Welcome to my stop on the Manic blog tour, hosted by the lovely Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours! You can view the entire tour schedule HERE. Today I have my review and tour-wide giveaway to share with you! Thanks for stopping by!
Author: JA Huss
Series: Rook & Ronin #2
Published: August 1, 2013
Source: ARC via blog tour
TRAGIC is over and Rook is ready for the future—Spencer Shrike and the STURGIS contract!
It’s three months of body art modeling! That means three months of Spencer Shrike’s paintbrush all over her body, three months in front of Antoine’s camera, and three months of twenty-four hour filming for Spencer’s Biker Channel reality show.
Wait a minute…what reality show? Maybe she should’ve read that STURGIS contract a little closer? ;)
Sure, Rook’s bank account is almost overflowing, but Ronin is angry, Clare is trying to escape rehab, Antoine is a worried mess, and Elise is just trying to hold everyone together. Her new family is about to fall apart before she even gets the chance to enjoy them.
Add in a mysterious man from her past, a road trip to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and a final show in front of the entire world where all her good are on display, and you’ve got Manic—a new adult contemporary romance that will definitely make your summer sizzle!
* Though this review does not contain spoilers for Manic, it may contain spoilers for Tragic, book 1. *
I fell in love with Rook and Ronin in Tragic, and was happy to see that I continued on with my total obsession with their relationship right on through book two. Though I was a bit sad that Ronin wasn't in the story as much as I wanted him to be in the beginning, I was happy to see him make a bigger appearance halfway through the book. This also gave me more time to also fall in love with Spencer, the amazingly-talented nude painter. Ford, the overly-obtrusive producer and longtime friend (if you want to call him a "friend") of Ronin's and Spencer's, definitely wasn't a favorite of mine. I kept thinking I would grow to love him, or at least not loath him, but even at the end of the story I was still NOT a fan.
I loved the painting scenes. I've seen pictures of nude painting before, and it's really amazing. The level of description Huss used in those scenes was fantastic. Just as in Tragic, the modeling scenes were beyond steamy. And the background relationships of all of the characters was perfectly outlined and explained so as to give a wonderful insight into their lives, both past and present.
I'm still quite surprised that I liked this series as much as I did. This isn't my usual genre, and I'm not ordinarily into stories like this. But I have to say, JA Huss has such a wonderful writing style that it's nearly impossible not to love her stories. They are intense, realistic, and totally HAWT! Can't get better than that!
I have high hopes for book three, Panic, which I'm happy to say has an expected release date in October of this year. Phew! I don't know how long I could go without more R&R! With a series that's as intense and gripping as this one is, I can't imagine not enjoying more of it. With a great beginning, fabulous middle and fantastic ending, readers are sure to love this story. Can't ask for more than that!
The Rook & Ronin Series:
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).
She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.
- Signed Copy of Book 1 & 2
- Beautiful Custom Necklace
Open internationally!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Biker, the bad boy kind, is my favorite!
ReplyDeletebarrie
Awesome reviews, Lisa! I've heard a lot about Rook and Ronin it sounds like a very character oriented series which is awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway. My favourite book boyfriend would be the biker, nothing better. Great review Lisa.
ReplyDeleteKatie :)
Thanks for the review, Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteLisa I was pleased to also be part of this tour, I actually reviewed Tragic, I read it in one sitting! I really enjoyed this series and I'm eagerly anticipating reading Manic, I've actually already started it.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I don't want a specific stereotype I prefer someone that's loving, kind and caring more so than a particular type of guy.
I like the titles to these! I haven't heard of them before so thank you for bringing them to my attention!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful when the description adds to the book instead of making you want the next scene! Love the painting part too:)
ReplyDeleteLovely review:)