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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
Ruckus was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. I wanted this book bad, people! Ever since I finished Vicious, I have been dreaming about this book. I was never worried if I would like it or not. So far, everything that I have read by L. J. Shen has been a five star read for me. She is one of the most talented writers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and she sits firmly at the top of my favorite authors of all time. This story just showed me even more why she deserves my admiration.
Dean “Ruckus” Cole is a cocky, rich, alpha male that spends his days at the office and his nights inside of random women. He has demons that nobody knows about, and he chases them away with marijuana and alcohol. Dean Cole is not the serious type. He is always on the verge of a smirk, a laugh, or a sexual innuendo. There is only one thing Dean has ever been serious about and that’s Rosie Leblanc.
Rosie Leblanc is a twenty eight year old living with a cystic fibrosis, an incurable disease that comes with a shortened life span. All she has ever wanted is to be treated like she is not a delicate flower that is going to wilt at any moment. She is strong, she has dreams, and she craves independence and freedom. Her family loves her, but they treat her like she is incapable of taking care of herself. The only person that doesn’t treat her like she is going to break is Dean, a man she loathes as much as she loves.
Dean dated Rosie’s sister, Emilia, when they were teenagers. It should have never happened, but due to some bad timing, good intentions, and misplaced emotions it did. After that, no matter how much Rosie wanted Dean, she would never let herself give in to those feelings. Even now when Emilia is getting married to Vicious 11 years later, Rosie still feels like involving herself with Dean would be a betrayal. The biggest problem with all of this is that Dean is the only man that she has ever loved, and vice versa. They are it for each other, and they both know it. Will they keep wasting what time they have left to be together, or will they finally allow themselves to have what they truly want?
When I was just one chapter in I put the book down, and said, “Holy shit, this woman can right!” I could read L. J. Shen’s writing all day long. She has a way with words that few others do. For example, in a lot of the books I read, the descriptions can drive me crazy. They are either not enough, or they go on forever and I have to start skimming the page to keep from pulling my hair out. That is not the case with her, her descriptions are like fucking poetry to me!
There weren’t many things to do in Todos Santos, California, on the verge of summer break. Everything was scorching hot. The air heavy, the sun bloated, the grass yellow, and the youth bored with their problemless, meaningless existence. We were too lazy to chase cheap thrills, so we looked for them while we were leisurely sprawled on pool floats the shape of donuts and flamingos and Italian-imported sunbathing chair lounges.
There are quotes from this book that just blew me away. They made me feel, they made me think, and they are beautiful. I had to share them with people, because words like that are meant to be shared.
Love felt like dipping each other in gasoline and burning together. Love felt like dancing with madness in the dark, watching all of its bright lights. Love felt like gasping for air when your lungs were already full.
I am going to stop fangirling over the writing now, and tell you that this is a fantastic story with well-developed characters filled with emotion, lust, and love. It is not a neat and tidy story. It’s messy, it’s raw, and it’s real.
Did I love everything these characters did? Hell no! I thought Rosie was stupid to push Dean towards Emilia, because in the end, it wasn’t fair to Emilia. She was dating someone that wanted her sister the whole time. Dean shouldn’t have went along with it either. When it was all said and done, who did that relationship benefit? Nobody. Dean, Rosie, Vicious, and Emilia all suffered because of it. The whole thing was idiotic, but then again so are teenagers. They are learning how to deal with adult feelings and emotions, and they make a ton of mistakes. We have all been there. I know I look back on 50 percent of the things I did as a teen and cringe, so why should I hold Dean and Rosie to a higher standard? I shouldn’t, and I don’t.
Vicious is still my favorite, but Ruckus sure gave him a run for his money! If you are a fan of this series or the author’s work, then why haven’t you picked up this book yet? You need to get on that immediately! If you love romance, sexy alpha male characters, complicated relationships, and spectacular writing, then I recommend this one to you!
ARC generously provided for an honest review.
Ruckus was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. I wanted this book bad, people! Ever since I finished Vicious, I have been dreaming about this book. I was never worried if I would like it or not. So far, everything that I have read by L. J. Shen has been a five star read for me. She is one of the most talented writers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and she sits firmly at the top of my favorite authors of all time. This story just showed me even more why she deserves my admiration.
Dean “Ruckus” Cole is a cocky, rich, alpha male that spends his days at the office and his nights inside of random women. He has demons that nobody knows about, and he chases them away with marijuana and alcohol. Dean Cole is not the serious type. He is always on the verge of a smirk, a laugh, or a sexual innuendo. There is only one thing Dean has ever been serious about and that’s Rosie Leblanc.
Rosie Leblanc is a twenty eight year old living with a cystic fibrosis, an incurable disease that comes with a shortened life span. All she has ever wanted is to be treated like she is not a delicate flower that is going to wilt at any moment. She is strong, she has dreams, and she craves independence and freedom. Her family loves her, but they treat her like she is incapable of taking care of herself. The only person that doesn’t treat her like she is going to break is Dean, a man she loathes as much as she loves.
Dean dated Rosie’s sister, Emilia, when they were teenagers. It should have never happened, but due to some bad timing, good intentions, and misplaced emotions it did. After that, no matter how much Rosie wanted Dean, she would never let herself give in to those feelings. Even now when Emilia is getting married to Vicious 11 years later, Rosie still feels like involving herself with Dean would be a betrayal. The biggest problem with all of this is that Dean is the only man that she has ever loved, and vice versa. They are it for each other, and they both know it. Will they keep wasting what time they have left to be together, or will they finally allow themselves to have what they truly want?
When I was just one chapter in I put the book down, and said, “Holy shit, this woman can right!” I could read L. J. Shen’s writing all day long. She has a way with words that few others do. For example, in a lot of the books I read, the descriptions can drive me crazy. They are either not enough, or they go on forever and I have to start skimming the page to keep from pulling my hair out. That is not the case with her, her descriptions are like fucking poetry to me!
There weren’t many things to do in Todos Santos, California, on the verge of summer break. Everything was scorching hot. The air heavy, the sun bloated, the grass yellow, and the youth bored with their problemless, meaningless existence. We were too lazy to chase cheap thrills, so we looked for them while we were leisurely sprawled on pool floats the shape of donuts and flamingos and Italian-imported sunbathing chair lounges.
There are quotes from this book that just blew me away. They made me feel, they made me think, and they are beautiful. I had to share them with people, because words like that are meant to be shared.
Love felt like dipping each other in gasoline and burning together. Love felt like dancing with madness in the dark, watching all of its bright lights. Love felt like gasping for air when your lungs were already full.
I am going to stop fangirling over the writing now, and tell you that this is a fantastic story with well-developed characters filled with emotion, lust, and love. It is not a neat and tidy story. It’s messy, it’s raw, and it’s real.
Did I love everything these characters did? Hell no! I thought Rosie was stupid to push Dean towards Emilia, because in the end, it wasn’t fair to Emilia. She was dating someone that wanted her sister the whole time. Dean shouldn’t have went along with it either. When it was all said and done, who did that relationship benefit? Nobody. Dean, Rosie, Vicious, and Emilia all suffered because of it. The whole thing was idiotic, but then again so are teenagers. They are learning how to deal with adult feelings and emotions, and they make a ton of mistakes. We have all been there. I know I look back on 50 percent of the things I did as a teen and cringe, so why should I hold Dean and Rosie to a higher standard? I shouldn’t, and I don’t.
Vicious is still my favorite, but Ruckus sure gave him a run for his money! If you are a fan of this series or the author’s work, then why haven’t you picked up this book yet? You need to get on that immediately! If you love romance, sexy alpha male characters, complicated relationships, and spectacular writing, then I recommend this one to you!
ARC generously provided for an honest review.
Wow
This book is my favorite of the HotHole series so far!! Ruckus will piss you off and make you swoon!
This book is my favorite of the HotHole series so far!! Ruckus will piss you off and make you swoon!
Lowering my rating to 4 stars because I'm thinking about this series lately and going back I don't think I'm going to like Dean's book as much if I ever decide to reread it which I will soon
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve reached the conclusion that L.J. Shen needs to stop writing books or I won’t be able to go on with my life.
This book is another piece of art and totally heartbreaking. I struggle to face any discussion of addiction whether it’s a book, movie, or reality itself so there was a point where I thought I was going to DFN it but I’m glad a did not cause this book is brilliant and deserves more attention. The Epilogue, just like with the first one of the series, was pure and amazing and made me weep a little. Rosie-bug is going to stay in my heart for a while I believe.
This book is another piece of art and totally heartbreaking. I struggle to face any discussion of addiction whether it’s a book, movie, or reality itself so there was a point where I thought I was going to DFN it but I’m glad a did not cause this book is brilliant and deserves more attention. The Epilogue, just like with the first one of the series, was pure and amazing and made me weep a little. Rosie-bug is going to stay in my heart for a while I believe.
Dean and Rosie's story blew me away! I definitely loved the twist and turns, I felt like I was in the turmoil of a tornado. It made me scream, laugh and had my heart twisted in more ways than one. So many painful moments yet an overall beautiful story. After so many years they finally get their chance and what a ride it was to get these two together. Bravo 5 stars!
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was... ehh... not good.
The thing is, I actually enjoyed the previous book and it really made me want to read this one, especially to meet Dean, but it was a huge disappointment.
I don't really feel like going into too many details to be honest, so to sum it up, I felt like it was super inconsistent and not believable with the couple's facts (their past and how it was all supposed to match the time he was with his ex didn't make much sense compared to the previous book's facts), and listen, I'm all for giving problematic couples a chance, especially if they develop, but these two were so toxic and just a mess. Nothing made me feel like I could be into it. It's such a shame because I had hopes that I would really like them. They had potential to be really good. But alas, they weren't.
Also, this is definitely the end of my journey with this series.
1 star.
The thing is, I actually enjoyed the previous book and it really made me want to read this one, especially to meet Dean, but it was a huge disappointment.
I don't really feel like going into too many details to be honest, so to sum it up, I felt like it was super inconsistent and not believable with the couple's facts (their past and how it was all supposed to match the time he was with his ex didn't make much sense compared to the previous book's facts), and listen, I'm all for giving problematic couples a chance, especially if they develop, but these two were so toxic and just a mess. Nothing made me feel like I could be into it. It's such a shame because I had hopes that I would really like them. They had potential to be really good. But alas, they weren't.
Also, this is definitely the end of my journey with this series.
1 star.