"Broken Juliet" by Leisa Rayven ♥ Happy Release Day! ♥

I hope you're ready for the biggest book-hangover of your life!

“The thing about developing an addiction is that it happens so quietly, you don’t know how much trouble you’re in until it’s to late. It tiptoes through the rooms of your mind and body, gently inserting hooks and strings into every cell, until you don’t know where you end and it begins. And untangling that web is nearly impossible.” 

Broken Juliet picks up exactly where Bad Romeo left off, and... OH. MY. FLUFFING. HEART. I have never ever before hated hitting 100% as much as I did when I finished Broken Juliet. Not because the book was bad and because I had hoped for more, but because I still wanted more after already having gotten much more than I had ever been hoping for. I was like a little kid in a candyshop, close to a sugar-induced coma already, yet wanting to explore every inch of the shop, back and storage included. Bad Romeo had already given me the hots for Ethan Holt, as well as the lovestory he and Cassie Taylor share, but this... this has made me insatiable. Rayven's favorite pen must be a magic wand, because I am not sure if I will ever again be ready for a book-boyfriend that's not Ethan Holt.

“He was my first true friend. My first love. First lover. The master of more pleasure than I knew existed, and the architect of more heartache than I thought I could endure …
I want him. Can’t want him. Need him. Hate needing him.” 

I've had many book-boyfriends before - so many, it makes me a bookwhore. Each and every one of them managed to make me love them in their own way... but this time, everything was different. I didn't just fall for Ethan. I didn't just have the literary hots for him. I didn't just get frustrated with the story when it didn't go my way. No. This book was so emotionally challenging - daring me to feel what's described and tearing at the core of my heart - people around me started asking me what kind of drugs I was on, because Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet are books that you don't just read - you live them.

Cassie falls in love with Ethan? You fall in love with Ethan.
Cassie gets her heart broken by Ethan? You can feel your own heart aching right along with hers.
Cassie gets mad... you get mad.
Cassie throws her phone onto the floor? Well... let me just say that if it hadn't meant no-more-Ethan, I would have happily smashed my kindle into the nearest wall.

“Loving you … is the stupidest, most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t stop. God knows, I’ve tried.” 

This book, as well as its prequel, definitely do their titles justice. There's bad, and there's broken - but that's not even what I meant. Romeo and Juliet... an epic lovestory, with lovers that have to overcome so many obstacles, it at times bears more tragedy than romance. A lovestory that consumes you, that will have you addicted from page one, and that will forever be talked about - that's exactly what this story does, and what it would deserve. I absolutely loved both books, and I cannot wait for the third installment in the series! - If you haven't already, you should really go ahead, purchase a copy and be prepared to get lost in it... I personally cannot wait to get my hands onto a paperback copy of Broken Juliet, and will most likely be turning the series into birthday/Christmas/whatever-the-occassion gifts as well (:

Oh, and hey, Mrs Rayven? Should this ever get turned into a movie - no, wait, WHEN this gets turned into a movie - I would please like to play the part of Cassie Taylor. I don't care that I look nothing like her, I'll just... adapt and undergo a million plastic surgeries.
Just kidding... or am I? (;

5/5!

How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the unforgettable love story that captivated over two million fans online. 

Leisa Rayven is a freelance actor and producer in Brisbane, Australia, who makes frequent trips to Los Angeles and New York City. 

You can find my review of Bad Romeo here.
Leisa Rayven's website || on goodreads || facebook || on twitter || on instagram
Bad Romeo on goodreads || amazon US || amazon UK || amazon DE
Broken Juliet on goodreads || amazon US || amazon UK || amazon DE

*** I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 
Big THANK YOUs to Leisa Rayven, Nina Bocci and St. Martin's Griffin! ***

** All quotes used above have previously been published on goodreads. **

"Bad Romeo" by Leisa Rayven

I am so, so, sooooo glad that I was waiting with my re-read until I had received an ARC of Broken Juliet, part two in Leisa Rayven's Starcrossed series - would I not have the chance to dive right into more Ethan and Cassie right now, I'd be dying a million emotional deaths.
Seriously.

Personally, I like to - if I find the time - reread books that I really, really loved, and Bad Romeo definitely is one of them. I'd even go as far as to say that I don't just love the book - I am in love with it.
What I hadn't expected when I re-opened the book to give it another read, however, was that it would have the same power as it did the first time - I felt like a Starcrossed virgin all over again. It was if I was reading the novel for the very first time - all the laughter and tears kicked in on all the right pages; all the emotion got delivered spot on for a second time - Rayven has such an admirable way with words... there is no way in heaven or hell not to love it!

Bad Romeo follows good-girl Cassie Taylor and bad boy Ethan Holt as they audition for - and start studying at - The Grove, the country's most prestigious school of the performing arts. Not long after the start of the school year, the two acting majors get cast as Romeo and Juliet - and it soon seems clear that they're destined for a romance no less epic than that of their on-stage characters... but sometimes, destiny just doesn't get its way,
and hearts don't just get broken, but shattered beyond repair...

"The heart wants what it wants...

and sometimes it wants something bad."

Years later, they have both made it to Broadway, and fate -with a little help of none other than Holt himself- once again reunites them as on-stage lovers, forcing both of them not only to confront each other, but also their passionate past, including the hottest, yet also the most heart-breaking memories... and not to forget their still-there attraction to one another.

Breaking Cassie's heart was Ethan's biggest regret, and having her heart broken by her first and only love was the spark for Cassie's trust-issues - it seems they are like magnets, sometimes pulling each other in, but turning around also pushing one another away until they are out of each other's reach.
You won't want to put this novel down until the very last page - it's captivating, and there's no way you'll not want to know what'll happen next, if they'll make it.
With Bad Romeo, Rayven presents some of the most real characters I have ever had the joy of reading about - their story is a raw, honest and emotional rollercoaster that you won't want to quit. The author has a genius way with words, that will have you laugh, cry, and sometimes even both at the same time; I highlighted the life out of my kindle-copy - it's full of great lines that are absolutely quote-worthy. With the story being written from Cassie's point of view, alternating between present and past to give you glimpses at all things Cassie-and-Ethan, you will get an instant connection to one of the main characters, setting an emotional atmosphere that will draw you in and will have you wanting more.

If you're now going to pick up Bad Romeo for the very first time - which you really should, if you haven't already! - I can say... lucky you! Only 20 days to go before you can dig into part two! (;

5+/5

While performing the greatest love story of all time, 

they discovered one of their own...

Cassie Taylor was the good-girl acting student. Ethan Holt was the bad boy on campus. Then one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing onstage, Cassie and Ethan's epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart.

Now they've made it to Broadway, where they're reunited as romantic leads once again - and their passionate scences force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret... and he's determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much for her to ever trust him again. The trouble is, working with him reminds her that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks. And when it comes to love, sometimes it's the things that aren't good for us that are the most irresistible. 

Leisa Rayven is a freelance actor and producer in Brisbane, Australia, who makes frequent trips to Los Angeles and New York City. Bad Romeo is her first novel.

Bad Romeo: goodreads || amazon
Broken Juliet: goodreads || amazon
Leisa Rayven's website || facebook  || twitter || instagram