than another notch on his considerable bedpost, but that impression fades quickly. With her sharp wit and even sharper tongue, Chloe challenges Griffin in ways no other woman ever has. He’s interested in Chloe and before long he even develops feelings for her, but all that comes to a crashing halt when Chloe drops her little bomb, she’s a virgin and wants Griffin to be her first. With the speed of a cheetah, Griffin hauls ass back to his friends where he unloads the whole mess. Because of their collective aversion to relationships, help from his friends is probably the least likely kind of help Griffin needs, but with their bond, he has no one else to turn to.

The Bottom Line: Risking It All is a solid start to Christie Barth’s Naked Men series. I won’t even lie, I though this book and its title were going to go in a whole other direction and when it didn’t, well, I was still totally satisfied and hooked. Griffin and Chloe are both strong characters, and while this is, at its heart, a romance, the story is also about Griffin and his friends. I totally dig how Barth unloaded the whole story of the ACS’s in the very beginning rather than dragging it out, bit by bit throughout the reads. Their story informs the reader and very much informs the relationship Griffin and Chloe are trying to build. There are some naughty moments in this read, some serious moments, and some seriously funny moments between the ACSs. In fact, though I liked the romantic aspect of this read, I liked the dynamic between the men far more. So much so that I immediately dove into book two, Wanting It All. ( )