Thursday, November 2, 2017

RIPPLES BY ALEATHA ROMIG-REVIEW BLITZ




You don’t have to read the Consequences series to enjoy this stand-alone novel, but if you know Tony Rawlings, you know that disappointing him isn’t an option. Imagine being his youngest daughter...imagine telling him the unimaginable... 

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” 

Sometimes ideas find you, and dreams begin as nightmares. Sometimes the truth that has been kept hidden is the key to opening a door you never knew existed. 

“You might not know me. I’m the baby of the Rawlings family, the princess, the daughter who came along later. I’m not like my older siblings, successful at everything they touch. My mother and father have provided me with every luxury as well as their unyielding love and support, but I’m not spoiled. I’m also not content. By example, my parents have shown me how love should be. I don’t know their past, and that doesn’t matter. I know what I’ve seen—two people devoted to one another. 

I don’t believe that I’ll ever find that kind of love, the kind that forgives and accepts all. And as my life falls to pieces and I travel to visit my family to face their disappointment, I’m not even looking for it. 

I’m looking for an escape...from my life as a Rawlings...from the pressure to achieve and not let others down. I dream of the time I can live for my own desires without the expectations that come with my name. 

I don’t find what I’m seeking...it finds me. Or should I say...he finds me. 

This time is different. I have a family who will search for me and find the answers. Little do we know—any of us—that my father set my journey into motion long before I was born.”

 "Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." ~Dalai Lama 

Ripples (Unabridged Version) is Natalie’s story, the youngest of Tony and Claire’s children—their baby. This story first appeared in shorter form in Glamour: Contemporary Fairytale Retellings. Due to the length restriction of each novella in that anthology, many scenes in Ripples were shortened or omitted for that anthology. This unabridged edition is the entire story—double in length and—a full-length novel. Please enjoy this Consequences novel along with special appearances from your favorite Consequences characters. 



As mentioned in the beginning of the book, this is a full-length retelling of a novella that initially appeared in the Glamour anthology.

Natalie and Dexter have an unconventional love story. It is dark, it is twisty, and at the beginning I kept waiting for the "just kidding, that didn't ACTUALLY happen" part. This is a dark romance, and there are some places that actually made me a little uncomfortable, and I like darker romance. I like twisty, boundary pushing, make-you-question-your-beliefs-in-what-makes-a-relationship-work, romance.

I liked Natalie. I am not sure, even now, how I feel about Dexter...but Natalie loves him and that is what matters.

So, lets talk about that for a second...and why I am ok with this. About how I can give a book that made me uncomfortable, and ask "how in the world did that work out" a high rating? And, oddly, the answer is that it made me uncomfortable, and it is not something that I would be ok with in my own life, and it challenged me in what I was able to accept, and believe, in a romance.

And, really, that is what we all read, I think....to experience a life different from the one we have, to see what it is like to be another person, and to see how it feels to live in a world that is not the same as ours. It is then up to author to write the book in such a way that the boundaries are pushed, but not so far that the reader disengages from the story. Aleatha Romig does this very well. The book is tightly plotted and the reader isn't left in one place too long, just long enough to be ok with events and then they move on. I think this is why it works so well, the precision of the plot lets the story flow and the reader to go along with it...maybe not comfortably, but with the belief that the story is moving reasonably and is believable.

So, I recommend every slightly uncomfortable, "how will she get past THAT" moment of this book.

I have not read all of the previous books, and it was not necessary to fully grasp this story.



I truly enjoy Aleatha Romig's writing so when I got the chance to read this book I was excited. This is definitely a darker, more twisted read than what I'm normally drawn to, but I enjoyed it.

I liked reading about Natalie and Dexter, necessarily. The dynamics of their relationship, the way things play out-I just couldn't stop reading it. It was sexy, pushy and just different for me. These characters were so well developed-even when I didn't love them I wanted to read more about them.

Aleatha Romig has a knack for drawing readers in. The characters, the setting-it just all works. She makes it hard to put a book-even one that is something I don't normally gravitate to-down. The pacing of this works beautifully, it just flows.

This can be enjoyed as a standalone book. I haven't read the other books but, to be honest, reading this has made me want to go back to previous books featuring the supporting characters here so I can find out how they started.

I would recommend this title.





Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams! Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha's twisted style with an increase in heat. In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016. 2017 brings Aleatha's first "Leatha, the lighter side of Aleatha" with PLUS ONE, a fun, sexy romantic comedy. Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. 

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