Ricochet by Keri Lake Publisher: Self-Published on July 9, 2015
Genres: Suspense, Romance, Dark, Erotica
Pages: 530
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating:
Heat:
The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.
Three years ago, I had everything.
A beautiful wife.
A son.
A reason for living.Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.
They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.
A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.
I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.
Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.
An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.
If she doesn’t destroy me first.
At A Glance
Oh, that yummy violence and sex!
The Good
Holy brutal violence, Batman! If you are okay with reading about torture, then this is the book for you. If I were going to sum up Ricochet in one word, it would be revenge. Nick’s family was tortured and killed in the worst possible way. Seriously, I am still messed up over it. Now he is out for revenge. He’s been planning and preparing to kill those who have wronged him for years, and he is not holding back. Except when it comes to Aubree.
Nick is the perfect tortured soul. I guess you could also call him an anti-hero. He’s ruthless in his vengeance and calculated in his moves. You can’t believe the things he does but you secretly love it because every one of those fuckers deserve it. It’s surprising but Nick is a very emotional character, even as he is a callous killer. His pain is palpable. It comes off the pages and tears at you. Aubree only messes him up further as his plans become blurry in her arms.
Aubree is an easy character to love and sympathize with. She has a bad past and even worse present. She pretty much lives in hell, so when Nick kidnaps her, she only sees freedom. Aubree and Nick connect because of their tortured situations. While Nick resists their connect, Aubree embraces it. Aubree is strong and caring, even when she should be more selfish. Aubree and Nick clash a few times but overall the monsters that created them made them perfect for each other.
The plot was raw and gritty. Lots of fast-paced action and suspense. I never knew how far the author was willing to go. My stomach was in constant knots as things progressed, but I loved being that tense. It’s a sign of a good book.
The Bad
Near the end, things were a little off. The feel of the book changed. I don’t know why or how but I didn’t like it. Some things happened that seemed unbelievable, in the bad way. I just wasn’t buying what the author was selling. For example, people do no become badass assassins with skills over night. I wish the ending had the same oomph as the rest of the book.
The Snuggly
The sex was off the charts hot. It bordered the lines of erotica. We get sweet sex, rough sex, bondage sex, it was all good. But we also get very detailed rape and sexual assault scenes, torture scenes, and self-harm scenes. It gets rough. I was okay with it all but others might not be.
Final Thoughts
I love a gritty, dark book and Ricochet fits that description perfectly. The added romance only made things better. Despite the off ending, I loved everything else about this story. Highly recommended.
Quotes
“I’d rather walk a mile with a cucumber up my ass than fuck you.”
“Monsters did exist. They didn’t hide under the bed, though. They stormed through the fucking door and stole away everything we loved.
To defeat a monster, I had to become one.”
“You’re a fighter. Your scars aren’t about the rounds you’ve lost. They’re about the ones you walked away from. The ones you survived.”
“Shit seemed to get crazy the moment I whipped out my dick, like unleashing the goddamn Kraken every time I unzipped my pants.”
LeKeisha
Oh God, I need this! All 500+ freaking pages. I mean, look at him. He looks like the baddest boy ever. I’m not a fan of the act of torturing, but I do love it when an author blends it in the right way to tell a great hot story. I’m sold!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I think this author blended the torture parts and love parts the right way.
kindlemom1
I’ve seen good things about this one already so I’m so glad you loved it too!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Oh yeah, it was soooo good.
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
I love tortured souls…but too much violence ruins a read for me 🙁
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
There is a lot of violence, I can’t lie.
Braine Talk Supe
I’m trying to wrack my brain about the ending… I can’t remember anymore!
Still I’m glad you loved this so much! She’s a favorite of mine and she definitely doesn’t write sweet romance. It’s always gritty for sure
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I am going to have to try her sweet romance next.
melliane
Oh this one sounds intense there! I didn’t know about it but I heard great things about this author
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
It is very intense.
Anna
The book might not be for me, but I do love the quotes. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
🙂 happy you enjoyed them.
Melissa (Books and Things)
This sounds like a book that might be hard to get through at times, but are rewarded in the end.. in a way. I don’t like the sound of the ending, but if the rest of the book is this good, I think I can deal even though I know it will bug me a bit. Brilly review!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
The ending doesn’t ruin it and it’s still decent.
Ashley @ Ashleyz Wonderland
Hmmm…I’m a little undecided on this one. it sounds really good but I’m a little hesitant because I;m afraid it might be a little too dark. I really like that fighter quote though!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
It is very dark, I can’t stress that enough.
Christy
Need. Yup, I definitely need to read it.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
MUST READ!!!
Kristin
I’ve been wondering about this book since I saw a while back. It sounds like a dark and yet sexy read. Sucks that the tone changed at the end. I hate it when it seems like the author is just ready to call it a wrap and pulls out some random mumbo jumbo to end the book.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Yeah, the ending was so off but the book as a whole is amazing.