Review: Adventure, love, & healing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 1, 2014
Have you ever gone highlighter-happy on your Kindle? Yes? *high five* If you've read any of the Addicted books by Krista & Becca Ritchie, your answer is probably somewhere on a scale of “Duh, obviously” to “Yup, the whole damn book”. There were chapters in this latest novel, Hothouse Flower, where I nearly highlighted the entire thing, a rainbow of blue, pink, and yellow. (Daisy would've loved it...) And yes, I color code my quotes. (Rose Cobalt would approve.) I'm just so completely awestruck by these authors' originality and storytelling. I could print my favorite quotes...no, *passages*...on posters, frame them, and hang each one on every wall in my house. Like this, for example:Her eyes lock on me, and she whispers, "Big bad wolf, are you going to eat me?"You're a dirty girl, Calloway. My gaze drops to her mouth. "Until you f---ing scream."Oh, whoops, too much?! *squeals then covers mouth* Okay, maybe not that one. My house guests might go bug-eyed, and I'd probably be reduced to a hot mess every time I passed it in a hallway and remembered *that* scene.So, *what is it* about Hothouse Flower that has thrown me into a complete, unabashed book-hangover?? Aside from Daisy and Ryke themselves, there were three things about this story that locked me in and refused to let go until the ride was over: adventure, love, and healing.#1: Adventure. Daisy and Ryke's voices were so much fun to read. Ryke Meadows is full of snark and f-bombs, but he doesn't care what anybody thinks or says about him. This guy has the motorcycle, likes to run, and climbs mountains. And what about Daisy? Daisy is my favorite Calloway sister. *Yeah, I said it!* Not because we share a birthday or anything...or because I'm a baker and she's obsessed with chocolate cake...I love Daisy for her youthful curiosity and her exuberance. There's a whimsicality to her character, the daredevil with quirks. If I could, I would go shopping for the craziest t-shirts, explore a foreign country, and jump in for a midnight swim with this girl!Considering how these authors like to keep their readers on their toes, though, the crazy twists and gut-wrenching spins were a given! Hothouse Flower taps into your inner wanderlust and takes you all over the place, from Philly to Paris to California. Oh, and *that* trip is one you'll want to take over...and over...and over again. You won't be able to think of road trips, or camping, or…cornfields on the side of the highway...the same way. Ever. *grinning and blushing to the max*The Six Musketeers reunite, too. The bromantic banter between Ryke, Lo, and Connor alone was A+ quality because I giggle-snorted way too much. (The irony of wanting to use the expression, "I would give these guys their own reality show"...) When this group is together, the dialogue is just so clever and fluid. No offense real-life friends, but I want my own Connor Cobalt. And Loren Hale. And Ry- okay, you get my point.Since I'm not opposed to sacrificing sleep and human contact in the name of book love, this book was the bring-my-Kindle-wherever-I-go-whatever-I-do kind. I didn't want the adventure to end! Because there are few things more adventurous than a *forbidden romance*, and my heart was on fire for Ryke and Daisy.Ryke is 25 years old. Daisy is only 18. Daisy is also Ryke's little brother's girlfriend's little sister. Daisy's mother *also* can't stand Ryke...Do you see why "complicated" and "angsty angst" would be understatements here? Yet, it's all of that build-up that makes this forbidden romance *so* *damn* *good*. This relationship is 3 books and a few story-years in the making! We all got to watch their friendship grow into something deep and strong. By this point, they know each other so well. From the way Ryke protects and takes care of Daisy to all of the teasing, mischievous back-and-forth, I lost count of all the cute little moments. Finally, in Hothouse Flower, their chemistry lights up and burns the pages, leaving *Holy craps* and *Wows* in its wake. FI-NA-LLY. I'm talking about scenes that I had to slow motion read, *go back*, and read 'em again. *For emphasis.*Along with the adventure and the romance, though, there's a beautiful story of healing. Daisy has her own demons hidden underneath her bright, playful exterior, and Ryke is avoiding dealing with a painful past. I loved how they were together. Ryke was her unfaltering safe zone, and Daisy was the light to his dark. The way they get through that journey, with the help of their little family in Lily, Lo, Rose, and Connor, is so perfectly crafted by authors Krista and Becca. I loved being there for every excruciating and exquisite moment. Past all of the humor and smart-ass banter, there is a deeper connection between all of them. There were times when I was legitimately misty-eyed over these characters!I was all-in for Ryke and Daisy's story, and when I finished reading Hothouse Flower, I was out of my mind with how amazing the book was. Incoherent. Unable to put non-corny sentences together. 5 stars for Daisy, 5 stars for Ryke, 5 stars for adventure...No...I give *the whole sun* to Hothouse Flower. Please accept my offering, Krista and Becca, and write another book for Ryke and Daisy. I heard somewhere that Daisy Calloway is powered by the sun. ;)