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Ragdolls & Riches
An agonising and soul destroying childhood has turned Finn Sterling into the local womaniser with a bad attitude. Sleeping with countless women for one night only has earned him a bad boy reputation. The second he sets eyes on Cassidy Carlson he finds himself changing in ways he never knew possible. After suffering heartbreaking tragedies of her own Cassidy has her own demons to fight, but much like Finn she finds herself powerless to fight the strong connection between them. Will this connection be strong enough to bind two broken hearts or will their difficult pasts drive them further away from each other?
- GenresRomance
234 pages, ebook
First published October 22, 2014
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 3, 2015
Ha... Damn, I want to do that whole fist pump, chest bump chick love thingie with author Lucy Edwards! 
I want to preface this review by saying that the absolute ONLY reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it lacked professional editing to polish and weed out grammatical errors and mishaps. The story, the characters, the plot, the writing style, & etc.. were all five star worthy.
The Hook Is Set
So, stay with me a minute here. I promise there will be a light at the end of this tunnel.
I recently read Lucy's "That Callen Boy." If you haven't read it, you really should! The character intro for the three brothers in the story was pure perfection. You want to see how to make a reader feel and see pure male hotness? How an author establishes an insta-connection between reader and character? If so, then you need to read how she intros those guys! I fell in insta-love for the first time ever... times three. ~ *Needs a minute to fan self.*~
Moving on...
I pick this book up thinking WTH is Lucy possibly going to do to make me fall in love with the MC, Finn, because he is pretty much going to have to be an Adonis that feeds the homeless and can cure diabetes with his magic pecker to top the Callens! ~ No shit!
Well, imagine my surprise when I f'ing hate him out of the gate. I'm talking hate on the level of wishing I could reach through the Kindle to junk punch him and slather his conceded manwhore ass in tar!
But, by damn, if you're gonna create an asshole character, then make him the mf'ing best asshole ever! Make me want to smash his brain in for being a prick only to turn around and make it impossible for me not to want to pick the 'whys' and 'how's' of the prick's psyche.... and Lucy did just that!
Let's face it, even avid defenders of FSOG will usually admit that it was a technically poorly written book. Why then is it a household name? James, like this author, knows how to write characters. James made you hate her guy, Grey, but be so interested in and hooked on the whys and how's of his character that most readers couldn't help but connect with him or at the very least empathize with him.
Back to this book...
Our intro in a nutshell: He cursed, insulted, berated, mocked, name-called, and laughed at the female MC for nothing more than bumping into him & stammering after he insults her. Then this f'r has the nerve to inner dialogue that his charm was second to none and guaranteed he never spent a night alone, that he had a gift with women, & how most women couldn't string a sentence together should his f'ing Grace deem them worthy of conversation. Asshole?
The light...
This author has a knack for immediately reeling readers into the story through her characters. She forces the two to emotionally connect, whether it be love or hate, & the reader to have an insatiable urge to NEED to know all the whys and how's about them.
I hate this dude, and now I absolutely must read on to either see his demise, comeuppance, redemption, or all of the above. In other words, the hook is set!
Damn you, Lucy!
Onward
Humiliation, insecurities, betrayal by those you should be able trust the most, and having to morn the time cut short with the few that were trustworthy.
It's a poignant book that subtopics sensitive subjects of abuse, the emotional and physical scars left in the abuses wake, and the walls survivors erect to protect themselves.
There's also some violent scenes here that will just break your heart.
^ That said, the author injects a lot of romantic playfulness with the characters, some swoony moments, and some good laughs to add dimension and balance to the more sensitive areas of the storyline.
Character Development
I was initially worried that the female MC would be a doormat character. But, her timidness (or shock) in the first bar scene is understandable once readers learn more about her past. I mean if I'd have been through her shit, I would probably be bathing with Jack Daniels vs just becoming a hermit with insecurity issues, okay!?! It was nice to see her come out of her shell and give as good as she got;)
Give her a chance and you'll end up loving her! Sure, she's a little lost with herself and the direction of her life, but she's learned from her past and a doormat she is not! She's relatable, authentic, & has a lot of believable growth/development over short periods of time.
At 62%, when Finn barges in with chest puffed to do his best cave man - "me man.. You woman" impersonation, I realize that I've moved beyond having the hook set in my gullet. No, I'm now officially being reeled in by this bossy beautiful bastard of a man and am about to willingly jump my fish ass in his boat & beg to be dipped in flour and deep fried !!
He remains true to his bossy, sarcastic core, but nix's the asshole defense mechanism.
Plot
There's actually a lot that goes on in this book for it to be so short. Again, a credit to the author's no nonsense writing style. No fluff! No mundane details that no one gives two shits about hearing!!! Whippie!:))))
The romance goes from 0 to 60 in a very short span of time, but it's written in a believable manner. The romantic twist is rather obvious, but I think that's intentional to help readers understand the hard and fast way feelings develop here.
Book time span here is less than a week. It worked. BUT, I do feel that it would've been better, particularly for the cameo made by the murderess at the end, if a little time elapsed somewhere along the story. This is one of those cases where a 'over the next few days we blah, blah' might have been helpful to just slow things down a tiny bit and add some length to the relationship for the big climatic moment.
I'd have also preferred a bit more "why" the surprise cameo character chose that particular moment to show up & how she was connected to the person accompanying her. Maybe such details are being saved for book two? Still, these questions were my immediate mental response to the scene.
OMG what a mf'ing cliffhanger ending! I love when I don't see an ending coming, & no way in hell will anyone foresee this cliffhanger! Holllllly shiznet do I hope Finn is right! I'd have been pulling my own hair out if book two wasn't already published!
Overall
I reiterate that the story, characters, and writing style easily merit a five star rating. It just needs a little polishing. Be warned that you won't rest until you've finished the book, &, even then, you'll be like a junkie craving book two!
I want to preface this review by saying that the absolute ONLY reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it lacked professional editing to polish and weed out grammatical errors and mishaps. The story, the characters, the plot, the writing style, & etc.. were all five star worthy.
The Hook Is Set
So, stay with me a minute here. I promise there will be a light at the end of this tunnel.
I recently read Lucy's "That Callen Boy." If you haven't read it, you really should! The character intro for the three brothers in the story was pure perfection. You want to see how to make a reader feel and see pure male hotness? How an author establishes an insta-connection between reader and character? If so, then you need to read how she intros those guys! I fell in insta-love for the first time ever... times three. ~ *Needs a minute to fan self.*~
Moving on...
I pick this book up thinking WTH is Lucy possibly going to do to make me fall in love with the MC, Finn, because he is pretty much going to have to be an Adonis that feeds the homeless and can cure diabetes with his magic pecker to top the Callens! ~ No shit!
Well, imagine my surprise when I f'ing hate him out of the gate. I'm talking hate on the level of wishing I could reach through the Kindle to junk punch him and slather his conceded manwhore ass in tar!
But, by damn, if you're gonna create an asshole character, then make him the mf'ing best asshole ever! Make me want to smash his brain in for being a prick only to turn around and make it impossible for me not to want to pick the 'whys' and 'how's' of the prick's psyche.... and Lucy did just that!
Let's face it, even avid defenders of FSOG will usually admit that it was a technically poorly written book. Why then is it a household name? James, like this author, knows how to write characters. James made you hate her guy, Grey, but be so interested in and hooked on the whys and how's of his character that most readers couldn't help but connect with him or at the very least empathize with him.
Back to this book...
Our intro in a nutshell: He cursed, insulted, berated, mocked, name-called, and laughed at the female MC for nothing more than bumping into him & stammering after he insults her. Then this f'r has the nerve to inner dialogue that his charm was second to none and guaranteed he never spent a night alone, that he had a gift with women, & how most women couldn't string a sentence together should his f'ing Grace deem them worthy of conversation. Asshole?
The light...
This author has a knack for immediately reeling readers into the story through her characters. She forces the two to emotionally connect, whether it be love or hate, & the reader to have an insatiable urge to NEED to know all the whys and how's about them.
I hate this dude, and now I absolutely must read on to either see his demise, comeuppance, redemption, or all of the above. In other words, the hook is set!
Damn you, Lucy!
Onward
Humiliation, insecurities, betrayal by those you should be able trust the most, and having to morn the time cut short with the few that were trustworthy.
It's a poignant book that subtopics sensitive subjects of abuse, the emotional and physical scars left in the abuses wake, and the walls survivors erect to protect themselves.
There's also some violent scenes here that will just break your heart.
^ That said, the author injects a lot of romantic playfulness with the characters, some swoony moments, and some good laughs to add dimension and balance to the more sensitive areas of the storyline.
Character Development
I was initially worried that the female MC would be a doormat character. But, her timidness (or shock) in the first bar scene is understandable once readers learn more about her past. I mean if I'd have been through her shit, I would probably be bathing with Jack Daniels vs just becoming a hermit with insecurity issues, okay!?! It was nice to see her come out of her shell and give as good as she got;)
Give her a chance and you'll end up loving her! Sure, she's a little lost with herself and the direction of her life, but she's learned from her past and a doormat she is not! She's relatable, authentic, & has a lot of believable growth/development over short periods of time.
At 62%, when Finn barges in with chest puffed to do his best cave man - "me man.. You woman" impersonation, I realize that I've moved beyond having the hook set in my gullet. No, I'm now officially being reeled in by this bossy beautiful bastard of a man and am about to willingly jump my fish ass in his boat & beg to be dipped in flour and deep fried !!
He remains true to his bossy, sarcastic core, but nix's the asshole defense mechanism.
Plot
There's actually a lot that goes on in this book for it to be so short. Again, a credit to the author's no nonsense writing style. No fluff! No mundane details that no one gives two shits about hearing!!! Whippie!:))))
The romance goes from 0 to 60 in a very short span of time, but it's written in a believable manner. The romantic twist is rather obvious, but I think that's intentional to help readers understand the hard and fast way feelings develop here.
Book time span here is less than a week. It worked. BUT, I do feel that it would've been better, particularly for the cameo made by the murderess at the end, if a little time elapsed somewhere along the story. This is one of those cases where a 'over the next few days we blah, blah' might have been helpful to just slow things down a tiny bit and add some length to the relationship for the big climatic moment.
I'd have also preferred a bit more "why" the surprise cameo character chose that particular moment to show up & how she was connected to the person accompanying her. Maybe such details are being saved for book two? Still, these questions were my immediate mental response to the scene.
OMG what a mf'ing cliffhanger ending! I love when I don't see an ending coming, & no way in hell will anyone foresee this cliffhanger! Holllllly shiznet do I hope Finn is right! I'd have been pulling my own hair out if book two wasn't already published!
Overall
I reiterate that the story, characters, and writing style easily merit a five star rating. It just needs a little polishing. Be warned that you won't rest until you've finished the book, &, even then, you'll be like a junkie craving book two!
October 27, 2014
Well I bought this today and started reading it, i didn't put it down until id finished it. For a woman who produced this in her first attempt at writing a book I'm confident all future books will be great to read. You had the right amount of everything here. I look forward to the sequel :)
October 13, 2015
Blurb
An agonizing and soul destroying childhood has turned Finn Sterling into the local womaniser with a bad attitude. Sleeping with countless women for one night only has earned him a bad boy reputation. The second he sets eyes on Cassidy Carlson, he finds himself changing in ways he never knew were possible.
After suffering heartbreaking tragedies of her own Cassidy has her own demons to fight, but much like Finn, she finds herself powerless to fight the strong connection between them.
Will that connection be strong enough to bind two shattered hearts or will their difficult pasts drive them further away from each other?
Wow! This book took me into a roller coaster of mixed emotions. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or be pissed off. Wonderfully written and completely captivating.
An agonizing and soul destroying childhood has turned Finn Sterling into the local womaniser with a bad attitude. Sleeping with countless women for one night only has earned him a bad boy reputation. The second he sets eyes on Cassidy Carlson, he finds himself changing in ways he never knew were possible.
After suffering heartbreaking tragedies of her own Cassidy has her own demons to fight, but much like Finn, she finds herself powerless to fight the strong connection between them.
Will that connection be strong enough to bind two shattered hearts or will their difficult pasts drive them further away from each other?
Wow! This book took me into a roller coaster of mixed emotions. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or be pissed off. Wonderfully written and completely captivating.
May 27, 2017
Such a great story!
I found that I liked these people very early on into the book which was a real good thing for me as I need to like both the characters to enjoy a book.
I found the storyline to be gripping and full of suspense and hated it when I had to put it down for the night.
Very well written with an original story idea and a corker of a cliffhanger which will guarantee you will be reaching for the next book in the series.
I found that I liked these people very early on into the book which was a real good thing for me as I need to like both the characters to enjoy a book.
I found the storyline to be gripping and full of suspense and hated it when I had to put it down for the night.
Very well written with an original story idea and a corker of a cliffhanger which will guarantee you will be reaching for the next book in the series.
April 2, 2018
My poor heart!
Heed my advice and have a tissue handy for this one.
Such a lovely story. However I'm praying that part 2 has mercy on my heart
Heed my advice and have a tissue handy for this one.
Such a lovely story. However I'm praying that part 2 has mercy on my heart
July 4, 2015
This book was awesome!
I felt myself pulled in straight from the first few pages and instantly like the female lead.
The male lead was a cocky, arrogant, player type character but I genuinely felt myself warming to him.
There were some heart wrenching scenes in this book and I felt like the author wrote them beautifully.
I'm not a gramma nazi and as long as I can still understand the writing, typos don't bother me at all and I'm pleased to say that the few errors in this book didn't hardly notice so I was happy.
And that cliffhanger! Cruel, cruel author! I can't wait to read the next part of this story.
brilliant!
I felt myself pulled in straight from the first few pages and instantly like the female lead.
The male lead was a cocky, arrogant, player type character but I genuinely felt myself warming to him.
There were some heart wrenching scenes in this book and I felt like the author wrote them beautifully.
I'm not a gramma nazi and as long as I can still understand the writing, typos don't bother me at all and I'm pleased to say that the few errors in this book didn't hardly notice so I was happy.
And that cliffhanger! Cruel, cruel author! I can't wait to read the next part of this story.
brilliant!
November 5, 2014
Awwwww <3
I really like this book. If a book can suck me in and make me really root for the characters then im sold. I loved how Finn & Cassidy were together and what a cliffhanger! Very clever. I'll definitely be getting the sequal
I really like this book. If a book can suck me in and make me really root for the characters then im sold. I loved how Finn & Cassidy were together and what a cliffhanger! Very clever. I'll definitely be getting the sequal
January 17, 2015
OMG no!! What an ending! I think i actually shouted "noooooo" when it finished. Brilliant!
April 30, 2015
Brilliant intense story. Looking forward to reading part two
July 26, 2015
I need a Finn in my life!
What a great story! I actually had a tear in my eye at the end.
The writing gripped me from the word go so I can't wait to read the next part.
What a great story! I actually had a tear in my eye at the end.
The writing gripped me from the word go so I can't wait to read the next part.
December 23, 2015
This book was recommend to me by a friend who has read a few books by this author. I was stunned when my friend said this was the authors very first book. I thought it was brilliant. Nice details and likeable characters and a plot that kept me interested right the way through a X one hell of a cliffhanger that has got me reaching for the second part immediately
January 6, 2017
WOW. For a debut novel this was fantastic, I'm quite surprised by the lack of publicity about this book as I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster and the cliffhanger at the end splayed me! I will be delving into part two straight away
Read
February 7, 2015I downloaded the sample, and only one page in I can't read any further. This needs to be edited big time. Already two 'it's' that don't need apostrophes. The grammar nazi in me is screaming. ;)
November 21, 2015
Wow this book pulled my emotions every possible way. I loved the storyline and the ending has made me want to jump straight onto part two. Brilliant
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews