Adrianna Rossi is no stranger to the rigorous demands required of her body. Years of pain and determination make her one of the best. Olympic glory is the ultimate goal, and she’ll do anything to achieve it. Even if that means leaving home to attend World Cup Academy of Gymnastics, a training center that serves one purpose–producing champions. Perfection, precision, and dedication are required … required of his athletes. When two time Olympian Konstantin Kournakova is persuaded into training the young hopeful, he immediately regrets it. She doesn’t come close to his high standards. As the relentless pursuit of her dream keeps her striving, a passion is ignited within him.
Kova’s power and domination, coupled with Adrianna’s fierce tenacity, reveal there is more for her body to learn. Every interaction can be misconstrued, but there’s no mistaking the darkening of his gaze, the lingering of his touch, or the illicit image of his bare skin pressed against hers. Integrity is on the line. One toe off the beam and their forbidden desires could ruin everything they’ve worked for, throwing it all off balance.
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Balance is one of the best taboo stories I have ever read! I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve had it sitting on my kindle for some time now . I could kick myself for not reading it sooner. My emotions were all of the place. I love Adriana, I hate Kova. I hate Adriana, I love Kova. I hate them both, and there were times I loved them both. It could be so right & then so wrong. But through it all, the chemistry between them was scorching HOT! This is a must read/listen if you love taboo and/or student/teacher romances. I can’t wait for Execution to come out on Audible!
Sarah Puckett delivered an award worthy performance! She perfected Adriana’s younger voice & Kova’s older accented voice. She could switch back & forth seamlessly! It was amazing to listen to!
Balance by Lucia France is a raw, bold, taboo story that will definitely evoke a range of emotions from you. I’m not sure about my feeling towards this story. I loved the sports aspect of the story. We learned alot about gymnastics in this book and that’s not something I’ve ever read about in a romance novel. I loved the intensity of the story, the chemistry between Kova and Adrianna was explosive, and the steamy scenes were mind-blowing.
While I love forbidden romances, my biggest issue was the fact that she was 15 and therefore underage. However I could not stop listening, as the story was so well-crafted and the characters well-developed, you felt every bit of their connection from their passionate encounters to their fiery arguments. Of course with this book being the first in the Off Balance Trilogy it leaves you with one heart-stopping cliffhanger.
The audible version was narrated by Sarah Puckett who did an incredible job. She was easily able to portray a 15 year old girl and then in the next breath a 32 year old Russian coach. Her accent for Kova was amazing and her timing and delivery was exceptional. She certainly brought this story to life.
Balance was the definition of Taboo and will leave you wanting more. I would highly recommend this book if you are a lover of Forbidden romances.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer
Balance by Lucia Franco is a Forbidden Gymnastics Romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Sarah Puckett. This is the first book in the Off Balance Series and I cannot wait to get my hands on book two Execution.
All I can say is OMG this was amazing! If you enjoy Taboo/Forbidden Romances this is the book for you. I also really enjoyed the length of the book because Lucia did not skimp on the Gymnastics portion of the story. She did an amazing job with her writing and made the story very realistic.
This is the first book of Lucia’s that I have read and it definitely will not be my last!
I absolutely love Sarah and she did not leave me disappointed in her narration on this project. She does an amazing job with different voices for each character. I love her voice it just gets you hooked on the story.
#AudiobookObessionReviwer #AudioBookObsession
This story is definitely Forbidden and Taboo but so realistic that you know it could really happen like this is reality. I enjoyed this book and the climax at the end leaves you begging for more.
Narration was absolutely phenomenal!
I think I may have to listen to this again just to hear Sarah Puckett’s male Russian accent! She does such a good job with this book, I love the way she narrates.
It has taken me a while to write this review as I have had such mixed feelings since finishing listening to this book. Most of what I want to say is spoilery and I don’t do spoilers….all my feelings are based around Kova and how he behaves…and that’s about all I can say on it. Apart from where it finished, arghhhh don’t let it finish there!!! Overall I really enjoyed the story, some of what happens to Ari makes me cross my legs in sympathy with the pain she endures for the love of her sport. If you don’t like gymnastics don’t listen, it’s very very heavy on the details. Personally I really loved this book and am eagerly awaiting the next…
This was an amazing story of the struggle of sixteen year old girl trying to achieve her dream in the very competitive world of gymnastics. Her stamina, resilience and bravery alone make this a wonderful story. Although there are some taboo, forbidden aspects, beware if these are triggers.
Sarah Puckett did an excellent job telling this story and I might add she did a fabulous job with a Russian accent.
This story has a cliffhanger and I will be on pins and needles waiting for the next release.
Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession
Balance: A Forbidden Gymnastics Romance (Off Balance Book One) is utterly stunning. It will have you plunge into this audiobook and revel in it. I love reading/listening student/teacher forbidden romance and this sports romance
Is executed flawlessly. I love gymnastics & how they included a love pursuit aspect in the narrative. Character’s are compelling and resilient. I found the characters intriguing and wanted to learn more about them. This isn’t your typical beyond the pale romance as it involves so much more and is well balanced. The writing style is exhilarating and elite.
Phenomenal performance by Narator Sarah Puckett. She nailed it with the male russian accent. All her performances are flawless, however this one dabbles in european accents and takes it up a notch with a award winning performance..
With a heart-stopping cliffhanger, this highly anticipated series takes a hurricane turn with betrayal lurking through the pages.
I need the next audiobook in this forbidden gymnastics romance to be released soon so I can find out what happens next as this ends in a beauty of a cliffhanger.
One of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to.
Audiobook Obsession
Outstanding Story & Audible Listen Left Me Off Balanced (In the Greatest Way)
Balance: A Forbidden Gymnastics Romance
Off Balance, Book 1
By: Lucia Franco
Narrated by: Sarah Puckett
Wow, just wow, I devoured this book, if it wasn’t the need for sleep I would have listened to it straight through. Yes, it is that good, both the story and the narration is amazing. I am a huge fan of Sarah Puckett and must say this one of her best performances, sure I say that about most of her work but I really mean it this time, I think. She brings the characters to life, gives each their own voice, personality, heart and attitude. You can hear the characters emotions and the drama of the story in her performance. As a female narrator she is one of the best voice performers covering male characters. This story adds a Russian accent to the mix it was spot on. I am not sure how she performed that role for that length of time and did it flawlessly. If I had not known I would have thought the role was covered my a male narrator. Imagine that, a duet performed by one person and done so magnificently! Bravo Sarah Puckett bravo! Thank you for another awesome listen
This is my first book by Lucia Franco, she is a talented and creative author. Her storylines and characters are interesting and well developed. I liked Adrianna’s tenacity and determination to succeed. Kova, swoon worthy Kova, his inner turmoil of right and wrong and his weakness. There was a bit of a mystery about him, like there is so much more to learn about him. but seems to be a bit of a mystery to that man and I want to know more about his and what makes him tick. I loved his turmoil and inner battles This is the type of story that may take you out of your comfort zone, a forbidden romance that is wrong on so many levels yet you are lured into it and you need to stay to see what happens. The building relationship between the leads, the emotions of the characters, the friendships forming, the angst, the drama of her life in and out of the gym & with the other gymnasts. There is a lot of depth to this story, I highly recommend it. And please tell me the rest of the series will be out on Audible soon. I need to know what is next in Adrianna’s journey, has Kova lost his mind or did he come to his senses, will something more come out of her friendship with Hayden. Lucia Franco, thank you for this great and entertaining story.
Thank you @AudiobookObsession #AudiobookObsession #AudiobookObsessionReviewer
This book is like kindle crack! This delicious, forbidden, angsty, perfect book has blown me away. Lucia Franco has created so much tension in these pages I had to keep reminding myself to breathe. I am in love with Kova and Ria. Both wanting what they know they shouldn’t when so much is at stake. I need the rest of this series right now!
Ok. This book took me on an absolute emotional rollercoaster. It took me longer to read because I had to stop so many times to try and figure out the emotions I was feeling.
A lot of triggers in this book, and it will most definitely not be for everyone. This book is about forbidden romances, specifically an age gap, not just any age gap though, a 15/16 year old girl with a 32 year old man, who happens to be the 16 year old gymnasts coach. Taboo and absolutely not for everyone. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and this is just how I feel about it.
This story had so much potential, I know the whole subject is about forbidden love, but I really would have rathered that they were of legal age. I think this affected me more as I am a mother of two young girls who happen to do gymnastics. I just could not and do not want to think of anyone taking advantage of my children at such a tender and vulnerable age. I know this sort of thing happens and I am not naive, but it just did not sit right with me. I really did not like the manipulation of Kova towards Adrianna. It bothered me and felt very demeaning. I felt he wanted a scapegoat to ease his guilt over what he was doing and ensured that the blame fell firmly at a 16 year olds feet. It made me feel uncomfortable reading because I would hate for any man or woman to be made to feel less worthy. The ending was really hard, especially with how rough he was and the fact he did hurt her made my heart sore, especially as his concern was really only to ensure that a pregnancy did not occur.. That was another thing…sheesh…use some damn protection.
There were some moments where Kova opened up and exposed himself and I liked getting to know about his past. This man has had an interesting past, and I was intrigued to find out more about him. I do not however condone what he did, not only to Adrianna but to his girlfriend.
I felt sad for Adrianna. She had no real relationship with her mother, her dad was always on business, and she really did have to mature quickly. I loved her drive and her enthusiasm, loved that she had a goal and would go through any pain to reach the end result. She is a strong and likeable character. My only issue was when she said she would cry rape, there are so many women who are not believed because of a situation like this, and the fact she wasn’t overly concerned that they were having an affair behind Kova’s partners back.
I loved everything about the gymnastics. I enjoyed reading about the training and was intrigued by the moves and the techniques used. I thoroughly enjoyed Hayden’s character. He is such an interesting lad with a head on his shoulders a lot wiser than his years. I really enjoyed the scenes between himself and Adrianna. These times were believable, and I really did feel that Hayden and Adrianna had amazing chemistry together. My heart was lighter when Hayden looked after Adrianna. He is such a gentleman.
Overall this book is taboo, it really makes you think about your emotions and how you feel about the situation you are reading. The author has done a great job of making you feel a range of emotions. As much as I don’t like the underage relations, I did enjoy reading about Hayden and Adrianna and the other characters as well as the sport. I am actually intrigued to find out more about Kova’s girlfriend too.
I love this series. Plain and simple.
A love story between a gymnast and her coach.
I’m all in for a steamy forbidden romance, but this book blew my breath away.
“Gymnastics was everything to me—it was my heart and soul, the air I breathed. It was the one thing that allowed me to be me.”
Adrianna is a gymnast chasing her dream of being in the Olympics.
Nothing will stand in her way. . .
Until she meets her new coach, Konstanin Kournikova.
“…he looked like the perfect package, if there ever was one.”
One word to describe this FINE PIECE OF MAN MEAT. . .
Irresistible. A Russian god that I would gladly go on my knees for. I would jump his bones like a spader monkey.
I don’t know why I did it but I wrote my review for bk 2 before books one. Guess because it was just recently finished and I have been searching for words to put down for this.
I will always give a book a chance especially if it is a forbidden love. The age gap in this story is large and Ria is a minor who is alone away from home following her dream of acheiving a spot on an Olymipic team. Kova is her coach who seems like a real AH when we are first introduced to him and Adrianna is thrown by his abilities and that he is younger than she expected.
Can he bring her up to speed for her to make her dreams come true in the gym, or wil he take a bite of the forbidden fruit to satisfy his own huger?
This was my first read from this author and this story may be uncomfortable for some to read due to the age gap and having to do with a minor but I enjoyed it and can’t wait for the conclusion to their story.
Oh my gosh! I read this on the recommendation of an author I love! It did not disappoint… ok the disappointment is the next one isn’t out yet!!! I need to know what’s next! Ahhh!!! I loved this taboo read.
It’s so, so wrong but oh so good!
Balance left me teetering at the edge of my damned seat… I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to do now…
I love the passion written in this book, moral compass be damned, I FLOVED this story, the characters, the build up and the fall… I just, aaaahh! I gotta thank my BANG beaches 😉 for telling me to read this, I might have put it off for a long time.
The author has made me a freakin’ fan. I love that above all else this story IS a story. A girl with a dream she’d do anything to make reality and that pesky thing called life knocking her down… Adrianna is a force Kova just wasn’t ready for. Like I said my Moral compass can go to hell, I’ll catch up with it later.
I am DESPERATE for the continuation.
freaking awesome!!
I seriously love this series! Adrianna is a 16 year old girl who has her sights set on training to become elite and reaching the Olympics. She meets the handsome Kova. It turns out that he is her new coach that will help train her to reach her goals.
This is a work of FICTION. I understand that sometimes these things do happen in real life. But this series is not about a torrid love affair between an under age girl and her coach. It’s about a young girl who has her heart and soul set on making it to the Olympics. She is 3 hours away from her family. One that she is convinced that her mother hates her and a father that works entirely too much. She works 50+ hours a week with this man. The one person that knows and feels what she is going through and pushes her to be the best that she can be. The one person that she was able to connect with on an emotional level through their love of the sport.
So much happens… you just need to read it with an open mind. But, if you struggle with the age gap or that fact that he is her coach, then you will need to skip it.
Here’s the thing: I’ve seen this book floating around for a while – it feels like people were talking about it when I first joined this lovely bookish community. Now back then, I wasn’t ready for taboo, especially one featuring an underage girl and a grown@$$ man because I am the mother of three daughters and I wish a mother something would, but I digress. Now that I’ve acclimated myself in the waters of Romancelandia, I’m more comfortable dipping my toe in murky waters from time to time and I’ve seen so many of the book lovers that I love flip their ish (in the best way possible) over this book. Kova this and Kova that. So when the opportunity came up to review the series, I took the chance. And now I’m torn. Because Lucia is a genius word sorceress and I gobbled up all of the words in a most gluttonous manner. I cringed and a raved and I questioned my proclivities and sanity because boy golly did it get hot up in here. Balance is such an intense ride. And even if it skeeved me out in ways, it kept me engaged, it kept me engrossed, and it kept me wanting more. It also made me berate myself and the characters on several occasions. And it left me wanting more and relieved that there are at least two more books in this world after this and then once again questioning my taste and standards. In other words, Balance is a masterpiece. It is a catalyst for thought and conversation. So I feel compelled to five wine glass it, but then I think can I really five wine glass this age gap? And then I remember, it’s fiction. So hell yeah… 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
This is the third time I have read Balance in the last year. I can’t believe I had failed to review it the first two times. When you find a great book like this, it draws you back, again and again, to visit with characters that feel like family. Lucia Franco’s writing is so seamless, so heartbreakingly beautiful, so soul-stirring that you can’t help but lose yourself in the story. This isn’t your typical forbidden romance. It’s a story of growth, strength, overcoming the impossible despite the obstacles. It’s about friendship, struggles, making tough decisions and living with the consequences. Kova and Ria are so unique, such well thought out characters. Kova’s surly attitude at times leaves me angry but wanting more of that bluntness that makes me both love and hate him. Ria is a force to be reckoned with. She’s straightforward, determined and does not bow down to Kova’s gruffness. Instead, she meets him head-on. Their chemistry is off the charts!
In short, Balance is an amazing introduction to the Off Balance series. It’s easy to fall in love with the characters and the life they live. To watch friendships and love grow, to witness the struggle, the triumph, and the heartache that comes from reaching for your dreams and the beauty in the forbidden. I can’t imagine where Lucia Franco will take us on this journey, but I’m happy to be along for the ride.
This book…this book was amazing!! The storyline…I signed up for an Advanced Reader’s Copy because my friend read the blurb and told me that I would just LOVE this book and to just sign up for it and to trust her. That was the best decision I have made in a long time. This story was just so much more than I could have imagined. Lucia Franco has an amazing imagination and the way she can spin a story, she’s making magic I swear!
Adriana and Kova are both F-ing crazy…and I absolutely loved every single minute of it. Their characters were so well developed and the chemistry is everything that everyone should want with their partner…pure fire! The back and forth between Kova and Adriana, their battle for control of their situation and who seduces who. It’s almost hard to keep up, and the taboo aspect of a coach and his gymnast…it’s written so well that you cannot help but cheer for their relationship to work. And Hayden, OMG, I love Hayden!! I want a Hayden in my life. I cannot wait to read Balance.
FORBIDDEN – AGE GAP – STEAMY – MASTERPIECE TO READ OVER AND OVER!
O. M. G!!! I loved this book so so much. I’ve always been a sucker for the forbidden romance that you shouldn’t want to read, but you have to read just because it’s forbidden.
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured this book (and execution) in less than 24 hours. These types of romance novels are not for the faint of heart. But, I loved it. I cried. I cringed. I wanted throw my kindle. I wanted to strangle Kova. I wanted SO. MANY. THINGS as I read this book. At one point, I didn’t know what I needed, but I needed more Kova and Ria. Their story – not your normal romance. It was a masterpiece that I will definitely reread. Her words suck you as soon as you start at page 1. I HIGHLY recommend this book (and series!!). Check it out on KU or buy it for yourself.