Blog Tour & Book Review: Ruckus by L.J. Shen

Ruckus

by L.J. Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 26th, 2017

Blurb: 

Rosie
They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right.
No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking.
He is my forbidden, shiny apple.
The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth.
He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend.
One thing you should know before you judge me;
I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first.
Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance.
Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. My white knight has finally arrived. Hopefully, he isn’t too late.

Dean
They say the brightest stars burn out the fastest. They’re right.
She sets my mind on fire.
All smart mouth, snarky attitude and a huge heart.
In a world where everything is dull, she shines like fucking Sirius.
Eleven years ago, fate tore us apart.
This time, I fucking dare it to try.
Getting to her is a battlefield, but man, that’s why they call me Ruckus.
Rosie LeBlanc is about to find out how hard I can fight.
And conquering her will be the sweetest victory.

Buy now:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qcLoU7
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2rV8TgG
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rR2Sm7
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2rUMShZ
#Free in Kindle Unlimited

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE SINNERS OF SAINT SERIES:

Defy

by L.J. Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #0.5

Vicious
by L.J. Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #1

Buy now:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qYG2Z3
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2qYG6Iu
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2qYAuxZ
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2qZbOVR
#Free in Kindle Unlimited

About the author:

L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams.

Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.)

She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her Readers.

Facebook / Amazon / Pinterest / msleighshen@gmail.com / Newsletter / Twitter / Goodreads / Website / Instagram

My review:

I know, I know. People told me all the time to read Vicious first and it's been sitting on my kindle for a while now but I just didn't come 'round to it yet. So, Ruckus was my first book by this author and I was positively surprised.

I also felt like everything about the characters was plenty explained in this book and I never thought that I missed out on something from the first book although I still plan on reading it soon.

Dean was a character I had to get used to. He was an arrogant manwhore and one scene reminded me of a take from batman, where Christian Bale was an arrogant prick and came to the restaurant with two women hanging on his arms. That was how I imagined Dean. A rich bastard with lots of women.

Anyway, looks are deceiving and someone's attitude isn't necessarily the mirror to their soul.

“You are chaotic, crazy, and full of wars and angst. But you're the liveliest place I've ever been to.”

So, as much as he was a prick at the beginning, Dean slowly worked his way into my heart during this read, while he had Rosie's all along. She was a tough person I admired. If people had just half of her strength, generosity and outlook on life, the world would be so much better.

Secrets were revealed which haven't all been known to the reader from the beginning. I was in for a surprise because I was so wrong on Dean's secret. I don't know if it was just me but I was totally off with my guess.

The Story:

Eleven years ago, she should have been his, but things turned out differently. It was his own fault for what he wanted to help her sister. But now he's determined to finally get her and he's prepared to fight.

“Contrary to general belief, stars don't twinkle. There is only one star that sparkles that scientists can agree on. It twinkles so bright, sometimes people mistake it for a UFO. It's not big, but it stands out. That's Sirius, and it's also you. You shine, Baby LeBlanc. So fucking bright sometimes you're the only thing I see.”

Rosie doesn't care for his attempts to take her in his bed. Or maybe she does. But she shouldn't because he's her sister's ex and that's one line she shouldn't cross. There's also another reason why she doesn't want to get too close to him and that's also true for any other man. She has enough to deal with already and there's no way she wants to drag anyone into this, not knowing how much time there is left.

'I'd always stayed away from the Dean Coles of the world. I was the Red Riding Hood who took one look at the wolf, said 'screw it, it's not worth the pain', and ran for her life.'

Thoughts:

Dean came across as a bastard who couldn't give a damn. But he had a soft core and scared to get hurt just as anyone else. I liked that he shared a special bond with Rosie because she was like the only one able to see behind his facade.

It was both awe-inspiring and heartrending but beautiful and sad at once to read Rosie's story. Not only did she had to deal with her illness but also with the way people treated her because of it, which made everything even harder for her.

I absolutely loved the writing. The story felt so realistic with its loveable characters. This is definitely a book I'd recommend reading!

As slow as the story started out, it skyrocketed until the end. I was glued to the pages and couldn't put it down. I was anxious to find out how it will turn out and I had no clue until the very last page if it will end well or take a turn for the worst.

“Sometimes, when I think about how we could have been together all those years if you weren't so fucking stubborn, I want to shoot you in the eye with my super sperm. You know that?”

-- I received an ARC of this book from Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review. --

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
View review on goodreads