Maryse's Book Blog

—-> A WINNER HAS BEEN RANDOMLY SELECTED!! Congratulations Casual!!

P.S.> AWESOME comments and I had a great time with this! I hope you guys are having fun reading!! *hug* 🙂

Love Unrehearsed (book #2) *quick and important spoiler alert for those who haven’t read book #1 yet* Please do not read further if you haven’t read book #1. The first book takes us on quite a ride, and this sequel continues it. If you haven’t read (Love Unscripted) yet, check out my review and give it a go! It gave me a delightfully disturbing stomach ache! Love and sugar and sweet sweet fantasy turned into… Help!! OMG it hurts!!! 😉 hehe. <—- me. Sucker for that. Check out my review for book #1 (Love Unscripted) first.

Today is the BIG day!!! Finally the sequel to that gorgeous, daydream inducer of a traumatic, heart-stopping love story (Love Unscripted), is finally here. It. Is. Here. *phew* what a wait it was. I was right there with y’all waiting for more Ryan and Taryn. I needed more. I needed… relief.

Remember my slightly “bad” reaction to the end of book #1? (we discussed it here and there… in the spoiler forum and other places). I was soooooo into Ryan, and sooooo pouting at him at the same time:

Juriarie: Still wonder what Maryse was talking about when she said this:
Ryan (Love Unscripted) —-> I loved the intense buildup, and his no-holds-barred affection for Taryn. But then… he made me pout (which I loved because it made me feel), but I’m still waiting for some peace on the matter…

Maryse:  What I meant is just like you said. I was still mad at Ryan in the end. I wouldn’t have denied him, but I didn’t feel he handled her reaction well, and it broke my heart. Like, once she was ready to open up again, once she got over her devastation…he needed a break from her now, and that hurt me for some reason. So when I was done, I was happy… but… internally, if I were Taryn, I would have still been harboring hurt feelings over it all. All. … And that’s just because they were both so human in their emotional responses and overreactions and “time-outs”…

‘Cause you see, I got Taryn, 100%. Oh sure… some things were handled badly, and sure. Us readers, being on the outside looking in, WE could see where things were… you know… “obvious”. Oh who am I kidding? I TOTALLY felt what she felt. Thought what she thought. I dreaded and saw it coming like she did. Her interpretation of events? My own. And boy did I get the wind knocked out of me a few times. Very human reactions, self-destructive, jumping the gun… no matter the amount of money and fame, no matter “who” he was,  they were still a real couple struggling through relationship insecurities, and worse, if you factor in the gossip magazines, the long distance, and wild imaginations running amok.

I mean… how human were they, right? The things she had to endure, the stresses from his fame, his fans, and the industry. Being in his spotlight at all times. And so many wanting to push her out of it. Scrutinized. Criticized. Villainized, and victimized. *sigh* When you crush on your favorite actor, and envy whatever girl gets to be his, you forget all of the outside influences that they have to face, fight, and forge through to make it with their heart intact. And boy was this series an eye-opener for that!

I needed relief. And book #2 provided much of it. Wiiiiith a few bumps in the road, of course! 😉

Taryn and Ryan have survived major emotional trauma together (and apart) and have found the light at the end of book #1’s tunnel. However, Taryn still has a few scars, and Ryan is terrified she will reach a breaking point with everything she has to endure to be in his life.

“I saw the look on your face,” he went on, “and I thought to myself, what if this is the moment that breaks her. What if this is the thing that causes her to bolt. I know you keep thinking that I’m going to fall prey to the Hollywood cliché.”

In love, and deep down trying to remain unfazed by the limelight, they know they can trust each other. But can they trust anyone else?

Pressure is weighing in from all sides. Ryan’s entourage (agents, lawyers, actors and publicist) insist he stay focused on the Hollywood prize. But his heart is demanding he stay focused on Taryn’s tenuous grasp of her place in his life. His stardom is skyrocketing, his fans becoming obnoxious, his elite lifestyle is trying hard to send Taryn packing.

He propped his head up. “Why? What are you afraid of?”
Oh, not much. The media making a huge production out of my transition? False accusations of me using you to get ahead? Incorrect theories that this is some sort of publicity stunt? Having your career negatively impacted because of it?

The sneers directed her way, the cheap gossip, and backhanded attempts at destroying their love, come fast and furious and in all forms. She’s not the conniving “type” and struggling to adapt to a whole different world. But with all sorts who are, who will do anything to get what they want, money, fame, or just the guy everyone else wants, can she stay ahead of the game?

And Taryn, too, has her own personal changes. Discovering a secret about her past, struggling with keeping her bar alive (while she travels with Ryan), and becoming famous (or infamous) in her own right. Couple that with her own close-knit friendships changing drastically, and you’ll get another glimpse into the “reality” of the fantasy.

“Hey, hon, what are you up to?” he asked. His rather nonchalant tone reeked of suspicion. A tingle ran up my spine. I don’t know how he knew but he knew.
I swallowed hard, knowing I had two ways to answer.

Bump after bump to contend with in this installment, and at times I found the bumps came and went a little too fast. For many of them, I actually didn’t have time enough to connect to the problem, and stress over it. And as much as I hate to stress in real life, I LOVE to do it while reading. I would have almost preferred a deeper exploration, more turmoil and days (of them – with me watching) agonizing over a few of the problems…

(I know. I’m, mean 😉 I can’t help it. I like ’em to cry hard sometimes, or at least let me live the tears and agony with them! Oh come on!! You know I’ll cry too!! If I can help it, I’ll get right in there!)

…vs. the fairly quick resolutions while another issue was thrown at them, testing them in bursts. Mind you, not every problem is *quick* to be resolved (I definitely felt a few of them), but I found that I remained somewhat disconnected on that front, and I think it’s just because the hits kept coming… and going.

Pooooor Ryan. *phew* it was as if nobody had his best interest in mind. As if everyone was against them. Heartless bastards!!! You hear about the whole “chew you up and spit you out” and boy, Ryan was surrounded by sharks! And to tell you the truth… at times, so was she. Again, lots of things coming at them from different angles and other characters taking a bit of their spotlight. And you know. What I really wanted to do was just cuddle with Ryan for 400 pages. 😉 Can you blame me?

But lemme tell you. When there was cuddling… when we got to indulge in “them”. On the love front… the heart? The emotional connection? *sigh* Just wow! I’d say this book is more of a balm for the emotional trauma that we endured in book #1. Ryan and Taryn together (and there are wonderful moments of that) took my breath away. There are so many favorite moments that I highlighted and swooned over. Beautiful, touching, sweet and actually very realistic scenes of two people in love. And two people fighting to prove their love when doubt reared it’s ugly head…

Even though his back was turned to me, the hand that shot out, slicing the air in my direction, was a definite cease-and-desist order. I stood there in silence, watching him hunch, his arms pressing into the stainless steel rim of the sink as if he were pressing his emotions back together.
“Time and time again, we keep coming back to the same spot,” he muttered at the sink.

*gulp* together… they were so real. So raw and beautiful.

Oh!!! And there is one scene in there that absolutely did me in. It was THE scene for me that had me grimacing, lump in my throat, my mind knowing one thing, but my heart feeling hers. And it wasn’t good. Wasn’t pretty… but OMG was it ever emotional. An inevitable moment that would need to be… confronted, experienced and dealt with.

He nuzzled his face on my neck and I could feel his regret. It was almost tangible.

I knew it was coming. I always wondered about it. And now I sort of got to… live it with her. ACK!!! HELP ME is what I wanted to scream. Now that was agonizing The author nailed it!

Also, quite a few funny moments of the “star” not being such a “star” in real life (if you get my meaning)…

Never mind the meaning, I’ll just give you one of those moments right here! I can’t help it, ’cause it cracked me up so bad! Okay, so.. they’re at the MTV awards or something, and a few hottie actors are there, like… Ian Somerhalder and Taryn proves to be just like us, even if she is living the dream with her own hottie actor.

I heard Ryan scoff when he spied over my shoulder to see who I captured on my cell. “His ass? You took a close-up of his ass?”
I knew I should feel guilty but altruism warred with those feelings. “It’s a gift for Marie. She’s going to flip.”
“I thought she only had eyes for my ass.” The tiny pout on his face was pathetically endearing.
I was glad he was being playful about my paparazzi moment. “She’s used the bathroom after you’ve been in it, Ryan. The mystery and allure are gone now. You’ve effectively killed it for her.”
He rolled his eyes and then frowned at both me and Ian. “That guy takes a sh%t, too, you know.”
I shook my head to disagree. “No, he doesn’t. He’s still in god status and we all know that gods don’t poop.”
“Oh, come on! For real?”
“Yes. You didn’t poop, either—ever—until she discovered you were a mere mortal.”
His eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “So I was a pseudo-god?”

*giggle* awwww “the “STAR” is only a star until you get to know him… and then he turns into a regular guy. Bummer!!! The illusion is shattered! But at the same time, makes him that much better.

Amazing moments where Taryn and Ryan relived those traumatic parts from book #1, healing together, talking.

He tapped the tip of his finger lightly on my tummy, seeming to disagree. “That was our first and I took that from you. My career”—he sneered as if the word was dirty—“took that from us.”

And sometimes, so much was said in the gesture. Quiet moments when they were needed, but where the heart and soul were wide open to each other. The unspoken message so loud and clear.

I can’t forget to mention the napkin scene. One of my all-time favorite scenes ever ’cause it just had everything. I giggled, I got misty-eyed, I swooned and I giggled again. It was too cute for words, but felt just perfect to me.

A soothing balm to my heart. Absolutely.

So that’s it. A love story full of bumps and people determined to break them apart, and two hearts determined to stay together. But you know… something’s got to give. So what will it be? 😉

I soooo enjoyed (loved!) my love affair with Ryan and Taryn, and I needed this one.

An easy 4 star read for me (with some parts being absolutely 5 stars)!

So let’s talk “giveaway” This is a BIG one!!!

Tina Reber is giving away one Kindle Fire (that she will send to one lucky winner, direct from Amazon).

How to enter for a chance to win it? Just leave a comment below, and by tonight, (Friday September 14th 2012) by 10pm EST, I will randomly select one winner.

The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond with a mailing address (must respond by Sunday September 16th 2012 – 10pm EST at the latest), so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance.

Here’s a suggestion. If you want to enter to win the Kindle, leave your comment, and you may also pre-send me your mailing address, by email (if you haven’t already done so in the past), in case you do win (please don’t post it in your comment). In a couple of my past giveaways, there were some issues with getting the mailing address on time, so to avoid this, if I pick your name, and I already have your address, then all is good. Sorry for my international readers, this is a open to U.S. residents only (but you’re welcome to comment and join in any time!!).

And while you’re here, if you haven’t already joined me (actually “us”, ’cause we’re a big group now) on Facebook and Twitter, whatcha waiting’ for?!