Monday, March 24, 2014

[Review]: "Sweet Ruin"


Sweet Ruin by Nazarea Andrews
Publisher: A+A Literary (March 10, 2014) 
Series: University of Branton, 3
Genre: New Adult Contemporary

It’s good to be on top… Asher Knox has it all. Girls, wealth, a career most would kill for. He’s just landed the biggest job of his career. And he’s miserable.



She’s fighting her way from the bottom… Megan Beauchamp has no illusions about why she was chosen to be Asher’s PA. She’s pretty, and down to earth, and everything the Hollywood star always falls for. Too bad Megan is just paying her dues and has no interest in anything but advancing at her PR firm.



He’ll throw it all away…Luca James knows what he wants. And he’s waited a long time for the window to open—when it does, he’ll walk away from the career he’s built for a chance at something real.

When Megan’s boss threatens to fire her, Luca and Asher convince her to leave town with them. Between bad hotels and pit stop confessionals, the three are drawn closer together. And the lines blur even more in Branton, where Megan is forced to look at everything she left behind. But when the boys want more, Megan will be forced to choose between the men she loves and the life she thought she wanted. And in a town like Branton, the secrets she keeps won’t be hidden for long.



Where to Buy*:
Kindle | NOOK 
More Info:


Reviews of Other Books by Andrews:

This Love (#1) -- TBQ
Beautiful Broken (#2) -- TBQ



My Review:






I've read the previous books in this series and loved them both. I have to say, I was not expecting this book – at all. It took me at least a chapter or two before I even realized who Megan was and how she fit into the rest of the series. More importantly though, I was not expecting the big twist that Nazarea Andrews pulled. She surprised me, but in a very, very good way!  To say I enjoyed Luca, Megan, and Asher's story is putting it far too mildly. I freakin' loved it!


From my experience with Andrews' previous books, I knew she could write a damn sexy NA, but Sweet Ruin tops them all. Deliciously steamy, full of fun explorations and a tempting threesome, I couldn't get enough of their sizzling chemistry! It didn't matter if it was Megan and Luca, Megan and Asher, Asher and Luca, or all three together – my ereader was definitely smoking a bit, and I was more than a little flushed. Even now, I can still picture some of those scenes and WOW.


As I said, I was surprised by the triad relationship, but I was quickly on board with it. However, I never felt like I understood why Megan went for it. Asher and Luca are great guys, don't get me wrong, and I know she cared about both of them. But she wasn't expecting the triad anymore than I was, and while Luca shared what such a relationship meant to him, Asher and Megan did not.


In fact, that's really my only complaint; I wanted more! As I looked down at my NOOK and saw that there was only 10 pages left, I had a panic attack. No joke!



Me: “This can't be the end, I'm not done watching these three, so it can't possibly be all worked out in 10 pages!”

* deep breath*

* whimpers *

“Maybe there's something wrong with my ereader . Yes, that's it! There's really 100 more pages to go, and something's wrong with the page numbers at the bottom.”

* nods *



It took me a while to accept the fact that there was really only 10 pages left. I'm still not over it, really.



While Andrews did tie things up nicely (it's not a cliffhanger or anything like that), I still wanted more. A few more chapters, at least, but I hate to admit the things I would willingly do in exchange for another full length novel for these three! [UPDATE: When I ranted and raved to Nazarea on Twitter upon finishing Sweet Ruin, I found out that YES, there will be another full length novel on these three, out in October. “Because three is COMPLICATED!” ßNazarea]



Two sexy men, a strong woman trying to find her way in life . . . really, how can I resist? Did I mention the two sexy men? And the fact that they love each other, too? * shudders * Although they don't fuck each other in this book, they do mention that it's something they want to do in the future . . . * dies*



It was more than just sex, more than a merry-go-round of hook-ups. It felt real. I wanted more about the relationship dynamics, of course, but what was there was very well done.



I loved seeing Luca open up to Asher and Megan, and I'm convinced that they will get their HEA. But I'd love to see a peek into their life after the honeymoon ends (in a manner of speaking; I don't mean an actual honeymoon!). Society doesn't look kindly on triads, especially when people who are in the public (or from a small town . . .) are involved, and I'd love to see how these three handle the stress of reality intruding on their HEA.



Okay, and I want more hot sex! And to see Asher and Luca finally together. Yep, I'm a dirty girl; give me a good Luca/Asher scene, please!



Andrews surprised me with this book, but it was a delicious surprise, and one that made me toe-curling happy for 2 hours as I devoured Sweet Ruin! It's extremely sexy, yes, but there's also a good deal of love, affection, and tension to round out the story. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series. Well done, Nazarea Andrews, well done!








4 1/2 STARS!


~ * ~ * ~ 

I received an e-ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

~ * ~ * ~





Check out the Playlist for Sweet Ruin  + a giveaway!






I cannot wait for the sequel to this story; there is still so much to be told, so much for these three to work through. I highly recommend this entire series; it just keeps getting better and better!










Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

10 comments :

Loupe Duffy said...

I have only listened to one manage book before, I really didn't enjoyed
it, but it was mostly because I didn't like the characters at all, and
my heart wasn't in it, so I felt like I just was reading porn (male
porn) so I haven't picked up another manage book since, but this sounds
like it has deep and well developed characters, and good story to
match... Maybe I could give it another go.
Thanks :)

Sebella Blue said...

ROFLMAO! Loupe, if you thought it was porn, I can't imagine what I would look like listening. I would probably spontaneously combust.

Sebella Blue said...

I have read some brilliantly crafted menage stories. So I am definitely not averse to the trope. This sounds like it might fit the bill. I think the emotional connection between the three has to be handled with kid gloves for it not to come off as porn. Great review!

Loupe Duffy said...

LOL, I wouldn't go out listening to one of these, that's for sure..LOL

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Ooo a threesome. I love those! I'm definitely on board with a menage read though NA? How young are they? I'm a bit squicky when they're on the too low end age-wise.

The_Book_Queen said...

I can't recall an exact age, but they would be around 22-24, perhaps?

The_Book_Queen said...

Very true; it's a fine line between sexy menage and porn, and some stories can't pull it off. I felt like Andrews did a great job, and I'm very anxious to see the second part of their story to see how they handle everything "back in the real world".
Enjoy!
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

LOL ;)

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Okay that I can totally handle. It's the NA's that are in the 17-18 range and having lots of sex/kinked out sex that have my squick factor raising. lol Can't get my head wrapped around that age and those actions even though I know it happens.

The_Book_Queen said...

*nods* Yep, I completely agree. For this set of characters, it worked though. :)