ADDICTED FOR NOW
Addicted Series #2
by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Publisher: Self-Published (Nov 2013)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: eBook (488 pages)
Source: Free book from blog tour for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
He’s addicted to booze. She’s addicted to sex…staying sober is only half the battle.
No. More. Sex.
Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.
New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content
At A Glance
I just love Lily and Lo and their story only gets better in Addicted for Now, but I did find myself bored sometimes and I think it’s because the book is a little too long for it’s own good.
The Good
ALL THE FEELS! This is one of my favorite series right now. I effing love every character, even the evil ones, and I just hate when each book ends and I am left to wait for the next one. Addicted for Now is actually a little better than Addicted to You, mostly because Lily and Lo are getting better and are becoming closer and closer.
The major focus in this book is Lo and Lily getting better, learning to deal with their addictions and focusing on recovery. As if that is not hard enough, an anonymous person is threatening to expose Lily’s sex addiction to all the world. OMG, I was stressed throughout this whole novel with the dread of Lily getting exposed. I can’t say what happened but, dear God, was I in torment. I think I have an ulcer now from all the worry, lol.
Lily was the most up and down in this book. She struggled the most with her recovery. She only had a therapist and Lo (and her friends) to get her through it, while Lo had three months of rehab for his alcohol addiction. Lo was there for her every step of the way, but Lily often struggled. Anything would set her off: men walking down the street, a picture, a thought turned fantasy in her head. This girl is non-stop horny! But when she was doing good, I was soooo proud of her. It was like she was my own sister and I was rooting for her every step of the way. Lily is such a fragile person in many ways. It’s hard for her to handle a lot. But she is also so strong and determined. All she has to think about is Lo and she is back on track.
Lo did the best in this book. He had his temptations, but for the most part, he was solid in his recovery. I think the knowledge that Lily needed him so much kept him on track. Lo had a lot of revelations thrown at him just like last time. I don’t know how he handled all the heartbreak and surprises. It felt like too much even more me. But Lo does it somehow. He’s still as sexy as ever and determined as ever for him and Lily to make it in their relationship and in their recovery. I could be capable of anything with Lo behind me.
The side characters are still as awesome as ever. I read this series as much for the main characters as for the side characters. Rose, Conner, and Ryke. They are solid friends more than ever. Even Daisy really made an impact on me. They are the best friends anyone could ever have, even with all their odd quirks. We see so much more depth in Rose and Conner this time around. They act like the ice couple but they still have heart, they still have feelings, they are just good at covering them up. I am hoping there is some books on all these awesome peeps. And the bad guys were so amazingly bad that I kind of loved them too.
This is such a strong, emotional story. I think everyone could take away something from this book and series. It has a powerful message of love, friendship, family, and surviving addiction. Things are never perfect, there is still a long road ahead of everyone before they get their HEAs, but we are getting closer. The writing is flawless, the dialogue is perfect with it’s humor and fluidity, and the characters are so complex. The concept is still as unique as ever. There is no other book like this one out there. I can’t wait for the series to continue.
The Bad
This book is so close to 5 stars, but I can’t deny that I often found myself wanting to skip ahead and bypass some dull sections. This book is just too long for the story. A hundred pages or so could have been cut out and the book would have been the better for it. There was too much of the repetitive storyline of Lily trying to overcome her sex addiction. It was such a focal point that it got annoying. I wanted even amounts of everything, not 70% of Lily trying not to masturbate.
The Snuggly
You know what I love the most about this series? I am never nervous that Lily and Lo are going to break up. These two f*cked up kids are in it for life. They are everything to each other. They are best friends, lovers, and like family. I want this with someone. To know that no matter how much I mess up, someone will always be there for me is more like a dream than reality, but Lily and Lo found that dream. So effing jealous. Their relationship has its bumps as they try to assimilate to their new addiction-fighting lives, but they are always a solid couple.
Of course, there is sex, lots and lots of sex! I think it’s more adult than new adult, but hey, I’m not complaining. The sex scenes are perfect and appropriate for the story.
Final Thoughts
Whole bunches of love for this one. If not for the length and boring parts, this would have been a perfect book. The story was amazing and the characters were breathtaking. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. You cannot pass this series up. Highly recommended.
“What’s going to happen,” he breathes, “is that I’m going to carry you through this door. I’m going to draw out every single moment until you’re exhausted. And I’m going to move so slow that three months ago will feel like yesterday. And tomorrow will feel like today, and no one in this fucking universe will be able to say your name without saying mine.”
“This is too hard. I feel like I can’t escape my addiction. If I’m with you, I want to have sex with you. If I’m not alone, I want to f*ck me. Nowhere is safe.”
“She doesn’t have to say, I love you because… The sentiment is attached to each and every word. She loves me because she believes I’m strong. She loves me because she’s a part of me.”
“She holds tight around my neck, and I keep my arms underneath her legs, willing to carry her as far as she needs to go – just like when we were kids. Some things never change.”
He brushes off an escaped tear with his thumb. “You’re sick… I’m sick too,” he says, “and there will be times where we’re weak. Where we beg for the things we can’t have. But you can’t be scared of that, Lil… You just have to believe that you’ll be strong enough in the end. Even if the middle is all f*cked up.”
Author Bio
Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college, she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013.
Author Website│Nawanda Files│YA Book Exchange
Becca’s Links: Goodreads | Twitter
Krista’s Links: Goodreads | Twitter
Aarati
My addictions are books. Lots and lots of books. Other than that I’m addicted to Jensen Ackles and Supernatural. Oh Castle and White Collar too. 😉
Jennifer Bielman
OMG, Jensen, my boy toy in all my fantasies!!! Supernatural!!, My fav show.
sherry fundin
I’m with you Aarati. I too am addicted to books. I also love Supernatural and Castle and……I LOVE Jensen Ackles too!!!!! Those eyes are amazing. I have watched, and continue to watch, the reruns over and over and over……..
Jennifer Bielman
I can literally watch Jensen alllllll dayyyyy!!! lol
Brandi Kosiner
Glad you loved it even if a little boring at times
Jennifer Bielman
Thanks so much!
Ashley Montgomery
I’m obsessed with Johnny Depp so I collect all of his movies and anything that has to do with him.
Jennifer Bielman
Oh yes, Depp, yum.
Midu Hadi
Ah, reading is the only addiction I have!
Jennifer Bielman
LOL, it is my biggest addiction.