REVIEW: LOVELY TRIGGER BY R.K. LILLEY

THE IMPACT

Tristan hit rock bottom, and no one felt the impact harder than Danika. She was forced to see, in the most brutal of ways, that love does not conquer all. Bruised, bloody, and broken she had to walk away.

THE AFTERMATH

Picking up the pieces of your life after a tragedy is a daunting prospect, and that’s considering you still own all of the pieces. But what if you don’t? What if someone else owns those pieces, and those pieces are a part of your soul?

You dig deep and work with what you’ve got.

That’s what Danika told herself and believed, every single day, for years.

Tristan and Danika’s love had failed every test that life had thrown at them. She couldn’t forget that, not for one second. And if those tests had been overly harsh, well, she wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity. The failure was the thing she had to focus on. The failure was the lesson. She had no intention of working so hard to make it out of hell without learning that lesson well.

THE REUNION

Over six years after the night that changed everything, Danika finds herself forced to spend the weekend constantly in Tristan’s company, as they attend the wedding of two of their dearest friends. It’s been long enough that she feels they can be friendly again without it destroying her peace of mind, but just a small amount of time in his presence has her remembering something she had forced herself to forget: There’d been a reason she’d gone through hell with this man, for this man, some true good to precede the bad.

She shocks herself by quickly giving in to a hunger that she never imagined could still consume her.

Even the best intentioned denial has a breaking point.

THE HARSH REALITY

After everything that’s happened, the rise and the fall, the pain and the aftermath, can these two navigate the waters of acute regret, survive the trials of coming face to face with all that they have lost, and find the strength to try again?

ebook, 353 pages
Published March 10th 2014 by R.K. Lilley

Source: Purchased/Loaned by a friend
Purchase this book: Goodreads | Amazon

OUR REVIEW:

This was the final installment of the Tristan & Danika series and the way that book two ended absolutely guaranteed that we'd be reading this book. I just had to know what in the heck was going to happen with these two. HAD.TO. KNOW. Good news: all of the things you want to know will be explained by the time you get to the end. Bad news? It takes a while to get there..and R.K. Lilley makes sure that we work really hard to get there. We move through years, years with Tristan and Danika. We watch them struggle apart from each other. Struggle to move on. Struggle to share the same air space or room and not be destructive. Struggle, basically, to live without each other when all they ever wanted, was each other. 

Would you believe that I still think about them sometimes, and how much Rock Bottom effected me. It was like a horrible train wreck that wouldn't quit, and you could see the foreshadowing (great foreshadowing by the way) that would indicate how bad it was going to burn by the end. And burn it did. So when I started this book, I was having flashbacks, and even though it has been a while since I read the other two books...this one made my heart hurt from the first page. 

There were times when reading each of their narratives that I felt so much sympathy for their individual plights. Danika was so angry (rightfully) and bitter and resentful. She punished Tritan, repeatedly and in many ways, for what happened, but by doing this she tortured herself too. She was miserable even when she thought she wasn't. Her life seemed empty and false. The way forward for her had to be to learn how to forgive Tristan...but she had an impossibly difficult time trying to figure out how to do that. Tristan suffered with the knowledge of what he had or hadn't done and then suffered through each punishment she sent his way. The potential we saw in him in the first two books finally comes to fruition in this book. He's so much more--calm, peaceful, accepting, mature, patient, kind...gah..just..he's a good, good guy. He was not perfect, but he sure as hell was a much improved human being and continued to grow and learn throughout this book.

Tristan. I LOVEEEEEE Tristan Vega with all my heart. I think his redemption story made us believe in his so hard, and that he would and could be a strong man that could handle his addictions. It was a hard road to find out if he could do that, and I worried until the very freaking end that he was going to spiral again. I mean, we'd seen it before, so why not. You seriously must read (or die) this series. If you love books like we do for the pleasure, the emotion, the heartbreak, the soul crushing love and fight for things that are lost...this is the series to do it in. I will remember it, always. May re-read it when my masochism is at an all time high. 

This was a solid ending to their story. As I said before, there were chunks of the book that I had to restrain myself ..work really hard..to not strangle one or both of the characters. I'm glad that, though, that R.K. Lilley put them through everything she did and let us experience their journey because by the end, I definitely felt the reward. I did too. I was worried, as you are want to do, about how a third book in a series that we loved so much would fare. By my account, I loved it. Tristan and Danika have so many faults, and they shine through. The brutal honesty and journey we went on them made this conclusion so worthwhile.

Shelley: 4 stars
Courtney: 5 Stars

About the Author

R.K. Lilley has been a writer since she can remember, but has held down some interesting jobs to pay the bills. For several years she was a first class flight attendant, and she always swore that she just had to write a book about it. Mixing her love of romance and all things BDSM, the Up In the Air Trilogy is her debut into the world of contempary romance and erotica. She is currently working on the final installment in the series.

You can contact R.K. at Authorrklilley@gmail.com
Visit her Facebook page to keep up-to-date on what she's working on

https://www.facebook.com/authorrklilley

And check out her website http://www.rklilley.com/

R.K. also writes urban fantasy under the pseudonym: Rebecca K. Lilley

REVIEW: ROCK BOTTOM BY R.K. LILLEY

ROCK BOTTOM
BOOK TWO: TRISTAN & DANIKA 

Their love had the power of a runaway freight train, and the potential to be just as destructive. 
The tempestuous sequel to Bad Things picks up where the first book left off. Reeling from a profound loss, Tristan and Danika struggle to pick up the pieces and build a life together, but the hard habits of a lifetime are not so easy to escape. 
Rock Bottom takes us on a dual point of view journey through addiction and desire, through love and agony, and answers the question we’ve been asking since these characters were introduced in Grounded: “What happened between Tristan and Danika?” 

DANIKA 
Even love couldn’t cushion a fall like ours. My love for Tristan was so big that I felt consumed by it, and even so, it was not enough to overpower our combined demons. 
I struggled. I yelled and screamed. I scratched and kicked. 
I fought like hell, but even the most determined fighters have to stop before they break. 
No one could say I didn’t fight for him. 
“I love you,” I spoke softly into his ear. 
He gripped me harder. “I can’t ever lose you, Danika. I’m not sure I’d survive it.” 
“You’ve got me. And I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.” 
I meant the words when I said them, but life had other plans for us. 
I’d have given my life for that fight. In fact, I very nearly did. 

TRISTAN 
She was the one. 
If I’d ever had a doubt, I didn’t now. She was the one I’d be thinking about, longing for, until I took my last breath. If I lost her tomorrow, I’d pine for her like a lovesick fool. 
This was the kind of love that only hit you once in your life. This book is intended for readers 18 and up.

Kindle Edition, 273 pages

Published November 21st 2013

Source: Purchased

Genre: Erotica

Our Review---
I knew when I started getting the F-bomb texts from Courtney that this novel was going to be emotional...because usually it's ME that sends obscene texts!!! Yeah. Sigh, I think they started at 43%...so buckle up buttercup is my sound advice! 

If you've read the Up in the Air trilogy you know that something went terribly terribly wrong between Danika and Tristan. This book finally ...FINALLY gives us the back story to their awful break up/break down/broken-fucked uppedness. The prologue warns us that this will be a sad tale and that was no lie. ACK! More information is available for me out there. I apologize to the R.K. Lilley gods that I have not finished that series. I have such good intentions (about pretty much everything) and haven't. Let me just say that fever is revived. James Cavendish is delish. 

We begin the story with Danika and Tristan still reeling from Jared's death; they are both a mess but Tristan just cannot seem to get his shit together. He seeks solace in Danika, his friends, drugs and alcohol, the band...and nothing seems to alleviate the grief and pain that remains, except Danika...which we all know cannot be healthy. As their story progresses, Danika tries to soften the grief with love and sex and kindness and zero judgment. When Tristan's not around, she throws herself into work, dance, school, Frankie...she's determined to keep busy and work through her own sadness at losing Jared and watching Tristan self destruct. The bottom line with these two, though, is that as great as they are together they are in a place in their lives where they just seem to incessantly damage each other. From one major event to another, they are arguing, making up, sinking into their love bubble, and REPEAT but never really moving forward..and at some point even taking steps backwards. Co-dependent? Enabler/enablee? Unhealthy? You want them to work so much because they obviously love each other so much but sometimes ...is love enough to superglue the shards of a broken relationship back together again? We will have to wait to see since book 3 doesn't come out until early 2014. 

Oh my gosh. Do they have the worst luck ever or what? But sadly, like you've explained...some of it isn't luck. It is seriously the free will of Tristan that keeps him sinking down into the black hole he finds himself in, and Danika just trying not to rock the boat and not talking to her support system (Bev & Jerry) and finding a resolution. They make some BIG damn decisions, and every time things seem to come together for them, they fall apart in such a big irreparable way. This story was absolutely beautiful in my opinion. It is dirty and sexy and what is it that Jamie McGuire says..."Not your mother's romance..." Yeah. It is definitely not that. I have seen relationships like theirs in action with friends in high school with the dysfunction and fights (Thank God no drugs) but it is real and it hurts and I think these two have to fix themselves before they can fix each other! 

I loved the way R.K. Lilley approached the writing in this novel. The melancholy undercurrent set the perfect tone for the events as they unraveled. The sense that this novel is Danika and Tristan looking back at what a mess they made..the hindsight...makes it that much sadder. I hated that Danika always had to be so strong and yet had so much respect and admiration for refusing to let the bad define her. And, I hated that Tristan was so grief-stricken that he continually disappointed us (even still I completely loved him too!). These two went through so much together--R.K. Lilley definitely put them through the emotional ringer--and I cannot wait to see how she resolves their story!

You'll notice that there a few words that Danika says throughout her monologues that clearly foreshadow the future. That made me sad. But I still hoped through most of the novel that it might not be as bad and as soul crushing as it was rumored to be. It was. Don't be afraid though. This is by far one of my favorite series of this entire year, because do you know how much it made me feel reading it? A fucking lot. So fucking much. I waited hours until Shelley was done reading and writing her review to put my thoughts together. I've had some weird emotional crap going on and yesterday I cried while writing a review. Today...I was laying in my bed having finished this book...I laid my kindle down...I thought about it...and just cried. Cried a lot. Because this is serious real life shit. And as I have said probably way too much in this review, I loved every single second of it. Tristan still has my heart, and I hope that the final installment will maybe not "gut me like a fish" as I so eloquently was tweeting Ms. Lilley this morning! 

We reviewed the first book in the series here so we hope that you will give these a try and be all sorts of masochistic with us. 

Shelley: 5 Stars
Courtney: 5 Stars! 

About the Author--- 
R.K. Lilley has been a writer since she can remember, but has held down some interesting jobs to pay the bills. For several years she was a first class flight attendant, and she always swore that she just had to write a book about it. Mixing her love of romance and all things BDSM, the Up In the Air Trilogy is her debut into the world of contempary romance and erotica. She is currently working on the final installment in the series.
You can contact R.K. at Authorrklilley@gmail.com
Visit her Facebook page to keep up-to-date on what she's working on

https://www.facebook.com/authorrklilley

And check out her website http://www.rklilley.com/

Or follow her on Twitter twitter.com/authorrklilley

R.K. also writes urban fantasy under the pseudonym: Rebecca K. Lilley

Purchase: 
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

REVIEW: BAD THINGS BY R.K. LILLEY

Danika hasn’t had an easy life. Being insanely attracted to bad boys has never helped make it easier. 

One look at Tristan, and every brain cell she possessed went up in smoke. This man was trouble with a capital T. It was a given.
She knew better. Bad boys were bad. Especially for her. Considering her history, it was crazy to think otherwise. So why did crazy have to feel so damn fine?

For as long as she could remember, Danika had been focused on the future with single-minded purpose. Tristan came along and taught her everything there was to know about letting go, and living in the present. She fell, hard and deep. Of course, that only made her impact with the ground that much more devastating.

Bad Things is about Tristan and Danika, and their train wreck of a love story. This series can be read as a standalone, or with the Up in the Air series.

Bad Things is a full length novel, at roughly 105,000 words.
This book is intended for ages 18 and up.
Source: Purchased from Amazon

Published June 11th 2013 by R.K. Lilley

Where to Find the Book:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Where to Find the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook 

This novel was a stand alone novel that delves more into characters introduced in the In Flight series. This new series focuses on the background of Tristan and Danika.

There was lots of sexual tension--lawd have mercy. Holy hell....no doubt...it was so frustrating! Just do it already! They were so attracted to each other that they made rules about how to continue their friendship so that sex would not be allowed to interfere..in other words they were doomed.  I'd say within days of making those rules, they had their first sexual encounter...but not sex. These...ahem....encounters were steamy, steamy. I'm not really sure how those two were able to abstain from sex for as long as they did. Moving on...I appreciated that the writer took the time to develop their rapport and that we saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of their growing relationship. Spending the time to build in that background was worth the time and effort because I was invested in their story. There was obviously growing pains and obstacles in their relationship--his distaste for relationships and her eagerness to have one (even as she was fighting it) were gonna throw a wrench into things but somehow, someway they end up working around their issues.

I do recall saying to you that I was so incredibly happy that they worked so hard at being friends first. His desire to help her with her job as the nanny to Ivan and Mat and resident dog-walker was so cute. They are both so very attracted to one another but are truly 100% best friends before all of the rest is ruined...as you know it will be somehow, you just don't know how. So get ready for some Travis Maddox style passion and fighting and f*cking. That's what it reminded me of anyways, and I enjoyed the ride. Tristan is a little cocky and drool worthy and a lot protective and sexy. I wasn't sure what I was going to get with him...but I loved his character a lot, even when he was acting before thinking! 

Knowing what I knew about Tristan and Danika from the previous series I knew that things were going to end poorly and yet by the end of this one...the huge event (whatever it is that messes them up) had yet to occur. So...that has me thinking and worried for these two because the tragedy they overcame at the end seems like it would bind them together forever...so what the EFF happens, then? Now. What the heck! I have to read the Up in the Air series, like yesterday, huh....that statement makes me super nervous! Not happy!!!! #$^%&@ 

Also, I'm hoping in the second book R.K. Lilley goes into their pasts a little more--Danika's mom and sister, Tristan's dad what are their stories???? And, how does she meet and live with Bev and how in the heck does she end up in the gallery I think it mentions this a bit in Bad Things (this was in the In Flight series)...and his magic show...all things I'm hopeful we'll find out more about...also Frankie--how does she know them? Her story is so interesting. I liked the exploration of Frankie and an James Cavendish from a different POV. It helped me understand some things from the previous series. Frankie is hilarious and a partier and also a voice of reason when things get out of control. I liked that by the end, wasn't wanting to murder someone because it was left all cliffhangery. It was left with a true ending but a desire for more--more that I hope we'll get sooner rather than later.

I'll stop cursing you now. Okay...I am a mature adult, right? ;) I love when characters I love cross over in to other series' so these little teases are going to be seriously bad for me I can already tell. There is a lot more to know about these too, even though it seems like in the few short months that they knew each other that they went through a lot. I was incredibly grateful that the crazy event that took place at the end of Bad Things didn't push him away from her, but pulled them together even closer than before. I am still really, really sad....but don't let that scare you off of this book, because it really had a lot of fun and steamy moments. Steamy. Steamy. Steamy. Moments.

Danika annoyed me, slightly, because she knew she was clingy and forsaking herself and yet she didn't stop. Tristan sometimes annoyed me because he allowed her to be that way. It seems like they're codependent and could be a recipe for disaster..but I hope by the end of the series I'm seeing a HEA for these two.

Ya know....they did indeed do some really angsty things, didn't they. They fought so hard to just be friends, but neither wanted the other other to date or hook up with anyone else....I also loved the secondary characters that were good...Like Jared and Frankie and Cory. There were some people *ahem* Dean and Tristan's mother, that leave a bit to be desired...but we can't win 'em all! 

Even the preview for the next book didn't leave me wanting to strangle anyone...but now I am genuinely worried...there are so many ways and things that things can go wrong now...I hope the next installment comes out very soon.

Shelley : 4 1/2 stars
Courtney: 5 stars

SWOON THURSDAY (7): Tristan & Cole

We bring you today a fun meme that we thought would totally be up our alley! And here is how to play according to the wonderful host YA Bound

It's that time again! We created a HOT meme, and if you're new to the game, here's how to join in the fun:

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the steamy button above and share it on your blog. We want to know!

We're back at it again, swooning over our favorite book boyfriends and the moments that flat out made us giddy when we read them. So sit back, enjoy, and then play along by leaving YOUR favorite swoon worthy moments this week in the comments! (Here & at YA Bound!)

As always, remember to check the comments where our lovely readers share links to their favorite swoony scenes, too!

Courtney is swooning over: Bad Things by R.K. Lilley: 

"Silly you," he said softly, touching my chin. "Didn't you know I was out here, just waiting for a friend like you?"

"Tell me not to kiss you," he said, when his lips were a breath away from mine. - "Don't kiss me," I told him, my voice a breathless rasp. - "Mean it," he said, crowding me into the corner of the pool. He tilted my chin up with his finger. "I can't," I gasped. The words had barely left my lips before he was kissing me.  

Shelley is swooning over: Edible by Ella Frank:

     

As Cole slid it on her finger, he whispered, "I want you to be mine. My hope is that you wear this ring         first, so it will always be closest to your heart and remind you of how much I love you."...He then       reached down and pulled out the second ring..."This is to remind you that every time I look into your eyes, the color of this stone, I fall in love all over again."