Book #3 in the Gideon’s Riders SeriesAs the sheltered princess of Sector One, Maricela’s life is defined by duty: to her people and to her family. Her wealth and influence have allowed her to build a better world, but they come with a price—the responsibility to secure political stability with a practical marriage. Maricela cherishes the idea of marrying for love, but there’s not much romance … romance in the endless line of suitors interested only in prestige and power.
And her handsome, brooding new bodyguard isn’t helping the situation.
Ivan is the perfect, deadly warrior, a man trained from childhood to be the ultimate protector to the Rios family. His focus on keeping her safe is intense–and a little intoxicating. When the threat of danger cracks his icy control, Maricela realizes she’s not the only one fighting against temptation.
Ivan knows that the blood on his hands makes him unworthy of the pure-hearted princess. But from the first kiss, their forbidden affair feels inevitable. He can give her a glimpse of life outside her gilded cage and a lover who wants the woman instead of the crown. The only thing he can never do is promise her forever.
Because spurning her noble suitors to marry her bodyguard wouldn’t just be a scandal. It could set off a political firestorm that would tear Sector One apart.
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Another fantastic book. As we all know by now, Kit Rocha can do no wrong in my eyes. After the magnificence of Ashwin (**still swooning**), I wasn’t sure if I was going to connect with Ivan or Maricela but, man, the slow burn was amazing. I could feel their desire and longing for each other as it sparked from my kindle and when they finally gave in to their love, it was amazing. All the steam was there but the poignancy was there too. Ah, I just love the feels I get from these books. Can’t wait for the next one!
I love to escape into the sectors that Kit Rocha built!
OMG what a great book I really enjoyed seeing into sector one great story plot flowed well I easily got lost into the story. Great connection between the main character.
Slid into this one was so glad to get my hands on it. This one centers around Ivan and Maricela. Maricela has her hands full with one thing or another. Ivan is the one to really follow he will have you grabbing the nearest thing to fan yourself with. The chemistry too of them together will do the same. Where this takes you also is like no other which gives you the escape you crave. Drama does have its place in this also with the edge of your seat action. So far too I like this one the best because it shows love know no boundaries.
Duty before Love…Love before Duty
That’s the situation that Maricela finds herself in as the princess of Sector One, and while her head understands the need to find a noble suitor who can ensure ‘political stability’ with a ‘practical marriage,’ her heart is tied up in her big, broody bodyguard who would gladly give up his life so that she remained unharmed, even if his death would destroy her as much as not following her heart seems to be doing.
Duty…
That’s a word that Ivan understands because it’s been drilled into his head since he was a young boy. He’s been trained his entire life to serve and protect the Rios family, and he has done so with stoicism, not allowing anything to break his concentration, assessing all potential threats and doing everything in his power to ensure the safety of those family members under his protection.
But even a controlled man like Ivan can lose his focus when the woman he has wanted is as close to him as she can be yet as off-limits as any woman has ever been. Ivan’s past has forced him to believe that he is unworthy of someone as beautiful and pristine as Maricela is, and those feelings of inadequacy force him to put her up on a pedestal, doing anything she asks of him, but what Maricela truly wants is not something Ivan can truly give her because of the dictates of the Sector as well as Maricela’s position as princess of Sector One.
The first two books in the Gideon’s Riders series have focused on the power struggles as well as the camaraderie of the mostly male crew, but in Maricela and Ivan’s story, Kit Rocha allows readers an intimate look into the female bonds that have been established in Sector One and how they seem to be each other’s lifeline in a male dominated and controlled environment. Maricela as well as the other women are strong, independent and willful despite the sheltered lives they seem to live and the constant protection by Gideon’s Riders.
What I loved most about Maricela is that she would be the first to say she’s led a charmed life…she’s wanted for nothing, and she is incredibly grateful for the life she’s been given, but it doesn’t mean that her life hasn’t felt like she’s lived in a ‘gilded cage,’ and that her thoughts and feelings, at times, have not only not been considered but actually ignored, proving just how little control she has of her own life and the decisions that truly matter to her.
The slow burn that surrounds Ivan and Maricela when it comes to their hidden feelings for one another is definitely at the forefront of the story, but there are other plot lines, as well, that help move the series forward, adding complications to the serenity of Sector One and putting Gideon in a rather tenuous position, leaving readers to wonder how the presumed power struggle will play out and what Gideon will do with the new facts that have been revealed.
Love before duty…that’s what Maricela wants…that’s what she can’t help but go after, but what that means for her position as princess as well as the entire dynamics of Sector One may be more than she or Ivan are willing to weather.
4.5 Poison Apples
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Shelby –
~ 3.75 Stars ~
I love this world that Kit Rocha has created, I’m a Broken Circle [Sector Four] junkie. I can NEVER get enough of life in the sectors: the struggles, the relationships, the politics – all of it’s amazing!
On that note, lets discuss book three in the Gideon’s Riders series.
Maricela Rios is the princess of Sector One, she’s the youngest sibling in the Rios (“ruling”) family. She’s tired of being treated as a child but being considered royalty doesn’t leave much opportunity for freedom. I was excited to read her story – I wanted to learn more about the family, and her place in it.
Ivan is the Rider assigned to protecting the princess, her full-time bodyguard. He takes his responsibilities very seriously and has good reason for it. Trying to make up for the mistakes of his family, he’s in a tough position.
As I said above, I love this world and the romantic relationships that are built in it. The connection between Ivan and Maricela has been slowly building, with mentions in previous books. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the burning chemistry between them.
Ivan seemed rather one dimensional and I don’t know if that’s how he was intended or if it’s just me. I did enjoy the glimpse into Sector One’s family, and the struggles that accompany the elevated station of any Rios. I was hoping for more interactions between Maricela and her big brother, Gideon.
Overall, this was another good book in this Gideon’s Riders series – it’s just not my favorite.
Kris –
Book three in the Riders spin-off series. Each Rider will have their story and I imagine we’ll maybe end with Gideon? I sure hope so! Ivan is assigned to be Maricela Rios’ bodyguard. She’s the princess of Sector One and everyone wants to align their family to the Rios. Maricela is being pursued heavily by all the up and coming suitors but she’s in love with just one man – Ivan.
Ivan is a Rider. Riders do not let themselves feel, think of the future other than protecting the prophet, least of all, fall in love. Things are changing in the sectors, but Ivan is trying to clean his name and his family’s legacy. Letting his urges out on the princess of Sector One will not go over well.
There’s a lot of sector politicking in this book. Pages of bartering and hierarchy plays to align with the prestigious with the Rios. I found it a little dry at times. We’re warned the story is a slow burn of forbidden love but it’s more of a smolder. I have to say that Ivan can turn up the heat on that fire when he’s in the throes of passion, but otherwise I found him and Maricela slightly lacking. I’m not sure if he was set up well enough for me to care about him. I liked Maricela being able to have fun a bit and see the world with Ivan. Still, even for an installment I didn’t love, Ivan was a good read.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Ivan (Gideon’s Riders #3) by Kit Rocha to read and review for this tour.
Kit Rocha has done it again, each book just gets better and better. I love the realism of this world that is so drastically different from our own. You have to love Maricela and Ivan who are so willing to give up everything in order to protect each other.
Maricela is so much stronger than she knows, and it is so great watching her learn that. Watching her stand up to not only those who would hurt her, but also to those that love her, the family that wants to keep her safe but instead was suffocating her. And Ivan who has spent his entire life trying to make up for wrongs that were never his. It is great watching him learn that he is not responsible for the sins of his family, that he is deserving of love and respect just for being who he is.
As with all the other books in the series, the secondary characters are just as compelling as the main ones. I love the different POV that occur throughout the book, as well as learning more about the families of some of the Riders. Although the names and relations of all the Nobel families can be hard to keep track of at times, but there are a few family trees on the Kit Rocha website to help you keep everything straight.
I don’t want to give any spoilers but their are some new characters introduced in this book that should make things very interesting in future books, and I for one can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I was given a ARC for an honest review.
***5 Stars***
I seriously love this world.
I do.
It’s not complicated in any way, it just feels so real to me, like it’s an actual place I’d want to visit and play in, and I love being able to spend a few hours hanging out with the characters ~ no matter which series they come from ~ and learning new things about it and boy do some new things come to light in Ivan!
But first…Ivan and Maricela.
It was hard not to love these two, separately and together. They both struggle with the expectations that are placed on them simply because of the blood that runs through their veins and while it does weigh heavily on both of them, they actually want to live up to those expectations. They respect their positions in the Sector and understand why things are the way they are…and yet they wish there was a little more wiggle room at times.
But that version of Ivan and Maricela are those of the Rider and the Princess, the man and woman who live beneath the titles, aren’t necessarily all that different, but a little more relaxed and their true personalities come out to play as their relationship grows and becomes more than either expected. They fight the good fight for awhile and I really enjoyed the slow burn aspect because I got to see that they were friends and truly cared about each other on a deeper level than simply physical attraction or because of their positions. But once they finally gave in, and not only in the smexy sense ~ though that was hot ~ all bets were off and there was only one outcome could work for both of them. Of course certain issues do spring up in the course of their journey, but I loved how everything worked out for them in the end.
Now, I know I’ve said this in every review I’ve done for the Beyond series and the Gideon’s Riders series, but it has to be said. I love the family dynamic that is always present in this series. The bantering, snarkyness and just all around being up in each other business is something I totally enjoy and this one has it in spades. I also liked getting a better idea of the political side of Sector one and all the little intrigues that go on when it comes to the royal and noble families. As far as the Riders are concerned I don’t have a clear favorite because they are all so intriguing to me (though Ashwin is still all KINDS of awesomeness), but I loved spending more time with Laurel (Six is still my absolute fav when it comes to the women in this world, but Laurel could give her some competition) but there was one little section that had me sitting up and going “Ooooohhhhh” I need more of that backstory, like, yesterday!
So, needless to say, I loved and adored Ivan as a whole. The romance was well done, the angst was low, and I loved spending time with all the characters and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~