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Reading Level: Mature Young Adult Format: EBook Publisher: Gallery Books 11/6/12 (Paperback) Ebook out now Parasols: 4

S.C. Stephens series Thoughtless, is a roller coaster, heart palpitating, pants wetting book.  It might be a bit cliched with the theme and plot, but she manages to overcome some of those cliches by really getting into the emotional aspect of the story. Stephens is by far becoming one of my favorite indie authors (although she has gotten a publishing deal), her books are phenomenal. She writes angst better than anyone I've ever read. And angst isn't easy to do. I absolutely adore this book and I highly, HIGHLY, recommend it to anyone who loves a great love story and one that will cause palpitations.

Kiera and Denny, are moving 2500 miles away from Ohio because Denny (who is Australian) has just graduated college and has a job at a very respectable ad agency in Seattle. Kiera is leaving her family for her boyfriend of two years. She's madly in love with him and will be transferring to the University of Washington with a pretty decent scholarship in tow. Luckily, Denny did a year exchange from Australia in high school, so he's staying with his friend Kellen Kyle. He, who happens to be a local rock star.

Although Kiera is not a virgin, Denny has been her first and only. Living with him is glorious. When Kiera first meets Kellen, she thinks he's extremely good looking, his band is fantastic, but he seem to overdo the whole sexuality when he's performing. He flirts with every woman in the audience and the women consider him their rock god. Denny, Kiera and Kellen have a really good relationship. Everything works out well. Kiera even gets a job at the bar that Kellen's band has a standing weekend gig. Plus, the it's the band's home away from home, so she sees the D-Bags a lot. (The band's name is The Douchebags, but if they want to go mainstream that will need to change.) Denny's job as an intern is going so well the company asks him to help start up an office in Tuscon, AZ. Kiera is crushed. He'll be gone for two months (they moved to Seattle in June). She tries to keep a brave face, but she's despondent. Kellen does try to get her out of her funk, by including her in band activities or watching a movie with her. Having dinner with her. Their friendship becomes stronger. His glances last a bit longer as does hers.

While attending and arts & music festival, Kellen stays close to Kiera, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rests her head on his chest. He holds her hand during crowds. Wins her a stuffed puppy, which he gives to a crying child whose ice cream has fallen. Kiera notices something changing. With Denny calling less and less, Kiera relies on Kellen to help her through her funk.

When Denny finally does call, Kiera is unhappy, missing him, not sure what is going on between her and Kellen. However, Denny drops a bombshell. The agency has offered him a permanent position in Tuscon and he's accepted. Kiera is livid. One because he took the job days ago, two, he didn't consult her, and three she couldn't just leave school, Seattle, etc. Denny tells her that he'll wait for her to finish school and then she can come to Tuscon. Pissed off she ends the relationship.

And then comes the drinking. And the tears, and more drinking and more sobs. Kellen arrives home and seeing Kiera in a state, questions her. She refuses to tell him, but then he manages to get it out of her.  The only thing to help a broken heart? Tequila, and more tequila. Then there is touching and licking, oh, and don't forget the kissing. Kiera wakes up the next day, naked, hung over and not in her bedroom.

Trying to remember the night before it comes back to her in painful flashes. But the one thing she remembers is that it was amazing. Kellen is a bit of a man whore when it comes to women. When we learn how many women he's been with (in the biblical sense it's mind blowing). Kiera manages to get to work and being unable to do anything leaves work early. To wallow over her break up with Denny and her night with Kellen. While sound asleep, her bedroom door opens and Kiera is petrified that Kellen will be kicking her out. But it turns out to be Denny who has given up his dream in Tuscon to be with Kiera.

Kiera is devastated that Denny gave everything up for her, that she cheated on him with his best friend. (and her best friend as well.)

Although there are ups and downs in the strained relationship with Kellen and Kiera; Denny remains oblivious. Kellen has given Kiera the cold shoulder; turns out Kellen came home the night Denny did and heard the two of them making love. As much as Kellen has been an ass to Kiera, he finally comes to the realization that he has to change things. So he invites his two roommates out to listen to another local band at another local pub. Denny has accepted another job that he hates so he's been moody and listless, Kiera is miserable. During the night out, Denny gets a call from his boss (who has him on constant speed dial), and goes off to take it. Kellen turns to Kiera and tells her he's leaving. Sensing what he means, she follows after him begging him not to go, that she needs him. Needs his friendship. It all comes to head in the parking lot when they crash together, lips, arms, legs. They fuck right there in the open espresso stand. It's rough, it's passionate, it's crazy and nuts. It takes them to great highs that it all comes crashing down as soon as they finish.

Kiera more confused then ever finds herself drawn more and more to Kellen. She's not that gorgeous beauty that he's used to, but she's pretty enough.  Kiera and Kellen sneak kisses, and hugs and holding hands. Brushing against each other.

Kellen's man whore comes out and he starts bringing women home after Kiera explains that she can't stop making love to her boyfriend. During one heated exchange, while Denny is asleep in the next room, Kellen and Kiera make love. Yet, she slips back to Denny feeling horrible and unsure.

It all comes to a head, when Kellen finally tells Kiera that he's fallen in love with her and she has to make a decision. Kiera wants steady and safe, but she wants the thrill that is Kellen. The passion that she feels for Kellen she doesn't feel for Denny. Kellen give Kiera a simple necklace of a guitar with a diamond in it. Knowing that Kellen is leaving again she begs him not to. And again they give in to the basest of desires, but this time, they get caught. Denny has witnessed the whole exchange.

Denny was never the bad guy. Kellen was never the bad guy and Kiera was never the bad guy. Sometimes, things happen for a reason and we just can't argue with the way things pan out. Kiera felt guilty that Denny gave up everything for her, but she did the same. Kellen didn't mean to fall in love with Kiera but she brought out feelings in him that he'd been searching for many years. The one thing that Denny noticed was the love between the two. When Denny originally left for Tuscon, he warned Kellen to keep his hands off of her. She was his. But how was he supposed to know that it would go both ways?

After everything is said and done and Kellen gets a pretty good beating from Denny, just as Denny is about to kick Kellen while he was down, Kiera jumps in front of Kellen, getting a very heavy toe-steeled boot in the head.

Denny is devastated that he injured her, Kellen is all broken up (literally, broken ribs and arm), he refused to fight back. Unfortunately for Kiera who has been out for days, both guys break up with her. Thankfully her sister has come back (Kiera thinks her sister and Kellen slept together) and finds an apartment, and ironically gets a job at Hooters.

Kiera had an affair, she loved two guys but one perhaps a bit more. Although the sex is a bit more explicit in this story, I still don't see why it couldn't be for mature ya. There's a passing mention of pot, but none of the characters really do drugs. They drink and have sex. Lots of sex.

Sex is portrayed in this story as a way to get close to the other person, to express their love for each other. Kellen, Kiera and Denny are great characters and each have flaws. 

There is also a sequel to this Effortless and I just found out the other day that a third book will be coming out in March of 2013 called Reckless. 

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Reading Level: Mature Young Adult Format: EBook Publisher: Penguin Group 9/4/12 Parasols: 4

I know that this type of book is outside of my comfort zone in regards to reviewing, but I've been expanding my reading lists and wanted to include some books that I think are great crossovers for the YA market. With the expanding of New Adult and Mature Young Adult, I can't see ignoring these stories. Especially where all these authors are getting huge publishing deals. Sylvain Reynard is one of them.

I've been hemming and hawing about changing my rating from a 4 to a 5, because I just loved this book so much. It's almost like I've become addicted to Julianne and Gabriel. There is so much about this book that I love and a few things that I don't love.

First off what I love is that it is literate. Julianne Mitchell is studying Dante at the University of Toronto under a Dante specialist, Professor Gabriel Emerson. He is unlike any professor I've ever had. He's sexy, he's angry and he's pretty much sex on a stick. However, Julia has a secret. A secret that has kept her in love with her professor for six years. However, for Julia, Gabriel doesn't remember her and she is crushed. She's had an extremely horrible relationship with a former boyfriend that has left her submissive and broken. Gabriel's and Julia's first meeting goes horribly awry.

Thankfully she has a savior in a Ph.D candidate in Paul Norris who instantly takes a liking to Julia and tries to protect the frightened rabbit. However, when Julia is called to Professor Emerson's office, she is shocked to hear him crying and talking roughly on the phone. Julia leaves a note that explains nothing.

After a brief Emerson absence (his adoptive mother has passed away), things between the two are strained and volatile at best. Gabriel has no clue who Julia is and Julia is not willing to part with her knowledge because this cannot be the person she met and fell in love with when she was 17 years old. It's not until Gabriel's sister, Julia's best friend, arrives and he starts to put some things together. He's already feeling the pull of Julia, but he doesn't understand. She seems familiar to him, but he can't quite recall why.

So here we find out how Julia and Gabriel met all those years ago. Gabriel, still not remembering and for a good reason, is still oblivious to his first meeting with Julia. Six years ago, Julia arrived at the Clark's home invited for dinner. What she walked into was a mess. Rachel was crying into her boyfriend's shoulder, there was blood on the floor and the glass coffee table was smashed. Julia asks what happens, and Rachel informs Julia that Gabriel happened. He got into an argument with his parents and punched and broke his brother's nose. Who was now on the way to hospital. Julia sought out Grace (Gabriel's mother), but instead she found Gabriel on the back porch sucking on a beer. Waxing philosophically, he mentions to Julia that she is an angel sent to save his soul. Beatrice to his Dante. Julia is transfixed by his beauty, his honesty and his degradation. He invites her to go on a walk to an orchard on the property. He is the first person who treats her like a woman and not a teenager. He kisses her, his fondles her, but he never, ever goes that extra step. They spend the night in the orchard wrapped in each other's arms.

Gabriel six years later is hardened, tougher, softer and seeks out pleasures of the flesh. He has a hunting ground that he goes to often to find what will soothe him carnally. A place that Julia despises. She is his angel, yet he still has no clue. It's not until Julia is summoned by the bouncer at the club where Gabriel hunts, that she is once again brought in to save Gabriel. He has been pounding back doubles of scotch and has one of his graduate students precariously close to consummating their relationship. With the University's non-fraternization policy, this would prove deathly to Gabriel's career. So with the help of a bartender, she is able to extract Gabriel from the floozy and get him home. Unfortunately a drunk Gabriel means a flirty Gabriel and he kisses Julia. Then proceeds to throw up on her. She cleans him up, cleans herself up and tends to him. It's when he opens his eyes, looks at Julia and calls her Beatrice that he remembers who she is.

Again, Julia spends the night, chastely, in his arms.

However, the next morning, with a savage hangover and a fairly naked Julia dancing around his apartment (she's wearing his old clothing), he is furious because he feels that he violated her (Julia is a virgin), yet, he still manages to insult and destroy Julia's sense of well-being. It's not until he reads the note that she left on his breakfast tray, as he finally let's her go that he remembers spending the night with Julia all those years ago. To him it was a dream.

Gabriel is damaged goods, yet so is Julia. They are simply made for each other in a way that it could be perfect or destructive. There is one scene in the book that totally blew me away. I love rereading that passage so much. After Gabriel realizes who Julia is, she cuts all contact with him. But she has to attend his seminar if she wants to graduate. When she arrives in his class, he tells her that he needs to speak with her after class, she dismisses him and he takes matters into his own hands. Instead of his original seminar, he will be giving a lecture. A lecture on the second meeting between Beatrice and Dante years after they originally met. Basically, Gabriel is trying to tell Julia what happened and why he didn't remember her. Unfortunately for Gabriel, Julia is angry and the class becomes a hot-headed episode of pure lust and complete jealousy. The class is understandably confused by what is transpiring between Gabriel and his student. He is begging and she is fighting back. She is throwing back all of Dante's sins as he is laying down the gauntlet that Beatrice perhaps never cared enough for Dante. Why should she when Dante would seek any whore he could to bed? And what about a particular one named Paulina? This scene knocked my socks off because the metaphors were flying and nobody knew what the hell was going on. Gabriel and Julia are very much like Dante and Beatrice. Beatrice trying to gather Dante out of hell. But cannot because she is already in paradise and she's not admitted.

After that showing in the seminar, Gabriel and Julia take their relationship further. They are falling in love. However, he is still her professor and she is still a virgin. He will court her and they will not take the relationship any further until after the semester ends. As much as they want each other, they both have secrets that would destroy most relationships and Gabriel refuses to make love to her until she knows everything about him. Of course he is also mortified that he seduced a 17 year old back when he was 27, but  he didn't remember Julia because he so strung out on coke that he really did think that what he shared with her was a dream. However, Julia is still angry because he left her alone in the woods the next morning not knowing how to get out of them. What they find was a misunderstanding of sorts, he didn't leave, he went for a piss and a smoke. She thought he'd left. He's only called her Beatrice and never learned her name. Of course his family thought he was crazy when he mentioned meeting Beatrice. From there he went into rehab and then back to Harvard to finish his Ph.D dissertation.

I found some similarities to AS Byatt's Possession and this one. I'm not sure if the author read that book, but there was that same literate quality that I crave from time to time. The writing is superb, the language flows, yes Gabriel can be an ass and yet you want to just hug him and soothe him. Julia can get a bit annoying at times, but she has her reasons. Once she agrees to a relationship with Gabriel she totally blooms. But all is not well with the people around her. Her fellow student Christa Peterson has been trying to bed Gabriel for a while and he refuses to acknowledge her. Paul is falling in love with Julia and she's trying to finish her MA thesis for graduation.

I can't say that this book is overly erotic, but the theme about lust and love and courtly love are full frontal. This is a breathtaking story that will have you humming throughout and searching out various Dante and Beatrice pieces of art. You don't really need a knowledge of The Divine Comedy or Dante's Inferno. It is well explained in the book. I highly recommend this one. It's gorgeous.

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