As the bus approaches my stop on the Lower East Side, I raise the hood of my black sweatshirt. Anonymity is key in my neighborhood—particularly as a lone female walking at night.All I want is to leave my crime-ridden shadow of a home in New York City. I’ve done everything I can to keep my head down and focus on my studies. College is my only goal; love has never been on the map… map…
That is, until my sister brings me to an underground fight, where I meet a gorgeous and mysterious man: Vincent.
He is the ghost in my shadows, showing up to feed me pieces of his upper-crust life, then evaporating into darkness until his next visit. I’m falling hard and fast. How can I trust him amidst the depth of his secrets?
Vincent may be even more dangerous than the dark world I’m trying to escape.
Rising is book 1 in the Vincent and Eve trilogy.
more
5 STARS
Rising is Book #1 in the Vincent & Eve Trilogy, and what a story it is! It is also Jessica Ruben’s debut novel and I was captivated! From the beginning to end. These characters and their story consumed me and this is just the beginning after that doozy of a cliffhanger!
Eve is living in the Lower East Side in New York in a low poverty area. Her only focus is to stay focused, do well in school and get out of there to go away to college. She loves with her mom and sister. Her mom has been verbally abusive and Eve has learned to do tow the line to avoid her wrath. She also has an older sister, Justine. Justine works in a hair salon and Eve has learned she is the only one she can count on. I loved Eve. She is a fighter! She is resilient, driven and has had to learn to grow up way too fast due to her circumstances.
Vincent is an underground MMA fighter. We don’t learn a whole lot about him but I am certain we will in the next book! I loved his connection to Eve. Instant, explosive and so much chemistry.
Looking forward to more in Book #2, The Reckoning.
I so wanted to love this book because the writing was so great. The author had me totally hooked. I liked the naive, no street smarts, bookworm Eve. I could totally feel for her and the life she was born into. A smart girl living in a poor world hoping for a brighter future. I definitely liked her. Then we meet Vincent “The Bull” who is intriguing and oh so mysterious. Damn if I didn’t want to know more about him.
But I felt like Rising was more of a prequel to the actual story building up. While this series is supposed to be about Vincent and Eve there just wasn’t enough moments of them together and the scenes we do get are very short and extended timeframes likes weeks and a month transpire in between moments. It was hard to really feel their connection other than their obvious physical attraction to one another.
So needless to say I was hoping for so much more given how easily the writing sucked me in. I am really looking forward to the next book and hoping for more of Vincent and Eve and getting to know the oh so mysterious Bull.
Loved this book! It was really intense and of course I shed some tears! The ending about killed me! I can’t wait to read book 2! So good!
Nooooooooooooooo!!!!
You can’t freaking end it there! I knew that. I knew what was coming but darn it, I NEED MORE!!!!!!
Ugh! Please, please take pity on my poor soul! Ms. Ruben please!!!! Please give me more!
Aaaagh! (Screams in frustration) Okay. I’m calm…or at least calmer. I can do this.
Rising is the perfect tease. It’s a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and a guy from…well, not from the wrong side of the tracks. It’s pretty obvious who he is and what he is. But our sweet, naive little Eve is oblivious to handsome stranger’s origins and that is what makes the story so darn easy to become addicted to. It’s that innocence that calls to the reader and the dark vibe of her crush.
I can’t wait to see how their connection either continues or becomes severed. It’s making me twitchy.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
I was hearing a lot of buzz about Rising, the debut novel from Jessica Ruben, and knew it was something I had to read. And I am so glad I did. This was a character driven story and was truly Eve’s story. I have defined other stories with the term “slow burn”, but let me tell you, Rising is the slow burn of slow burn romances. It was like an extended prologue and introductory to Vincent and Eve and it perfect.
All Eve wants is to survive her senior year. Living in the crime infested Blue Houses, is like taking your life in your hands every time you step out. She does all she can to be invisible. But you can only be invisible for so long. Eve was innocent and naïve, but also very intelligent. She was book smart, but not street smart. She was holding out to being accepted to a college and get away and make something of herself.
My heart broke for Eve. She was so strong and determined, but life always seemed to have a way of knocking her down. Again, and again. The author did a great job in letting us in Eve’s head. I felt every one of her fears and desperation. But I also felt her every hope and dream. This was an emotional journey and I loved it step of the way.
Then Eve meets Vincent. When Vincent is with Eve we see a caring and protective man. But he is also a man with extreme control. Who is Vincent? What does he hide? Through the last months, Vincent enters and disappears from her life over and over again. She is enthralled by him but feels inadequate for him. Especially as he keeps her at arm’s length.
Eve and Vincent’s journey is just starting in Rising. We meet Vincent, but really do not know much about him, but after that ending, you know so much more is coming. I was engrossed in this story. It was so heartfelt and gripping. I am so excited to read more from Jessica Ruben.
4.5 stars. Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
What a heart stopping read! From the first page it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go! I was on the edge of my seat! The story had me climbing and climbing until I felt like I was jumping off of a cliff!
Eve is trying to survive in the Blue Houses, New York’s toughest housing projects. Gangs, crime, poverty are all part of her normal. She has dreams and goals but they will come at a price. Eve is innocent, sweet, shy, and thoughtful. She tries to hide herself away under baggy clothes and hooded sweatshirts. Eve is desperate to go to college and leave behind the constant fear. She has volatile relationship with her mother even though she is mostly absent. Eve does not want to become indebted to anyone as her mother is indebted to the Borignone crime family.
“I’m the listener. The dreamer. The girl with her head in a book at all times.”
Her sister Janelle takes her out one night to an underground fight where she meets Vincent, a super-hot MMA fighter. But there is more to Vincent then fighting. He is mysterious and intelligent. They become friends – sort of. They have so much chemistry together. There is a push and pull between them. An intense connection. Eve turns to Vincent in her most terrifying time of need and he comes through.
Vincent is most definitely a mystery man. Smooth, sexy and well educated. He has many fascinating conversations with Eve over their love of books. Eve surprises him with her knowledge and love of the written word. But not everything is what it seems. He is holding a part of himself back from Eve.
Who the hell is this man? No, really. Who? An MMA fighter from an underground fighting ring? A poet?
The writing is fantastic. The story flows from page to page as life continues on. Uncertainty, turmoil, crime, angst, fear….it’s all there! My adrenaline and emotions were all over the place! What a great debut from Jessica Ruben. I cannot wait to get more from her! And fair warning, the story does end of a cliff. I cannot wait for book #2 Reckoning!
“Do you see me?”
“Yes, Eve. I see you. And for the record, I like what I see. A lot.”
5 stars