What do you think?
Rate this book
Ringmaster
Cale has the circus in his blood. As ringmaster and owner of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, his world is the arena, the spectacle and the heat of the spotlight. He looks out for his ragtag troupe of performers as if they’re his family, because after tragedy struck, they are.Ryah’s been battered and bruised by life and is ready to give up. Then Cale finds her, and she runs away to join Meriful’s Traveling Circus and becomes the horseback acrobatics star she’s always dreamed of being.What ultimately calls to her is Cale’s dangerous knife-throwing act, and the thrill of putting her life in his hands. Soon, she doesn’t want to be just part of his act. Cale’s doing his best to resist the fragile eighteen-year-old. He’s the ringmaster, but lately he’s been wondering… Who’s running rings around who?
394 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2020
69 people are currently reading
989 people want to read
About the author
Brianna Hale
26 books1,574 followersThere's nothing Brianna Hale likes more than a large, stern alpha male with a super-protective and caring streak, and when she's not writing about them she can usually be found with a book, a cocktail, planning her next trip to a beautiful location or attending the theatre. She believes that pink and empowerment aren’t mutually exclusive, and everyday adventures are possible. Brianna lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
September 17, 2022
4 Sparkle Stars ⭐
Ringmaster isn't the kind of trope that normally appeals to me, but you're quickly drawn into the magic and whimsical storytelling. Set amongst the lush countryside of England, two broken people find the perfect comfort in each other’s company. This was a lovely slow burn, admittedly low on the steam, but enchanting nonetheless.
Spending most of his life as part of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, Cale Meriful finds freedom roaming the green open fields. Leaving his demon’s in the past, he instantly recognises a cry of distress when he sees it. And this is how seventeen-year-old Ryah finds herself rescued and rehomed within his troupe.
Because I’m the one who reached down and stole her away, and now I feel in some strange way that she’s mine.
Ryah, has only ever dreamed of safety and happiness. Abandoned as a young child by her mother, she was left dealing with an abusive father. The only comfort she finds is with her horse Dandelion. When the situation at home becomes dire, a kind act from a stranger provides her a brand-new life.
I hug my arms tight around myself as my heart races, wondering where these feelings are coming from. When was the last time anyone touched me that wasn’t to hit me up the side of the head or punch my face or shove me out of the way?
From the very beginning, Cale feels a sense of responsibility for Ryah. The kindness and innocence she emits is worth protecting, and she fits in. There is no doubt she belongs with him. As the months progress and Ryah actively becomes part of his circus, their friendship slowly develops into more.
She grabs my fingers and holds on for dear life. I’m in love with Ryah. The seed was planted the day I met her, and it’s been unfurling ever since.
Cale has been alone for a long time and gifting his heart isn’t easy. Yet even the most closed off of men need gentleness and love in their lives, and Ryah appeals to him in every sense. Be prepared for an utterly sweet romance.
Ringmaster isn't the kind of trope that normally appeals to me, but you're quickly drawn into the magic and whimsical storytelling. Set amongst the lush countryside of England, two broken people find the perfect comfort in each other’s company. This was a lovely slow burn, admittedly low on the steam, but enchanting nonetheless.
Spending most of his life as part of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, Cale Meriful finds freedom roaming the green open fields. Leaving his demon’s in the past, he instantly recognises a cry of distress when he sees it. And this is how seventeen-year-old Ryah finds herself rescued and rehomed within his troupe.
Because I’m the one who reached down and stole her away, and now I feel in some strange way that she’s mine.
Ryah, has only ever dreamed of safety and happiness. Abandoned as a young child by her mother, she was left dealing with an abusive father. The only comfort she finds is with her horse Dandelion. When the situation at home becomes dire, a kind act from a stranger provides her a brand-new life.
I hug my arms tight around myself as my heart races, wondering where these feelings are coming from. When was the last time anyone touched me that wasn’t to hit me up the side of the head or punch my face or shove me out of the way?
From the very beginning, Cale feels a sense of responsibility for Ryah. The kindness and innocence she emits is worth protecting, and she fits in. There is no doubt she belongs with him. As the months progress and Ryah actively becomes part of his circus, their friendship slowly develops into more.
She grabs my fingers and holds on for dear life. I’m in love with Ryah. The seed was planted the day I met her, and it’s been unfurling ever since.
Cale has been alone for a long time and gifting his heart isn’t easy. Yet even the most closed off of men need gentleness and love in their lives, and Ryah appeals to him in every sense. Be prepared for an utterly sweet romance.
June 23, 2021
4.25 stars
This was a really sweet heartwarming chill story. It had such a gripping start with the heroine running away from her abusive father. That’s when the hero came on his horse, literally, and saved her. He then took her back to the circus he run where she found family in them all.
The storyline was very interesting with such a unique setting as a traveling circus. The found family aspect was so heartwarming. I loved Ryan’s bond with her friends!! And I really loved the whole set of characters whether main or side ones. They all just felt like one entertaining lovely family!
I really loved the hero. Cale was seriously so sweet and caring. I loved how Ryah was determined to find her place in the circus. And the slow burn was so good!!! With Cale trying to fight the attraction and keep his distance while she’s trying to figure out if he feels the same way about her. Let’s just say that when they were finally together I was cheering so hard. Like yesss! Those two were such an unconventional couple that I couldn’t help but root for.
Because I’m the one who reached down and stole her away, and now I feel in some strange way that she’s mine.
This was a really sweet heartwarming chill story. It had such a gripping start with the heroine running away from her abusive father. That’s when the hero came on his horse, literally, and saved her. He then took her back to the circus he run where she found family in them all.
The storyline was very interesting with such a unique setting as a traveling circus. The found family aspect was so heartwarming. I loved Ryan’s bond with her friends!! And I really loved the whole set of characters whether main or side ones. They all just felt like one entertaining lovely family!
“You’ve nearly stopped my heart with just a look, more than once. I’m completely at your mercy, Ryah. What are knives, compared to that?”
I really loved the hero. Cale was seriously so sweet and caring. I loved how Ryah was determined to find her place in the circus. And the slow burn was so good!!! With Cale trying to fight the attraction and keep his distance while she’s trying to figure out if he feels the same way about her. Let’s just say that when they were finally together I was cheering so hard. Like yesss! Those two were such an unconventional couple that I couldn’t help but root for.
June 8, 2021
4.5 Stars
Showstopping!
This one deserves more attention. It’s just so tender and heartwarming. 😭
Set in the countryside of England and with a concept of nomadic circus that comprises of talented performers and close-knit friend groups, this book is enchanting. It’s more ‘chill’ and mundane than drama-filled and action-packed, but that’s not to say that there aren’t any intrigue and mayhem to be had.
The characters are a precious bunch, and I’m not just referring to Cale & Ryah. Though if we’re going to talk about them, Cale is a quiet and moody sort of man who has a soft spot for strays and takes his role in the circus seriously. Meanwhile, Ryah is young and naive, but she can be daring when she wants to.
Both of them have damaged souls and quickly find solace in each other. They also share mutual temptation that Cale tries hard to fight because he doesn’t feel he should be with Ryah while she is more sure with their feelings and encourages them to pursue it. Every moment with them feels warm and delicate.
The book has dual POV. Watching Cale silently pines for Ryah while she tries to figure him out and gets him to notice her is endearing and excruciatingly delicious. There are times when their chemistry is charged with electrifying, sensual tension. Their first time is like fireworks bursting in the night sky, LOL.
This book took my breath away...
And I just want y’all to experience it should you feel so inclined to give it a spin. ♥
More circus romance recs:
↠ Kiss an Angel
↠ Hearts of Fire
Showstopping!
This one deserves more attention. It’s just so tender and heartwarming. 😭
“Pleased to meet you, Cale Hearn of Meriful’s Traveling Circus. Thank you for helping me run away.”
✓ age gap
✓ circus environments
✓ dangerous tricks & thrilling stunts
✓ found family
✓ slow burn (low steam)
✓ gorgeous & mighty horses
“Ringmaster” is the story of Cale (H, 31) who is the ringmaster and owner of Meriful’s Traveling Circus and Ryah (h, 17) who lives with an abusive father. One day, she’s being chased by him for running away when Cale stumbles upon her and snatches her up atop his horse like a white knight. He brings her to his circus where she soon learns to find love and family.
This is totally NOT how I pictured the hero looking like, 😆Because I’m the one who reached down and stole her away, and now I feel in some strange way that she’s mine.
Playlist from the author: Ringmaster
My pick: Today Was A Fairy Tale by Taylor Swift
Set in the countryside of England and with a concept of nomadic circus that comprises of talented performers and close-knit friend groups, this book is enchanting. It’s more ‘chill’ and mundane than drama-filled and action-packed, but that’s not to say that there aren’t any intrigue and mayhem to be had.
“Most of all, I want to do it because it will be the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. I want to fill my life with wonderful things. Don’t you?”
The characters are a precious bunch, and I’m not just referring to Cale & Ryah. Though if we’re going to talk about them, Cale is a quiet and moody sort of man who has a soft spot for strays and takes his role in the circus seriously. Meanwhile, Ryah is young and naive, but she can be daring when she wants to.
Both of them have damaged souls and quickly find solace in each other. They also share mutual temptation that Cale tries hard to fight because he doesn’t feel he should be with Ryah while she is more sure with their feelings and encourages them to pursue it. Every moment with them feels warm and delicate.
“You’ve nearly stopped my heart with just a look, more than once. I’m completely at your mercy, Ryah. What are knives, compared to that?”
The book has dual POV. Watching Cale silently pines for Ryah while she tries to figure him out and gets him to notice her is endearing and excruciatingly delicious. There are times when their chemistry is charged with electrifying, sensual tension. Their first time is like fireworks bursting in the night sky, LOL.
This book took my breath away...
And I just want y’all to experience it should you feel so inclined to give it a spin. ♥
More circus romance recs:
↠ Kiss an Angel
↠ Hearts of Fire
July 4, 2021
“Welcome to Meriful’s Traveling Circus.” ... “Here one day, gone the next. As mysterious as the dark side of the moon and as mercurial as the tides. Ever changing, ever moving, ever delightful.” 🐎
🐎 picked this up for the circus theme
🐎 the heroine was rly adorable and cute
🐎 i wanted his knives to hit her just once tho (not fatal, just for some drama and grovel)
🐎 the pregnancy aspect ruined the hero in my eyes. he knew she wasn't knowledgable about sex so it was his responsibility to educate her or idk, not cum in her repeatedly? she's 18, he's 30, why is his pull out game so weak
May 16, 2020
***** 4.5 Stars!!!!!*****
When I came across this book that took place in a travelling circus, I just had to read it right away! What a treat I found “The Ringmaster “ to be! My attention was immediately captured by the heartbreaking prologue... and then I was mesmerized by the story that took place years later of a Ringmaster and the tormented girl he found trying to escape her violent father.
When Cale grabbed onto Ryah’s hand and convinced her to join his circus, the real story began! It was entertaining, and really cool to see the ins and outs of life in a travelling circus. The romance between the couple was an extremely slow burn kind of love... but in the end it just made their coming together that much more intense! I also loved the friendships that developed between Ryah and a few of the ladies in the circus! The bonds were so amazing, as well as the love between the horses and Cale, and Ryah.
This was one of those stories I didn’t want to finish. I wanted to stay in their world and keep reading more! For me that makes for a successful book! I have read Brianna Hale’s work before and I seem to enjoy her style! I will definitely be reading more of her work in the future! I also highly recommend this story if you are looking for something a little unique from what you’ve in the past!❤️
When I came across this book that took place in a travelling circus, I just had to read it right away! What a treat I found “The Ringmaster “ to be! My attention was immediately captured by the heartbreaking prologue... and then I was mesmerized by the story that took place years later of a Ringmaster and the tormented girl he found trying to escape her violent father.
When Cale grabbed onto Ryah’s hand and convinced her to join his circus, the real story began! It was entertaining, and really cool to see the ins and outs of life in a travelling circus. The romance between the couple was an extremely slow burn kind of love... but in the end it just made their coming together that much more intense! I also loved the friendships that developed between Ryah and a few of the ladies in the circus! The bonds were so amazing, as well as the love between the horses and Cale, and Ryah.
This was one of those stories I didn’t want to finish. I wanted to stay in their world and keep reading more! For me that makes for a successful book! I have read Brianna Hale’s work before and I seem to enjoy her style! I will definitely be reading more of her work in the future! I also highly recommend this story if you are looking for something a little unique from what you’ve in the past!❤️
July 4, 2021
3 😔🤔🤔⭐️s
The premise was engaging and kept my interest.
I didn’t mind the 14 year age gap between the main characters. However, I did mind that the heroine was 17 y.o. and the hero 31 y.o..
She had just escaped from her home, where her father was abusing her emotionally and physically, when she encountered the hero.
She was an inexperienced girl, with no friends and her father had not allowed her to continue school after she was 15.
She was a child!
The mcs were good hearted and likeable, but I could not feel any romance throughout this very slow burn story.
The premise was engaging and kept my interest.
I didn’t mind the 14 year age gap between the main characters. However, I did mind that the heroine was 17 y.o. and the hero 31 y.o..
She had just escaped from her home, where her father was abusing her emotionally and physically, when she encountered the hero.
She was an inexperienced girl, with no friends and her father had not allowed her to continue school after she was 15.
She was a child!
The mcs were good hearted and likeable, but I could not feel any romance throughout this very slow burn story.
May 5, 2020
3.75★
Having joined Meriful’s Traveling Circus over twelve seasons ago, Cale Hearn takes his role as ringmaster and owner seriously, as he is extremely protective over his circus family. Upon seeing Ryah in an abusive situation, Cale quickly acts in the only way he knows how. Wanting to earn her board, Ryah becomes a horseback acrobat but soon wants to partner in another act. Together, Ryah and Cale navigate slowly as each has their own emotional baggage.
With a gripping prologue, the stage is set for Cale’s act and also how he deals with his emotions. As there is a certain romanticism in the atmosphere relating to the close-knit friendships and nomadic elements in the traveling circus, there are also some reality checks. As narrated in dual POV, this helps to understand what drives Cale and Ryah. While Ryah doesn’t want to be a burden, she does seek the safety net Cale so ably provides.
I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of rural England for the traveling circus and the imagery of the verdant landscape. Though Ryah’s situation was heartbreaking, her willingness to adapt and seek love was endearing. Being so young, her naivete is apparent in different aspects, but her heart is pure. As for Cale, he is like a white knight atop a fierce stallion. I liked his character and felt for the pain of his loss. Cale and Ryah share a mutual temptation and when they finally surrender to it, it’s tender and sensual. Though I liked the overall plot trajectory, the ending was a little too sweet for my preference.
Ringmaster is a story about opening one’s heart to love. This book will appeal to those who enjoy a slow burn, a protective hero and an age gap romance.
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.*
*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey!*
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Having joined Meriful’s Traveling Circus over twelve seasons ago, Cale Hearn takes his role as ringmaster and owner seriously, as he is extremely protective over his circus family. Upon seeing Ryah in an abusive situation, Cale quickly acts in the only way he knows how. Wanting to earn her board, Ryah becomes a horseback acrobat but soon wants to partner in another act. Together, Ryah and Cale navigate slowly as each has their own emotional baggage.
“Most of all, I want to do it because it will be the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. I want to fill my life with wonderful things. Don’t you?”
With a gripping prologue, the stage is set for Cale’s act and also how he deals with his emotions. As there is a certain romanticism in the atmosphere relating to the close-knit friendships and nomadic elements in the traveling circus, there are also some reality checks. As narrated in dual POV, this helps to understand what drives Cale and Ryah. While Ryah doesn’t want to be a burden, she does seek the safety net Cale so ably provides.
“Sparkle, you’re crazy!” I grin up at him. “Well, yeah. But the good kind, right?”
I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of rural England for the traveling circus and the imagery of the verdant landscape. Though Ryah’s situation was heartbreaking, her willingness to adapt and seek love was endearing. Being so young, her naivete is apparent in different aspects, but her heart is pure. As for Cale, he is like a white knight atop a fierce stallion. I liked his character and felt for the pain of his loss. Cale and Ryah share a mutual temptation and when they finally surrender to it, it’s tender and sensual. Though I liked the overall plot trajectory, the ending was a little too sweet for my preference.
Ringmaster is a story about opening one’s heart to love. This book will appeal to those who enjoy a slow burn, a protective hero and an age gap romance.
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.*
*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey!*
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Read
April 17, 2020
Cale wraps an arm around my lower back and pulls my hips tight against him, an unmistakably sensual gesture. "Sparkle, you’ve held all the strings of my heart since the day I met you."
"I have?"
He tilts his head the other way, his mouth almost-kissing me. In this heightened state, it feels like he’s already pressed the fiercest kiss against my lips.
"Every. Single. One."
And then he does kiss me.
I was wrong. I didn’t know what it was like to be kissed. My whole world is him. I feel nothing but his mouth on mine and his arms around me. As his lips move hungrily over mine, my body melds into his. I open my mouth, inviting him deeper.
Keeping the heavenly feel of his body against mine, he breaks the kiss. "You’ve nearly stopped my heart with just a look, more than once. I’m completely at your mercy, Ryah. What are knives, compared to that?"
COMING MAY 13
May 5, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Type: Standalone
POV: First Person - Dual
Rating:
(3.75 stars)
Ryah’s home life left a lot to be desired. From a young age, she had nothing other than her beloved horse. Desperate to escape, she took the opportunity when the Meriful’s Traveling Circus passed her village. Cale Hearn was in a habit of taking in strays. But this latest one might be more difficult to handle than he originally expected.
I loved Cale with how much he took care of his people. And the quiet, moody personality appealed to me too. Ryah was young and naive, but daring in getting what she wanted. I liked how both of them had personal issues and were running from their past. It’s a personal preference but the ending and epilogue were too sweet for my liking considering the very slow burn romance.
Sometimes I feel like I was a circus performer in past life because anything circus makes me feel like coming home lol! I loved how the author featured both the fantastical and the hardship of circus life. I also enjoyed the supporting characters in the book.
Ringmaster is a story of creating one’s own happiness. It would appeal to readers who enjoy age-gap romance.
🎪🎡🎪 . . . F(BR) With Twinsie CC . . . 🎪🎡🎪
For more reviews/interviews/promo visit:
Type: Standalone
POV: First Person - Dual
Rating:
(3.75 stars)Ryah’s home life left a lot to be desired. From a young age, she had nothing other than her beloved horse. Desperate to escape, she took the opportunity when the Meriful’s Traveling Circus passed her village. Cale Hearn was in a habit of taking in strays. But this latest one might be more difficult to handle than he originally expected.
I loved Cale with how much he took care of his people. And the quiet, moody personality appealed to me too. Ryah was young and naive, but daring in getting what she wanted. I liked how both of them had personal issues and were running from their past. It’s a personal preference but the ending and epilogue were too sweet for my liking considering the very slow burn romance.
“I think when something nice happens, something bad must be just around the corner. That’s always how it used to be.”
Sometimes I feel like I was a circus performer in past life because anything circus makes me feel like coming home lol! I loved how the author featured both the fantastical and the hardship of circus life. I also enjoyed the supporting characters in the book.
Ringmaster is a story of creating one’s own happiness. It would appeal to readers who enjoy age-gap romance.
🎪🎡🎪 . . . F(BR) With Twinsie CC . . . 🎪🎡🎪
For more reviews/interviews/promo visit:
May 28, 2020
4.75 stars ❤️.
Not fully 5 stars, because there were few thing which didn’t add up and I wasn’t too fancy with the cover.
But let me tell you, why I love this book.
A very interesting storyline, with a traveling circus background.
Story setting in stunning rural England, yes I know how gorgeous this place personally, I lives in Oxford. Only it took me around 15 mins drive, to go to those lovely places for lots of walk in the weekend, *lucky me* 😂.
Age gap romance, which's done it right.
A wonderful hero, who is kind and treated the heroine well.
A lovely young heroine, who is behaving in her own age and eager to learn to make herself better, despite her tragic upbringing.
A delightful supporting characters!
Oh, I read this book in one sitting! ❤️
Btw, I just found this author is famous for her erotica books.
While it show in this book how good, she wrote that stuff 😘, you won’t find them many and it wouldn’t happen until pass 75% of the story.
It’s a slow burn romance, and I love it that way.
Highly recommend, if you like a slow burn and age gap romance.
Free on KU too.
❤️❤️❤️
Not fully 5 stars, because there were few thing which didn’t add up and I wasn’t too fancy with the cover.
But let me tell you, why I love this book.
A very interesting storyline, with a traveling circus background.
Story setting in stunning rural England, yes I know how gorgeous this place personally, I lives in Oxford. Only it took me around 15 mins drive, to go to those lovely places for lots of walk in the weekend, *lucky me* 😂.
Age gap romance, which's done it right.
A wonderful hero, who is kind and treated the heroine well.
A lovely young heroine, who is behaving in her own age and eager to learn to make herself better, despite her tragic upbringing.
A delightful supporting characters!
Oh, I read this book in one sitting! ❤️
Btw, I just found this author is famous for her erotica books.
While it show in this book how good, she wrote that stuff 😘, you won’t find them many and it wouldn’t happen until pass 75% of the story.
It’s a slow burn romance, and I love it that way.
Highly recommend, if you like a slow burn and age gap romance.
Free on KU too.
❤️❤️❤️
May 14, 2020
“Pleased to meet you, Cale Hearn of Meriful’s Traveling Circus. Thank you for helping me run away.”
Enjoy the England landscape with the Meriful's Traveling Circus! It's such an amazing atmosphere, and if you know me, then you know how important atmospheres are to me.
Can you imagine Cale, protective, determined, and gentle on his Friesian (OMG they are my favorite horses...have you seen how formidable they look?).
But I digress...
In this nomade world, Cale and Ryah's lives enticed me from the beginning. The author perfectly captured the sweet damaged souls of her main characters. Their grief, their doubts never left me unfeeling. Their goodness warmed my heart, I absolutely loved the positive vibe the book emitted in spite of the darker scenes.
Throughout the months, the seasons, the countryside changed, the characters evolved, building each other back up.
With a background of shows, sparkles and tricks, the anticipation built, slow and touching. How many times did I find myself smiling while reading this book? Well, I'm still smiling!
Mrs Hale wrote a beautiful romantic story. If you like age gaps, if you are in the mood for a feel-good tale, then I cannot recommend Ringmaster enough.
I VOLUNTARILY REVIEWED AN ARC COPY OF THIS BOOK. THANK YOU!!!
Enjoy the England landscape with the Meriful's Traveling Circus! It's such an amazing atmosphere, and if you know me, then you know how important atmospheres are to me.
Can you imagine Cale, protective, determined, and gentle on his Friesian (OMG they are my favorite horses...have you seen how formidable they look?).
But I digress...
In this nomade world, Cale and Ryah's lives enticed me from the beginning. The author perfectly captured the sweet damaged souls of her main characters. Their grief, their doubts never left me unfeeling. Their goodness warmed my heart, I absolutely loved the positive vibe the book emitted in spite of the darker scenes.
Throughout the months, the seasons, the countryside changed, the characters evolved, building each other back up.
With a background of shows, sparkles and tricks, the anticipation built, slow and touching. How many times did I find myself smiling while reading this book? Well, I'm still smiling!
Mrs Hale wrote a beautiful romantic story. If you like age gaps, if you are in the mood for a feel-good tale, then I cannot recommend Ringmaster enough.
I VOLUNTARILY REVIEWED AN ARC COPY OF THIS BOOK. THANK YOU!!!
June 25, 2021
~ 𝟰.𝟮𝟱
✧ 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 - 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥… 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✦
✦ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 ✧
♥ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗬𝗔𝗛 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗦… the beating hearts of Ringmaster. Both Ryah and Cale work excellently as individuals and as romantic foils for one another. I loved seeing them both grow and heal over the course of the story. They both brought different integral elements to RINGMASTER, and in a way they were almost mirror versions of one another. They were similar… yet different. They just… got each other, and they were able to really connect due to their past experiences.
~ 𝗥𝗬𝗔𝗛 𝗮𝗸𝗮. 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗟𝗘 ~
Ryah, our heroine, was such an engaging and refreshing main character. There was something so… delightful about her, and she this bone deep kindness that constantly shone through. Despite the tough childhood she was dealt she constantly overcame and persevered. Moreover, she had this beautiful empathy that she carried with her into every interaction. In addition, I believe that more than any other character Ryah truly embodied the spirit of the circus. See, it's through her that we enter this whimsical world and it's through her that we truly feel the pull of the circus. I loved the way she whole heartedly embraced the circus, and because of that we the readers were able to get fully immersed in the atmosphere of Meriful's Traveling Circus.
~ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗮𝗸𝗮. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 ~
Cale as a character had the potential to be exponentially creepy. Seriously, on paper he's… not the best. Cale is a 30 year old man, who falls in love - at first sight - with a 17 year old girl, and oh yeah, he's her boss as well.
And yet… Cale as a character just… works. There was something so magnetic and thrilling about him, but at the same time he seemed like the human embodiment of a "safe place." The way he looked out for Ryah, his troop, and his horse Jareth, truly showcased his generous and amazing nature. Moreover, his affections for Ryah never felt creepy. Instead, they felt born out of a mutual understanding and a true blue connection. Plus, you know what, I'm just gonna say it… Cale Hearn can get it. I don't know what it was about him, but my mans had a magnetic, subtly sexual, energy to him that was just… delicious. So, yeah, I loved Cale Hearn, and I will (mostly) turn a blind eye to any of his negative traits. Cause as I said… he can get it.
♥ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦… well it was magnificent and I am so so so happy that it ended up working for me. I'm not gonna lie… I was just a tiny bit worried about the whole age-gap thing. And see, normally I wouldn't be, buuuuut, I don't know, Ryah had been through so much, and personally I think the last thing she needed was a romance. That's why I appreciated MS. HALE for allowing the romance between Cale and Ryah to breathe. It's exactly what both characters needed, and the story really hinged on the pace of the romance.
What made the romance so beautiful is the way it developed. Ryah and Cale start out as… well less equals and more as savior and damsel in distress. Cale swoops out of nowhere and saves Ryah from her father like a brave knight straight out of a fairy tale. However, slowly but surely, we begin to see Ryah gain confidence, we witness a true friendship blossom between Cale and Ryah, and eventually when the romance does begin it feels utterly natural. Cale and Ryah feel like friends who recognized a connection and thus decided to explore said connection. But more than that, you could really feel the care and mutual respect they had for one another.
~ 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙀𝙓𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙀 ~
Cale was always, always there for Ryah, and encouraged her in everything ↯ ↯
He was actually friends with her first, and seemed to genuinely care about her from the get go ↯ ↯
In addition, over the course of RINGMASTER we see that Ryah does just as much for Cale, as Cale does for her… and personally I liked seeing them on equal footing ↯ ↯
And when they do finally get together it feels earned and very much like a culmination of their growing friendship. Also, it managed to never get creepy… which... bonus points for that ↯ ↯
If I had to sum up the romance between Ryah and Cale in one word it would be… enchanting.
I have a real soft spot for romances that feel enchanting, whimsical, or fairytale like in quality. RINGMASTER fit that mold perfectly. Things between Ryah and Cale felt inevitable because of the unique fairytale like quality their story had. Ultimately, this book is at its best when Ryah and Cale are just… with one another and their love wonderfully carries this magical tale.
♥ 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗨𝗦… and I have to ask… why don't MORE romances take place at the circus? Seriously, I feel like there's some underutilized potential surrounding the circus setting!! There's so many ways you can play it, for example, you can go dark and creepy because you know… clowns are freaking creepy. Or, you can take in it a different, more sexy, direction. Cause… you know… nothing says sexy like the circus. But, my personal favorite version of the circus is the one MS. HALE served us. There's something so… whimsical? magical? exciting? mysterious? enchanting? about the circus. And I personally think RINGMASTER positively nailed all of those feelings.
Truthfully, I liked the setting of RINGMASTER so much that I was honestly bummed once we stopped getting full performance night scenes. That's how into the circus setting I was. But ultimately, what made the setting of RINGMASTER so great was the fact that RINGMASTER, in all its romantic wisdom, gave me heavy The Greatest Showman vibes… and tbh those are the best kinda vibes a book can have.
✘ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘'𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥… 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗛… 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗢… lets talk about her. Okay, so the big… obstacle? or more like one of the big "hurdles" keeping Cale and Ryah from being together together is their age. Cale is in his thirties and Ryah is a teenager. And look, again, I'm usually fine with age-gaps, and my enjoyment of them really depends on the story the author is trying to tell. Based off of this book I sensed that Ryah and Cale really needed to wait, not only until Ryah was 18, but until she was emotionally healed enough from the trauma of her fathers abuse.
~ 𝙎𝙊 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙀 𝙎𝙐𝙍𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙀𝘿 ~ when Cale's mom is out here saying this to him in relation to him and Ryah ↯ ↯
Which - look. I get what his mom is saying… kinda. She's saying that Ryah won't always be a teenager, and it won't always be creepy for Cale to put the moves on Ryah. And if he never makes his interest known she might move on and he'll have missed his "chance." Or, maybe she's saying that Ryah will eventually notice Cale's interest and he'd best have his answer ready… that said… Mama Cale… the girl is currently seventeen. She's been through so. much. shit. and therefore, you really really REALLY shouldn't be encouraging your son to put the moves on her while she's underage.
Also, what. the fuck. was this ↯ ↯
Now, maybe this is a cultural thing, it's mentioned that Cale's Grandmother was apart of the traveler community, but for all intents and purposes it seems like Cale's family currently (read: his mom and dad) lives in an average small English town. So… what gives Mama Cale?! *sigh* I don't know, the scene with Cale's mom was both… disturbing, oddly sweet, and downright hilarious. We love to see a mom supporting her son, I guess.
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
✘ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗥 … really didn't work for me. I - hmm. Look, I'm not a monster and I do have a heart. I enjoy cute romantic moments in my romances. And I don't mind surprise pregnancies… much. See, if a character is going to suddenly become pregnant I prefer it to happen at the beginning of the story. I like for it to be dealt with in more than one chapter. That… didn't happen in RINGMASTER. Okay, so here's the run down. Cale and Ryah finally get together towards the end of the book, f-u-n. We love love in this house. HoWeVER, what I cannot stand is stupidity. Now, surprise pregnancies happen, and I'm not condemning anyone for that. Shit happens. However, what did piss me off was the way Cale, a thirty year old man, realized that he and Ryah hadn't been using condoms and does nothing. S-T-U-P-I-D.
One of Ryah's friends in the circus perfectly captures my complaint with this point to. a. T. ↯ ↯
I don't know, this situation made me feel some type of way. Cause, Ryah stated that she really didn't understand how women get pregnant. Basically, her sex education was utter shit. Therefore, I was kinda - read: really disappointed in Cale for not taking the time to explain to her // discuss the possibility of them having children. Look, I'm probably getting way to hype… actually I know I am. Most people probably won't care // probably didn't care, but IDK, this just felt… off. It didn't feel in line with the careful, caring, and attentive Cale we'd gotten to know the entire book. But hey. Babies are pretty adorable, soooooo 🤷♀️
✧ 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 - 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 ✦
🆁🅾🅼🅰🅽🆃🅸🅲 🅰🆂 🅵🆄🅲🅺 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟, 𝗜 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗘𝗡𝗝𝗢𝗬𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥… and I am so glad I decided to pick it up. This book was not only romantic as all get out, but it also inspired me to run away to the circus… okay I kid I kid… What it has inspired me to do is pick up more romance novels that take place at the circus. There was something so unique and beautiful about Meriful's Traveling Circus and honestly? I'm a bit sad that RINGMASTER is over. I really didn't want to leave the wonderful whimsical world MS. HALE created. Moreover, the characters were all wonderfully developed and I fell in love with both of them. Ryah was one of the strongest, most wonderful heroines, I've read about in a while. Her resilience, kindness, and overall personality really made this book as wonderful as it was. Cale, our resident ringmaster, was just as fabulous. He was extremely romantic, caring, and plain old hot. The way he made Ryah feel safe and loved was also ~ magical af ~ Additionally, I loved the way he created such a fabulous community for his troupe. Ultimately, RINGMASTER was a real hit for me. It may have taken me a while to finish this, and I did have a few issues with it, but the pros far outweighed any cons. Therefore, I highly, highly recommend RINGMASTER, especially if you're in the mood for a whimsical escapist romantic adventure.
♫ ♪ what if we rewrite the stars?
say you were made to be mine
nothing could keep us apart
you'd be the one I was meant to find … ♫ ♪
✧ 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 - 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥… 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✦
ᴅᴀᴍɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪʀᴄᴜꜱ!
~ ᴇ. ᴇ. ᴄᴜᴍᴍɪɴɢꜱ
✦ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 ✧
Cale.
Cale Hearn is the ringmaster and owner of Meriful's Traveling Circus. The world is his stage, the people he encounters on his travels serve as his audience, and his performers are his family. His life is good… but it doesn't become truly great until…
Ryah.
Ryah is a 17 year old girl whose been beaten down and made to feel hopeless. She's trapped in her house with her abusive father, and sees no end in sight. Life is dreary and the only light comes in the form of her horse, Dandelion. However, when the traveling circus comes into town she begins to feel… hope.
Cale and Ryah.
Meriful's Traveling Circus becomes more than just a magical attraction for Ryah, instead it becomes home. Rescued from her horrible father Ryah is immediately welcomed into the circus, and into Cale's heart. Cale may have saved Ryah, but Ryah also saved Cale in return.
So… come one, come all, and welcome to the whimsical world of the circus.
♥ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗬𝗔𝗛 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗦… the beating hearts of Ringmaster. Both Ryah and Cale work excellently as individuals and as romantic foils for one another. I loved seeing them both grow and heal over the course of the story. They both brought different integral elements to RINGMASTER, and in a way they were almost mirror versions of one another. They were similar… yet different. They just… got each other, and they were able to really connect due to their past experiences.
~ 𝗥𝗬𝗔𝗛 𝗮𝗸𝗮. 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗟𝗘 ~
❝ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ʀᴇʟɪᴇꜰ ᴛᴏ ʙʟᴇɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.❞ …
❝ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙʟᴇɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ.❞
Ryah, our heroine, was such an engaging and refreshing main character. There was something so… delightful about her, and she this bone deep kindness that constantly shone through. Despite the tough childhood she was dealt she constantly overcame and persevered. Moreover, she had this beautiful empathy that she carried with her into every interaction. In addition, I believe that more than any other character Ryah truly embodied the spirit of the circus. See, it's through her that we enter this whimsical world and it's through her that we truly feel the pull of the circus. I loved the way she whole heartedly embraced the circus, and because of that we the readers were able to get fully immersed in the atmosphere of Meriful's Traveling Circus.
~ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗮𝗸𝗮. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 ~
❝ᴀᴍ ɪ ꜱᴀᴅ, ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ?❞
❝ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ, ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ. ꜱᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟᴇ.❞
Cale as a character had the potential to be exponentially creepy. Seriously, on paper he's… not the best. Cale is a 30 year old man, who falls in love - at first sight - with a 17 year old girl, and oh yeah, he's her boss as well.
it's like the holy trinity of yikes 😬
And yet… Cale as a character just… works. There was something so magnetic and thrilling about him, but at the same time he seemed like the human embodiment of a "safe place." The way he looked out for Ryah, his troop, and his horse Jareth, truly showcased his generous and amazing nature. Moreover, his affections for Ryah never felt creepy. Instead, they felt born out of a mutual understanding and a true blue connection. Plus, you know what, I'm just gonna say it… Cale Hearn can get it. I don't know what it was about him, but my mans had a magnetic, subtly sexual, energy to him that was just… delicious. So, yeah, I loved Cale Hearn, and I will (mostly) turn a blind eye to any of his negative traits. Cause as I said… he can get it.
♥ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦… well it was magnificent and I am so so so happy that it ended up working for me. I'm not gonna lie… I was just a tiny bit worried about the whole age-gap thing. And see, normally I wouldn't be, buuuuut, I don't know, Ryah had been through so much, and personally I think the last thing she needed was a romance. That's why I appreciated MS. HALE for allowing the romance between Cale and Ryah to breathe. It's exactly what both characters needed, and the story really hinged on the pace of the romance.
ɪ’ᴍ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀʏᴀʜ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴇᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ɪ ᴍᴇᴛ ʜᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴜɴꜰᴜʀʟɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ.
What made the romance so beautiful is the way it developed. Ryah and Cale start out as… well less equals and more as savior and damsel in distress. Cale swoops out of nowhere and saves Ryah from her father like a brave knight straight out of a fairy tale. However, slowly but surely, we begin to see Ryah gain confidence, we witness a true friendship blossom between Cale and Ryah, and eventually when the romance does begin it feels utterly natural. Cale and Ryah feel like friends who recognized a connection and thus decided to explore said connection. But more than that, you could really feel the care and mutual respect they had for one another.
~ 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙀𝙓𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙀 ~
Cale was always, always there for Ryah, and encouraged her in everything ↯ ↯
❝ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ɪᴛ ʜɪᴛꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴꜱ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ.❞
ɪ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.
❝ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɢᴏɪɴɢ, ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ’ʟʟ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ.❞
He was actually friends with her first, and seemed to genuinely care about her from the get go ↯ ↯
❝… ɪꜰ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ.❞
ʀʏᴀʜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇꜱ ᴍᴇ, ʜᴇʀ ʙɪɢ ʙʟᴜᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ꜰɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜɴᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴᴛʏ.❝ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇ?❞
❝ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ꜱᴀꜰᴇ.❞
In addition, over the course of RINGMASTER we see that Ryah does just as much for Cale, as Cale does for her… and personally I liked seeing them on equal footing ↯ ↯
❝ɪꜱ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɪꜰ ɪ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴡꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ?❞
And when they do finally get together it feels earned and very much like a culmination of their growing friendship. Also, it managed to never get creepy… which... bonus points for that ↯ ↯
❝ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ɪ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ?❞ ʜᴇ ᴀꜱᴋꜱ. …
❝ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴅɪᴇ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴍᴇ.❞ ʜᴇ ᴄᴜᴘꜱ ᴍʏ ᴊᴀᴡ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʀᴜꜱʜᴇꜱ ʜɪꜱ ʟɪᴘꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴍɪɴᴇ. ❝ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ, ʀʏᴀʜ. ɪ’ʟʟ ᴅɪᴇ.❞ …
❝ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ,❞ ɪ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ.
ᴄᴀʟᴇ ᴡʀᴀᴘꜱ ᴀɴ ᴀʀᴍ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜʟʟꜱ ᴍʏ ʜɪᴘꜱ ᴛɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ʜɪꜱ, ᴀɴ ᴜɴᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴀʙʟʏ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴜᴀʟ ɢᴇꜱᴛᴜʀᴇ. ❝ᴏʜ, ɴᴏ, ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀɪɴɢꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ɪ ᴍᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ.❞
If I had to sum up the romance between Ryah and Cale in one word it would be… enchanting.
𝔢𝔫·𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱
/𝔦𝔫ˈℭℌ𝔞𝔫𝔱,𝔢𝔫ˈℭℌ𝔞𝔫𝔱/
𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔟
𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔭𝔩𝔢: 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤
𝔣𝔦𝔩𝔩 (𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔢) 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔤𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱; 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔪.
"ℭ𝔞𝔩𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 ℜ𝔶𝔞𝔥"
I have a real soft spot for romances that feel enchanting, whimsical, or fairytale like in quality. RINGMASTER fit that mold perfectly. Things between Ryah and Cale felt inevitable because of the unique fairytale like quality their story had. Ultimately, this book is at its best when Ryah and Cale are just… with one another and their love wonderfully carries this magical tale.
♥ 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗨𝗦… and I have to ask… why don't MORE romances take place at the circus? Seriously, I feel like there's some underutilized potential surrounding the circus setting!! There's so many ways you can play it, for example, you can go dark and creepy because you know… clowns are freaking creepy. Or, you can take in it a different, more sexy, direction. Cause… you know… nothing says sexy like the circus. But, my personal favorite version of the circus is the one MS. HALE served us. There's something so… whimsical? magical? exciting? mysterious? enchanting? about the circus. And I personally think RINGMASTER positively nailed all of those feelings.
❝ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇʀɪꜰᴜʟ’ꜱ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴄɪʀᴄᴜꜱ.❞ … ❝ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ. ᴀꜱ ᴍʏꜱᴛᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴇʀᴄᴜʀɪᴀʟ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴅᴇꜱ. ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ, ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ, ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴅᴇʟɪɢʜᴛꜰᴜʟ.❞
Truthfully, I liked the setting of RINGMASTER so much that I was honestly bummed once we stopped getting full performance night scenes. That's how into the circus setting I was. But ultimately, what made the setting of RINGMASTER so great was the fact that RINGMASTER, in all its romantic wisdom, gave me heavy The Greatest Showman vibes… and tbh those are the best kinda vibes a book can have.
✘ 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘'𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥… 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗛… 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗢… lets talk about her. Okay, so the big… obstacle? or more like one of the big "hurdles" keeping Cale and Ryah from being together together is their age. Cale is in his thirties and Ryah is a teenager. And look, again, I'm usually fine with age-gaps, and my enjoyment of them really depends on the story the author is trying to tell. Based off of this book I sensed that Ryah and Cale really needed to wait, not only until Ryah was 18, but until she was emotionally healed enough from the trauma of her fathers abuse.
~ 𝙎𝙊 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙀 𝙎𝙐𝙍𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙀𝘿 ~ when Cale's mom is out here saying this to him in relation to him and Ryah ↯ ↯
❝ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ ꜰᴇᴇʟ?❞
ᴍᴜᴍ ᴍᴜꜱᴇꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ. ❝ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ꜱᴏ. ꜱʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜᴘᴇ. ᴜɴʟᴇꜱꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴇʟʟꜱ ʜᴇʀ.❞
ꜱʜᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋꜱ ᴀɴ ᴇɢɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ᴍɪxɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴡʟ. ᴍʏ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴅᴇɴ. ❝ᴍᴜᴍ. ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴀʀᴇ.❞
❝ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ.❞
❝ꜱʜᴇ’ꜱ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ!❞
ᴍᴜᴍ ᴡᴀᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ɢɴᴀᴛ ᴏɴ ᴀ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ’ꜱ ɴɪɢʜᴛ. ❝ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴏꜱᴇ ʜᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴀɴ. ʙᴜᴛ ꜱʜᴇ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴏɴ, ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ, ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ, ꜱʜᴇ’ꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ. ꜱʜᴇ’ʟʟ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ.❞ ᴍᴜᴍ ꜱɴɪꜰꜰꜱ.
Which - look. I get what his mom is saying… kinda. She's saying that Ryah won't always be a teenager, and it won't always be creepy for Cale to put the moves on Ryah. And if he never makes his interest known she might move on and he'll have missed his "chance." Or, maybe she's saying that Ryah will eventually notice Cale's interest and he'd best have his answer ready… that said… Mama Cale… the girl is currently seventeen. She's been through so. much. shit. and therefore, you really really REALLY shouldn't be encouraging your son to put the moves on her while she's underage.
Also, what. the fuck. was this ↯ ↯
❝ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ?❞
ɪ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇ. ❝ᴏʜ, ʏᴇꜱ. ɪ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇ ɪ ᴅᴏ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ. ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʙᴀʙʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ɪᴛ?❞
ᴍʀꜱ. ʜᴇᴀʀɴ ᴄᴏɴꜱɪᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ. ❝ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ.❞
*sigh* just… stop. just stop it.
Now, maybe this is a cultural thing, it's mentioned that Cale's Grandmother was apart of the traveler community, but for all intents and purposes it seems like Cale's family currently (read: his mom and dad) lives in an average small English town. So… what gives Mama Cale?! *sigh* I don't know, the scene with Cale's mom was both… disturbing, oddly sweet, and downright hilarious. We love to see a mom supporting her son, I guess.
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
↯ ~ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝘼𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 ~ ↯
✘ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗥 … really didn't work for me. I - hmm. Look, I'm not a monster and I do have a heart. I enjoy cute romantic moments in my romances. And I don't mind surprise pregnancies… much. See, if a character is going to suddenly become pregnant I prefer it to happen at the beginning of the story. I like for it to be dealt with in more than one chapter. That… didn't happen in RINGMASTER. Okay, so here's the run down. Cale and Ryah finally get together towards the end of the book, f-u-n. We love love in this house. HoWeVER, what I cannot stand is stupidity. Now, surprise pregnancies happen, and I'm not condemning anyone for that. Shit happens. However, what did piss me off was the way Cale, a thirty year old man, realized that he and Ryah hadn't been using condoms and does nothing. S-T-U-P-I-D.
One of Ryah's friends in the circus perfectly captures my complaint with this point to. a. T. ↯ ↯
❝ᴇxᴄᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʀʏᴀʜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ’ᴍ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ. ɪꜰ ɪ’ᴍ ᴍᴀᴅ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴄᴀʟᴇ, ᴀ ɢʀᴏᴡɴ-ᴀꜱꜱ ᴍᴀɴ, ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ᴛᴇᴇɴᴀɢᴇ ɢɪʀʟꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.❞
I don't know, this situation made me feel some type of way. Cause, Ryah stated that she really didn't understand how women get pregnant. Basically, her sex education was utter shit. Therefore, I was kinda - read: really disappointed in Cale for not taking the time to explain to her // discuss the possibility of them having children. Look, I'm probably getting way to hype… actually I know I am. Most people probably won't care // probably didn't care, but IDK, this just felt… off. It didn't feel in line with the careful, caring, and attentive Cale we'd gotten to know the entire book. But hey. Babies are pretty adorable, soooooo 🤷♀️
✧ 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 - 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 ✦
❝ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴛᴏᴏ,❞ ʜᴇ ꜱᴀʏꜱ. ❝ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏᴡ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ꜱᴀʏ ɪᴛ.❞
❝ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ, ᴏᴋᴀʏ?❞
ʜᴇ ꜱʟᴀɴᴛꜱ ᴀ ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ❝ᴡɪʟᴅ ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʜᴏʀꜱᴇꜱ, ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ.❞
🆁🅾🅼🅰🅽🆃🅸🅲 🅰🆂 🅵🆄🅲🅺 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟, 𝗜 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗘𝗡𝗝𝗢𝗬𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥… and I am so glad I decided to pick it up. This book was not only romantic as all get out, but it also inspired me to run away to the circus… okay I kid I kid… What it has inspired me to do is pick up more romance novels that take place at the circus. There was something so unique and beautiful about Meriful's Traveling Circus and honestly? I'm a bit sad that RINGMASTER is over. I really didn't want to leave the wonderful whimsical world MS. HALE created. Moreover, the characters were all wonderfully developed and I fell in love with both of them. Ryah was one of the strongest, most wonderful heroines, I've read about in a while. Her resilience, kindness, and overall personality really made this book as wonderful as it was. Cale, our resident ringmaster, was just as fabulous. He was extremely romantic, caring, and plain old hot. The way he made Ryah feel safe and loved was also ~ magical af ~ Additionally, I loved the way he created such a fabulous community for his troupe. Ultimately, RINGMASTER was a real hit for me. It may have taken me a while to finish this, and I did have a few issues with it, but the pros far outweighed any cons. Therefore, I highly, highly recommend RINGMASTER, especially if you're in the mood for a whimsical escapist romantic adventure.
May 14, 2020
I do love BH stories and this one was pretty long with a lightish angst and some long awaited steam this has to be Brianna tames book which I love during this lockdown phase :).
Cale has been living the life as a Circus Ringmaster and his band of misfit crew. Bring some fun to people around, and he does have a sorta darkish past involving his sister, but he finds a scared Ryah who is trying to running away from her abusive father, so he offers her that chance to be apart of the circus. Now they have this spark between them but since both are dealing with their own demons it takes some time. Also Ryah is underage so that makes Cale not want to (at the moment) touch her in any way or start a relationship. We see them grow together and deal with their demons and see their friendship with the rest of the crew. We also see them perform together and become even closer partners. And it takes awhile but we finally see them take that step into making that friendship into a relationship. And it was delicious!!
Their is no underage sex.. everyone is of age when they do have sex. Now if you can't handle the sexual tension when she's underage then you don't have to read.
Low angst, No ow/om drama, no cheating, secondary characters, tiny drama, sexy time, virgin gal no manwhore
Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prologue
Slow-burn
Pinning
Older/younger couple
17h/31H
Masturbation
Mentions of abusive past
Mentions H sister being sexually assaulted
No condom
Safeish
Hea
Epilogue
Cale has been living the life as a Circus Ringmaster and his band of misfit crew. Bring some fun to people around, and he does have a sorta darkish past involving his sister, but he finds a scared Ryah who is trying to running away from her abusive father, so he offers her that chance to be apart of the circus. Now they have this spark between them but since both are dealing with their own demons it takes some time. Also Ryah is underage so that makes Cale not want to (at the moment) touch her in any way or start a relationship. We see them grow together and deal with their demons and see their friendship with the rest of the crew. We also see them perform together and become even closer partners. And it takes awhile but we finally see them take that step into making that friendship into a relationship. And it was delicious!!
Their is no underage sex.. everyone is of age when they do have sex. Now if you can't handle the sexual tension when she's underage then you don't have to read.
Low angst, No ow/om drama, no cheating, secondary characters, tiny drama, sexy time, virgin gal no manwhore
Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prologue
Slow-burn
Pinning
Older/younger couple
17h/31H
Masturbation
Mentions of abusive past
Mentions H sister being sexually assaulted
No condom
Safeish
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2021
♡ age gap (older man, adults)
♡ traveling circus
♡ found family
This was a buddy read with Temecka!
This book was PERFECTION.
I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is the same author who wrote Necromancer's Bride and The Black Fox, like... WHAT?! This is a gorgeous slow burn with a pining hero who doesn't feel like he should be with the heroine.
Not only is the entire setting such a mood being that it takes place in a traveling circus, but there is a found family aspect to this book that is absolutely heartwarming. The slow burn was deliciously excruciating and there were so many charged moments between these two characters that when they finally get together, it is SO satisfying!
This was definitely my favorite read of the Kindle Clear Out readathon!
Triggers: death of a loved one, abusive parent, alcoholism, racial slurs
♡ traveling circus
♡ found family
This was a buddy read with Temecka!
This book was PERFECTION.
I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is the same author who wrote Necromancer's Bride and The Black Fox, like... WHAT?! This is a gorgeous slow burn with a pining hero who doesn't feel like he should be with the heroine.
Not only is the entire setting such a mood being that it takes place in a traveling circus, but there is a found family aspect to this book that is absolutely heartwarming. The slow burn was deliciously excruciating and there were so many charged moments between these two characters that when they finally get together, it is SO satisfying!
This was definitely my favorite read of the Kindle Clear Out readathon!
Triggers: death of a loved one, abusive parent, alcoholism, racial slurs
July 4, 2023
Okay folks, The hero is 31 years old and the heroine is 17.
I have mixed feelings about this book...
I'm not going to go into details because frankly who cares? But I'll just say that this book contains some elements that truly pisses my off and made me uneasy.
SPOILERS ALERT:
- Unprotected sex with a teenager (whom she don't know the risks of sexual intercourses STDS for instance and how pregnancy occurs) She grew up without a mother and her father was extremely violent.
- The hero willingly didn't pull out when they had sex because he wanted to make the heroine pregnant without her consent or awareness. (Which, NOW having read all kinds of darker books doesn't seem like a big of a deal, but it feels quite icky in this one, especially considering that age gap)also the hero wasn't even remorseful about it.
- Looks a lot like grooming to me.
Frankly up until that point I wasn't to much bothered by the age gap because she seemed mature enough but in truth, she is very naive and read very VERY young-ish.
Not exactly her fault but I do feel like the hero used her naivete and her trust against her.
Also, this novel felt like a knock-off from a previous book who takes place in a circus as well and also had a surprise pregnancy:
Kiss an Angel by Elizabeth Phillips (4 stars read!)
I have mixed feelings about this book...
I'm not going to go into details because frankly who cares? But I'll just say that this book contains some elements that truly pisses my off and made me uneasy.
SPOILERS ALERT:
- Unprotected sex with a teenager (whom she don't know the risks of sexual intercourses STDS for instance and how pregnancy occurs) She grew up without a mother and her father was extremely violent.
- The hero willingly didn't pull out when they had sex because he wanted to make the heroine pregnant without her consent or awareness. (Which, NOW having read all kinds of darker books doesn't seem like a big of a deal, but it feels quite icky in this one, especially considering that age gap)also the hero wasn't even remorseful about it.
- Looks a lot like grooming to me.
Frankly up until that point I wasn't to much bothered by the age gap because she seemed mature enough but in truth, she is very naive and read very VERY young-ish.
Not exactly her fault but I do feel like the hero used her naivete and her trust against her.
Also, this novel felt like a knock-off from a previous book who takes place in a circus as well and also had a surprise pregnancy:
Kiss an Angel by Elizabeth Phillips (4 stars read!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
“You’ve nearly stopped my heart with just a look, more than once. I’m completely at your mercy, Ryah. What are knives, compared to that?”
Ringmaster was such a fun, adventurous ride. I never knew I wanted a circus romance until Brianna Hale said she was writing one. It was everything! It had atmosphere, chemistry, and thrills.
Seventeen year old Ryah is running away from her abusive father when she runs into 31 year old Cale. As ringmaster of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, he sweeps her into a place filled with awe and joy. Here she finds friendship, freedom, and love.
The romance between Ryah and Cale was surprisingly sweet and tender. I’m used to Hale’s Daddy erotic romances so it was amazing to see a whole new softer side to her writing style. The two have troubled pasts that cling to them like shadows, but after working together in a way that demands trust they open up and communicate and it’s so heartwarming. My heart hurt so much for Cale and his parents. Terrible things happen to great people all the time and it just added a whole level of emotion in the story which I appreciated.
Read this if you enjoy:
-age gaps
-circus environments
-dangerous circus stunts and tricks
-slow burn
Overall rating: 4 stars
Steaminess- 3 stars
Ringmaster was such a fun, adventurous ride. I never knew I wanted a circus romance until Brianna Hale said she was writing one. It was everything! It had atmosphere, chemistry, and thrills.
Seventeen year old Ryah is running away from her abusive father when she runs into 31 year old Cale. As ringmaster of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, he sweeps her into a place filled with awe and joy. Here she finds friendship, freedom, and love.
The romance between Ryah and Cale was surprisingly sweet and tender. I’m used to Hale’s Daddy erotic romances so it was amazing to see a whole new softer side to her writing style. The two have troubled pasts that cling to them like shadows, but after working together in a way that demands trust they open up and communicate and it’s so heartwarming. My heart hurt so much for Cale and his parents. Terrible things happen to great people all the time and it just added a whole level of emotion in the story which I appreciated.
Read this if you enjoy:
-age gaps
-circus environments
-dangerous circus stunts and tricks
-slow burn
Overall rating: 4 stars
Steaminess- 3 stars
May 10, 2020
I just love how Hale creates these slow burn, angsty stories and then hits you with the climax that leaves you not only hot and bothered, but wanting your own Cale, and your own traveling circus. This was a beautifully written story. Hale brings it with every book, and each time she delivers characters that I fall in love with. Definite 5 rings for this story!
January 18, 2022
PERFECT WONDERFUL AMAZING IN LOVE !!!!
One of the best books that I’ve read in a while! This book has actually been on my tbr for a while, and while clearing out that list the other day I alllmost removed it. I can happily say I’m so glad I didn’t because I would’ve missed out on an amazing book!
Unless the author is Mariana Zapata, I’ve never went and actually purchased a book that was available on KU but for this book I did!
The way both the h and H cared for each other was just so sweet and heartwarming, it actually had me tearing up. I also found that I wasn’t bothered with the H’s “pushing away”. It wasn’t a typical pushing away where he’s being an asshole to the h and denying his feelings to not only her but himself as well. You know that he loves and treasures her and he never treats her like shit to make himself feel better. He always puts her first and it was just wonderful to read. Some people might be bothered by their age gap but it didn’t bother me at all
Overall I loved this book and I can’t wait to do a reread
One of the best books that I’ve read in a while! This book has actually been on my tbr for a while, and while clearing out that list the other day I alllmost removed it. I can happily say I’m so glad I didn’t because I would’ve missed out on an amazing book!
Unless the author is Mariana Zapata, I’ve never went and actually purchased a book that was available on KU but for this book I did!
The way both the h and H cared for each other was just so sweet and heartwarming, it actually had me tearing up. I also found that I wasn’t bothered with the H’s “pushing away”. It wasn’t a typical pushing away where he’s being an asshole to the h and denying his feelings to not only her but himself as well. You know that he loves and treasures her and he never treats her like shit to make himself feel better. He always puts her first and it was just wonderful to read. Some people might be bothered by their age gap but it didn’t bother me at all
Overall I loved this book and I can’t wait to do a reread
May 19, 2020
Escape to the circus!
Brianna Hale has created a whimsical tale that revolves around a traveling circus. It is made up of a band of misfits, runaways, and nomads.
Their ringleader, Cale, developed his act after a tragic event. Because of the danger revolving around his act, he has never had a partner to assist him - until he found Ryah. The teenage girl has found ways to unlock parts of Cale that he has kept under wraps for years.
Ryah is determined to find her place in the circus. She has been doing tricks with her horse since she was small to escape her abusive father. But now that she's seen what Cale is capable of, she wants to expand on it. She is willing to put herself in danger to get closer to him.
I highly recommend this to fans of slow-burn and age gap romances. Ryah and Cale is an unconventional couple that will have you rooting for them the entire book.
Brianna Hale has created a whimsical tale that revolves around a traveling circus. It is made up of a band of misfits, runaways, and nomads.
Their ringleader, Cale, developed his act after a tragic event. Because of the danger revolving around his act, he has never had a partner to assist him - until he found Ryah. The teenage girl has found ways to unlock parts of Cale that he has kept under wraps for years.
Ryah is determined to find her place in the circus. She has been doing tricks with her horse since she was small to escape her abusive father. But now that she's seen what Cale is capable of, she wants to expand on it. She is willing to put herself in danger to get closer to him.
I highly recommend this to fans of slow-burn and age gap romances. Ryah and Cale is an unconventional couple that will have you rooting for them the entire book.
June 3, 2020
2.5 stars.
I didn´t like this as much as I had hoped...
It had good potential, but there was just something missing for me.
It felt a bit rushed at times and I couldn´t connect well enough with the characters.
I didn´t like this as much as I had hoped...
It had good potential, but there was just something missing for me.
It felt a bit rushed at times and I couldn´t connect well enough with the characters.
February 29, 2024
The idea was there but the two-dimensional writing did the story no favors. The setting and premise of this is what initially caught my interest. A traveling circus that travels through England with the hero ringmaster who saves the heroine from her abusive violent father and takes her with him on the road with his circus troupe. But that severe trauma just seems to disappear and fall to the wayside for the majority of the book with a very persistent heroine instead pushing the hero into doing a knife act involving throwing knives at her to the point she throws an epic meltdown when he first tells her no. For an abused runaway 17 year old girl, I found her pushiness and obsession over doing this act a little weird and out of character. He was initially so uncomfortable about it because it's a dangerous act but she literally guilts him into it because she wants to be his partner in an "amazing act" that will do good. Do good for who exactly? It was bizarre how pushy she was over this. Like....? Your whole life you were beaten and abused but you insist on someone throwing knives at you?? It kind of made no sense given her background and just general lack of experience. Mind you she already has an act in the show with her horse with 2 other troupe girls at this point. If anything her passion for horses and doing acrobatic tricks on them should have been the focus since she loved her horse so much and grew up around horses. Instead the author tried really hard to sell the knife act as this deep connection they build and how they both get off on it. I wasn't buying it.
What's also bizarre and killed things for me is the breeding kink that comes out of nowhere near the tail end of this after the hero and heroine finally have sex. The hero Cale is 31 and the heroine Riyah is 17. This book covers 1 year with these two barely holding off on their attraction and finally giving in when Riyah turns 18. This technically is a slow burn but it really didn't feel like it given how these two acted. A grown man not caring about using protection while he fucks an 18 year old girl because the idea of her pregnant turns him on just gave me serious whiplash and skeeved me the hell out. It feels very skeevy because the heroine has barely any knowledge about sex much less safe sex to the point her roomates have to explain to her how pregnancy works. She literally thought pregnancy "takes work" and if you "aren't trying" to get pregnant then it won't happen and no I'm not kidding. 😐 Him cumming into her is just them having fun and so wonderful tee hee! *deadpan stare* She has no concept of safe sex, the hero doesn't care to educate her or give her a choice in the matter and just fucks her raw every time for the hell of it. Of course she ends up getting pregnant and both of them are all smiles and gushing over it like no big deal (spoiler alert: she gets pregnant again in the epilogue a few months after giving birth 😶). You are already dealing with a taboo age difference, the heroine's trauma and the hero's own grief of losing his sister very violently 19 years ago (she was raped and murdered), instead of focusing on all that you pull this instead? The thing is Cale isn't even an overbearing dominating alpha hero, he's always so focused on keeping everyone under his care safe and respecting boundaries including the heroine. This is the same guy who refused to act on his feelings and didn't want to scare the heroine for 1 whole year given her trauma and inexperience. So for him to suddenly be obsessed about getting her pregnant while knowing how young and inexperienced she is felt extremely out of character for a guy like him. His careless actions near the end didn't line up with his character previous to that. His reaction when he gets called out by one of their friend's was even more lame:
I was just gonna give this a 3 star and move on but I'm removing a star for the ridiculousness near the end. Nothing about this was sexy or even sweet. This is also filled with editing issues with grammar mistakes and typos. The 1st person narration kept jumping from present tense to past to present again almost like the author couldn't make up her mind or forgot. That and these characters are supposed to be British/UK born. But the dialogue made no reference to that whatsoever beyond using the word "mum" and an awful slur word used against Irish travelers. That's pretty much it, if we weren't told the setting is in England you would never be able to tell by the language and dialogue used. All the characters sounded American to me.
What's also bizarre and killed things for me is the breeding kink that comes out of nowhere near the tail end of this after the hero and heroine finally have sex. The hero Cale is 31 and the heroine Riyah is 17. This book covers 1 year with these two barely holding off on their attraction and finally giving in when Riyah turns 18. This technically is a slow burn but it really didn't feel like it given how these two acted. A grown man not caring about using protection while he fucks an 18 year old girl because the idea of her pregnant turns him on just gave me serious whiplash and skeeved me the hell out. It feels very skeevy because the heroine has barely any knowledge about sex much less safe sex to the point her roomates have to explain to her how pregnancy works. She literally thought pregnancy "takes work" and if you "aren't trying" to get pregnant then it won't happen and no I'm not kidding. 😐 Him cumming into her is just them having fun and so wonderful tee hee! *deadpan stare* She has no concept of safe sex, the hero doesn't care to educate her or give her a choice in the matter and just fucks her raw every time for the hell of it. Of course she ends up getting pregnant and both of them are all smiles and gushing over it like no big deal (spoiler alert: she gets pregnant again in the epilogue a few months after giving birth 😶). You are already dealing with a taboo age difference, the heroine's trauma and the hero's own grief of losing his sister very violently 19 years ago (she was raped and murdered), instead of focusing on all that you pull this instead? The thing is Cale isn't even an overbearing dominating alpha hero, he's always so focused on keeping everyone under his care safe and respecting boundaries including the heroine. This is the same guy who refused to act on his feelings and didn't want to scare the heroine for 1 whole year given her trauma and inexperience. So for him to suddenly be obsessed about getting her pregnant while knowing how young and inexperienced she is felt extremely out of character for a guy like him. His careless actions near the end didn't line up with his character previous to that. His reaction when he gets called out by one of their friend's was even more lame:
Ryah grins and says just as loudly, “She’s mad about the baby.”
Elke whirls around. “Excuse you, Ryah. You know I’m happy about the baby. If I’m mad it’s because Cale, a grown-ass man, didn’t use protection with his teenage girlfriend and by the sounds of it didn’t even talk to you about the possibility of getting pregnant.”
I duck my head, trying to seem penitent, but unable to help my smile. I put my arm around Ryah, and gather her closer. She’s grinning as much as I am and snuggles into me. “I got distracted.”
I was just gonna give this a 3 star and move on but I'm removing a star for the ridiculousness near the end. Nothing about this was sexy or even sweet. This is also filled with editing issues with grammar mistakes and typos. The 1st person narration kept jumping from present tense to past to present again almost like the author couldn't make up her mind or forgot. That and these characters are supposed to be British/UK born. But the dialogue made no reference to that whatsoever beyond using the word "mum" and an awful slur word used against Irish travelers. That's pretty much it, if we weren't told the setting is in England you would never be able to tell by the language and dialogue used. All the characters sounded American to me.
Want to read
April 30, 2020💝
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
💝
April 30, 2020
The first word that comes to my mind when I think of this book is "charming." But I do feel I should warn other readers that this is a slow burn romance. In fact, it is a VERY slow burn but I was so charmed by the characters, the tales of the circus and the British setting that I barely noticed. I always love story about a family of choice and characters that escape from pain and fear to find the their true home. And that is exactly what this book is. There also happens to be a sweet little age gap romance too. I have been struggling to finish books lately so it was refreshing to find a book that I almost couldn't put down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 10, 2021
Midnight Hunter is one of my favourite romance novels of all time, so this spring I have eagerly thrown myself into Brianna Hale's other novels. Based on the premise, Ringmaster should have scored for me, but to be honest I was severely disappointed. While her writing is as good as ever - maybe with a bit less initiative, I hated the relationship here.
Ryah is a severely abused young woman, just shy of eighteen if I remember correctly, and Cale, the ringmaster of a circus basically picks her out of her personal hell. There shouldn't be a problem with this and I am not bothered by the violence of her background either but man, I hated the relationship between them. It was off on so many levels, starting with the glaring non use of condoms which obviously lead to a cherished pregnancy. It loomed over the plotline and the guy wanted his seed to find purpose without ever discussing the possibility with her and that bothered me on levels I don't even want to examine. The caretaker alpha on this level with a broken pushover that is Ryah was something I just couldn't enjoy. It felt shallow and reminded me of the trope based sequence of erotic romance novels vomited out every months. If you're looking for that, go for it, you'll probably like it.
So all in all, this was not up my alley at all and I am sorry about that. I was going in expecting the vivid storytelling and great characters I have encountered before and I am sorry to say, but they weren't there.
Ryah is a severely abused young woman, just shy of eighteen if I remember correctly, and Cale, the ringmaster of a circus basically picks her out of her personal hell. There shouldn't be a problem with this and I am not bothered by the violence of her background either but man, I hated the relationship between them. It was off on so many levels, starting with the glaring non use of condoms which obviously lead to a cherished pregnancy. It loomed over the plotline and the guy wanted his seed to find purpose without ever discussing the possibility with her and that bothered me on levels I don't even want to examine. The caretaker alpha on this level with a broken pushover that is Ryah was something I just couldn't enjoy. It felt shallow and reminded me of the trope based sequence of erotic romance novels vomited out every months. If you're looking for that, go for it, you'll probably like it.
So all in all, this was not up my alley at all and I am sorry about that. I was going in expecting the vivid storytelling and great characters I have encountered before and I am sorry to say, but they weren't there.
May 26, 2021
I liked it, but it didn’t blow me away. I was drawn to the story because it’s and age-gap romance, which I love, but I found it to be slightly corny and quite predictable.
May 4, 2020
Ringmaster
Brianna Hale
https://www.facebook.com/briannahaleb...
Release date 05/13/2020
Blurb :
Cale has the circus in his blood. As ringmaster and owner of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, his world is the arena, the spectacle and the heat of the spotlight. He looks out for his ragtag troupe of performers as if they’re his family, because after tragedy struck, they are.
Ryah’s been battered and bruised by life and is ready to give up. Then Cale finds her, and she runs away to join Meriful’s Traveling Circus and becomes the horseback acrobatics star she’s always dreamed of being.
What ultimately calls to her is Cale’s dangerous knife-throwing act, and the thrill of putting her life in his hands. Soon, she doesn’t want to be just part of his act. Cale’s doing his best to resist the fragile eighteen-year-old. He’s the ringmaster, but lately he’s been wondering… Who’s running rings around who?
My review :
When his latest rescue becomes more than he ever dreamed ...
I do think I picked up this book because of the world it was set in. I knew I would travel all along the circus caravans, and I loved visiting the English countryside.
It was a two tales in one book, one about closing the door of the past in order to healing and also of coming of age to find one’s true home.
Cale is every girl’s dream’s boyfriend, kind and caring and a bit broody with a dark past.
After running away from his home, he followed the road of a passing circus, there he found a kind of peace and a new family.
Ryah is living a waking nightmares, and sees no end to it, until she encounter a man who takes her under his wings, offering her a new home. She enters shy and full of doubts her new life, still soon with the other members, she finds her calling and voices what she wants.
Because if their age gap, Cale refrains to express his feelings, refusing to act on them. Why their romance takes time following them on the roads, each new stopover bringing them closer, Cale named himself her champion, and protector. First offering his shoulders for support and comfort, then making his lifelong project to be her knight in shining armor.
Their romance is a sweet and sensual one, while she learns to trust, he let the past rest to open his heart to love.
I liked their journey toward one another, with Cale taking a path down memory lane until he realizes he is the sole artisan of his happiness, if he is up to share his grief and hopes.
4.5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
Brianna Hale
https://www.facebook.com/briannahaleb...
Release date 05/13/2020
Blurb :
Cale has the circus in his blood. As ringmaster and owner of Meriful’s Traveling Circus, his world is the arena, the spectacle and the heat of the spotlight. He looks out for his ragtag troupe of performers as if they’re his family, because after tragedy struck, they are.
Ryah’s been battered and bruised by life and is ready to give up. Then Cale finds her, and she runs away to join Meriful’s Traveling Circus and becomes the horseback acrobatics star she’s always dreamed of being.
What ultimately calls to her is Cale’s dangerous knife-throwing act, and the thrill of putting her life in his hands. Soon, she doesn’t want to be just part of his act. Cale’s doing his best to resist the fragile eighteen-year-old. He’s the ringmaster, but lately he’s been wondering… Who’s running rings around who?
My review :
When his latest rescue becomes more than he ever dreamed ...
I do think I picked up this book because of the world it was set in. I knew I would travel all along the circus caravans, and I loved visiting the English countryside.
It was a two tales in one book, one about closing the door of the past in order to healing and also of coming of age to find one’s true home.
Cale is every girl’s dream’s boyfriend, kind and caring and a bit broody with a dark past.
After running away from his home, he followed the road of a passing circus, there he found a kind of peace and a new family.
Ryah is living a waking nightmares, and sees no end to it, until she encounter a man who takes her under his wings, offering her a new home. She enters shy and full of doubts her new life, still soon with the other members, she finds her calling and voices what she wants.
Because if their age gap, Cale refrains to express his feelings, refusing to act on them. Why their romance takes time following them on the roads, each new stopover bringing them closer, Cale named himself her champion, and protector. First offering his shoulders for support and comfort, then making his lifelong project to be her knight in shining armor.
Their romance is a sweet and sensual one, while she learns to trust, he let the past rest to open his heart to love.
I liked their journey toward one another, with Cale taking a path down memory lane until he realizes he is the sole artisan of his happiness, if he is up to share his grief and hopes.
4.5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
May 6, 2020
5 merriful stars!
Ringmaster is a heartfelt story that hooks you from the beginning. Brianna Hale is an amazing story-teller and Cale and Ryah’s story is one of her finest. It’s an emotional tale filled with mayhem-magic-amazement-wonder-beauty-merriment- and danger!
I loved this book from start to finish. One of my most favorites from Brianna.
Ringmaster is a heartfelt story that hooks you from the beginning. Brianna Hale is an amazing story-teller and Cale and Ryah’s story is one of her finest. It’s an emotional tale filled with mayhem-magic-amazement-wonder-beauty-merriment- and danger!
I loved this book from start to finish. One of my most favorites from Brianna.
May 27, 2020
this was definitely not what I was expecting from brianna hale - yes there was an age gap but I didn’t think it was taboo or even that forbidden honestly. this was a very slow burn romance that took me a little while to get into but I really enjoyed it. it was very sweet so fingers crossed her next book will be extra taboo !
December 18, 2021
Enjoyed this story so much. it was such a nice build up, building both the characters until they met and even more so. Cale was big, strong, protective...just droolworthy and Ryah was cute, adorable, determinded and smart. Both were broken,but found each other made was made whole again. The sex-scenes were hot as heck. Brianna Hale delivers, always. I did not give 5 stars because the ending felt a little rushed, i mean i`d love more books about the two!
May 15, 2020
Full review can be found HERE --> https://beneaththecoversblog.com/2020...
*ARC provided for a voluntary honest review.* ~Sonal
*ARC provided for a voluntary honest review.* ~Sonal
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews