Review: Beyond Addiction (Beyond #5) by Kit Rocha

Series: Beyond #5

Genre: Erotic/Post Apocalyptic Romance

Series: Beyond #5

Genre: Erotic/Post Apocalyptic Romance

Publisher: Moira Rogers

Publication Date: 8/18/14

Format: eARC

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

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She’s fought like hell to leave the past behind.

Trix changed her name and her life when she got clean four years ago. Now, she has a new family and a job she loves—tending bar and dancing at the Broken Circle. As an O’Kane, she’s happy, untouchable. Until a nightmare from her old life tears her away from her home and drags her back to Hell—also known as Sector Five.

He’s still living—and dying—in it.

Losing Trix was the kick in the head Finn needed to get sober, but working as an enforcer for a man he hates is slowly crushing his soul. The only thing that keeps him going is his determination to destroy Sector Five from the inside. Then Trix comes back into his life—alive, in danger—and nothing else matters.

Getting her home could be a suicide mission. The only thing deadlier is the old spark that flares to life between them. Soon, Finn and Trix are battling the one addiction neither of them ever managed to kick—each other. And it could cost them everything.


My (fangirl-style) Review

 

BADASS. There are just no two ways about it, guys, the Beyond Series is total badass. And Beyond Addiction? It only upped the level of all-around badassery, taking the series to a whole new level. After the crazy ending of Beyond Jealousy, we readers have been dying to know what's going to happen to Trix, who was kidnapped by the Sector Five. Well, Beyond Addiction picks up where that shocking end left off and it flies.

In Beyond Addiction, we get not only another crazy intense, passionate story, but also a second chance romance. But truly, this is no ordinary second chance, more like a new, better chance. Back in Sector Five, keeping the citizens addicted is a means of power. When Trix and Finn were together, there was always a haze of drugs fogging their minds. The balance of power was firmly on Finn's side, though he never took advantage of that and truly loved Trix. Now, both Trix and Finn are clean and from the moment they are reuinited, it seems they both want to grasp that second chance, both know what they have can have now is so much more.

 

 

  "Tell me this is different," she begged.

  "I dont' have to." He pressed his forehead to her temple, his breath hot against her cheek. "You can feel it. You know it in your bones. Nothing's the same as before."

  Because he wasn't fighting her anymore. Fighting himself. They were sober, clear-headed, free to do what they wanted--and this was it. More than anything else, more than breath.

 

Life in Sector Four is overwhelming to Finn. And dangerous, to say the least. As a member of Sector Five, he's been the enemy, forced to drug citizens or die. Dying might have been the noble option, but living, and using subversive tactics from the inside is the smart choice. The O'Kanes don't exactly welcome Finn with open arms, but because Trix loves him, he gets a chance. A chance to be a better man, to be a part of something big and good, the chance to live, O'Kane style. (hubba hubba!)The promise of fulfilling his own destine, based on his choices, his actions, almost too much for Finn to comprehend.

 

 

  Jas might still punch him in the face a few times, but then he'd slap him on the back and get him a drink, because part of belonging would always be a willingness to bleed for and with your brothers. And that's what Jas and Bren would be, if he stayed. The brothers Finn had never had, the family he'd barely realized he wanted.

 

I'll just say this: Finn does the O'Kanes proud, is truly better than they could have ever expected.

Beyond Addiction gives us a new look outside the sectors, and it was so cool. Finn and Trix head to the desert outside of Sector Six to stay with friends of his, friends who are total gear heads, building and racing cars. So cool, yeah? I continue to find the world building of the Beyond series to be fascinating, and appreciate each new look at the bigger picture. Sector Four will always be my favorite, but I love knowing and seeing that there truly are others out there, trying to make lives on the outskirts, beyond the politics of the sectors and Eden. And speaking of the politics,

 

  Dallas laughed roughly. "So much for our pretensions. If this is how we're defining democracy now, I'm ready for a little anarchy."

 

I'm amazed at how Rocha continues to build and build on the precarious nature of the sectors and their relationship with Eden. How seemingly significant moments that seemed to be only part of a particular installment, is part of the bigger picture.

 

All because one girl had walked into the sectors and fallen in love with an O'Kane. 

 

Beyond Addiction was fantastic, possibly my favorite of the series. We had the gorgeous love story between Trix and Finn, so delicate and strong and the same time. We had the fabulous and sometimes (almost always) filthy O'Kanes-with Dallas and Lex's trademark dirty hot party (wheee!), and we had the intense, heartpounding, tear inducing build-up to another brilliant ending. Another ending that has me hanging on so tight and begging for the next installment.

 

I highly, highly recommend the Beyond series.

 

 

Favorite Quotes

 

 

  He rubbed his thumb up and down the side of her throat and met her gaze. "I'm not going to hurt you. Not even if you ask."

  "I don't want you to." He felt her swallow beneath his hand. "I need to know you could, but you won't. Not ever."

  "Never again." He knew what she needed now. Bracing her weight, he caught one wrist and dragged it above her head, pinning her in place as he rolled his hips. "But I'll give you anything else. Anything."

 

 

  Four years and a world of distance hadn't stopped them from winding up right here at this very moment. He'd thought she was dead, and that hadn't stopped him from picking her up when she'd stumbled back into his life.

  Nothing would stop him, and she needed to hear it so badly that her throat ached. "Say it," she whispered against his skin. "Just once."

  "I'm not going anywhere,"he promised. low and rough."I'll never leave you."

Beyond Series

 

      

(covers lead to GoodReads page)

 

My Reviews

Beyond #1-3.5  |  Beyond Jealousy  |  Beyond Solitude

 

About the author: 

Kit Rocha is actually two people—Bree & Donna, best friends who are living the dream. They get paid to work in their pajamas, talk on the phone, and write down all the stories they used to make up in their heads.

Beyond Shame was their first dystopian erotic romance. They also write paranormal romance as Moira Rogers. You can find them on the web at the following places:

 

 Website (Kit Rocha) |  Website (Moira Rogers)  |  Facebook  |  Twitter (Announcements)  | 

Twitter (Bree)  |  Twitter (Donna)

REVIEW: INTO THE STILL BLUE by VERONICA ROSSI

Series: Under the Never Sky #3
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 1/28/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars

The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

 

What can I say about this intense ending to a brilliant and gorgeous series? To be honest, all I want to do is just tell everyone to read this series. So I'm going to be brief. I don't feel as if I can say very much about this story, without spoiling it and the first two in the series. But what I can say is, as high as my expectations were, and the threat of disappointment, Into the Still Blue was a perfect ending to the series. I feel very content and happy.

I won't tease with all the possibilities and scenarios. I will say that I felt moments of despair and sadness. Perry and Roar (hands down, one of the best book names ever) gave me a serious case of The Swoons. I felt elation, heart-pounding tension. I ran the gamut of emotions. And in the end, I smiled.

So why should my opinion count? Since I've began the Under the Never Sky series a few years ago, my reading tastes have dramatically changed. I very rarely read anything but contemporary romance. I rarely read young adult. The fact that I still wanted to read this series, that it continued to hold me, thrill me, and have me on the edge, says everything for me.

The Under the Never Sky series, each and every installment, is what I hold up as the benchmark for Young Adult, post-apocalyptic, and honestly, gorgeous storytelling. Give it a try. You will not be sorry.

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

 “Soren,” Roar called. When Soren looked back, Roar flung his knife into the air. The blade spun end over end, heading right for Soren,who yelped and dodged aside. 
  It missed him by a hair, as Roar had surely intended. Roar never missed.
  "Are you insane?"Soren yelled, his face turning red.
  Roar jogged over and calmly picked up his knife, but he sheathed the blade with a vicious thrust. "That's how you do a warning shot."

  Power felt tangible. Its shift unmistakable. Something had just ended, and something had just begun, and every person there sensed it: a change as startling and inevitable as the first drops of rain.


  As they walked back to the cave, a piece of him that had been broken felt whole again. Nothing looked the same or smelled the same, and maybe the world was ending, but he and Roar would walk to that end side by side.

 

  Aria's mind flitted from one thing to another. Falcon Markings that reached shoulder to shoulder. Sandals made of book covers. Opera songs and earthworms and a voice as warm as the afternoon sun. They had one thing in common.
  Perry. Every thought came back to him.


 

Under the Never Sky Series

 

     

 

 

 

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

 

 

My Reviews

Under the Never Sky  |  Through the Ever Night

 

 

 

About the author:

Veronica Rossi's debut novel, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, will be published in over twenty-five international markets, starting on January 3rd 2012 in the United States. Film rights to the trilogy have been optioned by Warner Bros.

 

 

 

 

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

 

 

 

 

TEASER TUESDAY ~ RED HILL

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read

·Open to a random page

·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: 10/1/13

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Red Hill grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go until its stunning conclusion. This is #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire at her unforgettable best.

My Teaser  ~

  We passed more people, unsure of who was running and who was chasing. I saw parents carrying their young children, and pulling older ones along by the hand. A couple of times people screamed at me to stop, begged me to help them, but stopping always meant dying in the movies, and I was barely eighteen. I wasn't sure how long we could survive, but I knew I wasn't dying on day one of the f*cking zombie apocalypse.   ~pg 51

This book was so fantastic. My review posts tomorrow!