Effortless by S.C. Stephens

Publisher's Description:

After being caught in the middle of a love triangle which led to a devastating betrayal, Kiera pledged to learn from the mistakes she’d made. She was determined to never again inflict that kind of pain on anyone, especially the soulful, talented man who held her heart. But life offers new challenges for every relationship, and when Kiera’s love is put to the ultimate test, will it survive? Love is easy . . . trust is hard.

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I was mostly disappointed in this book because it seemed like an unnecessary extension of the first book. It's an almost 500 page epilogue, really.

As I mentioned in my previous review of Thoughtless, one of the things I like best about Stephens is her character development. Unfortunately I also thought it was what was most missing in the sequel. Some of the secondary characters make a few steps forward in their lives. Kiera's sister, for one, and Denny for the other. On the whole though, they stay relatively stagnant even thought their worlds are exploding and expanding around them. The guy's band takes off for a nationwide tour, and it brings all of the drama you'd expect, but without any of the growth.

I did like that that Denny made an appearance in this book as well. Not immediately and not without scars, but he was probably the character that developed the most through the second novel. It would have been very easy for Stephens just to send him back to Australia, throw him out as a character and we would never seen him again. I think she tackles a very difficult plot point by bringing him back into the fold. Admittedly, I'm not sure how realistic it is, but I respect her choice.

Unlike the first book, there were large portions of this book that just felt entirely unnecessary. Stephens jumped forward through months at a time, quickly covering the entire year that the band was on tour and jumping ahead to the dramatic plot points. The sex scenes also seemed more frequent and almost gratuitous. I enjoyed Kiera's trip back to Ohio and her family home, but it was short lived. I was disappointed that Stephens (so great at character development) didn't take the opportunity to let us get to know Kiera better through her parents.

I didn't like Effortless nearly as much as Thoughtless… but I'll probably finish the series just to see how Stephens brings the drama to an end.

Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

Publisher's Description:

For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same.

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I want to address a major point of the novel first. I don't usually take issue with love triangle stories per se, especially where the author has thoughtfully constructed delicate but powerful relationships. Unfortunately, love triangles are all too often a part of real life, and if art mimics life, love triangles are bound to appear in novels. (Especially YA because we all know what being a teenager can be like sometimes.)

I do have a very hard time stomaching cheating or adultery however. (It made me very uncomfortable through Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed and it was probably my least favorite part of Gone with the Wind.)

I had to dock Thoughtless a few stars for the way my stomach turned during pivotal plot points. The bottom line is this is a love triangle that takes place during a relationship. The main female character, Kiera cheats on her boyfriend, Denny with his best friend Kellan while she is still with Denny. She's with him both emotionally and physically and I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. (She can't makeup her mind because she loves them both? Or she has so little respect for them both?)

Luckily I really liked Kiera as a character. I identified with her although we have little in common. I came to understand where she was coming from, even if I didn't agree with it and I appreciated the realistic guilt the author had her suffer. (Not over-dramatic, but deep and cutting.) If you are less bothered than I am by cheating then this might not be as much of an issue for you.

I also really appreciated the unique setting and the older age of the characters and Stephen's ability to write them as adults and not as teenagers who just happen to be in their mid-20s. They actually act their age. They have their own goals, ambitions and weaknesses. Character development is definitely one of Stephen's strengths and her secondary characters are as likable, if not more likable, than her main characters. They have their own personalities and don't just mesh into one giant blob in the background.

Oh, and some of the scenes will leave you heart thuddingly breathless. If you read Thoughtless, you know I'm talking about the rain scene. Stephens writes tension - both good and bad - masterfully. She does a great job of balancing anticipation and gratification so the reader doesn't spend the entire book waiting for action and so there isn't too much of it that it gets old.

I only gave it three stars because of the explicit cheating, the kind of cliched plot-idea (A rockstar? Really?) and because the writing isn't going to change your life. The plot moves briskly but there are parts that drag when they shouldn't or breeze past when they should be slower and more developed.

All in all, 3 out of 5 stars ain't bad and I liked it enough to read the sequel. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Romances in Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a link-up hosted by Broke and Bookish every Tuesday. This week's topic in honor of upcoming Valentine's Day is "Romances in Books." So here are my favorite romantic reads:

“I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter. Everything seems simple until you think about it. Why is love intensified by abscense?”

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One of my all time favorite books and one of the greatest romances ever to grace the page. Is there anything more heart-wrenching than waiting for love to return to you?

“No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.”

2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Another classic romance! I grew up loving Rhett and Scarlett's tumultuous, passionate relationship. They bickered and fought bitterly but loved each other through it.

“I stare at her for a long moment. I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her more than I've ever wanted anything in my life.”

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Some of my favorite romance books are ones like this where the two ill-fated lovers would give up anything and everything to be with each other and yet find a way to make it work.

“The anticipation and dread he felt at seeing her was also a kind of sensual pleasure, and surrounding it, like an embrace, was a general elation--it might hurt, it was horribly inconvenient, no good might come of it, but he had found out for himself what it was to be in love, and it thrilled him.”

4. Atonement by Ian McEwan
Swoon! Ian McEwan has a talent for writing non-traditional romances and Atonement is no different, speaking to the things we do for love in our deepest and darkest places and the importance of timing.

 

“Now anyone who has ever been on a blind date is well familiar with “The Moment”—that moment where you first walk into the bar or restaurant or coffee shop and scan the crowd and suddenly your heart stops and you say to yourself: oh, please—let it be him.” Practice Makes Perfect

“It should've been illegal for a man to walk around like that without some sort of permit.” Something About You

5/6. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James tied with Something About You by Julie James
I just can't get enough of Julie James! She writes such smart chick-lit with great, strong characters and incredible romantic tension. These are two of my absolute favorites.

“Ah," she cried, "you look so cool."
Their eyes met, and they stared together at each other, alone in space. With an effort she glanced down at the table.
You always look so cool," she repeated.
She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw.”

7. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Who could forget about one of the greatest love stories? The Great Gatsby, a love story in an era that rewarded excess in just about everything except love.

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”

8. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
One of my more recent reads, I fell in love with Hazel and Augustus the second the two of them met.

"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”

9. Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
What is Harry Potter about if not love? Love for friends, family and the good in life, and even some romantic love too.

“Just...ate," M says, frowning at me a little. "Two days...ago."
I grab my stomach again. "Feel empty. Feel...dead."
He nods. "Marr...iage.”

10. Warm Bodies - Issac Marion
A more non-traditional romance, Warm Bodies had me rooting for Zombie on human love the entire way through.