Review: Ryker... A man as stupid as his name
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
Kaiya is having a tough time. She's been physically abused and the center of her world at the minute is her brother, Kamden, and her job. When she decides to join the same gym as her brother, she meets Riker - the hot, muscly manwhore who wants to flex her glutes and pull her hamstrings (I'm stabbing blindly in the dark with these gym terms because I'm as familiar with gyms as I am with social cues).As the story goes on, we get more details on Kaiya's abuse by Kaleb. At first we're left in the dark about who Kaleb is but with a brother named Kamden and her own name, it doesn't take Stephen Hawking to see that there are some Kardashian-esque naming practices going on here and siblings with names beginning with K is officially a thing . Kaiya has been let down and abused by so many people - by her physical abuser, by her parents who have torn loyalties - that she deserves someone trustworthy and kind. And that's where Ryker comes in. A man as stupid as his name, he's the type of person who you wonder how he got this far in life without chewing off his own foot. He pervs on the young female gym clientele, he judges his overweight clients and has clearly lost his respect for others down the back of some slut's sofa. Oh, you didn't like that I called a woman a slut as a pejorative? Get used to it because that's how Ryker sees the women he sleeps with - they're sluts, whores, b!tches. These words are tossed out so casually, but I got the feeling I wasn't supposed to be as shocked and grossed-out as I was. Ryker got a boo-boo on his feelings a few years ago (a whorish, slutty, b!tch-c*nt was responsible, of course) so now he uses women for sex and nothing more. This also means that he hates all women. Every one of them. So when he sees Kaiya, he's shocked by how pure and unwhorish she is. Joy! But it isn't that easy to entrap the princely prize that Ryker is. Even during their 'courtship', Ryker bangs his way around town, dodging whiny women who expect respect and basic courtesy. Stupid sluts - don't they realise a woman hurt his feelings a few years ago?As their 'romance' unfolds, Kaiya has to deal with the prospect of her abuser being released, Kamden's over protectiveness and her friend with benefits, Bryce. Here's where Kaiya lost me. She and Ryker truly are soulmates because they see nothing wrong with treating people like crap. It's clear that Bryce has feelings for Kaiya (and it's impossible to believe she doesn't realise this) but she continues to sleep with him whenever the mood strikes. Bryce is clearly a good guy. He worries about her and wants her to be safe, but Kaiya treats him like an irritant, despite having hauled her butt out of his bed only a few days prior. Who is raising these characters? Does no one listen to Aretha Franklin anymore?Having said that, it's an entertaining book - I'm just particularly sensitive when it comes to manners and people being mean. There are a few really worthy and valuable features in this book, however. Kaiya takes a lot of self-defence classes and they're described in such a way that the reader can conceivably pick up a lot of tips. This never comes across as preachy or lecturing, rather it brings the reader deeper into the story - verifying Ryker's ostensible 'good guyness'. Along with that, there is a page on sexual assault resources and information at the back of the book. I can't stress how welcome this was. The author took a responsible, mature and sensitive approach to the book's subject matter, so while I may not have been captivated by the characters, the author won a fan in me for this.