Must she choose between love and money?
Or can Rook get both?
ROOK
I get it. Stripping naked and letting your boyfriend’s best friend paint your body in order to sell custom motorcycles isn’t the ideal way to start a brand-new relationship.
Add in a TV reality show, another best friend who seems determined to make me notice him, and the little fact that in order to get paid I will have to … friend who seems determined to make me notice him, and the little fact that in order to get paid I will have to strut my stuff in public wearing nothing but body paint.
Yeah. There’s not a chance in hell that Ronin is going to be OK with all this.
RONIN
It feels like everyone is trying to break us apart. Spencer with his stupid body painting contract. Ford with his stupid TV show contract. My sister and her boyfriend’s niece constantly calling me for help. Even Rook seems determined to stop our love before it starts with all the bad decisions she’s making.
But I’m not the kind of man who walks away.
I’m actually the kind of man who sticks around.
I don’t care how against-the-odds we are—I’ll fight for us.
Even if she won’t.
Manic is book two in the Rook & Ronin series and features Rook getting naked in front of tons of hot men, body paint being applied to the most inappropriate places, and a whole gang of people ready to let go of the past and look towards the future. It’s a story about love, and second chances. About friends who become family. And most of all, learning to live with who you are.
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Was Rook ever going to rid herself of the past. She signed the new contract with Spence and the painting was beginning. Ronin leave her first day when she needs him. But here’s to leave to see about Clare. The real reason she took the contract. She was not ready for Ronin to be gone so much. When being stopped by a cop in FoCo she finds her past has caught up with her. The 3 guys who were on the outs pulled together for Rook not Clare nor Mardee but Rook. The came up with a plan to get Jon. On the way to the big motorcycle ralley she saw her new family no matter how crazy mismatch she finally had her family.
Another amazing 5 Star listen from JA Huss! Learning about Rook’s past was intense. Lots of crazy twists & turns as per usual for Julie. Awesome Narration by Erin Mallon & Jason Clarke.
Rook Walsh is TRAGIC
Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky…
Rook got a second chance.
I read all three of these books in this series Tragic, Manic, Panic. What a fantastic read, I loved all of them. The characters were interesting and unique, they all had their own story and the bond the four main characters shared was amazing. The story line was so addictive and intriguing, drama, action, tragedy, suspense, darkness and some very hot sex. The whole series will suck you in and keep you there until the end with it’s constant twists and turns, and fate or coincidence at how these four meet.
Even better than the first! Holy hell this was a good one
Just like book 1, my biggest compliment is the unique plot of the modelling world. In fact, this one goes into more, including modelling with body paint only. I was so pulled into the events of the novel.
What I like most about this series is that the focus isn’t just on Rook and Ronin. Ironic I am enjoying this feature considering it’s a romance. But I like the equal inclusion of the other characters. Specifically, Ford. So, I’m pretty over Ronin and would be happy if Ford and Rook got together because let’s be honest, they have some chemistry!
My only dislike of this novel was the inclusion of Jon near the end. They all learn about her ex and then action is taken almost right away. There is a time jump of a few weeks but I felt that the novel rushed this plot point.
Moving onto book 3 now!
Rook’s life has certainly changed for the better now that she has Ronin, money in the bank, and a new modelling contract with Shrike Bikes. But can she settle down and stop running from her past?
I loved this second book in the Rook and Ronin series. These guys are great characters and I love that Rook’s friendship with Ford and Spencer is developing. It’s an exciting and thrilling ride, brought to life by the amazing narrators. I can’t wait to start the next audiobook in this fantastic series!
Loved this book! Rook went through in incredible transformation during this story. She became stronger and more open and she gained a family. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3! The secret between Ronin, Spencer and fucking Ford!
Rooks life finally seems to be heading in the right direction. She has a place to live, money in the bank due to her recent modeling job and she has Ronin. But just as quickly as things seem to come together they all seem to be falling apart.
Another great read from Julie!
The Tragic campaign is over and Rook’s new contract is just starting. The Sturgis contract with Spencer! *insert lovey eyes*
3 months of Spencer painting her naked body and posing with his bikes. What she overlooked in her attempt to be “in control” of her life and be independent of Ronin was that she would also be filmed 24/7 for a T.V series.
Oh, the contract also gives her a producer… Spencer and Ronin’s longtime friend/partner in crime, Ford * swoon*.
Ronin is off saving the day for Claire while she is in rehab most of the time, which leaves Rook with conflicting feelings about their relationship. Throw in her newly found relationships with Spencer and Ford, and things are bound to get a little messy for everyone.
Rook and Spencer have a very easy going friendship but Ford, he gets under her skin, frustrates her more than anyone and pushes her to do more but she can’t help but gravitate towards him. I mean hello, he is Ford, and besides, he’s feeling run a little more than just friendship. But when her past comes knocking, all three men in her life band together to keep her safe, at all cost.
“Your first impression of Spencer should be dumb…Your first impression of Ford should be well-dressed asshole, but maybe a little on the weak side….Your first impression of me should be honest, trustworthy guy…Your first impressions would be dead-ass wrong in all three cases.”
What a great second book. I think I liked this one a wee bit better than the first. I seriously never heard of body painting like this before (I had to google it). I felt like we were set up for one heck of a ride, oh boy did I ever enjoy it. Absolutely loved that we got introduced to two new characters, Spence and Ford. I think Rook has come a long way from the first book. Ronin, Ford and Spencer together and hearing about them and what they do/did….phenomenal!
Rook impetuously signs the Sturgis contract with Spencer. She has no idea how much work will go into the project. The long hours of having her body painted, the invasion of a film crew folliwing her every move, and cameras in her apartment for a grueling three months. She must learn to deal with both Ford and Spencer while Ronin is dealing with Clare. Animosity and intrigue seem to surround Ronin, Spencer and Ford. Their history seems to be a flashpoint and tempers simmer just under the surface when the get close proximity of each other. And, yet when when Rook’s past finally catches up with her these men step up to protect her. Ronin is hopelessly in love with Rook and promises her the life she’s dreamed of once the Sturgis job is completed. Now she must decide if she wants to become a runner again or become the chaser of her dreams and his love.
“Blackbird…All your life, You were only waiting for the moment to arise” – “Blackbird” – Paul McCartney
This, the second book in this impossibly encompassing saga, presents the major players in Rook’s, (our “Blackbird’s”) new life as she negotiates the control she wants over her life and how these players create a sense of “mania” for Rook. Ms. Huss puts the reader right there with Rook balancing on a high wire of changing perspectives and growing emotions. Ronin, the man who loves her truly, has to take a step back and watch as she deals with the reality of her decision to accept the Sturgis modeling contract, against which he, Ronin advised Rook not to take.
We meet Ford, who presents as a brooding enigma who inexplicably wants to shore up Rook’s person hood by early morning daily exercise with him and penetrating insightful discussion. The reader vacillates between guessing if he is totally smitten with her or he just wants to look after her well being.
The owner of Shrike bikes, Spencer Shrike, has Rook posing nude, as he creates erotic masterpieces on her body for his advertising campaign.
Rook is fully nude and on display for everyone…Ford, Spencer, camera crews …Although when she is painted, she feels confident as if she were clothed. As she begins her erotic posing she is confused with her sexual feelings with other men who are posing with her. Ronin is often called away to deal with Antione’s (the photographer’s niece) in rehab trying to come clean from a well entrenched heroin addiction. Because of this situation, Rook often feels abandoned by Ronin. Finally, Ronin decides that Rook will not pose with anyone but him.
Underneath this story line, all along, is a more sinister, spine tingling danger lurking from Rook’s past. It is in dealing with this threat that we begin to become more fully acquainted the the natures of Spencer, Ford and Ronin which adds another layer of depth and mystery to the story. The climax of this plot line is written so well , be careful it just may stop your heart!
This story is lush. The characters are so well fleshed out, the reader yearns to know more and more. The dialogue, even though cryptic at times illuminates parcels of truth. The eroticism is beautiful and frankly graphic, never staid, always fresh and sizzling hot. I also simply adore the fact that a simple touch is written to be so electric. The way this author describes this simple touch with such electrifying eroticism often tops other writers who write page after page of explicit sex. There is magic in her pen!!! So much so, the reader is compelled to read the next offering in this series.
Our “Blackbird”, Rook does arise out the mania, some, not all of her past issues resolved, happier for her new experiences and more in love with Ronin, her “without master” warrior who is unwavering in his love , waiting patiently for her, as she has her moment in the light.
“Black bird fly, black bird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.” – “Blackbird” – Paul McCartney
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