Friday, 16 February 2018

Review: Rough Ride by Kristen Ashley

About The Book






And fold his woman firmly in the family that is Chaos.


Story Length

Alternating, first-person.

Rosalie is beaten pretty badly by an ex-lover and others. Those that have been physically abused may find it difficult.

Background Knowledge Required?
Technically no. 






What I Thought:
Why, why, WHY did you do this, Kristen Ashley? Why? Why make Snapper and Rosalie a novella? How could you do this to them? The deserved a novel! A proper freaking novel where you could have worked your magic and made something beautiful! Instead, they get this. This... Barely satisfying TEASE! After, what, two years(!) of having no Chaos, this was just not cricket!

Now, don't get me wrong, despite my pissed off ranting, this isn't a bad novella. It's just bad when you compare it to the other books in this series. 
The story is rushed, the characters don't get their moment to shine or much development, and it was needed! Serious shit is rushed through, moments that would have been amazing to read - for example, Shy and Tab settling things with Rosalie - where thrown in as a FYI having happened 'off-screen', so to speak, or completely glossed over, and the random freaking ending was the icing on the 'WTF' cake.
Do NOT start me on the ending. 
I read it about four times and I'm still trying to work out if I understood what happened correctly... 
I haven't been so pissed off and let down by a book in a long time. 
I swear, I could freakin' cry! 
I LOVE Chaos. 
Love them! 
I've been so excitedly anxious to read Snapper and Rosalie's story since Walk through Fire and this just gutted me with its mediocrity. 
Harsh? Maybe. But so so true.

There is a teaser chapter for Hound's book, releasing in the summer, at the end and it was so good. I bet that that book is going to be the business. Kristen Ashley seems to work best at the long and deliciously wordy books... Not novellas.

Cover Love:
Pretty typical for the 1001 Dark Night novellas which is pretty nice.

Favourite Quotes:




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  1. Too bad it was not a book.STill any story is good
    I did read this novella once and I had hoped it would be a book too, but alas

    1. Indeed... Better than nothing at all! :)

  2. That's a bummer. It's sucks to feel cheated when you've waited for a couple's HEA.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    1. I just hope the next one is back on form.

  3. oooh I get it, I hate it when authors take my favorite couples from the series and make them a novella D: because I end up wanting more and it feels like their stories are rushed

  4. Oh boy, what a letdown. First, to have a favorite couple's story be relegated to a novella instead of a full-length novel. And then to have the novella be so mediocre? Sorry this one was such a disappointment. :(

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

  5. I haven't read any of this series before but now I'm intrigued. Sorry this turned out to be a disappointment. I'm not really a fan of novellas in general, they always leave me feeling like there should have been more.

    1. I love the series, totally recommend it! Just don't start with this one, lol.

  6. I've yet to start this series, but I've been seeing these covers everywhere in our local bookstore! Sorry you ended up not liking this, and it totally sucks when awesome characters don't get their own full-length novels. :(

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

    1. Fingers crossed the next one is back on form! :)

  7. I'm and ending girl so hearing your reaction to the ending, I think this would be a no for me... but I admit you made me curious despite my reservations. Yep, I may have to read this series at least.

    1. I have a feeling that the ending will make sense once I've read the book releasing in the summer... It feels like they're intertwined and we only got half (less than half!) the picture in this one. So annoying! lol But I really recommend the series as a whole.

  8. Interesting review style, Nicola! I had not read one of your reviews before. I like how you immediately pinpoint a book's most important elements! :) :)

    I had not heard of this series before, either. It does sound interesting! And it's too bad this novella disappointed you..... I can TOTALLY relate! When a plot is rushed, and characters I've met before, and liked, are glossed over, I want to SCREAM!! Lol.

    I do hope the next book she releases is much better! And I think you're right -- some authors write better novels than they do novellas!

    Thanks for sharing!! <3 :)

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Maria!
      I'm not usually so ranty in my reviews but this one got me... lol
      I decided long ago that I could never match the beautifully eloquent reviews others write so to just pull out the info I want to know, when deciding on a book, and throw in a few of my thoughts to boot. :)

      The series, as a whole, I love. I totally recommend it. You have alpha males (the good kind, not the annoying pig kind), interesting and likeable women, and everyone - including background characters - are 3-dimensional 'people' with a story to tell. :)