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Real #5
Ripped
The fifth book in the New York Times new adult series that began with Real. When an angry, heartbroken girl is forced to be near her rocker ex-boyfriend, only time will tell if the fire between them will consume them both.
Pandora, the gothic friend of Brooke (Real, Mine, Remy) and Melanie, thought that getting her heart broken by her bad boy rocker ex could only happen once. But now, he's back in town with the biggest concert of the year. Pandora hates him so much that she gets Melanie to come with her and play a prank on him at his gig. But when they are caught by security, and her ex himself is summoned, he decides not to press charges if she'll follow certain conditions. Pandora likes none of his rules, or that he's in charge of her, especially since they seem designed to make sure she's in close contact with him again. But the closeness reignites the passion they once shared, and soon no matter how much she wants to hate him, it's clear she's still hung up on him. And worse: he knows it too.
Pandora, the gothic friend of Brooke (Real, Mine, Remy) and Melanie, thought that getting her heart broken by her bad boy rocker ex could only happen once. But now, he's back in town with the biggest concert of the year. Pandora hates him so much that she gets Melanie to come with her and play a prank on him at his gig. But when they are caught by security, and her ex himself is summoned, he decides not to press charges if she'll follow certain conditions. Pandora likes none of his rules, or that he's in charge of her, especially since they seem designed to make sure she's in close contact with him again. But the closeness reignites the passion they once shared, and soon no matter how much she wants to hate him, it's clear she's still hung up on him. And worse: he knows it too.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2014
223 people are currently reading
21k people want to read
About the author
Katy Evans
106books17.6kfollowersKaty Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 10 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.
***Katy doesn't respond to messages on this site, but you can email her at [email protected] or look her up on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 993 reviews
January 22, 2015
2–Should Have Been Better–Stars
I'll start by saying that I did like this book, the characters and the love story, but I can't give it a higher rating.
This story had so much potential to be great but the execution fell short big time. The storytelling itself felt disjointed, inconsistent, random, slightly hard to follow, and sprinkled with grammar errors and small plot holes. I liked this couple (especially their past), and as harsh as this may sound, I felt they deserved better than the erratic way their story was told. Shame on the publishing editor for not helping the author produce her best work.
Natasha is a Book Junkie did a good job explaining some of my issues in a more in depth review.
I'll start by saying that I did like this book, the characters and the love story, but I can't give it a higher rating.
This story had so much potential to be great but the execution fell short big time. The storytelling itself felt disjointed, inconsistent, random, slightly hard to follow, and sprinkled with grammar errors and small plot holes. I liked this couple (especially their past), and as harsh as this may sound, I felt they deserved better than the erratic way their story was told. Shame on the publishing editor for not helping the author produce her best work.
Natasha is a Book Junkie did a good job explaining some of my issues in a more in depth review.
July 1, 2017
1 Disappointing Star
I think I am in the minority on this one, but I'm gonna be bold and say I flat out did not like this book.
At all.
The tone felt disjointed and the characters seemed inconsistent.
Something random that was irksome to me on a totally personal level was the name of our rockstar "hero," MacKenna. I know a few MacKennas IRL...and they are all (every single one of them) little girls under the age of six.
Now, I realize this is completely petty; but it was a little hard to get into certain scenes and then have that name come up and kill my buzz.
It made me feel like a pedophile.
Seriously.
But the main reason for my dislike?
Pandora.
In the Real Series, Pandora is a cool, pissed-at-the-world badass chick. So, for this book - HER book - I was expecting...a COOL, PISSED-AT-THE-WORLD BADASS CHICK.
But instead of this?
I got this.
I swear, all Pandora did was whine and bitch and self-righteously say how she wanted...what exactly?
Yeah, who fucking knows because she went back and forth so much.
With MacKenna.
With herself.
In her own head.
All. The. Time.
Yes, I get that she's all "scarred" from her father, and her mother, and that MacKenna broke her heart way back when, but the way she tried to "get back at him?"
And don't even get me started on the band name Crack Bikini.
However, the main thing that really pissed me off?
Now, I'm sure other people might have differing opinions on that, and I get and respect that. But this is how I feel about it and I didn't like it.
Otherwise, in general, this story just did not pack the same punch as other Katy Evans books I have read (all of which I gave 4/5 stars, I believe).
Regardless, I love Katy Evans and look forward to more from her in the future. This was just a miss for me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I do not like
Green eggs and ham.
I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.
Actual review to come...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Almost here, almost here!!!
I think I am in the minority on this one, but I'm gonna be bold and say I flat out did not like this book.
At all.
The tone felt disjointed and the characters seemed inconsistent.
Something random that was irksome to me on a totally personal level was the name of our rockstar "hero," MacKenna. I know a few MacKennas IRL...and they are all (every single one of them) little girls under the age of six.
Now, I realize this is completely petty; but it was a little hard to get into certain scenes and then have that name come up and kill my buzz.
It made me feel like a pedophile.
Seriously.
But the main reason for my dislike?
Pandora.
In the Real Series, Pandora is a cool, pissed-at-the-world badass chick. So, for this book - HER book - I was expecting...a COOL, PISSED-AT-THE-WORLD BADASS CHICK.
But instead of this?
I got this.
I swear, all Pandora did was whine and bitch and self-righteously say how she wanted...what exactly?
Yeah, who fucking knows because she went back and forth so much.
With MacKenna.
With herself.
In her own head.
All. The. Time.
Yes, I get that she's all "scarred" from her father, and her mother, and that MacKenna broke her heart way back when, but the way she tried to "get back at him?"
And don't even get me started on the band name Crack Bikini.
However, the main thing that really pissed me off?
Now, I'm sure other people might have differing opinions on that, and I get and respect that. But this is how I feel about it and I didn't like it.
Otherwise, in general, this story just did not pack the same punch as other Katy Evans books I have read (all of which I gave 4/5 stars, I believe).
Regardless, I love Katy Evans and look forward to more from her in the future. This was just a miss for me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I do not like
Green eggs and ham.
I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.
Actual review to come...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Almost here, almost here!!!
August 15, 2015
5 Gripping Stars
Let me just say I freaking loved this one! I expected to like this one, but I am completely blown away by how much I just loved it. So much so that now I have to go back and catch up on the books I have missed.
Ripped is the story of Pandora and Kenna. Pandora and Kenna went to school together and dated for two years when they were in high school. Now this isn’t your typical story about a couple who dated until one of them screwed up and it led to things ending. No this is story about two people who loved each other so fiercely, but couldn’t be together due to other circumstances.
Things were perfect between Kenna and Pandora until the night he left, yes completely left town. Kenna went on to become a rockstar, and Pandora is left living with this intense hatred for Makenna.
"The kind of hatred that’s only born of an intense, out-of-this-world love that went woefully wrong.�
The story beings with Pandora learning that Kenna’s band will be in town for a show. It has been six years since they last seen each other, and Pandora decides now is the time to seek out her revenge on the man who completely broke her. She enlist her friend Melanie to help and they set their plan into action.
Now while Pandora didn’t think this through hundred percent, you can imagine what will happen when you show up at concert and throw food at the performers. Naturally they get caught and this leads to Pandora and Kenna coming face to face again. After learning that the girl their number one hit is written about is real, the manager and band want to capitalize on their relationship, but Kenna is against the truth coming out. Since both Pandora and Kenna have things they want from the manager he strikes up a deal that leads to Pandora finishing that last leg of the tour with the band.
I was crazy nervous for this, but I actually loved this part. I loved seeing them fight their feelings for each other and their witty banter. They have so much to work out and neither of them truly knows both sides of the story. None of that matters when they are together, because they can’t deny their intense physical attraction.
This story is fan yourself hot. I absolutely loved Kenna and his dirty mouth, and I loved that Pandora was down for living in the moment with him. They may move quickly into a physical relationship, but Pandora still has a lot of reservations about letting down her guard.
She doesn’t know if she can trust Kenna not to hurt her again, she doesn’t even know if she wants to. While Kenna has been out living the rockstar life, Pandora has been living with the anger and malice she still feels for Kenna. Both Kenna and Pandora made mistakes in the past, neither of them is innocent. Together they have decide if they can truly trust each other and move on from the their rocky past or just enjoy the physical part of their relationship until they part ways again.
Like I said this story blew me away. I love how hot it was, while still having a ton of heart. Kenna is perfect. He is sexy as sin with his dirty mouth, and then the things he does for her to prove he is really in this are so freaking sweet. He is literally the perfect balance. Pandora may have frustrated me at times, but after learning the whole story I completely forgive her. I loved both of these character and loved them together.
I highly recommend this story, it is full of heart, humor and hot rockstar sex.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
December 9, 2014
LIVE-
ROCK ON
Second chance romance between a hottie rocker and a goth girl have Ripped burning up my kindle. “Pandora, the day I walked away from you was the day I f*cking ripped my own heart out.�
Kennais the hot rocker that every woman is willing to drop her panties for. While Pandora is the girl who was left behind. Feeling dejected by the abrupt departure of Kenna from Pandora’s life leaves her confused and on a mission to destroy all things pertaining to Kenna. Bitterness and loneliness are driving forces in Pandora’s quest to annihilate Kenna’s career.
Through a series of events Pandora is acquainted with Kenna and she must decide if too many promises were broken and too many lies were told for them to rekindle what they once had as teen lovers.
Kenna’s heartfelt love for Pandora ripped at my heart. His love for her was so thoughtful.
In the REAL series I’ve only read this book and the first book. Sounds like I missed out on some great stories by skipping 3 books. I’m looking forward to going back and reading Greyson’s book (#4). Whenever I'm driving the kids to school and ‘Iris� by Goo-Goo Dolls comes on it makes me smile because it reminds me of this series.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦�
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2014
Pre-order | order:
SERIES:
REAL - no cliffhanger | MINE - continuing story | REMY - Remy's POV of REAL & MINE | Rogue - Greyson's story | RIPPED - Pandora's story
To find out when the next book will be released click here.
ROCK ON
Second chance romance between a hottie rocker and a goth girl have Ripped burning up my kindle. “Pandora, the day I walked away from you was the day I f*cking ripped my own heart out.�
Kennais the hot rocker that every woman is willing to drop her panties for. While Pandora is the girl who was left behind. Feeling dejected by the abrupt departure of Kenna from Pandora’s life leaves her confused and on a mission to destroy all things pertaining to Kenna. Bitterness and loneliness are driving forces in Pandora’s quest to annihilate Kenna’s career.
Through a series of events Pandora is acquainted with Kenna and she must decide if too many promises were broken and too many lies were told for them to rekindle what they once had as teen lovers.
Kenna’s heartfelt love for Pandora ripped at my heart. His love for her was so thoughtful.
In the REAL series I’ve only read this book and the first book. Sounds like I missed out on some great stories by skipping 3 books. I’m looking forward to going back and reading Greyson’s book (#4). Whenever I'm driving the kids to school and ‘Iris� by Goo-Goo Dolls comes on it makes me smile because it reminds me of this series.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦�
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2014
Pre-order | order:
SERIES:
REAL - no cliffhanger | MINE - continuing story | REMY - Remy's POV of REAL & MINE | Rogue - Greyson's story | RIPPED - Pandora's story
To find out when the next book will be released click here.
January 1, 2015
4 Ripped Stars.
Pandora and Kenna were in love once. But their lives were complicated so they decided to run away together. But in the night they would run together, he never show up.
Fast forward six years. Pandora never got over him neither did she trust another man again. Kenna is now a playboy rock-star.
With revenge in her mind she goes to one of his concerts and ends up going on tour with him by idea of their manager. (They’re doing a movie about them and they believe Pandora’s presence will create drama.)
She still wants revenge. He doesn’t want her there. But when they spend time together again and the secrets from the past are all put to test, everything will change. And this time there’s no turning back.
The first 30% of this book I was not happy with it. First there was too much resentment and miscommunication. And I hate when drama prolongs itself when a simple 10 minute conversation would solve everything. Luckily, after that it really picked up and I loved how they reconnect with each other. This was a sexy romance with really god moments so of you’re into the rock star type, try this one.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Characters Development: Pandora were a little too doormat for me in the beginning. She hated him (and with reason to) but 5 minutes alone with him and she was forgetting everything. Kenna was also a little too hard for me in the beginning because I struggled to get past all his “masks� to get into the real him. But when they both stopped being stupid and resentful, I really liked them! Lacked a little in supporting characters, they just appeared once in a while and even the previous couples didn’t very small appearances in the book.
Steam: Hot.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
Pandora and Kenna were in love once. But their lives were complicated so they decided to run away together. But in the night they would run together, he never show up.
Fast forward six years. Pandora never got over him neither did she trust another man again. Kenna is now a playboy rock-star.
With revenge in her mind she goes to one of his concerts and ends up going on tour with him by idea of their manager. (They’re doing a movie about them and they believe Pandora’s presence will create drama.)
She still wants revenge. He doesn’t want her there. But when they spend time together again and the secrets from the past are all put to test, everything will change. And this time there’s no turning back.
The first 30% of this book I was not happy with it. First there was too much resentment and miscommunication. And I hate when drama prolongs itself when a simple 10 minute conversation would solve everything. Luckily, after that it really picked up and I loved how they reconnect with each other. This was a sexy romance with really god moments so of you’re into the rock star type, try this one.
Rating: 4 Stars.
Characters Development: Pandora were a little too doormat for me in the beginning. She hated him (and with reason to) but 5 minutes alone with him and she was forgetting everything. Kenna was also a little too hard for me in the beginning because I struggled to get past all his “masks� to get into the real him. But when they both stopped being stupid and resentful, I really liked them! Lacked a little in supporting characters, they just appeared once in a while and even the previous couples didn’t very small appearances in the book.
Steam: Hot.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
December 8, 2013
Ugh!I'm so tired of reading a series about a certain couple and then half way through they change the main characters!
December 28, 2014
4 - 4.5 �'s
This is the book I've been waiting for since we met Pandora. I've been dying to know what happened to her and we finally get to find out.
Okay, so first things first...the band name, Crack Bikini, is kind of weird but it sort of grew on me. I just wish that we got the reason for the name. And Mackenna's different wigs, body glitter and all the dancers...I just couldn't really wrap my mind around it.
But I loved, loved, loved Mackenna and Pandora's past and all the drama and angst with them reuniting. It was sooo good. Some things were a bit cheesy and over the top but I just thought their intensity together was amazing!
Mackenna and Pandora were young lovers but secret lovers...it all had to do with his dad being arrested for drug dealing and her mom being the DA that was prosecuting him. And then just when Mackenna and Pandora were going to take off together, he takes off by himself instead. It takes a while to get to the reasons and I felt it was a little lame especially since he still feels so strongly.
And boy, are these guys steamy! Mackenna is a dirty talker too, although this is where some of the cheesy stuff comes in for me.
What happened with Pandora surprised me...although I'm not really sure why, I should've seen it coming. I really do think that
I really liked all the get togethers with Brooke and Remy and Melanie and Greyson. It was great seeing all the friendships grow. And I was happy that Pandora was finally getting some of the romance she always wanted.
Of course, the epilogue is amazing. It was great how everything came together and worked out. One thing is left unfinished and I heard there's a possibility for more of a story which I would just love!
Favorite quotes:
� “Don’t ruin it,� he says, setting his forehead on mine and sighing, “but you’d be surprised to know what I’d give to hear this mouth tell me how it really feels about me.�
� "Never, ever date a musician. Other men will never compare."
� “I had your heart once, Pink, and it wasn’t enough. I have your body now, but it’s not enough.� He holds my face in order to force my eyes to stay on his as he demands, “I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your fucking soul. I want it all.�
� “Come on, babe. Only three words.� He brushes my ear with his lips, his voice urgent, almost pleading. “They’re like magic. Say them, and good things start happening.�
� "I Live For You."
� Pre-review...
woohoooo!! im excited about Pandora's story and this Rockstar!!
This is the book I've been waiting for since we met Pandora. I've been dying to know what happened to her and we finally get to find out.
Okay, so first things first...the band name, Crack Bikini, is kind of weird but it sort of grew on me. I just wish that we got the reason for the name. And Mackenna's different wigs, body glitter and all the dancers...I just couldn't really wrap my mind around it.
But I loved, loved, loved Mackenna and Pandora's past and all the drama and angst with them reuniting. It was sooo good. Some things were a bit cheesy and over the top but I just thought their intensity together was amazing!
Mackenna and Pandora were young lovers but secret lovers...it all had to do with his dad being arrested for drug dealing and her mom being the DA that was prosecuting him. And then just when Mackenna and Pandora were going to take off together, he takes off by himself instead. It takes a while to get to the reasons and I felt it was a little lame especially since he still feels so strongly.
And boy, are these guys steamy! Mackenna is a dirty talker too, although this is where some of the cheesy stuff comes in for me.
What happened with Pandora surprised me...although I'm not really sure why, I should've seen it coming. I really do think that
I really liked all the get togethers with Brooke and Remy and Melanie and Greyson. It was great seeing all the friendships grow. And I was happy that Pandora was finally getting some of the romance she always wanted.
Of course, the epilogue is amazing. It was great how everything came together and worked out. One thing is left unfinished and I heard there's a possibility for more of a story which I would just love!
Favorite quotes:
� “Don’t ruin it,� he says, setting his forehead on mine and sighing, “but you’d be surprised to know what I’d give to hear this mouth tell me how it really feels about me.�
� "Never, ever date a musician. Other men will never compare."
� “I had your heart once, Pink, and it wasn’t enough. I have your body now, but it’s not enough.� He holds my face in order to force my eyes to stay on his as he demands, “I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your fucking soul. I want it all.�
� “Come on, babe. Only three words.� He brushes my ear with his lips, his voice urgent, almost pleading. “They’re like magic. Say them, and good things start happening.�
� "I Live For You."
� Pre-review...
woohoooo!! im excited about Pandora's story and this Rockstar!!
December 15, 2014
“We’ve hurt each other too much. Our past runs too deep. We can’t suddenly just be . . . happy.�
I am so distressed over this book, I could cry. After reading and loving its prequel in the series, I was positive that this story would undoubtedly end up becoming another instant favourite of mine, especially since it centred around my so-called ‘golden trifecta’—a second chance at love story, a bad boy rock star, a sassy heroine—but nothing about the end product made me weak at the knees, and everything about it left a bland taste in my mouth. I had huge expectations of this book, even bigger of the scenario in question, and yet I somehow ended up walking away baffled by all the ways this novel fell short of all I hoped to find between its pages. A teenage romance ending in two broken hearts who never got over each other, this is a story of second chances, of stolen meant-to-bes, of forgiveness, and of healing, and while I was disappointed with the overall picture, I did finish this book, I never was tempted to give up on it, and it did not in any way deter me from picking up any subsequent works by this author.
“He was my first love and my first everything, including my first heartbreak.�
The pain from having your heart broken at seventeen by the one and only love of your life is something Pandora Stone has had to live with for six long years, her heart only breaking even further every time she heard a song by the ever-popular band Crack Bikini. But when the band comes to perform in her home town, Pandora decides to finally unleash her wrath and show its lead singer exactly what she thinks of him and the lyrics he wrote about her. Armed with tomatoes.
“Hating him is all that keeps me sane. Hating him means what he did to me doesn’t matter.�
Mackenna Jones never expected to lock eyes with the woman he never got over in the middle of a sold-out concert while at the receiving end of tomatoes being thrown his way. His reluctant muse and the inspiration behind some of his greatest hits, Pandora has been his only love and his greatest regret. They never saw each other after he disappeared from her life and left her without even a goodbye, but he never forgot her or stopped loving her. So nothing could have prepared him for the blatant hatred in her eyes, or her unrepentant desire to humiliate him in public. Let alone her willingness to agree to go on tour with the band in an effort to humiliate him even further and keep giving him hell.
“Pandora. My nightmare, my dreams, my walking, talking fantasy.�
What starts as an act of vengeance and a desperate attempt to get closure, slowly becomes something neither of them are able to stop or deny—a sizzling battle of wills that always ends up with them tangled around each other, making up for all they lost, missed, and could not wait to get back. They quarrel, they hurt one another, but each night, their succumb to their bodies and the memories of a time when all they wanted out of life was to be each other’s everything.
“You’ll never have me again.�
“Your lips say one thing but the rest of you screams the opposite.�
But six years have changed them both, deeply and painfully, and while happiness might appear to be finally with their reach, embracing that happiness is not an easy feat, especially when one of them is convinced that her sins have erased any trace of the girl she once used to be, leaving behind an empty shell with nothing more to give, and the other still carries the burden of the reasons he once walked away from his girl in the first place.
“I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your f*cking soul. I want it all.�
“You can’t have it all. You already took it. You took it, and now I have nothing left to give to anyone.�
I have to say that I truly loved these characters from the get-go, but I simply never got an opportunity to fully understand them and thus connect with them. They were full of contradictions and the holes in their character development stopped me from enjoying their story. Or often make sense of it. And even returning characters from previous books acted oddly and did not seem themselves at all. The flow of the entire book is splintered by rough transitions, awkward random monologues that felt repetitive and unnecessary, and by obvious gaps in the story itself, greatly affecting the smooth pace and progression of the storyline. Personally, it felt to me like this particular scenario had all the foundations for a great, unforgettable story, and it kept building itself up, more and more, but continuously failing to capitalise on everything it built up, and eventually crashing down like a house of cards without even offering the reader a true climax. I wanted to love this book, I would have been happy even just liking this book, but I found myself unable to do so because this story could have been so much more. And it simply wasn’t.
“Once, her mother told me I wasn’t good enough for her. I vowed to her that in a few years I was going to be good enough for any woman’s daughter . . . especially hers.�
[2.5 STARS]
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February 9, 2016
4 Mackenna stars
I love this series. I know there are a lot of negative reviews towards the Real series. I get it, many thought it ended and why do spin-offs? Well, I love additional characters. I love reading not only new characters, but different ones.
Now, it’s the sexy rocker and his name is Mackenna.
Summary
6 Years ago Pandora and Mackenna had a crazy relationship. They took each other’s virginity and swore to runaway together.
Of course that didn’t happen.
And it’s years later and Pandora is still angry. Mackenna is now a famous sexy rocker and his band is in town.
Pandora is going to the concert �. For revenge.
Pandora
I get Pandora’s anger. Mackenna and Pandora had a plan. They would met up and go off to the sunset together, but Mackenna never shows up. I feel for Pandora. I would be angry too. He took her V card! So she wants to show up at the concert and she does, but when she leaves, she leaves signing a contract. She now is going to star in a reality movie with Mackenna.
Crazy right? I really like the plot.
Mackenna
I will be honest, Mackenna isn’t my favorite Hero. He plays for a band called Crack Bikini (I know I cringed a little too), he smokes e-cigarettes, wears make-up and wears wigs. I had to look past the superficial stuff to get into him. Mackenna is very complex, his dad was into drugs and even though Mackenna is super rich and famous, he still feels like a shell.
Overall
I liked Pandora and Mackenna’s bickering. Both hate each other and the banter is very comical and adds juiciness to the storyline. Despite the hate, they both are very attracted to each other still, so you can imagine the steamy scenes.
I liked when Pandora and Mackenna got more into the past and we start to piece some of it together. You get a little bit of both sides. A lot is revealed. Both characters did frustrate me at some points, but it added some nice tension.
If you are a fan of the series, you will like this one.
An Arc was provided in exchange for an honest review
Series Order (MUST BE READ IN ORDER)
REVIEW |
REVIEW | AMAZON
REVIEW | AMAZON
REVIEW |
I love this series. I know there are a lot of negative reviews towards the Real series. I get it, many thought it ended and why do spin-offs? Well, I love additional characters. I love reading not only new characters, but different ones.
Now, it’s the sexy rocker and his name is Mackenna.
Summary
6 Years ago Pandora and Mackenna had a crazy relationship. They took each other’s virginity and swore to runaway together.
Of course that didn’t happen.
And it’s years later and Pandora is still angry. Mackenna is now a famous sexy rocker and his band is in town.
Pandora is going to the concert �. For revenge.
Pandora
I get Pandora’s anger. Mackenna and Pandora had a plan. They would met up and go off to the sunset together, but Mackenna never shows up. I feel for Pandora. I would be angry too. He took her V card! So she wants to show up at the concert and she does, but when she leaves, she leaves signing a contract. She now is going to star in a reality movie with Mackenna.
Crazy right? I really like the plot.
Mackenna
I will be honest, Mackenna isn’t my favorite Hero. He plays for a band called Crack Bikini (I know I cringed a little too), he smokes e-cigarettes, wears make-up and wears wigs. I had to look past the superficial stuff to get into him. Mackenna is very complex, his dad was into drugs and even though Mackenna is super rich and famous, he still feels like a shell.
Overall
I liked Pandora and Mackenna’s bickering. Both hate each other and the banter is very comical and adds juiciness to the storyline. Despite the hate, they both are very attracted to each other still, so you can imagine the steamy scenes.
I liked when Pandora and Mackenna got more into the past and we start to piece some of it together. You get a little bit of both sides. A lot is revealed. Both characters did frustrate me at some points, but it added some nice tension.
If you are a fan of the series, you will like this one.
An Arc was provided in exchange for an honest review
Series Order (MUST BE READ IN ORDER)
REVIEW |
REVIEW | AMAZON
REVIEW | AMAZON
REVIEW |
September 22, 2017
ROCK STAR ROMANCE
Everybody knows that I'm a total sucker for Rockstars...
and this one was just PERFECT!!!!!
Kenna was sooooo hot and THANK YOU GOD OF ALL FICTIONAL ROCKSTARS - he looks NOTHING like the guy on the cover?!?!?!?! The covermodel looks like a weird vampire-wanna-be-rocker... Kenna is all tanned and has no strange facial hair and the tattoos are missing too. I always like it better when the people on the cover look at least somewhere close to the characters...like in �
But the cover didn't stop me from reading it - Katy had me at the word ROCKSTAR �
And the story was just perfect! Highschool sweethearts. Six years later they meet again. She has soo much hate for him - but of course she still loves him. It was so beautiful to watch the two of them fight through all the hate and guilt and whatnot ...
PERFECT!!!!! And we got to see our beloved Remy and Grayson again too. Ugh... FIVE BIG AND FAT STARS for this Rock-Star-Romance!
December 10, 2014
3 - "I heard you the first time." Stars.
I am a big fan of Katy Evans, her books and the Real series in general. Like all good relationships we have had our ups in the books Real, Remy & Rogue, and our downs with Mine and now Ripped.
The writing in Ripped is still top notch, Katy has a style that can at times be quite fast paced, almost lyrical in its delivery that pulls you in and keeps you reading in an almost poetic way.
What I liked.
The writing mainly, and I enjoyed the snarky banter between Mackenna and Pandora initially.
What I disliked.
Unfortunately this list is a lot longer, because I really felt like this book was just a mash-up of a lot of the popular tropes that are selling right now �
� Misunderstood rock-star
� Second chance love
� Man hating woman
� Totally absurd reason for them to meet again
� An even more absurd reason for them to then have to stay within the vicinity of each other.
� Totally predictable skeletons in the closet.
I have no problem with any of the above, but nothing really gelled or stood out, and the things that did were more because I couldn’t actually fathom out their relevance, like Mackenna’s penchant for wigs on stage, or the ridiculous band name ’Crack Bikini� I may not be down with the kidz with my advanced years but, really is that the best name that anyone could come up with, the constant repetition of certain words and phrases seemed to be even more evident in this book than earlier ones in the series as well.
The first 50% of the story was basically a merry go round of ’I hate you� � ‘No I hate you more� � ‘You still want to fuck me though� � ‘No I don’t, I hate you�. This then switched up in the second half a bit to ’I hate you� � ‘No I hate you more� � ‘Fuck me now � ‘I still hate you�.
”Let’s not confuse what we’re doing here.�
Katy like a lot of authors seems to produce her books with a certain recipe in place, especially where her leading men are concerned, and for the most part it works. Remy had deep mental issues and you could empathize with his need to act and behave certain ways, as well as the repetitiveness of certain aspects of his personality and nature in general. Grayson was the same in that he liked control and dominance and I loved him too. I think this is mainly because he had a strong partner in Melanie, like Remy did with Brooke, and that strength and confidence worked in the respect of the building of their stories and relationships in general.
But Mackenna for all the mentioning of his ‘silver eyes�, ‘sexy round scalp�, ‘silver thumb ring� (another thing that I have absolutely no idea of its relevance) and ‘sexy buzz cut hair�, as well as the constant use of the word ‘Hot� in relation to him and anything he did, did not have a strong adversary in Pandora. I found her actions, behavior, internal monologue and decisions to be childish for the most part, apart from the sex it was more like reading about a teenager having a perpetual tantrum most of the time, and as the book progressed it got pretty bloody annoying.
The big second reveal towards the end of the book in addition to the original reasons as to why they separated 6 years ago, seemed an unnecessary addition to be honest, and the ending was all a little too ‘Cheesy� for my tastes.
There are people who have an effect on your life. And then there are people who become your life.
This isn’t a bad book, but I think Ripped and its predecessor, would possibly have been better released as a separate series. The intimation that these two books have anything to do with the awesomeness that is Remington ‘Riptide� Tate is a little misleading, yes he is mentioned and features extremely briefly in both, but the stories as a whole have absolutely nothing to do with him, and for me make it is hard to actually justify them as continuation of the first 3 books that were released.
I would like to see Katy sink her teeth into something different now; let the characters that were born in Real and that have developed over the last five books rest. There is no doubt that she has firmly established that she can write a hot alpha male. But I think this recipe that has been cooked up in its various forms in the last 5 books needs have more than a few ingredients changed for future stories.
ARC generously provided by the Publisher, in exchange for the above honest review.
I am a big fan of Katy Evans, her books and the Real series in general. Like all good relationships we have had our ups in the books Real, Remy & Rogue, and our downs with Mine and now Ripped.
The writing in Ripped is still top notch, Katy has a style that can at times be quite fast paced, almost lyrical in its delivery that pulls you in and keeps you reading in an almost poetic way.
What I liked.
The writing mainly, and I enjoyed the snarky banter between Mackenna and Pandora initially.
What I disliked.
Unfortunately this list is a lot longer, because I really felt like this book was just a mash-up of a lot of the popular tropes that are selling right now �
� Misunderstood rock-star
� Second chance love
� Man hating woman
� Totally absurd reason for them to meet again
� An even more absurd reason for them to then have to stay within the vicinity of each other.
� Totally predictable skeletons in the closet.
I have no problem with any of the above, but nothing really gelled or stood out, and the things that did were more because I couldn’t actually fathom out their relevance, like Mackenna’s penchant for wigs on stage, or the ridiculous band name ’Crack Bikini� I may not be down with the kidz with my advanced years but, really is that the best name that anyone could come up with, the constant repetition of certain words and phrases seemed to be even more evident in this book than earlier ones in the series as well.
The first 50% of the story was basically a merry go round of ’I hate you� � ‘No I hate you more� � ‘You still want to fuck me though� � ‘No I don’t, I hate you�. This then switched up in the second half a bit to ’I hate you� � ‘No I hate you more� � ‘Fuck me now � ‘I still hate you�.
”Let’s not confuse what we’re doing here.�
Katy like a lot of authors seems to produce her books with a certain recipe in place, especially where her leading men are concerned, and for the most part it works. Remy had deep mental issues and you could empathize with his need to act and behave certain ways, as well as the repetitiveness of certain aspects of his personality and nature in general. Grayson was the same in that he liked control and dominance and I loved him too. I think this is mainly because he had a strong partner in Melanie, like Remy did with Brooke, and that strength and confidence worked in the respect of the building of their stories and relationships in general.
But Mackenna for all the mentioning of his ‘silver eyes�, ‘sexy round scalp�, ‘silver thumb ring� (another thing that I have absolutely no idea of its relevance) and ‘sexy buzz cut hair�, as well as the constant use of the word ‘Hot� in relation to him and anything he did, did not have a strong adversary in Pandora. I found her actions, behavior, internal monologue and decisions to be childish for the most part, apart from the sex it was more like reading about a teenager having a perpetual tantrum most of the time, and as the book progressed it got pretty bloody annoying.
The big second reveal towards the end of the book in addition to the original reasons as to why they separated 6 years ago, seemed an unnecessary addition to be honest, and the ending was all a little too ‘Cheesy� for my tastes.
There are people who have an effect on your life. And then there are people who become your life.
This isn’t a bad book, but I think Ripped and its predecessor, would possibly have been better released as a separate series. The intimation that these two books have anything to do with the awesomeness that is Remington ‘Riptide� Tate is a little misleading, yes he is mentioned and features extremely briefly in both, but the stories as a whole have absolutely nothing to do with him, and for me make it is hard to actually justify them as continuation of the first 3 books that were released.
I would like to see Katy sink her teeth into something different now; let the characters that were born in Real and that have developed over the last five books rest. There is no doubt that she has firmly established that she can write a hot alpha male. But I think this recipe that has been cooked up in its various forms in the last 5 books needs have more than a few ingredients changed for future stories.
ARC generously provided by the Publisher, in exchange for the above honest review.
May 23, 2015
4,5 Stars!
I had such a good time with this one and to be honest i wasn't so sure at the beginning. After Mine and Remy, my expectation weren't too high, but i'm glad to say Katy Evans did a great job in Ripped.
Kenna and Pandora share an amazing young love that of course ends in a gruesome, life-altering and heartbreaking way. Their break-up is anything but clean, it's mind-numbing and painful even after six whole years. But maybe now is the right time for a second chance finally.
Kenna became a big rockstar with many vices and solely depending on his coping mechanisms, sex and alcohol being the two most notable of them. The same happened to Pandora, she became even more closed off, darker and distant. She rarely smiles nowdays.
But when Kenna and his band have a huge concert in Seattle, Pandora is ready to get her revenge by doing something reckless in order to humiliate him the way he humiliated her and ridiculed their love with his stupid song, Pandora's Kiss. But she will get more than she ever thought possible. Some explanations for starters that are way overdue, a chance to kiss and fuck him out of her system and in the end even more.
I personally loved their young romance, it was so sweet and beautiful, tender and pure. The book has a good pace and the arc is very entertaining. All in all it's a fleshed out story, with many sexy times, a hot main hero and an interesting heroine. I definitely want to know more about their future and if we are lucky the next book will feature someone close to them, so we will find out more.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK
- The promising ring was so amazing and romantic.
- We get a few glimpses of the other characters of the series, like Remy, Brooke, Melanie and Greyson.
- Dual POV mainly Pandora's.
- Magnolia was wonderful.
- The twins were cute. They fell a little short at first but they managed to pique my interest in the end. I definitely want to read their stories.
- Tension and passion
- His Tattoo!! *giggle*
- Her secret is heartbreaking, i suspected it early but when it happened i was devastated.
- I liked the songs and the lullaby was incredible.
- The cover is awesome.
- I definitely want more.
I had such a good time with this one and to be honest i wasn't so sure at the beginning. After Mine and Remy, my expectation weren't too high, but i'm glad to say Katy Evans did a great job in Ripped.
Kenna and Pandora share an amazing young love that of course ends in a gruesome, life-altering and heartbreaking way. Their break-up is anything but clean, it's mind-numbing and painful even after six whole years. But maybe now is the right time for a second chance finally.
Kenna became a big rockstar with many vices and solely depending on his coping mechanisms, sex and alcohol being the two most notable of them. The same happened to Pandora, she became even more closed off, darker and distant. She rarely smiles nowdays.
But when Kenna and his band have a huge concert in Seattle, Pandora is ready to get her revenge by doing something reckless in order to humiliate him the way he humiliated her and ridiculed their love with his stupid song, Pandora's Kiss. But she will get more than she ever thought possible. Some explanations for starters that are way overdue, a chance to kiss and fuck him out of her system and in the end even more.
I personally loved their young romance, it was so sweet and beautiful, tender and pure. The book has a good pace and the arc is very entertaining. All in all it's a fleshed out story, with many sexy times, a hot main hero and an interesting heroine. I definitely want to know more about their future and if we are lucky the next book will feature someone close to them, so we will find out more.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK
- The promising ring was so amazing and romantic.
- We get a few glimpses of the other characters of the series, like Remy, Brooke, Melanie and Greyson.
- Dual POV mainly Pandora's.
- Magnolia was wonderful.
- The twins were cute. They fell a little short at first but they managed to pique my interest in the end. I definitely want to read their stories.
- Tension and passion
- His Tattoo!! *giggle*
- Her secret is heartbreaking, i suspected it early but when it happened i was devastated.
- I liked the songs and the lullaby was incredible.
- The cover is awesome.
- I definitely want more.
Want to read
November 16, 2014December 9th
December 18, 2014
"To second chances, especially the chance to do it right."
4.5 Fantastic Stars
It all started with Remy and Brooke. Love blooming in the most unlikely place. What happens when love has bloomed and then been trampled on and left to die? Throughout the Real series we have read about the damaged goth friend Pandora. We have sympathized with her, been annoyed by her, and watched her envy her friends as they found their prince charming. Why is Pandora the woman that she is? Ripped is the story of what happens when love goes wrong.
As the story begins, Pandora drags Melanie to a packed rock concert. Armed with rotten tomatoes, eggs, and other paraphernalia Pandora wants to get revenge on the lead singer Kenna. He broke her heart many years before. She wants to humiliate him and make him pay. Kenna was her first love. He left her. When he left, she became so broken that she has yet to recover from the loss.
"I swear I haven’t had sex in so long, I’ve been revirginized. I can’t even remember what feeling good feels like."-Pandora
The raucous causes Pandora to attract the attention of the band's manager. Because Kenna has written a hit song about his romance with Pandora, she is quite a legend.
"Those harlot’s lips To taste and torment me Those little tricks That tease and torture me"-Kenna
The band manager decides that Pandora should tour for a few weeks with the band. The world will have the chance to witness the heartbreak romance of Kenna and the infamous Pandora. The financial gain for Pandora is so great that she doesn't hesitate to take the offer. Before she knows what has hit her, she is touring with the band. She is forced to spend time with the one man that stole her happiness away.
Kenna is a bad boy with a filthy mouth. He makes no apologies for who he is.
"I like bad things� booze, threesomes, orgies, smoking. But the baddest thing I’ve ever wanted is Pandora."-Kenna
Despite his rock god persona, there is just something about him that oozes tenderness. We recognize it as the love he still harbors for Pandora.
After all of these years, the heart break, the hurt, the tears, Kenna decides that he wants Pandora back.
No matter what happens, Pandora refuses to let him in. She has been burned to badly to open herself up to him again.
"No, we can’t, because I’m too wimpy to survive him twice. Because even if he likes me a little bit once more, he won’t like me for real when he learns what sort of secrets I hide . You get struck by lightning once and survive, lucky you, but you won’t survive twice. That’s for sure."-Pandora
There is so much happening beneath the action of this piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the dual POV that this author gifted to her readers. I found it critical in order to understand both Kenna and Pandora. It is so important that the reader remain neutral as events are unfolded and things begin to fall in to place. The story also shifts in time from the past to the present. I tend to get annoyed and confused when books time warp. However, in Ripped I thoroughly enjoyed the reminicsing that took place between these two characters.
"We were both virgins once. You’d expect it to be awkward that first time, but it wasn’t. It felt like being swept up by a storm. Disheveled and destroyed inside on some level I never recovered from. When we were done, she was softly crying in my arms. I felt as unhinged as a building shaken to its foundations. I’d lost control, and so had she. I didn’t know what to do, what I’d done wrong, how to make it right."
You want the miscommunication to end. You want these two characters to just sit down and fight it out. The reader is left dying to know what happened! How did these two ever break apart?
“Because you’ll hold my hand, and I’ll get used to the way it feels, and before I know it, you’ll let go of it . . . again,�
“I had your heart once, Pink, and it wasn’t enough. I have your body now, but it’s not enough .� He holds my face in order to force my eyes to stay on his as he demands, “I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your fucking soul. I want it all."-Kenna
Overall, Ripped is not your typical rock star read. Kenna deep down just wants a normal life. The writing style of Katy Evans is fluid and easy to live in! Kenna and Pandora are both beautiful characters. I do not want to give anything away regarding the outcome of the story. I only wish to say that I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of second chances, steamy sex, high tension, and a ton of verbal sparring. I can honestly say that the theme has been explored in numerous books before. However, the execution of this story will leave you breathless.
4.5 Fantastic Stars
It all started with Remy and Brooke. Love blooming in the most unlikely place. What happens when love has bloomed and then been trampled on and left to die? Throughout the Real series we have read about the damaged goth friend Pandora. We have sympathized with her, been annoyed by her, and watched her envy her friends as they found their prince charming. Why is Pandora the woman that she is? Ripped is the story of what happens when love goes wrong.
As the story begins, Pandora drags Melanie to a packed rock concert. Armed with rotten tomatoes, eggs, and other paraphernalia Pandora wants to get revenge on the lead singer Kenna. He broke her heart many years before. She wants to humiliate him and make him pay. Kenna was her first love. He left her. When he left, she became so broken that she has yet to recover from the loss.
"I swear I haven’t had sex in so long, I’ve been revirginized. I can’t even remember what feeling good feels like."-Pandora
The raucous causes Pandora to attract the attention of the band's manager. Because Kenna has written a hit song about his romance with Pandora, she is quite a legend.
"Those harlot’s lips To taste and torment me Those little tricks That tease and torture me"-Kenna
The band manager decides that Pandora should tour for a few weeks with the band. The world will have the chance to witness the heartbreak romance of Kenna and the infamous Pandora. The financial gain for Pandora is so great that she doesn't hesitate to take the offer. Before she knows what has hit her, she is touring with the band. She is forced to spend time with the one man that stole her happiness away.
Kenna is a bad boy with a filthy mouth. He makes no apologies for who he is.
"I like bad things� booze, threesomes, orgies, smoking. But the baddest thing I’ve ever wanted is Pandora."-Kenna
Despite his rock god persona, there is just something about him that oozes tenderness. We recognize it as the love he still harbors for Pandora.
After all of these years, the heart break, the hurt, the tears, Kenna decides that he wants Pandora back.
No matter what happens, Pandora refuses to let him in. She has been burned to badly to open herself up to him again.
"No, we can’t, because I’m too wimpy to survive him twice. Because even if he likes me a little bit once more, he won’t like me for real when he learns what sort of secrets I hide . You get struck by lightning once and survive, lucky you, but you won’t survive twice. That’s for sure."-Pandora
There is so much happening beneath the action of this piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the dual POV that this author gifted to her readers. I found it critical in order to understand both Kenna and Pandora. It is so important that the reader remain neutral as events are unfolded and things begin to fall in to place. The story also shifts in time from the past to the present. I tend to get annoyed and confused when books time warp. However, in Ripped I thoroughly enjoyed the reminicsing that took place between these two characters.
"We were both virgins once. You’d expect it to be awkward that first time, but it wasn’t. It felt like being swept up by a storm. Disheveled and destroyed inside on some level I never recovered from. When we were done, she was softly crying in my arms. I felt as unhinged as a building shaken to its foundations. I’d lost control, and so had she. I didn’t know what to do, what I’d done wrong, how to make it right."
You want the miscommunication to end. You want these two characters to just sit down and fight it out. The reader is left dying to know what happened! How did these two ever break apart?
“Because you’ll hold my hand, and I’ll get used to the way it feels, and before I know it, you’ll let go of it . . . again,�
“I had your heart once, Pink, and it wasn’t enough. I have your body now, but it’s not enough .� He holds my face in order to force my eyes to stay on his as he demands, “I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your fucking soul. I want it all."-Kenna
Overall, Ripped is not your typical rock star read. Kenna deep down just wants a normal life. The writing style of Katy Evans is fluid and easy to live in! Kenna and Pandora are both beautiful characters. I do not want to give anything away regarding the outcome of the story. I only wish to say that I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of second chances, steamy sex, high tension, and a ton of verbal sparring. I can honestly say that the theme has been explored in numerous books before. However, the execution of this story will leave you breathless.
May 3, 2014
After reading the blurb, all I thought about was...
"NOPE!"
Who calls their band CRACK BIKINI??? Is that a hole in your swimsuit? Their band name has no appeal whatsoever and I can't even imagine listening to their music in real life.
Next, this story should have been written as a different series not as a continued sequel of Remy. Remy's story is all about being a fighter then we get a hero who's a singer?! It's not even in the same league.
I was so excited to read more of Remy but hey, we get Crack Bikini instead.
"NOPE!"
Who calls their band CRACK BIKINI??? Is that a hole in your swimsuit? Their band name has no appeal whatsoever and I can't even imagine listening to their music in real life.
Next, this story should have been written as a different series not as a continued sequel of Remy. Remy's story is all about being a fighter then we get a hero who's a singer?! It's not even in the same league.
I was so excited to read more of Remy but hey, we get Crack Bikini instead.
November 13, 2014
Katy, totally hit it out of the park with Mackenna and Pandora! There is steam, there is emotion and there is BRILLIANT writing. I swear this woman NEVER disappoints me with her books. These characters STOLE my heart and I LOVED every second of reading this book!
October 6, 2018
This book reminds me of books by jessica clare. A lot of steamy build up to the main course but not enough story to support it.
Pandora is confusing. She portrays as sassy and fun girl. Then she suddenly becomes needy and annoying.
But mckenna.... he is a true rock and roll god. He is so.... sexy. Mckenna reminds me of lenny kravitz. A sex god. I wish there is more on his POV instead of Pandora's POV.
3 stars.
Pandora is confusing. She portrays as sassy and fun girl. Then she suddenly becomes needy and annoying.
But mckenna.... he is a true rock and roll god. He is so.... sexy. Mckenna reminds me of lenny kravitz. A sex god. I wish there is more on his POV instead of Pandora's POV.
3 stars.
September 10, 2017
Ripped is a second chance romance about Brooke and Melanie's goth friend Pandora Stone. She's a tough, feisty, closed-off and mysterious chick. Her heart was once broken when Mackenna Jones, the lead singer of Crack Bikini. Their paths crossed again during his band's concert as Pandora and Melanie made a scene by throwing tomatoes at him. It's funny and quite immature. As a deal, Kenna and Pandora must reunite for a movie to increase the band's publicity.
This wasn't Pandora's original plan. She wants a closure but there are lots of unresolve issues that needs to be addressed. Their feelings resurfaced and the sexual tension between them blazed. Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of Pandora in the beginning. She's always mad and I want her to chill down. The anger she felt runs down deeper than I thought which was revealed later on the book. It's heartbreaking and I pity Pandora but I admire her strength getting through it. Kenna doesn't need to prove anything. He's a good and devoted man to Pandora. They committed mistakes in the past and I'm glad these two found their way back for a fresh start. I like their story even though some parts irked me.
Here's my favorite passage:
"I know now, from life, that it only takes a second to break you. But with time, with effort, it takes a little longer, but you can make it. There's something about someone knowing your deepest, darkest secret and still loving you despite what you did that gives you hope. That makes you want to be better. Never disappoint yourself, and them, ever again."
This wasn't Pandora's original plan. She wants a closure but there are lots of unresolve issues that needs to be addressed. Their feelings resurfaced and the sexual tension between them blazed. Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of Pandora in the beginning. She's always mad and I want her to chill down. The anger she felt runs down deeper than I thought which was revealed later on the book. It's heartbreaking and I pity Pandora but I admire her strength getting through it. Kenna doesn't need to prove anything. He's a good and devoted man to Pandora. They committed mistakes in the past and I'm glad these two found their way back for a fresh start. I like their story even though some parts irked me.
Here's my favorite passage:
"I know now, from life, that it only takes a second to break you. But with time, with effort, it takes a little longer, but you can make it. There's something about someone knowing your deepest, darkest secret and still loving you despite what you did that gives you hope. That makes you want to be better. Never disappoint yourself, and them, ever again."
December 9, 2014
WOW!! What a ride!! Ripped was an unexpected gem from one of my favorite authors ever and I loved it from beginning to end! Pandora is a feisty, strong, take-no-prisoners heroine who came charging out of the gate at a hundred miles an hour. From the opening scene of Ripped when she and her best friend are planning a pay-back to Mackenna, to the very end, Pandora grabbed my heart and didn’t let go.
Pandora has always felt crushed and alone after her first and only love broke her heart. And then went on to sing about it! Her life has become focused on getting revenge on the only man she has ever loved left her with not a look back. Mackenna was her true love, before he became a famous rock star, and to her horror, he wrote a hit song about her! She has spent years hating him.
When her prank goes wrong, to stay out of trouble, she must make a deal that involves her going on tour with the band. Will she be able to come to terms with what Mackenna did to her all those years ago? Will Mackenna be able to make her understand why he did what he did?
Sex, sex, and rock-n-roll. Mackenna is a sex god and Katy Evans doesn't let you forget it! Ripped actually has more humor in it than the other books in this series and I loved it!! And of course, lots and lots of heart in this one.
Ripped is classic Katy Evans, with a twist! The heroine is angry and heartbroken but tough as nails. The hero is sexy as hell, possessive and tenacious. I highlighted so much from this book that I’ll just share my favorite quotes here:
“Stupid girl attracted to bad boy, V card handed over, heart broken, end of story. I’m not even worried about him.�
“I’m familiar with Pandora and her mistake � letting all kinds of bad shit into the world when she opened the box. I’ve always been at war with my name. I’m angry at it because, right away, it makes me think I can never really be good. I’m a jinx.�
“God, I’m such a bluffer. Black clothes, black nails? I’m a pussy. An innocent little kitty pretending to be Catwoman. This man could kill me, over and over, until my nine lives are done.�
I absolutely adored Ripped and have now added Mackenna to my list of favorite book boyfriends!
(ARC provided by the publisher in return for an honest review)
Pandora has always felt crushed and alone after her first and only love broke her heart. And then went on to sing about it! Her life has become focused on getting revenge on the only man she has ever loved left her with not a look back. Mackenna was her true love, before he became a famous rock star, and to her horror, he wrote a hit song about her! She has spent years hating him.
When her prank goes wrong, to stay out of trouble, she must make a deal that involves her going on tour with the band. Will she be able to come to terms with what Mackenna did to her all those years ago? Will Mackenna be able to make her understand why he did what he did?
Sex, sex, and rock-n-roll. Mackenna is a sex god and Katy Evans doesn't let you forget it! Ripped actually has more humor in it than the other books in this series and I loved it!! And of course, lots and lots of heart in this one.
Ripped is classic Katy Evans, with a twist! The heroine is angry and heartbroken but tough as nails. The hero is sexy as hell, possessive and tenacious. I highlighted so much from this book that I’ll just share my favorite quotes here:
“Stupid girl attracted to bad boy, V card handed over, heart broken, end of story. I’m not even worried about him.�
“I’m familiar with Pandora and her mistake � letting all kinds of bad shit into the world when she opened the box. I’ve always been at war with my name. I’m angry at it because, right away, it makes me think I can never really be good. I’m a jinx.�
“God, I’m such a bluffer. Black clothes, black nails? I’m a pussy. An innocent little kitty pretending to be Catwoman. This man could kill me, over and over, until my nine lives are done.�
I absolutely adored Ripped and have now added Mackenna to my list of favorite book boyfriends!
(ARC provided by the publisher in return for an honest review)
May 3, 2015
I loved, loved, loved! this book!
Katy Evans knows how to write some amazingly steamy, hot hate sex! Her charcters in this story were so nasty, so angry, so hateful ... I thought I was going to explode with enthusiasm for this book.
Great banter ... Sexy characters ... Unexpected events ... And underneath it all, some seriously heavy emotions. Plus I completely loved the ending!
I know I'll be reading this one again in the future.
Katy Evans knows how to write some amazingly steamy, hot hate sex! Her charcters in this story were so nasty, so angry, so hateful ... I thought I was going to explode with enthusiasm for this book.
Great banter ... Sexy characters ... Unexpected events ... And underneath it all, some seriously heavy emotions. Plus I completely loved the ending!
I know I'll be reading this one again in the future.
Want to read
April 19, 2014GIVE ME THAT GUY FROM THE COVER!! *fans self*
December 9, 2014
Email: [email protected]
Since I fell hard for Remy in Real by Katy Evans I’ve eagerly anticipated every single book she’s written since. She kept me on my toes and kept stealing my heart with each installment.
When I found out Ripped was coming and Pandora would finally get her justice, I was beyond excited.
Pandora was an enigma to me and I wanted her to pull out all of her secrets and finally let us see the broken hearted girl that hid inside. Behind those goth like clothes and the “piss on the world persona�, I just had a very deep feeling that someone with a huge heart lived in her seemingly cold hearted chest.
And the walls start to come down the moment they are really alone.
One second, I’m a woman with a thousand walls, who rarely touches anyone or allows a hug. In the next, I’m six years younger, and he’s the guy I let in. I don’t want that girl to take over, but I live in her. This is her skin, and nobody can make it tremble like he does.
So many truly epic moments of passion and complete energetic erotic perfection happen in the pages of this novel. It’s a heartbreaking climb through the past that tried to destroy them. But when a love like this exists there isn’t a force of nature strong enough to keep these lovers apart.Their chemistry was so freaking powerful that seriously I felt it vibrating..from my Kindle.
I adored every single scene and loved how Katy kept Mackenna true to Pandora once he laid eyes on her again. How he made her know from the get go that his past were all cheap and in the moment substitutions for her all of those years apart. Nobody turned Mackenna’s head but Pandora. He wasn’t letting his girl get away again.
What transpired was a battle of wills. But, neither wanted to really break the other down. No, they wanted answers and healing and with the passion in between them ..all of the walls came down and the love came through. I was in rock star/ second chance love story heaven.
MacKenna was the epitome of sex on a stick. From his energy on stage to his heat and dirty mouth in the bedroom ..he was just perfection. Katy makes her heroes personalities so alive that you feel their sexual power leap from the pages. This was a 10 star read for me in every way.
Another perfect alpha and another favorite book boyfriend.
Click
Available
Dec 9th 2014
January 8, 2016
it's 3,5 stars for me
damn!
First of all let me state the fact that I LOVE Katy Evans writting and I LOVE my man fighter Remington "Riptide" Tate aka Remy.
Yes, I am known for being crazy over that characters LOL
and I left aside Rogue and Ripped (books #4 and #5 in "Real" series) well, not on purpose, of course BUT after Remy i just didnt wanna jump into anything just because it's a part of the series...
although Remy and Brooke do appear in this book, so it was kinda of a nice meeting for all! :D
so, this is really tough for me to say BUT i felt dragged by the story in this book.
I love "second chance" relationships, I love redeemeable characters and every angsty feels that go with it ...
BUT here I was actually dragged into this messed up vaccuum of a misunderstanding(?!) between Pandora and Macenna Jones, the teen lovers, each other's first everyting so we could catch up with them meeting again after six years.
and this is where i didn't feel the need for them to re-connect.
WHY?
well, first of all the "heartbreak" Pandora felt at 17 when they were apart (well, Macenna left to tell the truth) was intensified by the notion that her own father had an affair at the time he was killed in an air plane crash. Now, that notion only deepened the "disappointment" of being RIPPED apart by two persons that she gave her trust to...persons you naively love with the purity of one's heart.
So she becomes a hateful bitter person, who was being in some sort of a celibacy for sex years (ok, I guess I could come to terms with that) and then he comes back to town for a gig with his unusual band (mash classical music with rock) and she plans her revenge - she attacks him while he's on stage and that sets the things in motion.
The management see the opportunity to gain more publicity with the steamy heat between the long lost lovers and they want to use the footage of them both while they are being followed by the cameras as the film about the band on the tour is being filmed.
And here is where the story falls down for me...
the ups and downs of the emotional clusterfuck they are going through, made me feel a bit like a jo-jo, pull me in, push me back...I liked some interactions, some I didn't...
I couldn't relate to Pandora, she was totally under the influence and terror of her control-freak and even more bitter of a mother (who was part of the reason for their break-up in the first place) BUT i felt like Pandora was so focused on this bitterness and "I-have-no-heart" posture that I ended up being pretty annoyed by her, it's like she wasted this 6 years of her life for what?! for being this angry, mad at the whole world and men bitter chick with no guts to stand up and wake up from this shell!
and I asked myself - would she wait for him to come back for more than 6 years? what if there were like 10 years, she would rut for that much time too?
see, here I didn't dig this the whole point of her "waiting", of her "revenge", she could have search for him before, deal with him much sooner!!! if she had it in her!
I don't know, i just didn't sit right with me.
The two of them together again, were good, the scenes were off the charts hot, the intertwined POVs from the past and the present were easy to follow even if there were some inconsistencies in the story.
BUT the end was just kinda fairytale-like...it felt like to fast, too much, like it was rushed and wrapped up in a big red bow for me...and well, It left me just with the shrug of my shoulders!
so, I am borrowing these few lines from the song "Turn back the time" by Aqua
...I will always have a cross to wear,
but the bolt reminds me I was there
So give me strength,
to face this test tonight
If only I could turn back time
If only I had said what I still hide
If only I could turn back time
I would stay for the night. For the night...
maybe it would work out differently for the two of them and maybe NOT.
Katy will still be my go to author, no doubt about that!
October 4, 2015
*I gave this audiobook a B for the story and an A- for Elizabeth Louise's narration and B for Sebastian York's narration at *
Ripped is a New Adult, second chance romance. Sporting a great performance by two of my favorite New Adult narrators, this is a great title to enjoy in audiobook format. One note of caution though � if you choose to undertake this journey, please be prepared for an angst-filled, anger-masked kind of love. In many ways, this story reminded me of a Young Adult title, as the heroine, although supposedly older throughout most of the book, acts in many ways like a rebellious teenager, struggling to cope with heartbreak by lashing out at the world and closing herself off from everyone and any potential happiness. Of course, such a destructive attitude only leads to a Pandora’s box of other evils being unleashed, so she is aptly named “Pandora�. In addition to the character development nature of this tale, there is also a mild suspense overlay, as there are more factors at work in determining the outcome of this couple’s relationship than what you are first led to believe, so keep your ears tuned for slight clues along the way.
For the entire review, please see
Ripped is a New Adult, second chance romance. Sporting a great performance by two of my favorite New Adult narrators, this is a great title to enjoy in audiobook format. One note of caution though � if you choose to undertake this journey, please be prepared for an angst-filled, anger-masked kind of love. In many ways, this story reminded me of a Young Adult title, as the heroine, although supposedly older throughout most of the book, acts in many ways like a rebellious teenager, struggling to cope with heartbreak by lashing out at the world and closing herself off from everyone and any potential happiness. Of course, such a destructive attitude only leads to a Pandora’s box of other evils being unleashed, so she is aptly named “Pandora�. In addition to the character development nature of this tale, there is also a mild suspense overlay, as there are more factors at work in determining the outcome of this couple’s relationship than what you are first led to believe, so keep your ears tuned for slight clues along the way.
For the entire review, please see
December 9, 2014
DNF @ 48%.
This was not a good book. The h is a bitter, loudmouthed, shrew, who the reader can't empathize with. She gave the H her virginity when she was a teenager and spends the next 6-7 years hung up on him. It is so pathetic. She doesn't date or even sleep with guys. She becomes a real man-hater. When the H and h do meet again all they do is insult each other. Melanie comes off as ditzy and dimwitted as ever. From the description the H is not attractive and comes off ugly. Of course, during the separation the H sleeps with anything that moves. Bad story, bad characters, bad romance, just bad!
This was not a good book. The h is a bitter, loudmouthed, shrew, who the reader can't empathize with. She gave the H her virginity when she was a teenager and spends the next 6-7 years hung up on him. It is so pathetic. She doesn't date or even sleep with guys. She becomes a real man-hater. When the H and h do meet again all they do is insult each other. Melanie comes off as ditzy and dimwitted as ever. From the description the H is not attractive and comes off ugly. Of course, during the separation the H sleeps with anything that moves. Bad story, bad characters, bad romance, just bad!
June 4, 2020
You know it’s a good series when every book in it keeps topping the last book.
But you know it’s a great series when every book has its own remarkable story line � one that is not repetitive and not a rip off just to have an excuse to prolong the series.
Great series, this one.
I adore Remy.
I want a Grey in my life.
I worship Kenna.
So for the last book, what? I’d have my undying love for H?
Maybe.
5-I Now Heart A Rocker-Star for this Mackenna dick and Pandora bitch. They sure mesh together in a fucked up way.
December 23, 2014
Loved it!
August 31, 2015
It's no secret I am a HUGE fan of this series. I love Katy Evans writing; her way of writing is brilliant. Each book we get to know more about the characters and she effortlessly makes us fall in love with these sexy alpha males. While still making you feel connected to each of the girls.
Katy smashed Pandora and Mackenna's story out of the park. It was filled with raw emotions, regret, betrayal, love, loss, steamy and sassy banter. I have been dying to get to know Pandora and this book did not disappoint!
Pandora is a hater of love and we've never known why, sit tight because we are about to find out.
Pandora's life changed when she lost the love of her life, losing him affected her life in such a big way. Her mother was no help, she was a bitter women towards men not a day went by when Pandora was young that she she wasn't reminded just how bad men are.
Slowly we start to peel back the layers as to why Pandora is a hater of love, you would be too if you had been in her shoes. It's taken time and now she has her chance at revenge on the man who broke her heart and her ability to let any other man close to her.
Insert Mackenna Jones aka Kenna, lead singer of the band "Crack Bikini" (how did Katy come up with this name?). Kenna is a rock god and has women throwing themselves at him, it's fine to sample the smorgasbord have a taste and move on. None of these women are the ones that will replace the one that holds his heart.
"Pandora.
My nightmare, my dreams, my walking, talking fantasy.
Here."
Pandora and Melanie turn up to a Crack Bikini concert, after causing some havoc with the band they have to deal with the consequences when they're caught. Pandora's plan has backfired and she is now coming face to face with the last person on earth she wants to be around.
"Are you suicidal, or just looking to leave home? Because trust me, jail won't be much of an improvement."
"And your fucking face isn't much improved with the egg facial I gave you."
You can feel the electricity when Pandora and Mackenna are in the same room, while Pandora is pissed Mackenna is shocked to see her. Finally the band realise that Pandora actually exists.
Pandora needs to pay for what she's done when she's given two options, not a fan of either she takes the one with one perk.
Going on tour with the band Pandora is adamant to make Mackenna's life hell, she can resist him and his charming ways, She has to, he broke her. Mackenna is a very irresistible man he is still as gorgeous as he was all those years ago although the last few years have done him well. Can Pandora keep true to herself and resist the temptation of this gorgeous man, she is adamant she can do it even though being so close to him is reminding her of her feelings she once had for him.
"How could I forget for a moment what you tasted like... how addictive you are..."
Pandora gets more than she ever expected from her time on the road, Mackenna is hard to resist and after a few steamy slip ups feelings and thoughts from the past bubble to the surface. The chemistry between Pandora and Mackenna is HOT, they may have been through tough times together in the past but it's clear those feelings are still there even when one wants to deny them. When truths and lies from the past all surface Pandora learns there was more to the story, helping her change her decisions with her feelings towards Mackenna.
Since the day he left there hasn't been one where he didn't think of Pandora. He had no choice he had to leave but always swore to himself one day he would find her again. After all these years he still loved Pandora and wasn't letting her go without a fight. Making her see they are meant for each other isn't easy when you are dealing one someone as hard headed as Pandora.
"Holy shit, I feel powerful things for her. I feel everything for her. anger and protectiveness. Possessiveness and pain. I feel fucking good with her. I feel..."
Katy had me so damn excited once my book husband made his entrance, while Remy wasn't in it for long it was enough for me. Ripped is a great addition to the REAL series, I have loved every book, the chemistry between Brooke and Remy is off the charts, Melanie and Greyson are intensely hot and Pandora and Mackenna are electrifying.
I read the paperback of Ripped, it is highlighted like you wouldn't believe and flagged with so many of my favourite quotes. I may need to buy another copy to replace my overly loved copy lol.
*Review by Kristy
Katy smashed Pandora and Mackenna's story out of the park. It was filled with raw emotions, regret, betrayal, love, loss, steamy and sassy banter. I have been dying to get to know Pandora and this book did not disappoint!
Pandora is a hater of love and we've never known why, sit tight because we are about to find out.
Pandora's life changed when she lost the love of her life, losing him affected her life in such a big way. Her mother was no help, she was a bitter women towards men not a day went by when Pandora was young that she she wasn't reminded just how bad men are.
Slowly we start to peel back the layers as to why Pandora is a hater of love, you would be too if you had been in her shoes. It's taken time and now she has her chance at revenge on the man who broke her heart and her ability to let any other man close to her.
Insert Mackenna Jones aka Kenna, lead singer of the band "Crack Bikini" (how did Katy come up with this name?). Kenna is a rock god and has women throwing themselves at him, it's fine to sample the smorgasbord have a taste and move on. None of these women are the ones that will replace the one that holds his heart.
"Pandora.
My nightmare, my dreams, my walking, talking fantasy.
Here."
Pandora and Melanie turn up to a Crack Bikini concert, after causing some havoc with the band they have to deal with the consequences when they're caught. Pandora's plan has backfired and she is now coming face to face with the last person on earth she wants to be around.
"Are you suicidal, or just looking to leave home? Because trust me, jail won't be much of an improvement."
"And your fucking face isn't much improved with the egg facial I gave you."
You can feel the electricity when Pandora and Mackenna are in the same room, while Pandora is pissed Mackenna is shocked to see her. Finally the band realise that Pandora actually exists.
Pandora needs to pay for what she's done when she's given two options, not a fan of either she takes the one with one perk.
Going on tour with the band Pandora is adamant to make Mackenna's life hell, she can resist him and his charming ways, She has to, he broke her. Mackenna is a very irresistible man he is still as gorgeous as he was all those years ago although the last few years have done him well. Can Pandora keep true to herself and resist the temptation of this gorgeous man, she is adamant she can do it even though being so close to him is reminding her of her feelings she once had for him.
"How could I forget for a moment what you tasted like... how addictive you are..."
Pandora gets more than she ever expected from her time on the road, Mackenna is hard to resist and after a few steamy slip ups feelings and thoughts from the past bubble to the surface. The chemistry between Pandora and Mackenna is HOT, they may have been through tough times together in the past but it's clear those feelings are still there even when one wants to deny them. When truths and lies from the past all surface Pandora learns there was more to the story, helping her change her decisions with her feelings towards Mackenna.
Since the day he left there hasn't been one where he didn't think of Pandora. He had no choice he had to leave but always swore to himself one day he would find her again. After all these years he still loved Pandora and wasn't letting her go without a fight. Making her see they are meant for each other isn't easy when you are dealing one someone as hard headed as Pandora.
"Holy shit, I feel powerful things for her. I feel everything for her. anger and protectiveness. Possessiveness and pain. I feel fucking good with her. I feel..."
Katy had me so damn excited once my book husband made his entrance, while Remy wasn't in it for long it was enough for me. Ripped is a great addition to the REAL series, I have loved every book, the chemistry between Brooke and Remy is off the charts, Melanie and Greyson are intensely hot and Pandora and Mackenna are electrifying.
I read the paperback of Ripped, it is highlighted like you wouldn't believe and flagged with so many of my favourite quotes. I may need to buy another copy to replace my overly loved copy lol.
*Review by Kristy
December 1, 2014
“Good books don't give up all their secrets at once� � Stephen King. This quote holds true for Katy Evans latest installment in the Real series. Katy delivered another brilliant book, with a fresh out of the box story that moves away from the MMA fighting world and goes straight for the heart of rock and roll.
We first met Pandora, a friend of Brooke and Melanie in Real (Book #1). Pandora has always been dark, jaded and angry at the world. We finally learn about the broken girl with a perpetual snarl on her face and who put that snarl there.
“Black hair, black boots, a bad attitude, that's her -- Pandora Stone is a freaking man-eater and she's out for my blood.�
Mackenna gave Pandora a promise ring and then made plans for their future together. Then she never heard from him again. He left her, and the only time she heard his voice again was on the radio singing a chart-topping song. Years go by, and Pandora goes from heartbroken to angry. Mackenna’s band is coming into town, and Pandora hatches a plan to make sure he knows how she feels…in front of thousands of fans. Her plan didn’t work out the way she planned, and she is face-to-face with the man that tore out her heart. McKenna wants his witchy bitchy dark haired girl back. Will Pandora be able to let go of the past? They were cheated out of a future together and ripped apart. Can everything that is Ripped be fixed?
I wasn’t sure I really liked Pandora in the first 50% of Ripped. Pandora’s raw negativity was so intense. There were times that I felt so frustrated by her and then “Pandora’s box� was opened. The young couple's tragic and heart breaking story finally made sense. Once again, Katy Evans delivered a memorable story filled with raw and real emotion. This second chance rock and roll love story can be read as a standalone. To fully understand each character's background, you might benefit from reading Real, Mine & Rogue. Go one-click this one…you will not be disappointed.
This review appears on , ŷ, Amazon, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
We first met Pandora, a friend of Brooke and Melanie in Real (Book #1). Pandora has always been dark, jaded and angry at the world. We finally learn about the broken girl with a perpetual snarl on her face and who put that snarl there.
“Black hair, black boots, a bad attitude, that's her -- Pandora Stone is a freaking man-eater and she's out for my blood.�
Mackenna gave Pandora a promise ring and then made plans for their future together. Then she never heard from him again. He left her, and the only time she heard his voice again was on the radio singing a chart-topping song. Years go by, and Pandora goes from heartbroken to angry. Mackenna’s band is coming into town, and Pandora hatches a plan to make sure he knows how she feels…in front of thousands of fans. Her plan didn’t work out the way she planned, and she is face-to-face with the man that tore out her heart. McKenna wants his witchy bitchy dark haired girl back. Will Pandora be able to let go of the past? They were cheated out of a future together and ripped apart. Can everything that is Ripped be fixed?
I wasn’t sure I really liked Pandora in the first 50% of Ripped. Pandora’s raw negativity was so intense. There were times that I felt so frustrated by her and then “Pandora’s box� was opened. The young couple's tragic and heart breaking story finally made sense. Once again, Katy Evans delivered a memorable story filled with raw and real emotion. This second chance rock and roll love story can be read as a standalone. To fully understand each character's background, you might benefit from reading Real, Mine & Rogue. Go one-click this one…you will not be disappointed.
This review appears on , ŷ, Amazon, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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