Blog Tour + Triple Book Review : Ruckus by LJ Shen

Title: Ruckus

Series: Sinners of Saint #2

Author: L.J. Shen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 26, 2017

"This series is one of the best I've read all year" - Angie, Angie's Dreamy Reads

"LJ Shen delivers and then some. I am loving this series." - Kylie Scott New York Times Bestseller

"It's unpredictable, raw, emotional, and edgy- pure chaos contained in a beautiful package." - TJ Loves Books

"LJ Shen just wrote her best love story ever!" - DD's Boom Room

Rosie

They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right.

No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking.

He is my forbidden, shiny apple.

The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth.

He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend.

One thing you should know before you judge me;

I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first.

Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance.

Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. My white knight has finally arrived. Hopefully, he isn’t too late.

Dean

They say the brightest stars burn out the fastest. They’re right.

She sets my mind on fire.

All smart mouth, snarky attitude and a huge heart.

In a world where everything is dull, she shines like fucking Sirius.

Eleven years ago, fate tore us apart.

This time, I fucking dare it to try.

Getting to her is a battlefield, but man, that’s why they call me Ruckus.

Rosie LeBlanc is about to find out how hard I can fight.

And conquering her will be the sweetest victory.

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L. J Shen knows certainly knows how to make you fall in love with a hothole and let me tell you, if Vicious was your everything in book 1, then Dean “Ruckus” Cole is going to obliterate you and you’re going to love every minute of it! Your mind will no longer be your own because it’s going to be filled with nothing but thoughts about him, and your body is going to Crave him like the perfect drug that he is. But that’s nothing, because your heart? The one that keeps you alive and beats in sync? Will be OWNED by “Ruckus and when a man like him comes into your world, you bask in the destruction.

“If it’s corrupted and dirty and fun- I’m all over it”.

Rosie Leblanc has always been a delicate flower. Born with a lung disease that will ultimately end her life too soon, she’s determined to live her life as she sees fit and that includes avoiding the sexual advances of Dean Cole. There’s just one little problem.. Dean wants Rosie and whatever that man wants, he gets. But with time not being on Rosie’s side, how far will Ruckus go to get the girl that’s always been the one for him?

Will they beat the invisible clock or will Dean’s past come back to haunt him before he gets a chance at his own happiness?

With more money than he could possibly spend in his lifetime, a successful company with his best friends, and a different woman (two if he’s feeling adventurous) every night, Dean is on top of the world. But you know what would be even better than having those things? Having Rosie Leblanc underneath him. But for now he’s going to have to settle for their sexual banters in passing and convincing her to give him a chance, is like making Vicious smile in public. It’s damn near impossible but it could happen.

“I’m about to rewrite the pages of fucking history, baby”.

Without going too much into the story, I have to say I absolutely LOVED the past flashbacks. Dean and Rosie had a past and the way this author portrayed their feelings back then was executed perfectly! You knew without a shadow of a doubt where Dean stood and how he felt about Rosie back then so being able to see that from such a young age, was one of the many highlights in this book for me.

Now I'll admit that I was expecting a slightly emotional read with some hot as hell raunchy scenes but I got so much more! Secrets, lies, a love story eleven years in the making, was just the tip of the ice berg in this story and let me tell you, I was flipping the pages so fast, my hand cramped up! There were so many things about Dean’s past that left me speechless and my heart had literally hurt for this man. He was loyal, passionate, and when he loved something, he protected it with everything he had and that’s what a real man does.

This is the part where I tell you if you love whatever type of romance, then this book is for you but I won’t be doing that.

READ THIS BOOK.

INHALE THIS BOOK.

DEVOUR THIS BOOK

"Like you?"

'You think I fucking like you? Are you kidding me here? I don't like you. I love you. Even that's an under-fucking-statement. I live for you. I breathe for you. I will die for you. It.Has.Always.Been.You."

OH.MY.GOD! THIS BOOK IS NOT JUST OVARY EXPLOSION IN THE MAKING! RUCKUS IS SO MUCH MORE AND HOLY FUCKING WOW LEIGH SHEN NAILED IT!

A GR friend who read this book first said Ruckus deserved her 5 star rating. I concur! This book came with several surprises. I mean the book indeed was a surprise to me. Ruckus is EPIC in all proportions. Honestly, I love this book more than I did Vicious. Don't get me wrong, Vicious was the one that made me sold out with Leigh Shen's books what with all the buzz about it. Who wouldn't? We all love some alpha A-holes and she did great creating one.But Dean? Howdy! This book proved a whole lot more about this author. Her writing skills, her imagination, and her surprising ways that delivered an EPIC JOURNEY I fell in love BIG TIME was just PERFECTION!

Right from the very start I was drawn into the story. I could not help it. It's as if there's a magnetic pull that was acting upon me and the book that it's just hard for me to pull away from it. Suffice to say, I devoured and ravished it. As I said, it took me by surprise. Like EVERYTHING that was written was nothing I ever expected. It was like I was into another dimension and I was lost into another bubble when in fact I was just with Ruckus lost into the bubble of Dean and Rosie. Was it a bad thing? No, it was more like "How can this author topped her brilliant works over and over again?" and it was the BEST THING!

Dean and Rosie stole my heart with Leigh Shen's vivid and on point delivery of their relationship. Who would have thought this two shared more than just "my sister's ex - boyfriend'' and my "ex-girlfriend's baby sister." The flashback on what really was behind everything we thought was dread worthy was so much not like what we thought of it and I am in awe on how it was being portrayed. And with that, these character's did not just STOLE my heart, they OWNED it! In fact that alone became the solid foundation of this story. I had all the Ruckus of emotions reading it. From Dean's dirty and filthy innuendos to his brilliant mind, and boy did he has one. It wasn't overly but just enough to make my ovary explode. Coupled with his alpha nature and protective ways and I was dead! Add up Rosie's sass and fierceness, these two just complemented each other well what with all the banters and bickering that highlighted my day and the love that was overflowing, I fell in love too. Indeed Sirius and Earth. But then, the author wasn't satisfied enough with all of my swooning. She threw twists and turns I never saw coming that had my heart in knots. I was gutted. I did even stopped reading because I was scared for a while. With all the things they went through and all the years wasted, I was rooting for a HEA so you can't imagine how I felt reading the curve balls and the rough patches thrown at them. For Dean, my heart wrenched for this man. With his happy nature, stoned persona and all the things we thought he was, lies a baggage he's been carrying for years. For Rosie, kudos to this woman's strong nature, with everything that happened he remained the fierce woman that she is.I guess, really it's true. "Love is not perfect. Life is not perfect. Yet, they're both extremely beautiful things you should treasure everyday.

But then,

"Love makes you do crazy, irrational things. Love and death are connected by an invisible string. Pull too hard, and you're gone.

So without me spoiling you with all my ramblings, READ THIS BOOK! The journey of Dean and Rosie was far by the most I never expected I will love wholeheartedly. Sure, I love some hot scenes of course, because who would not especially ones that were really scorching and filthy. Banters? And the swoony one's? I live for it. But this book, among all these things brought a different meaning of life and love in the entirety not just the good and the bad. I love it to bits of pieces. To say that Leigh Shen gets better and better with her every release is an understatement. More like, she's a bomb waiting to explode and BAM..Her Masterpiece.. and this is it... Ruckus!!!

Ruckus was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. I wanted this book bad, people! Ever since I finished Vicious, I have been dreaming about this book. I was never worried if I would like it or not. So far, everything that I have read by L. J. Shen has been a five star read for me. She is one of the most talented writers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and she sits firmly at the top of my favorite authors of all time. This story just showed me even more why she deserves my admiration.

Dean “Ruckus” Cole is a cocky, rich, alpha male that spends his days at the office and his nights inside of random women. He has demons that nobody knows about, and he chases them away with marijuana and alcohol. Dean Cole is not the serious type. He is always on the verge of a smirk, a laugh, or a sexual innuendo. There is only one thing Dean has ever been serious about and that’s Rosie Leblanc.

Rosie Leblanc is a twenty eight year old living with a cystic fibrosis, an incurable disease that comes with a shortened life span. All she has ever wanted is to be treated like she is not a delicate flower that is going to wilt at any moment. She is strong, she has dreams, and she craves independence and freedom. Her family loves her, but they treat her like she is incapable of taking care of herself. The only person that doesn’t treat her like she is going to break is Dean, a man she loathes as much as she loves.

Dean dated Rosie’s sister, Emilia, when they were teenagers. It should have never happened, but due to some bad timing, good intentions, and misplaced emotions it did. After that, no matter how much Rosie wanted Dean, she would never let herself give in to those feelings. Even now when Emilia is getting married to Vicious 11 years later, Rosie still feels like involving herself with Dean would be a betrayal. The biggest problem with all of this is that Dean is the only man that she has ever loved, and vice versa. They are it for each other, and they both know it. Will they keep wasting what time they have left to be together, or will they finally allow themselves to have what they truly want?

When I was just one chapter in I put the book down, and said, “Holy shit, this woman can right!” I could read L. J. Shen’s writing all day long. She has a way with words that few others do. For example, in a lot of the books I read, the descriptions can drive me crazy. They are either not enough, or they go on forever and I have to start skimming the page to keep from pulling my hair out. That is not the case with her, her descriptions are like fucking poetry to me!

There weren’t many things to do in Todos Santos, California, on the verge of summer break. Everything was scorching hot. The air heavy, the sun bloated, the grass yellow, and the youth bored with their problemless, meaningless existence. We were too lazy to chase cheap thrills, so we looked for them while we were leisurely sprawled on pool floats the shape of donuts and flamingos and Italian-imported sunbathing chair lounges.

There are quotes from this book that just blew me away. They made me feel, they made me think, and they are beautiful. I had to share them with people, because words like that are meant to be shared.

Love felt like dipping each other in gasoline and burning together. Love felt like dancing with madness in the dark, watching all of its bright lights. Love felt like gasping for air when your lungs were already full.

I am going to stop fangirling over the writing now, and tell you that this is a fantastic story with well-developed characters filled with emotion, lust, and love. It is not a neat and tidy story. It’s messy, it’s raw, and it’s real.

Did I love everything these characters did? Hell no! I thought Rosie was stupid to push Dean towards Emilia, because in the end, it wasn’t fair to Emilia. She was dating someone that wanted her sister the whole time. Dean shouldn’t have went along with it either. When it was all said and done, who did that relationship benefit? Nobody. Dean, Rosie, Vicious, and Emilia all suffered because of it. The whole thing was idiotic, but then again so are teenagers. They are learning how to deal with adult feelings and emotions, and they make a ton of mistakes. We have all been there. I know I look back on 50 percent of the things I did as a teen and cringe, so why should I hold Dean and Rosie to a higher standard? I shouldn’t, and I don’t.

Vicious is still my favorite, but Ruckus sure gave him a run for his money! If you are a fan of this series or the author’s work, then why haven’t you picked up this book yet? You need to get on that immediately! If you love romance, sexy alpha male characters, complicated relationships, and spectacular writing, then I recommend this one to you!

L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams. Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.) She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her readers.