Hothouse Flower - By Krista and Becca Ritchie *Review*

Calloway Sisters - Book 2 | Add to Goodreads

| Amazon | NOOK | Kobo |

Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

 5 flaming hot, I'm going to die - I'm so overwhelmed stars out of 5 with Beyonce on top

I've been putting this off. I'm sorry.

Once again, Krista and Becca Ritchie have written a book that makes me sh*t scared to review. I am again struggling with how to convey how much I loved Hothouse Flower and why it is a must read. It's been such a struggle to write I finished this review, left it and came back to it months after reading the book multiple times. In fact, this review was literally an essay - over 2,000 words minimum when I finally gave it a rest. I guess my struggle stems from wanting people to read this review and understand EXACTLY why these books are so pervasive. I want to give Krista and Becca Ritchie a review that honors the beauty of the book and all the hard work they put into producing such literature. I want to write f*cking dissertations about this book and series. 

The struggle I have with such a stunning winning streak of a series is my emotions no longer translate well into words - hell, into LETTERS. What I need to write and want to write could span PAGES not just a single screen. What is buzzing under my skin dying to burst forth... is too much to contain. Once again, I am given a book that tears my heart out, makes me laugh, entices my dreams for the future, that makes a social statement without being pompous, stimulates intellectual thought without academic jargon, sets a standard without explicitly stating it, that is more than just a "romance" and gives me so much EVERYTHING, I am left reeling.

Why is this important to tell you? Because way back when I read Addicted to You I recognized that I was reading a series that transcended "New Adult Romance" and to explain such perfection was impossible. For those of you that don't know, Addicted for You was the FIRST book in a series of FIVE so far (including spin-offs) and with every book I read, my statement becomes more and more justified. "My attempt below to explain the "why" is only that, an attempt, because I can only try to explain instead of simply writing - Read this fucking book because I can't write about perfection." Yet here I am again, using so many more words, trying to explain why Krista and Becca Ritchie are literary goddesses and why you should read this series. (Seriously, just fucking read it.)

This book was explosive.

Let me give you a second to read that again because if I were to choose a single word to describe this book in my incredibly verbose review that's it - EXPLOSIVE. Daisy and Ryke have been building sexual tension since the moment they both graced the pages of the Addicted series. They've never been a couple and we've never been inside their heads. Yet for FOUR books we have been getting their relationship foreplay so "Hothouse Flower" is almost literally a literary first time orgasm. No joke. I've never seen a book slogan more apt that this because HOLY SH*T, F**KING FINALLY! We all knew it was going to happen and when but the how of it was pure sexual inferno. Now I'm a solid Team Connor but Hothouse Flower had me pleading mind control. I am now a closet Team Ryke because the f*cker has straight up game, not to mention a heart of solid f*cking gold. Why am I cussing so much? Sentence enhancer (Spongebob reference y'all) - it gives my sentences more oomph and well... it's Ryke's favorite word.

Seeing inside Ryke's head was amazing. He struggles so much with his past decisions in addition to his current presence in Loren's life. While Ryke can come off as abrasive he is the sweetest and oddly, most vulnerable to the opinions of people he cares about. Ryke only wants everyone to be okay with or without him. Having been an "outsider" with demanding parents, he understands Daisy in way no one else can. He sees her as a person in her own right rather than in relation to others. His feminism is a huge plus and while he has more confidence than Loren, he suffers from a startling similar self doubt. While Ryke and Daisy finally  having sex is a big thing what really makes this book more than a wham bam thank you ma'am, is the relationship dynamics between the three male characters.

We've seen a lot of the girls dynamics as well as the guys with the girls but solid Ryke, Loren and Connor time seals the ***Flawless rating on "Hothouse Flower." Ryke and Loren finally clear the air between them about their past - Loren's resentment towards Ryke's absence until now and Ryke's guilt for hating his unknown brother without knowing him. Their throw down had me in tears because it was a necessary evil in order to move the brothers relationship forward and it was done BEAUTIFULLY. I mean I cried for gods sake... I never cry. Especially not over two brothers having a heart to heart. Argh. I'm tearing up now.

Connor's role as a "leader" is solidified and we get a recognition of his mistakes in the Addicted narrative. When Ryke worries he's done more harm than good in the lives of Daisy and Loren, Connor is there to tell him how heroic his actions were and still are. Preach. For me, this was Connor recognizing that his actions in Addicted to You, when Connor and Ryke first meet Loren, were wrong. By acknowledging Ryke's push for Loren to become sober was heroic, Connor admits his lack of action was cowardly. For those of you who know Connor this is a HOLY SHIT moment. Ryke was willing to be the bad guy in Loren's life to make a positive change. Correction - is STILL willing to be the bad guy - all so that his brother can be motivated to get well. Connor has never said anything more right, Ryke is a f*cking hero.

I'm going to get emotional so bear with me. Krista and Becca Ritchie make me want to cry. Tears of absolute fucking happiness. In a time when good books are so hard to find their books stand out as fiction gold. They take their imaginary characters and weave real life into a story. They give us role models, survivors, assholes, bitches, the weak, the strong, self loathing, self respect, courage, kindness and love. They write books that refuse to be lowered to standards of empty fiction. They write with a message without presumption or arrogance. They write books that I've been waiting years for. Books with emotional depth and sexual tension that aren't high school students in immature young adult (nothing against you YA) and also aren't 30 year old women wondering how to bring the sexy back when their husbands are cheating bastards (Marian Keyes I love you but your characters are just too old!). To quote the infamous Goldilocks, KB Ritchie are "just right." I love these authors not blindly but because they CONTINUE to be just as perfect and amazing EVERY TIME and that kind of consistency deserves more than my vocabulary can convey. They are Beyoncé and...

Read it. I didn't spill much about Daisy and Ryke's relations because the surprise of it all is half the fun.

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website: kbritchie.com
Goodreads:
Krista: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7056935.Krista_Ritchie
Becca: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2754148.Becca_Ritchie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KBRitchie
Website: http://kbritchie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KBRitchie
Tumblr: http://kbmritchie.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kbmritchie/