Linda
Written on Oct 1, 2015
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
How far are you willing to go to start over?
Rook Walsh is homeless, jobless, and down to her last ten bucks when opportunity knocks her in the head and delivers a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Internationally renowned photographer, Antoine Chaput, knows the minute he spies Rook in his studio that she's got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.
Rook is paired up with top model Ronin, and he knows exactly what to do to make her blush for Antoine's camera. Her luck changes in an instant and suddenly she's got more attention and exposure than she can handle--both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
- ISBN10 1936413213
- ISBN13 9781936413218
- Publish Date 15 May 2013
- Publish Status Unknown
- Imprint Science Future Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 282
- Language English
Reviews
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Berls
Written on Jul 20, 2015
I can easily see why this is a favorite for Hussies and non-Hussies alike - Rook and Ronin are great characters and the scenarios they are thrown into are quite great reading. I do think you have to be ready to set aside realistic expectations because it's just not at all believable to me. From how Rook ends up in this job to how the shoots go, it just didn't seem real at all. I think it's a combination of having watched lots of America's Next Top Model (I know, it's a very different kind of modeling, but still) to just my own expectations (right or not), but I just couldn't like at it as even slightly realistic. Also, am I the only one who was thinking that all that hair washing had to be drying her hair out horribly? LOL!
Okay, so the fact that it's extremely unbelievable is my one and only criticism and here's the kiker- once I realized it was THAT KIND of story, I just went with it and had a blast. I quickly stopped caring that this was way too easy or unreal, etc. and I just got lost in loving what was happening. It's like an R rated fairy tale is all! And who doesn't love a good fairy tale?
I loved Rook the most - she's our Cinderella basically - I loved her determination and struggle to hold on to herself. Learning her back story in bits and pieces was really great - and her backstory is one of the most believable parts of Tragic by the way. Despite the unrealistic scneario - Rook was VERY real. I laughed at how the clawfoot tub that seemed awesome at first quickly became a pain in the ass- because they really are pretty but annoying. Little details and Rook's reaction to them made this a great read.
Not to forget, of course, Ronin and her chemistry with him. Yeah - there's some serious sparkage there. Like Rook, I was a bit turned off by his bossiness and possessiveness, part of his job or for her own good or not. But I enjoyed getting to know him and the chemistry between him and Rook was fantastic. All the sexiness was great, as can be expected from J.A. Huss of course :)
I'm super super excited to continue the series and if I didn't have reading commitments I probably would have started Manic right away. But I suspect I'll be getting to it very VERY soon!
stacey_is_sassy
Written on Dec 11, 2014
This book was recommended to me numerous times and my friends couldn't believe I was the ONLY person in the whole entire world (slight exaggeration) that hasn't read this series. It wasn't that I didn't want to, it was just that I hadn't gotten around to it yet.
I am not a huge fan of NA stories and the characters are both really young. Rook is 19 and Ronin is 22. With characters this age I can't help but think they are immature and silly. I spend time thinking what was I like at that age and to be honest I was probably just as immature and silly...but I don't want to be reminded of this.
Lots of stuff happened to Rook that made me uncomfortable, but I am curious and will definitely be reading the rest of this series...I haven't met Ford yet and I hear he is worth the wait.
Onwards and upwards...Manic is up next.
littleread1
Written on Jan 6, 2014
To be honest I wasn't sure what I was getting when I picked this book up. I've been a fan of Huss for a while, but only recently have I started reading and enjoying the NA contemporary romance books. So I'd had this on my kindle for MONTHS before I decided to bite the bullet and dive right in. And at first I was a little disappointed. BUT - you see that rating right there? Yeah, 5 stars, so don't worry. I just found the premise of how Rook found the studio and decided to go there a little too cheesy for me. But, twist of fate, knee-jerk decision, and here we are ...
It is obvious from the get go that Rook has not had an easy life. And the more you learn, the more you are - or at least I was - amazed that she has made it as far as she has without serious mental issues. Don't get me wrong, she has mental issues, but for what she has been through she is decently well adjusted. Kind of. Ok maybe she reminds me of a nervous young horse, where the slightest provocation will make her run.
Until she meets Ronin. Male model Ronin. YUM. I'll take a Ronin with a side of naked please. Sorry, what were we talking about ... oh yes. Rook meets Ronin, and things turn around for her. Well technically it isn't him, but his sister and her boyfriend that take that first chance, but DETAILS.
I have been very fortunate in my life, and have never had to deal with anything Rook has been through. But Huss does an amazing job bringing all that horrible-ness to light, but at the same time keeping it serious and dark. I don't know how she does it. But I was able to empathize right there with Rook.
Ronin has an interesting past that I hope we get to see more of - ok, I have to be honest here. I power read this whole trilogy before writing this review. I couldn't put them down! So I KNOW if we get to see more of Ronin's past ... and I won't tell! :-)
But if you like your romance flavored with a touch of darkness, you will love Tragic. Trust me.
Angie
Written on Dec 13, 2013
The description for Tragic is a bit misleading to my slight disappointment. Rook is not even close to being "the darling of the modeling world." I was expecting her to get swept up into the world of modeling and fashion, but that's not what happens at all. She has the one contract and it's actually with an erotic art company. While it's not what I was expecting, I did like this. It's not the catty world of competitive high fashion modeling, but things are still pretty hectic around the studio and on the set. Having a hot male model--Ronin--to work with definitely makes the shoots easier for Rook, but I feel like she doesn't do anything. There's a point where luck runs out and you actually need to be proactive. But Rook is only in it for the money, which I oddly liked, too.
I really liked Rook. She's had a rough life starting from childhood. Her mom was a junkie, she was bounced from foster home to foster home, and was in an abusive relationship. I admired her for finding the strength to get out of there, despite having nothing. She got on a bus, ended up in Denver living in a shelter while cleaning houses. She's trying to start her life over, so of course signing that modeling deal will help her out. She's finally asserting her independence and she's determined to never let anyone control her again. She does put up with a lot of crap during her photo shoots, but she needs the job so she pushes through.
There is a romance in Tragic, which I'm quite conflicted on. Ronin was kind of a mystery to me. He's a male model, but he also seems to be a manager. At least he repeatedly mentions that he manages the girls, and there's this whole "I belong to Ronin" thing at the diner, and something about him "keeping" girls. I spent a lot of time trying to figure him out, but couldn't. I loved him on set though. He and Rook are smokin' in front of the camera! Off set, I'm not sure I like him much. I don't dislike him, but I don't really trust him. Rook is wary too, given her past, but she does like him. I am a bit confused though, since at the end she says she's not ready for a relationship, but then she also says "there is no one else in this world except for us." I guess I'll just have to keep reading to see where this goes.
Tragic wasn't what I was expecting, but I did really enjoy it. It's different from the other NA novels out there, which was refreshing. Rook hasn't been magically healed by the power of love (at least not yet). She's not going after a crazy dream of being a top model. She's just trying to survive and make her life her own, which is something I admire. She has goals and this is just a stepping stone. I'm eager to see where her second contract takes her.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
Ashley
Written on Oct 26, 2013
This is a really hard book to rate. Tragic had a lot of problems with it, but despite those problems I still enjoyed reading it. Sometimes when I read a book, I can list off a lot of things that should have been changed or could have been improved.. but just because I have a long list doesn't mean I hated the book. This is one of those cases. So keep that in mind!
One of my biggest problems with Tragic was both a good thing and a bad thing. As soon as I finished the book, I ran and bought book 2. Now on the face of it, that sounds like a great thing, right? But the reason I had to run out and buy book 2 was because I felt like book 1 wasn't a self-contained story. It didn't have a beginning, a middle, a climax, and an ending. I literally felt like the book was cut off mid-story, which was why I had to buy book 2.
So on the one hand, I think Tragic lacked a strong central conflict—that's bad. But on the other hand, it was interesting and captivating enough to make me want to continue with the series—that's great!
I do wish that some of the characters were fleshed out more. Antoine feels so absent from the book, which is surprising because his role is quite important. I mean he's mentioned in the freaking synopsis. And yet he was always in the background, never actually present. Same with Ronin's sister. At the beginning, I thought I was going to love her, but then she totally disappeared! She rarely makes an appearance in the story because it's just 95% Rook and Ronin. I think Tragic would have been a more solid book if the other characters had more of a presence and were better developed.
My other main problem with the book was Rook and Ronin's relationship. I thought it was too much too fast. There was just so much immediate lust, flirting, and sex. I didn't have time to catch up to it! Their relationship moved way too quickly and I didn't have time to really fall for it. It didn't win me over until much later in the story, when it just slowly wore me down until I finally succumbed and decided I actually did like it. But I think I would have enjoyed the story more overall if the romance progressed at a pace that worked for me.
One other minor thing: I feel like I've been watching too much America's Next Top Model, and as a result, I feel like Rook took to modeling too easily. She just waltzed up off the street, stood there while people took photos, and was "amazing". She seemed to put very little effort into it, and was just amazing without trying. I didn't quite buy that.
I also feel like the modeling thing didn't get as huge as I expected. The synopsis says:
Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world.
I imagined Rook's modeling career taking off and her face being on billboards and advertising campaigns all over the US. But nope. She doesn't even have an appearance or a rep in the US at all. The TRAGIC shoot just lands her some Japanese book covers. I don't feel like Rook actually makes a true name for herself in the modeling world, she just has one campaign that a few people in that select industry might know about.
But those things aside, I did enjoy Tragic. Most of my problems with the book are technicalities. Overall I did like the story. I almost can't even explain why or give specific examples. I just liked reading it! I got invested in the story and what happened to the characters. It was super easy to get through and it kept me interested! I read it SUPER quickly and it's definitely a good sign that I immediately had to buy book 2.
layawaydragon
Written on Mar 26, 2013
There were parts I enjoyed, like how Rook came across at first and called out that controlling ordering food for her red flag.
But she melted. Because of a “hot” creeper guy. She waffled. Her issues were no longer deep and meaningful (didn’t last long, sadly) but based on her attraction and level of brain function.
And she didn’t even ask questions about the photo shoot at all. Just rolled with everything. She was surrounded by new people in a new place that could’ve been awful and she should’ve been scared shitless of it.
Desperation definitely would have caused her to move forward despite her problem but her actions and reactions were off. Waking up naked with the strange guy in your room? Total fucking freak-out moment, even without PTSD and trust issues.
*sigh* As a survivor of domestic violence, it’s disappointing to read such a portrayal. Obviously, everyone is different but Rook just wasn’t believable.
Then there was the “typical single mom” being a crackhead, which was also not appreciated.
Not much to say about Ronin, the typical playboy “but I caaaare”. He’s creepy. And controlling. Locking her in?!?! FFS. And he’s rant about the other model about being a bitch on her rag was such a clear indication of what was to come and boy, howdy did it ever.
All you need to know about Ronin: You're keeping the nightie?" is all I manage to say. And then we both laugh because I am such a fucking "pig.
As for the writing, I did notice repetition. Certain sections just loved the words like “fangirl” etc., and Rook’s voice doesn’t match her experiences to me.
I had such high opens for Rook in the beginning because of her history and perspective with passages like this: They do us no favors, talking us up about women astronauts and lawyers and whatever. Because the cold hard reality is that none of those things apply to you when you're poor.
But that brief though of intersectionality is the highlight of first 90 pages for me.