From his dirty-blond hair and breathtaking smile, to the abs from heaven and the irresistible V in his waistline, everything about Bodi Olympic-gold-medalist Banks screams hot piece of @$$.Yet there’s more.Dark shadows lurk behind his soulful, serious eyes.I’m enamored. He’s captured me.How can running an art foundation with Bodi Banks turns into a slow-burning, epic romance, even though he tries … epic romance, even though he tries to push me away at every chance? How can I stay away from a broken, routine-driven man whose soul cries to be forgiven for a crime only he believes he committed? Or is that a lie?
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There’s no amount of words that can talk this book up more. And no exception, this is a mandatory read!! The feels I had with this story, you need to feel too. The vulnerability, the compassion, the heartache and the joy – MQ writes in such a way you feel and connect with these characters on a deep level.
Bodi Banks… what a sweet sweet man, that I just so desperately wanted to hug throughout this story. Not even just from his honed body with being an Olympic swimmer but because his soul just needed that extra love. And Ruby Hearts gave him just that. She knew exactly what to do, when he needed something. They’re absolute soulmates. Her color to his monochrome life.
I’m so glad we get this in a dual point of view, so we can better understand what is going through each of their heads! Especially when Ruby gets nervous! She’s a fun, laugh out loudable kinda gal. And being able to understand Bodi’s tormented mind and soul, puts into perspective what trauma can do, long term.
I know I’ll reread this story in the future, and I only save rereads for my favorites! This entire series is often forgot about… so don’t be one of those that are waiting, dive into this book today!
It’s been five years since I first read this brilliant book and I would have no doubt it’s one of my top five all time favs. My heart ached all over again for Bodi and his damaged soul but smiled like a school girl when he fell for the vivacious Rubes. He makes many mistakes – like we all do – one that cost him dearly, and he could do it all again if he lets Ruby slip through his fingers. She bought so much joy to his life after many dark years, and I believed he deserves his happy ending with her.
This is the second book in Meghan’s sport series and it’s my favourite so far. We know Megan can write humor but we get more for our dollar with a touch of the dark side with some serious issues. It is written in dual POV, so getting a glimpse from both sides is terrific.
Our hero has demons from a traumatic incident in his teens that he feels responsible for and has left him with deep scars. It also triggers a disorder that he tries to manage every day, some better than others. There are only four people trusted enough to know that this Olympic Gold Medalist has a troubled past. Then along comes Ruby – perky and quirky Ruby. She is sure set to mix things up for Bodi and change his life for the better as she is so colourful.
Bodi is such a tormented and broken soul that you will want to ease his pain and hug him from the first chapter. The vulnerability of Bodi is touching and sweet and endearing and just damn sexy! Add the sports swimming body and you now have your next BBF. But be warned, Rubes won’t give him up easily, she is feisty. She is drawn to him for so many reasons but it’s his kind and alluring heart that makes her fall for this Olympian.
Their story is not all light hearted, there is more angst than you are expecting but it is pure joy for me. Nothing better than a roller coaster ride of emotions when reading. While things are running smoothly for this couple, the interaction is exquisite and special. To see Bodi opening up and slowly forgiving himself is magic. To watch them both accept each other – magical!
This book is a standalone, but we met Bodi in book one and we also get some details of Hollis who is the hero in book three. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a good laugh, a little cry and some gasping. Bring on the next book!
This story just hits you in all the feels. Omg my heart just breaks for Bodi. Scarred and damaged from trauma as a child he and his sister survived has warped and shaped his life today. His OCD tendencies and socially awkwardness to keep people at arms length to protect his heart from more pain. But Ruby just barreled in and crawled under his skin and permanently attached herself to his heart. Loved them together. They are adorable. With their weird convos and Oreo love. As well as getting him to start living his life. This is one of my fave books right now. Can’t wait for Hollis’ book.
Love love love!! This may have been my favorite out of the 3 in this series!!!
Stroked Long
5 Jazz Hands Stars!!!
Oh my goodness! Where do I start with this review? I absolutely LOVED this book! Ruby Hearts couldn’t be any quirkier if she tried. She has been one of my most favorite characters ever, and Bodi Banks…even with all his OCD and neurotic tendencies, I love how it makes him even more endearing. Thrown together by his sister to work on a fundraiser in their mother’s honor, Bodi isn’t quite sure what to think about Ruby the first time he meets her and her glittered face and jazz hands. You will either love or hate Ruby’s quirkiness. From her word vomit when she’s nervous down to the colorful clothes she wears, I couldn’t have loved her more.
Bodi Banks is one of the hottest Olympic swimmers of all time and my heart broke for him from page one. Going through one of the worst tragedies ever at age twelve shapes him into the neurotic over-protective man he is today. I loved how his and Ruby’s relationship grows throughout this story. It’s not the instalove we get more often than not these days. It starts as co-workers and steadily grows into friendship and finally into much more. I loved watching Bodi come out of his neurotic shell and how Ruby’s crazy calmed him. The chemistry between the two is amazing and hot hot hot!
Stroked Long is Meghan Quinn at her best. Funny as hell, endearing characters, and full of sexiness. Romantic comedies are always one of my favorites and this one is at the top. This is one of the best love stories I’ve read this year. I laughed my a$$ off, then cried my eyes out as Bodi struggled so much to accept Ruby’s love for him. #Oneclick Stroked Long today…you won’t be sorry you did. I cannot wait for Stroked Hard and Hollis!
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Stroked Long #2, it’s about Bodi and his inner demons and Ruby, the colorful woman filled with sass.
“Sometimes the beauty in the art piece isn’t about the strokes, Bodi. Sometimes it’s about the colors and how you mold them together. It’s really about taking a dark, mysterious color and mixing it with something bright and cheery. It’s the contrast that makes them so beautiful together.”
Oh man, this book. This couple. This man!! They way Ruby could bring a smile on Bodi, and they way he smiled and laughed…I was swooning the entire book!
And that first kiss….brilliant!!
“…Swoon? If only she fucking knew the thoughts and foreign feelings running through me every time her big brown eyes focus on me, as if I’m the only man on this planet. Want to talk about taking my breath away? She’s fucking gold-medaling in that department.”
Bodi and Ruby are so perfect for each other. They complete each other. And the steamy bedroom activities…Hot. AF.
4.5 stars
This was the first book I’ve read by Meghan Quinn and I was pleasantly surprised.
I enjoyed it a lot and it even made me laugh so loud that people were looking funny at me on the street though it also made me sad at how heartbroken a man can be.
The Story:
Bodi Banks blames himself for what happened all those years ago in that horrid night when he was still a kid and he doesn’t deem himself worth of anything. He needs control and structure in his life which became an obsessive compulsion disorder over the years. He has his routine at night and does things in threes. His swimming career makes it easier for him to live in a strict schedule though when he has to work with Ruby, his sister’s friend, on an art foundation he doesn’t know how to act around her because he isn’t good at socializing. He has no friends and doesn’t do small talk. His sister and her girlfriend are the only two people in his life he’s close with. He can’t let anybody see how troubled and broken he is and he doesn’t want to lose anyone he is close with again and the best way to prevent that is to not let anyone in his life in the first place. They would run away anyway when they see his obsessive compulsion not to mention his panic attacks though he hadn’t had one of those in a while.
So when Ruby with all her mixed up colors and glitter all over her face walks into his black and white life, there is no way he will get out of this without any problems. He has to be more careful around her to not let her see the broken man he is because she would be running for the hills.
Though Ruby Heart isn’t like anybody else he’s ever met before. She wears colors in every way they come and mixes them as crazy as possible – it’s like an explosion of colors. She is exactly someone Bodi doesn’t need in his controlled life. How will this turn out when feelings are involved?
Thoughts:
This was such an entertaining and lovely book. The characters were not like your everyday kind of people and I liked them a lot together because Bodi and Ruby couldn’t have been more different from each other which made this story so much more capturing besides the troubled man that made my heart ache for him. Bodi Banks was so hot but also so troubled all at once.
Ruby was hilarious, embarrassed herself all the time and was really awkward sometimes with her attempts of being funny but I actually had to laugh out loud a lot because of her. She was really funny as hell.
I absolutely loved this story because it pulled at my heart but also made me laugh so hard like I’ve never laughed while reading a book and let me tell you it needs a lot to make me laugh and this book made me laugh numerous of times.
The author brought the characters together in a nice way and I liked a lot that not everything was perfect when they met. They had their ups and downs and his troubled shadow didn’t vanish all of a sudden and it was hard work for him to adjust to working with a stranger, though it helped a bit that she was his sister’s friend. I liked that she sensed his troubles and that she bend to it and helped him ease up and relax around her more and more. I noticed the changes in him as small as they were. It was so well written. I can’t wait to read the next book by this author.
***5 ‘Damn you, kale. Damn you.’ Stars***
That. Cover.
That cover was the hook. Hands down and I won’t apologize for wanting to lick it because it’s freaking hawt! But then I read the blurb and it was all over. Quirky female. Broken male. Sign me up baby and what a ride it was. I was expecting a romcom and trust me there are some hilarious moments, but what I wasn’t prepared for was to have my heart ripped out of my chest. Don’t worry, it was put back and in fine working order and Stroked Long ended up being a fun read that had me going through all the feels known to humankind and had me wanting to dive into arctic waters to cool off.
What Bodi went through as a child and how it broke him at a fundamental level was what ripped my heart out along with how he saw himself in the aftermath and has done everything he could to keep people away, even though he is an Olympic swimming god, so while he can put on a good front when necessary, he’s a bit socially awkward but that only made him more adorable in my eyes. His conviction that he is to blame for the crime that has made him curl up into himself is frustrating and heartbreaking because it’s made him blind to how generous his heart is.
Ruby I really liked and I loved how adorkable she was, but her verbal vomiting skills had me going WTF?!? In the beginning. I mean they are epic, I think you can safely say that she is the Grand Empress of verbal vomiting. If there was an Olympic event for it, she’d win the gold. No questions asked. But after awhile I got used to it and looked forward to what was going to come out of her mouth and much of that had to do with how comfortable in her own skin she was. She wasn’t blind to her quirks, and at times got embarrassed when she thought she’d gone too far, but she owned them and that confidence made it easy to like her. She’s perky, sassy, outspoken and has a heart of gold, which is fitting considering what her surname is.
I loved how they went from colleagues to friends to lovers. It felt like a natural progression and wasn’t rushed. There was mutual physical and sexual attraction going on, but they got to know each other, at least as much as Bodi would allow, so the pace was slow, but oh so worth it. To watch as Ruby drew Bodi out of his self constructed prison was a lot of fun. She pushed and teased, but didn’t pester and would switch gears when she noticed his anxiety levels rising but never changed who she was at her core. And Bodi? Bodi without the shackles was lethal. He was still adorably socially awkward, but holy sexy alpha male vibe and the snark? Lethal. Of course there were a bunch of bumps in the road and the big sinkhole was expected, but still broke my heart, but I like how they worked through them and in the end it was easy to see how these two people fit so well together.
While this isn’t the first time I’ve read something by Meghan Quinn, it is the first one where she’s been the sole author. (Yes, I know bad me *slaps own hand* I will go back and read Stroked even though I’m a little sketchy about Pocket. And yes Stroked Long can be read as a standalone) and I enjoyed the journey she took me on. The writing was engaging and I thought the dual 1st person POV’s were done very well. I also like how she presented Bodi’s issues (I’m sure there is a better word to use, but that’s what I got at the moment) it was candid and respectful and an eye opener to how those with anxiety issues/OCD live day to day. I also like that while Bodi and Ruby do get their HEA, the demons that plague Bodi aren’t suddenly gone because he’s found soulmate. There is still a long road ahead of him and he may never overcome all of them, but he’s working on it. The secondary characters were fun and well developed, Lauren is probably my favorite, and I’m definitely going to be picking up Stroked Hard as soon as I am able to because of that lovely little excerpt.
~ ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~
I was sucked in from the prologue to the end of the book. It is the second book in the Stoked series and can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading it (because Meghan is my spirit sister and will make you laugh. Plus swimmer gods wearing speedo’s that are not stuffing them!)
Bodi. This sweet troubled man. So hard on himself for a plethora of reasons. So much guilt. It made me sad. I loved him from the start. Then there is Ruby. The opposite of him in every way. Sassy. and outgoing. Somehow they balanced each other and grew from that.
This story is everything that makes Meghan Quinn’s books so fantastic. There is laughter, there is snark. There is growth in characters. There is hope that happily every after does exist.
I’m giving this 42 bajillion stars! I know that’s not a real rating but I don’t care, it’s my review and I loved this book soooo much. Big, big lovies!
I’m a semi new-ish fan of Meghan’s and she has quickly become one of my top favs and automatic one-clickers. Out of all of the books I have read this year, this is for sure one of my favorites. Did I mention my hard core love for this book? No?
I was a huge fan of Stroked and when we first met Bodi in it, I couldn’t wait for his story. He and Ruby are right now one of my favorite characters. I love Ruby so much! Can I keep her? Can we be besties? #TeamRuby!! She is so perfect for Bodi, she’s a ball of sunshine in his “monotoned-color life.”
“She’s different. She’s compassionate, empathetic, non-judgmental.”
I loved how Ruby would fangirl on the inside over him and Bodi was fangirling on the inside over her. It was so sweet and cute. He just couldn’t belive that she would like him because of his “issues”.
“Clean is a good thing; I pride myself on being clean. Clean and structured is the kind of life I strive for, one with repetition and order.”
Bodi stole my cold dead heart. He went through something traumatic as a child and has been carring around a ton of guilt. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and pet his face (or abs, whichever) and tell him everything was going to be okay. My black soul was rooting for both of them!
Sidenote – That cover is so hawt!!! I can’t wait to have it on my bookshelf. Yum!
This book just had it all for me. I don’t know what else to say except I highly, highly recommend it. Now I can’t wait for Hollis’ book. Bring on the lap dance! Whoop-whoop!
~ 4.5 Stars ~
I don’t know how many times I’ve said this already, but I just adore Meghan Quinn. Seriously adore to the almost stalkerish point. It’s OK, she knows and has accepted it. I knew from Stroked that I was going to love Bodi hard and I was absolutely right. Meghan does broken brooding men like no other!
Bodi Banks is an Olympic gold medalist in swimming, working to his way for the next Olympics. He’s gorgeous and has an amazing body but those that are close to him know that he is a little bit socially awkward. He has a past that no child should have to endure, therefore causing him to have a difficult time interact “normally” with others. That is until one quirky fireball named Ruby Hearts comes barreling into his life. There’s just something about her that makes him less awkward and more willing to open up. Can Ruby help Bodi break out of this awkward shell he has been living in?
First of all, I fell hard and fast for Bodi. It’s no secret that I like my men broken and brooding. It tugs at my heart and makes me want to know everything about them.
“There is something about his light brown hair, dark blue eyes, and damaged soul that calls out to me.”
Ummm….yeah. Me too, Ruby. Me, too. I just wanted to reach out to him and help him face his struggles head on.
Ruby is the perfect crazy blend for Bodi. She’s a firecracker with zero filter and one of the most random minds I’ve ever read. The thoughts and stories that come out of her are just absolutely insane and adorable. She’s so random, quirky and personable that you just can’t help but love her. She forces Bodi to really step outside of his comfort zone by being accepting and loving.
I knew going in that I was going to like Bodi but I wasn’t expecting everything to come together so perfectly with the right mixture of humor, angst, hopefulness and love. My heart broke for Bodi and Ruby not only help mend him, she helped mend broken heart over him.
Well done, Meghan! You always delivery a well packed story that captures me from start to finish. I can’t wait for Hollis’ story next. Go get this book, guys. You’ll love it!
I never thought Bodi would reach me on the level he did.
Bodi has been unable to “breathe” for a long time. He is drowning in guilt. He cooks, he cleans and does things in threes to keep it at bay. Paranoia cripples him, but Ruby sees past his idiosyncrasies and appreciates the man he is with those eyes that truly are the windows to his soul.
She is smitten, but sees more than six-pack abs, she sees his massive heart in his charitable actions and hears his soul in that sexy as sin voice.
I adored Bodi’s inner dialogue. He had moments where he could not hide his emotions even when he didn’t know how to express them.
“But she’s my air. She’s my reason I breathe.”
Some of those expressions were heartbreaking to read and made you want to hug him and tell him it would be okay. Ruby was truly made to love him and was the perfect person to pull him out of his funk and teach him to live, to love, to breathe again.
Can Bodi go for gold in and out of the water? You need to find out!!
If I could give this book more than 5* I would…I would give it 5 Olympic Gold Medals if it was up to me. I love it so, so much- every single thing about it I love. Most of all, I love Bodi and I love Ruby, and I love Bodi and Ruby together.
I knew I was in for something special when Stroked Long had me in tears by 8% and 12 year old Bodi Banks had already woven his way into my heart. And as the book went on more tears were shed and I only fell deeper in love with Bodi. He’s one of those male characters that just completely captivates me…one who, in his own words is “I’m complicated. I’m particular. I’m broken.” Bodi is so vulnerable, so tortured, so tormented by his past, he broke my heart over and over again.
But then Ruby enters his life and soon he’s starting to feel again, something he never thought he’d be capable of…she brings color and joy to his life, things that he’s been missing for so long. Ruby is such a fun-loving, quirky, unique character- the perfect person to bring Bodi out of his shell and back to life.
“I want to know what it feels like to be intimately entwined with someone so pure and true as her. I want to feel her warmth against my frigidness, get lost in the soft, silky feel of her skin and hold her as if she’s mine for the keeping.”
This book is so much more than your typical romcom, it’s really quite special. Stroked Long is beautiful, heartfelt, and totally endearing. It’s fun and sexy and utterly delightful. Bodi and Ruby will have you giggling one minute, swooning and fanning yourself the next, and tearing up right after. I could not get enough of these two characters and the journey they took together.