Review of Thrust by Rachel Spangler

Clever title, clever plot, clever book. Rachel Spangler is a very talented author but when they write sport romances, they are at their best. I absolutely loved this one – as much as Edge of Glory – and even though Thrust is suitable for any time of the year, it’s especially relevant now during the Olympics.

Rachel Spangler wrote this book at the height of the pandemic when the whole world tried to make sense of a new scary reality. We all struggled during those times, we still are, but artists were especially affected. But not Spangler, or at least, this novel doesn’t show it. This book takes you through strong and complex emotions such as angst, courage, fear, love… These emotions intertwine in a tangled web but as one of the characters put it, the secret to untie them is to “just start picking at different spots all at once until eventually something gives and shows you some hidden place where the whole thing is connected.” Like so, the complexities of the characters’ relationships slowly but surely start to make sense in the chaos. Seeing those knots untie and connect is one of the best things about this book.

Fear not if, like me, you know nothing about fencing because Spangler cleverly gives the reader a crash course without dumping information or make it sound like a lesson. Furthermore, they make it interesting, fun and sexy. Yes, sexy. One of the mottos of this book is that “women with swords are sexy”, and it is oh so true. Both main characters are believable, relatable and together their chemistry is scorching hot. The secondary characters are also endearing and I wish Spangler writes another book in this universe with a couple of them as leads.

For all fans of women loving women sports romances, this is highly recommended. 5 stars.