Review: Ryke and Daisy make the book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
Let me start by admitting that I did not heed the suggestion to start at the beginning of the series or even with the book before. That being said, I had no problem following the story or the characters (I did read the description on the previous book to know what went down so that might have helped).Hothouse Flower (title explained towards the end of the book) is over 400 pages, and some have commented that it’s a long book. Personally I don’t think that’s a long book; I think that’s how books should be and a lot used to be. There are far too many wannabe writers out there trying to make money by spinning short books for the buck. This is not one of them. There are also some longer books out there that are simply full of repetition and need a good editor. This is most definitely not one of them either. It’s clear the authors put their time and effort into this story that is well written, well developed (both plot and characterization) as well as free of grammatical errors.The story has a great balance of adventure plot (loved the road trip) and couple time (some very hot and creative love scenes that fit the pair well).  The dialogue and inner monologues are also well balanced and flow well.There is no insta-love or insta-lust. Even having not read the previous books that Ryke and Daisy appeared in, I could feel their history and their strong feelings for each other. Their personalities make it completely believable that they would be attracted to and fall in love with each other.  Plus, there was so much sexual tension long before they ever even kissed.Ryke and Daisy are perfectly flawed—as in their flaws make them endearing and who they are, not annoying characters. They are definitely ones to root for, and I’m glad they faced their problems and their families together. They trusted in what they knew about each other and believed in each other. They didn’t let circumstances stand in their way. I wish more writers would develop couples that do this.  That is not to say the book didn’t have drama, but it was a well developed and well balanced drama that fit the storyline and did not feel over the top.Ryke is the guy you want in your corner. He is fiercely loyal and well…pretty hot. I loved how he handled Daisy’s ADD personality. Ryke is deep and complex. He has boundaries, yet he cares and doesn’t care what people think about him at the same time. Daisy is adorable. She is a unique mix of innocence and experience that fit her age and lifestyle.  I loved her free spirit and banter/flirting with Ryke from the very beginning. I felt bad for Daisy the way her older sisters excluded her at times (whether intentional or not), and at how she had to suffer because of their mistakes and poor choices. Frankly, I’m not sure I could get into reading the other stories if Daisy and Ryke aren’t the main characters. The rest worked great as supporting characters, but I couldn’t relate with any of them enough to get into their own stories. I’d love to see more of Ryke and Daisy and their adventures.Daisy and Ryke compliment each other so perfectly, and their story captures all the elements of being young and free. I was continually torn between wanting to see them have their own little “crazy babies” or let their free spirits adventure longer—perhaps a second book (set a few years down the road) with a mix of both (hint, hint to the authors!)