Review: Loved Z!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 28, 2014
I loved this book!  It was gripping and I just didn't want to put it down.  My love for this book can be summed up in one word (or initial?): Z .  Z was the hero of shredded and was a fascinating character.  I fell for him in a big way.  When we first met Z, he came off as a cocky, arrogant, conceited, manwhore who lived to snowboard, get high and get laid.  However, there was SO much more going on with him beneath the surface.  Z was battling some nasty demons and he was barely hanging on.  He was trying so hard to keep all his feelings bottled up inside of himself, but was a breath away from imploding.  So what captivated me about him?  Well, I definitely have a soft spot for damaged, tortured heroes.  And Z certainly was one of those.  He was guilt-ridden, felt he was worthless and quite honestly, had a death wish.  He was using sex, alcohol, and weed in an attempt to numb all the pain he had inside.  I so wanted to take care of him and take away all his pain.  There was another side to Z as well, and that side only endeared him to me more.  He was a good friend: loyal, sweet and protective, and took care of the people he loved.Ophelia, our heroine, was working on dealing with her own past struggles and moved to Park City for a fresh start.  She was a great heroine: tough, smart, and sassy and took no crap from anyone.  Z's reputation as a manwhore preceded him so she was less than impressed when they first met.  She vowed not to let him get under her skin, but Z's thoughtfulness and vulnerable side eventually got her to open up to him.  Ophelia and Z made a great couple.  Her love and support for Z made him want to be a better person.  She brought out the best in him and him in her.  There were many obstacles in their way to happily ever after and I was rooting for them the entire way.The fact that Z and his friends were snowboarders was refreshing to me.  This is the first romance novel I’ve read that was about snowboarding and I really enjoyed the novelty of it.I loved the close friendships between Z, Cam, Ash and Luc.  It was obvious how much they all cared about one another.  Kudos to Luc for giving Z a swift kick in the a** when he really needed it.The ending left me in a state of shock!  Not a cliffhanger per se as the romance had a happy ending, but boy am I anxious for the next book!  Shredded was an interesting, riveting book that I’m sure New Adult fans will really enjoy.An ARC was provided to me through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.