Hey there, bookworms! I feel like it’s been a little bit since I’ve updated. I thought once work ended, I’d have some downtime, and boy was I wrong. Between helping my parents with their business, job-hunting, updating my resume, visiting my old school for career advice, looking at grad schools, doing my own writing, and accidentally destroying my website.. umm.. things have clearly been hectic. My reading has taken a hit, my blog has taken a hit, and so has the story I’m writing, but… I’m finally trying to buckle down and get myself on a schedule. I’ve gotten some part-time work and freelance work lined up and Book Expo coming in a few days, so I’m really excited (yet nervous) for the near future.
That being said, I’m SO backed up on book reviews. Granted, my reading has slowed way down in the past couple of weeks, I’ve still made my way through a fair amount of words, and have a handful of opinions on all of it for you guys. Rather than blab on like I always do, let’s dive right in and talk about one of my favorite romances for 2018 as of now. Tonight, I’m talking about Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan.
This the first installment of Ryan’s Hoops series, and the first of anything of hers I’ve read, and just… oh. my. goodness! There’s so much I want to say, but at the same time, thinking back on my time reading it, I’m still utterly speechless. During an era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, this was such an important story to tell, and I’m so glad I saw it sprinkled throughout my Instagram feed so that I could download a copy and just binge on this book.
Long Shot is not a Cinderella story, this was a tough tale of forbidden love, and one of strength, self-reliance, and even a bit of rescuing by a knight in shining armor. All of these elements had me a jumbled mess of conflicting emotions and yet, I just couldn’t get enough!
On the surface, Iris and Caleb have a perfect life. They’re a gorgeous couple, he’s heading to a successful career with the NBA, they have an engagement looming on the horizon, and Iris is making a name for herself post-grad in Sports Marketing, the works.. or so they would have you believe. Behind closed doors, Iris suffers greatly. Caleb is a fake prince, and the side of him she’s subject to is absolute torture. It’s on a pure chance meeting that she is alone in a bar and encounters August. Unlike Caleb, August is a true hero and wanders into Iris’s life when she needs saving the most. They match up perfectly in every way, but their timing is all wrong.
August is a star player for one of Caleb’s rival college teams, and it doesn’t look like things change much once they both head to the NBA, also playing for different teams. Caleb has everything August wants; his team, his hometown, his girl, and the family. He knows something is wrong with Iris and Caleb’s entanglement, but he doesn’t know how to save her without putting her in serious danger. He just knows that if she can get away from her nightmare, that they could be blissfully happy.
This book was a tough pill to swallow, but I’m so glad I endured and enjoyed not only a beautiful story but a tragic one as well. The focus was put on the girl rescuing herself, and eventually calling the shots to dictate the rest of her life. In a lucky accident, Iris is able to get a one-up on Caleb and leaves their house of horrors just in time to save her own life. She’s broken, beaten, and tormented, but she knows she deserves her happy ending.
I simply adored her strength and her resilience to come out the other side of a bad life and still have the chance to live with her prince. Iris fought like hell to make it happen, and August was always there to catch her if she fell. Even if he stayed a fair distance back to let Iris handle her own issues with Caleb, he remained a constant source of strength and support for her to retreat to if and when she needed it. I adored every tormented minute I had with them and I still think about this story long after I’ve left it. What a stunning, powerful, and beautifully written journey!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
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