I'm the girl who doesn't let anyone in. My world was shattered and turned upside down in one night. Since then I've been trying to live, if that's what you call it, but fighting the anxiety of what happened and trusting others is hard. Each day is a struggle to reach for the unknown.
Truth. Five Letters. One Word.
I watched my father give my mother the world and the stars. She took everything from him, then left him as a broken man with nothing to live for. I told myself I'd never fall in love. I'm guarding my heart and emotions, only looking out for number one. The only way to have truth in any relationship is to stay true to yourself.
Just when you think you've got it all figured out, you realize your puzzle is unfinished. You find a piece you never thought you needed until everything changes with one touch.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has earned the affectionate title of “Queen of Swoon” from her devoted readers. With over sixty romance novels to her name, Kaylee has built a beloved catalog of heartfelt stories that celebrate love in all its tender, emotional, and undeniably swoony forms. Her signature blend of charm, chemistry, and genuine happily-ever-afters has captivated readers around the world.
When she’s not crafting new love stories or dreaming up her next unforgettable couple, Kaylee can usually be found with a book in hand, fueling her creativity as a lifelong reader. She cherishes the time spent with her family and friends, embracing the moments that inspire the heart of her stories.
audio reread - originally read over a year ago however I didn't rate it then.
Although I enjoyed the story, I can't rate it higher than a 3 because .
***Fantastic narrators - Nelson Hobbs and Jillian Macey are among my very top favorites - well done on that choice! ***
I will say that the hero ended up being great, but I couldn't get that out of my mind. It was very disappointing because I have adored the other books I've read by this author. The fact that the story was really pretty good after that pulled the rating up.
There was a great secondary couple that I wouldn't mind hearing more about.
I can not find anything that I like about this book. Nothing. The story is promising, but the development of the story is executed very bad. The characters are very shallow and 1 dimensional. I do not even understand why Max and Kensington falls in love. And whats up with that double date? Why many activities have to involved 4 people?
The conversation is shallow and stiff. No depth.No major character development. Instead of feeling levitate, I feel crashing down vomit.
Kensies room mate Nicole has a date with a guy she recently met. Nicole doesn't want to go alone. So Kensies says she will go along. There Kensies meets Maxton. Kensington has a rough past and the last thing she wants is a guy. She gets very rude to Max so he ends up going off with someone else. Soon Nicole is serious with Mazes roommate. Now Kensington sees max all the time.
Advance Readers Copy (ARC) provided for my blog by the author for an honest review via blog tour & release blitz
Title: Levitate Author: Kaylee Ryan Genre: Contemporary Romance Age Group: New Adult Release Date: March 3rd, 2015 Overall Rating: 4 stars
This book was an emotional roller coaster that just kept going up. This is my first ever book I've read by Kaylee Ryan and it will not be my last. This was just an amazing book with great writing and written characters. The chemistry between the characters was marvelous, it wasn't forced. I also loved the fact that the characters were relatable. I felt what they were feeling especially the heroine. Longer Review to Come
I really liked this book. It was very sweet, not very angsty and had just enough drama to keep it interesting. It really was a beautiful romance. At first, I didn't like Max but that quickly changed. This author really knows how to write a good book boyfriend. This was a really good story and I can't wait to read more by this author!
3 Star read for me. This book had so much potential, the plot, story line was excellent. But, yes but. I am a character-driven reader and I felt the characters lacked depth. The unfolding of the romance and attraction was done excellent, I only wished the author would have taken a little more time on developing the characters.
When I first started this book I thought it'd be an angsty story. I'm still searching for the angst though. I also didn't like that this story has almost every cliché in th romance history! Girl meets boy she thinks is a jerk. Boy is actually nice,,Boy falls in love after a week, they date, . I'm sorry, but this story was, not only predictable, but also quite boring. I had to skim the pages reaching to the end,,because nothing new really happened...
DNF... I can't get over the fact that the hero had sex with a random lady in the bar because the heroine rejects him when they first met..... Might give it another try next time....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I just can't go on at 39%!!!! I have to DNF. I was duped by the GR ratings. It's just so boring. At 39% the H is already falling for the h but I just don't get why he thinks she is so special or different than all the other girls. The h was actually a bitch to him at the beginning for no reason. I just can't read anymore.
Levitate follows the story of Kensington and Maxton. Kensington hasn't been the same since her mother died. She doesn't trust or let just anyone in. Each day is a struggle for her...
Maxton never wanted to fall in love. His father loved his mother with everything that he was and his mother just threw it away. The only thing keeping him going now is to keep his father's dream alive.
Brought together because their two best friends are dating, Maxton and Kensington are not off to a good start. While their chemistry is clearly off the charts, Kensington isn't having Maxton's player persona. He's cocky and isn't afraid to go after what he wants. But, Kensington isn't having it. She's smart and stubborn. She's terrified of what will happen if she lets Maxton get close to her.
I loved the push and pull of Max and Kens's relationship. I loved the way that he pursued Kens and took the time to build her trust and break past her walls. No two people deserved a HEA. They both had difficult pasts and the journey to overcoming their fears to finding a HEA was a great one.
Overall, I really enjoyed Levitate. It was a quick and easy read for me. My only complaint was that I felt that the end was a little rushed. Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing the progression of the story, I just wish it didn't skip ahead as much as it did towards the end. Other than that, I loved this story. It had everything that I was looking for: angst, drama, romance, great friendships and even a couple of crazy twists. This is a really sweet story, and I would definitely recommend checking it out!
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Kensi and Max are thrown together by their best friends Brighton and Nicole(I really like Brighton & Nicole and would love to hear more of their story in the future :) I really liked both Kensi and Max. Both characters haven't had an easy past and they both have trust issues. Max wants to be with Kensi but he needs to break down those walls she built around her to protect herself.
Their journey isn't an easy one but it's definitely a story I recommend.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I LOVED THIS BOOK! For me, this is what a romance book is all about, the kind you're waiting for as you read and read just so-so books trying to find the one that makes you feel great. This was one of those for me.
STORY We’ve all read this book before: -Girl with a past has her walls up until meeting “him”. -Boy plans to be single forever until meeting “her”. Despite this book being predictable and boilerplate, I enjoyed it! Perhaps it was the characters or the way it was told… Whatever it was, it wasn’t extraordinary but it was certainly entertaining. Aside from that, I did have 3 issues with events that take place. First, at 45% we are told that the female main character doesn’t do well with unwanted contact with men, yet that wasn’t an issue when she was dancing with strange men earlier? Worst of all was at 83% when the couple breaks up for an absolutely ridiculous reason. I understand wanting to add angst and drama, but it needs to be believable, plausible and not totally asinine!! The same is true for the health scare that takes place towards the end that is extremely over exaggerated. These factors alone made me want to deduct a full star rating!!
PERFORMANCE I listened to the Audible audiobook narrated by Jillian Macie and Nelson Hobbs. Macie’s youthful voice was the perfect fit for the college ages female main character. She’s a decent actress too. I would have given her performance 5 stars if she would have at least tried to deepen or alter her voice to make it sound more masculine while reading for male characters. During the first 45% of her performance, she makes absolutely zero attempts, yet at 45% she does begin to slightly change her voice while speaking for men, although very minimally. Although he does a good job most of the time, Hobbs was obviously reading at others. He could benefit from some acting lessons.
I feel like a huge part where they form a 'connection' was cut because they had never had a full on open conversation and all of a sudden he was thinking things like "she's the one" !!!!! I liked the beginning mainly because they didn't immediately jump each other and fall deeply in love from first glance but then it just went downhill and frankly boringly "I’ve gotten to know several sides of Max.." When???? Seriously, when did that happen?!!!!
Can Maxton be true to himself and allow himself to follow his heart.
Both with pieces missing in their hearts and a journey of realization that this puzzle is unfinished and each find the piece they never thought they needed until everything changes with one touch.
I wouldn't mind levitating with Maxton, he's cocky, charming, blunt, and doesn't mind going after what he wants, "I feel his hands on my hips and his breath on my ear, " I'd like to show you what I can do when I open my mouth sweetheart." He places a kiss below my ear and then he's gone." He can be very playful, "I release her and smack her on the a** for good measure. "Movie's waiting." His thoughts can be x-rated brothers funny, " what else could I say? That her sexy swaying a** turned me rock-hard and I had to have her next to." I loved this book I never not like one of Kaylee's books.
Very sweet and cute read. The storyline was kinda predictable but the execution was good. It's not one those reads that grabs your soul and I will probably not remember it long after. But that's ok... it was a good entertaining 3 hrs read.
One thing, though... the names: Maxton, Brighton and Kensington? Really..? Am I the only one who finds the -ton names annoying?
Note to self: H has sex with OW the same night meeting h(h supposedly didn't want anything to do withh him) It is detailed but short!:( idk if I can read this one, I'll have to think about it. lol oh and it was months last time he had sex, that makes it so much worse for me ugh!!!
Not a huge fan of this book. It was okay, but it seemed to drag on. Not the most exciting story. Also not the biggest fan of the characters, I found them hard to connect with.
This book is all about building trust and having faith that when you breakdown your walls of protection you will not be hurt. Between Kensington and Maxton there is a lot of give and take, ups and downs but in the end it is their love and willingness to trust in each other as well as trust in themselves that take their relationship to the next level. Highly emotional and highly entertaining.
No I’m sorry but that kind of detail when it’s not about the main character is not for me. I don’t typically like that kind of things in the books I read.
Title: Levitate Author: Kaylee Ryan Series: No Cliffhanger: No Release Date: March 3, 2015 Rating: 2 HEA:
Kensington “Kensi” or “Kens” had a horrible thing happen to her where her mother died. Her world was shattered and it is difficult for her to trust. Maxton
This was definitely not one of my favorite books. The plot was typical but I wouldn't have minded it if the characters and writing was better. This is one of those bullet points of what I didn't like situation.
Kensi - When we first meet Kensi she is not really living her life and she does not trust men and strangers. We learn that in the first two chapters and then when she is out with her friend Nicole she acts differently. She doesn't like Max much but she didn't act as I expected. And she dirty dances with a stranger which is the opposite of how her personality was described. I didn't feel like I got to know her well or connected with her.
Maxton - Max hates his mother for leaving his dad and being a bad wife. This part of his past makes him against commitment. But in the book he seemed to commit easily to Kensi. Just like Kensi was explained as a character and ended up being different Max did as well. There was a description and then no development just a sudden change. I didn't connect with him either.There was a lot of him thinking about getting into Kensi’s pants. That felt out of character because although we were told about his personality his actions didn't match completely.
Nicole - She is Kensi’s best friend. They met at the beginning of college and are roommates. Nicole has been there for Kensi while she deals with her past. She is a great friend but as soon as she is with Bright and Max shows an interest in Kensi she is not the same. She is still a good person it just seems like they don't spend time together and she pushes Kensi more toward Max because he is a cute guy. There was no transition period and her life started revolving around her boyfriend.
Nicknames - All of the main characters had nicknames. Kensington had Kensi or Kens. Maxton was Max. Bighton (I think that was it) was Bright and Nicole was Nic. Along with that there was a big deal at the beginning where Kensington was called Kens by her friends and didn't like when people called her Kensi. That is because that is what her parents call her. But when Max calls her Kensi there is no mention of that or how she doesn't want him to but learns to like it or anything.
Lance - He wasn't in the story much but he was still an annoying part. Kensi dances with him when she didn't know him even though she does not like being around men she doesn't know. But later she finds out that one of her classmates (that I assume she just met in that class) is his younger sister. So that apparently make up for her dancing with a stranger. It was just an inconsistent part of the story for Kensi.
The bad thing that happened to Kensi - We learn that something bad happened to her at the beginning of the book and then we rarely hear about it until way past the half mark in the book.
Telling not showing - This book had a lot of what I consider being told by the character what they are doing and thinking without their actions being the ones who show it more. I want to be shown by their actions what is happening or how much they like each other not just told all the time.
This isn't the best review but I just wasn't feeling this book. I think that all of these typical books have potential but the writing style and plot choices weren't working for me. It was an ok filler read but nothing special.
I loved this book! It was a super sweet romance that will bring out your emotions and turn up the heart. This romance book was sweet, sexy, funny, witty, and took me on a seriously crazy emotional journey with two broken people as they fall in love. This author has an amazing ability to write a beautiful love story that is never rushed and flows smoothly. I love the way the book switches POVs as it helps connect with the characters. Everything I have read by this author to date has been brilliant so I just knew that this book was going to rock.
This is Maxton and Kensington's story. Kensington is broken. She lost her mom due to a tragic incident that left Kensington so scarred that she is closed off to anyone really other than her dad and best friend/roommate. But when she meets Maxton, she is finding that he is making her open up as he slowly breaks down her walls and gives her hope of more. Maxton is broken. He lost his dad, who he was close too, and was left with his mom. He and his mom don't get along or really see each other so really it is like he lost both parents. He runs his dad's bar with his best friend/roommate. When he meets Kensington through his roommate, he knows she is special. As these two grow close and spend time together, they find themselves slowly falling for each other. Will they be able to face the obstacles ahead? Will Kensington be able to come clean with her secrets? Will these two be able to find healing and redemption in each other? Will they find a happy ending?
I loved Maxton! Right from the beginning, he made me laugh but more importantly, he made me want to get to know him. Yeah the sex with the blonde was a douchey move on his part but he redeemed himself times ten later on. I loved how he relentlessly pursued Kensington and built up trust with her. He genuinely wanted to get to know her. And Kensington, I felt for her at times. In the beginning, I was screaming on the inside for her to open up and give Maxton a chance. I was so glad when she finally did. They had a few hiccups along the way but I was totally rooting for these two.
I highly recommend this book and really anything by this author!