“...one of the most engaging and well-written romance books I have read...It's like nothing you've read before. It touches the issues no one talks about in our community. And it's a MUST-READ."
--LJ Shen, Amazon Bestselling Author
GRIP, Kennedy Ryan’s sexy, emotional Amazon Bestseller,
is available now for only 99¢!
Scroll all the way down for an excerpt and to enter the
$25 Gift Card Giveaway!
Resisting an irresistible force wears you down and turns you out. I know. I've been doing it for years.
I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I've got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary. And Marlon James - Grip to his fans - is nothing short of extraordinary.
Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I've thrown away the key. All that's left is friendship and work.
He's on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true. I manage his career, but I can't seem to manage my heart.
It's wild, reckless, disobedient. And it remembers all the things I want to forget.
Flow is the first thing I have ever read by Kennedy Ryan, and I knew right away that it wouldn’t be my last. Novellas are tricky for me to rate and review. Most of the time there never seems to be enough story for me to become totally invested in what I’m reading, and any connection I feel to the characters is flimsy at best. However, sometimes one comes a long and surprises me, and this was one of those times!
Grip agrees to pick up his best friend’s sister, Bristol, from the airport without having ever seen her before. As he is desperately searching for her, he sees one of the most beautiful women he has ever laid eyes on. When he finally receives a text with Bristol’s picture, he can’t believe his luck! The girl staring up at him from his phone is the gorgeous woman standing right in front of him.
From the moment Bristol and Grip meet, you can see they have chemistry. Their attraction is magnetic, and their connection is undeniable. Rhyson, Brystol’s brother, winds up needing to work later than he anticipated, so Grip stays with Bristol to keep her company. During this time, they talk about everything under the sun, even topics that could be uncomfortable to talk about with someone you just met, but with them it isn’t like that.
Bristol is visiting her twin brother for the first time in years. When Rhyson, a musical prodigy, emancipated himself from his overbearing parents, he left behind his sister seemingly without a second thought. Bristol is using this visit to try to reconnect with her brother, but from the time she steps off the plane, he seems to be too preoccupied with work to spend any time with her. Grip is more than happy to take his place, and as much as Rhyson’s absence hurts Bristol, she enjoys her time with Grip immensely. When it comes time for her to leave, they have to decide whether they are going to continue what they started or let it die a natural death. Bristol thinks she knows the answer to that dilemna until something unexpected happens that changes everything.
This prequel is a fantastic introduction to the characters of Bristol and Grip. It sets up their story perfectly giving us the backstory that will allow us to understand the depth of their feelings for one another in Grip. Having read Grip before I wrote this review, I can tell you that this is novella is absolutely essential to their overall story. It can’t be skipped the way so many prequels can. You will be doing yourself a great disservice by trying to skip this one.
Kennedy Ryan has an incredible writing style that makes this story a pleasure to read due to that alone. Her ability to evoke so much emotion in such a short time is nothing short of remarkable. I loved Grip right from the start. His charming personality, intelligence, and sense of humor make him easy to love. Bristol comes off as sheltered, hypocritical, and narrow minded at first, and I hated that. I am going to be real here and say it was because it just seemed like a stereotype…the rich little white girl that says ignorant shit without a clue as to how offensive it is or stupid and close minded she sounds. What I appreciated was the conversations Grip and Bristol had later on in the book and during the next one. It is what made me love the books. These characters don’t pretend that they don’t have different life experiences, but they try their best to understand each other. That is a beautiful thing! All in all, I enjoyed Flow and would recommend it to any romance fan!
What can I say about this story to let you know how amazing it really is? I am finding myself at a loss for words and if you know me, you know that doesn’t happen often. Grip is so much more than a love story. It is a love story, yes, but it focuses on so many other topics that make it even more complex and compelling. When I finished Flow, I already knew that I was probably going to love this book. Intelligent, thoughprovoking, and fantastically written, Grip did not disappoint!
Eight years after the events in Flow, we see that Grip is set to release an album and that Bristol and Rhyson are managing his career. Aside from their business relationship, Grip and Bristol are just friends, but that doesn’t mean the fire between them has gone out. The feelings they have for one another are as intense as they were all of those years ago. In fact, they are probably stronger. Bristol denies herself the man she loves, so she doesn’t turn into her mother, and he hangs on to the idea that one day she will give him a chance even though it has been almost a decade since their first kiss. Even if they can move beyond their past and decide to be together, they still have to worry about judgement from family, friends, fans, and the world.
Grip is a beautiful love story that deals the topics of race and social injustice. It is breathtaking, passionate, and raw. The focus on skin color and social issues are heavy in this book, and that is not something you come across every day in the romance genre. I think coming from a family with plenty of interracial couples and mixed family members made me appreciate this book even more. The topics in Grip may not be ones that are easy to discuss, but they are ones that cannot be ignored either. I think books like these are important, and I loved that the way the author handled everything. This is a book that at the very least will make people think. As I said in my review for Flow, I recommend this story to all fans of the romance genre.
Read GRIP today for only 99¢ or FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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FLOW, the FREE prequel, MUST BE READ before GRIP!
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STILL, the sexy and emotional final installment of The Grip Series,
releases September 24th!
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Excerpt
“Neither of us has been in a serious relationship in years.” “That doesn’t mean anything.” I stand and slide my feet into the Jimmy Choos. “You haven’t exactly been waiting around, have you?” “Damn right I haven’t been waiting around.” He doesn’t get up, but his firm hold on my wrist stops me from walking away. “I’m not Rhyson.” I look down at him, frowning my confusion. “What do you mean?” “Remember when Kai put Rhyson in the friend zone?” Of course I do. For a long time, my sister-in-law Kai denied the attraction between her and Rhyson. “Yeah, so?” “When Kai wasn’t checking for Rhys, I assumed he had to be sleeping with other girls.” Grip shrugs. “I mean, he and Kai were just friends. But, nope. He said he only wanted Kai and didn’t sleep with anyone else.” “Then you’re right.” I tug at my wrist, but he holds on tight. “You’re definitely not Rhyson.” “It was months, Bristol. She shut him out for months. Not years.” “I’m not shutting you out.” I release a tired breath. “I’m living my life, and you’re living yours.” “Right.” He nods and turns his mouth down at the corners. “So, if you won’t be with me, then I’ll fuck whoever the hell I want. If you have a problem with that, you know what to do about it.” For a moment, our eyes tangle in the dimness. His words sink into my flesh like briars. Every word out of his mouth only proves that I’m right to get out of here. That I’m right not to give in. If I ever gave him a chance and he fucked around on me . . . I’ve seen what that looks like. It looks like a woman as strong as my mother reduced to pathetic, teary drunkenness. “It’s none of my business.” I shift my eyes away from him and to the glittering city skyline just beyond the rooftop. “It’s none of your business until you say it is.” I force myself to look back. “Don’t hold your breath, Grip.” I say my next words with deliberation. “I mean, it’s not like I’m sitting around saving it, either.” He pulls me forward, and I press my hand to the hardness of his chest so I don’t fall into him. My knee supports me, pressed against his on the couch. “Are you poking me?” One strong hand wraps around the back of my thigh, anger marking his expression. “Do you want to know if it bothers me when you fuck other guys?” I just stare at him unblinkingly. He presses my leg, urging me forward until I’m fully on the couch, fully on him, one knee on either side of his legs, facing him. Straddling him. “It makes me want to set the world on fire.” His words come softly, but the truth roars in his eyes. “To think of you with them.”Find the GRIP Series On Audio!
FLOW ➜ http://bit.ly/FLOWAudiobook
GRIP ➜ http://bit.ly/GRIPAudiobook
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About the Author:
Kennedy Ryan is a Southern girl gone Southern California. A Top 100 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy writes romance about remarkable women who find a way to thrive even in tough times, the love they find, and the men who cherish them. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Georgia families living with Autism, Kennedy has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other outlets as a voice for families living with autism.Connect with Kennedy:
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