Ruckus by L.J. ShenMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The HotHoles are back with Dean & Rosie’s story!
There is something so questionable about these characters and yet I am still drawn to them. Vicious lived up to his name and now it’s time to find out if Ruckus lives up to his.
With the story going back and forth over the span of approx. 11 years, we get to see the early interactions between Rosie and Dean, Dean’s subsequent relationship with Rose’s sister, Millie, and now, in the present day, what life is like for Rosie and Dean living under the same roof but at the same time emotionally miles apart.
Rosie is still battling her illness and despite her parents’ wishes she is determined to maintain her independence and to continue living in New York. Dean’s pursual of her is relentless and appears purely sexual and it’s something that just makes Rosie dislike him even more. Yes, her heart has belonged to him since they were young, but now she sees him for what he is and that’s a manwhore.
Dean being Dean continues to do what he does best and that’s drink, drugs and sex but at the same time, continues try to make Rosie realise that they were destined to be together. Not without his own fare share of problems in this book, Dean hides his pain and suffering behind his bravado and when things get really dark for him, there’s only one person to save him from his suffering but in return can he save Rosie from her life shortening illness?
Despite waiting ever so patiently to get my hands on Ruckus I found that Dean’s story fell a little flat for me. I found myself skimming over large parts of his story and only really enjoying the book when Dean and Rosie spend time together and that's when the story comes alive. Their connection, although initially tentative, soon becomes all consuming though and as their story progresses, I did find myself enjoying the book a little more. I just couldn’t connect with Dean overall though, sadly. I also did not enjoy the story swinging back a forth over the years as this came across a little unnecessary, and at times, repetitive. The first few pages of the book, and in particular LJ Shen’s penmanship, blew me away but sadly even her wonderful writing style did not heighten my enjoyment on this occasion. That said, the epilogue was particularly poignant and at least I finished the story on a high note.
This ebook was kindly provided by the author prior to release date in return for an honest and unbiased review.
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