Addicted for Now (Addicted #2) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie
Release Date: 11/30/13
Category/Genre: gritty New Adult Romance
ARCs of Book 1, Novella 1.5 and Book 2 received via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Dannie Says: *This* is how you write NA Contemporary about Addiction.
He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.
Release Date:
11/30/13
Summary from
Goodreads:
He's addicted to
booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.
No. More. Sex.
Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.
New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content
No. More. Sex.
Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.
New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content
What I Liked
The fluid weaving in of backstory without it consuming the novel and clogging the pace. I think when you write the kind of characters who have history like these two MCs, it's easy to get bogged down with telly history. The authors do a good job of avoiding this, and the flashbacks they include are timed well to advance the story, not hinder it.
The antagonistic characters--I actually wish we saw more of them, which is why they are likes, not loves. But they do what bad guys are supposed to do--set up hurdles and roadblocks for the MCs while simultaneously making the protags more sympathetic. They make the mysteries in book 2 more mysterious, and while I had a hint of where we were heading for the climactic reveal, I was still surprised, which doesn't happen that often to me anymore.
What I Loved
The authenticity--as a licensed therapist who spends (at least) forty hours a week working with people who experience addiction, I feel like I'm a decent judge of authenticity on the subject. I didn't notice even a hint of inaccuracy in Book 1, Book 1.5, or Book 2 in this series, and believe me, I was looking. The authors know what they're doing--they've done their research and the authenticity is spot on. Color me impressed.
The relatable main characters--it is really easy when writing about addiction to create characters that are despicable--selfishness, predatory behavior, stereotypical behavior, and characters who are not all that sympathetic reign in many books dealing with addiction. (I've ranted about a few of them here on my blog.) But in this series the authors do an amazing job of balancing authentically addicted characters with multidimensional, human, people who jump off the page. The fact of the matter is that addicts are people (and were people before they became addicts). They have personalities and gobs of insecurities and facets to who they are that lie outside of their vices. These are--far and away--the most multifaceted characters I've seen in this theme in a long time, maybe ever. And holy crow, if you do not fall in love with Lo by the end of Book 2 then I just can't help you.
And the minor characters, too. I was so excited to learn that we'll be getting to see some of the minor characters' stories play out in additional companion novels. Connor, in particular, is probably my favorite minor character and I cannot WAIT to see what the authors have in store for us when we get to step inside his head. (This is my not-so-subtle plea for him to be a POV character in his own story, ladies.)
That the addiction themes don't overshadow the New Adult themes, and vice versa. Particularly in Book 2 we see the Coming of Age issues the MMC and FMC are struggling with and how their addictions compound and highlight the themes that make New Adult fiction its own animal. It's a delicate, difficult balance, and for me the balance was spot on here.
What I Wanted More Of
Honestly, and I *rarely* say this, I think anything I'd put here would be nitpicking. I loved every heartbreaking moment of these books and I cannot wait to read more. This is my favorite New Adult series to date, and that's a small group, you guys. For me to say that about a CONTEMPORARY New Adult series that's set in the traditional NA (college) setting, should have you falling off your chairs and checking to see if hell froze over.
Short story long, if you dig the books I write, read, or review on this blog, buy the hell out of these books. You won't be sorry.
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About the Authors
Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of
pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college,
she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good
use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not
blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their
New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013.
Krista Ritchie is the mind behind
popular trading website YA Book
Exchange and
created Nawanda
Files, a book blog that also features books into movies news. When not
pouring over entertainment news and the newest releases, she spends her time
conducting research in a genetics lab. She’s happy to join forces with her
sister, harnessing their twin powers to produce the first in a New Adult
series.
Becca’s Links:
Krista’s Links:
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