I will use this book for the time-travel square for Ripped Bodice Bingo. (It fits, kind of- it IS shelved 13 times as time travel on GR).
Harper was called to come out of hiding by Detective Sparks and Detective Crimshaw they said they were there to help Harper and found her hidden in the cabaret. Kane told his sister Katy to get behind him when a cheap glass had slipped out f her hands and broke. Kane was asked by him if he was covering for Katy and Kane said no. he picked up a piece of glass and started carving S into Kane’s back. Harper was taken to her maternal grandmother Corinne Belle’s home to live. Harper’s grandmother took Harper to the room that was to be hers and told her to take off her clothes and wrap in the towel. Harper didn’t like take taking off her clothes in front of her grandmother as she was still a stranger. Harper’s grandmother told her the rules of the house were strict and she had to obey them at all times. She also told Harper she would know every move Harper made. She told Harper to forget her past , she was only eight and her past wasn’t her fault. Her grandmother told Harper that living with her was a privilege also her last name would be changed t Belle. Harper’s grandmother had told Harper she had already enrolled her in boarding school for the fall where no one knows her and she is not to talk about her previous life to anyone. Harper would be taught proper manners and become a functioning useful and productive person in society. Harper felt as if she didn’t exist anymore. This was Kane’s third foster home in two months. A boy was trying to be friendly but no need for it. Kane thought he probably wouldn’t be there long. Brax- the boy- said he had been in the system his whole life. Brax also added he had been in this home almost two years . then Brax seen Kane’s mutilated back Brax set the covers over Kane. Kane closed his eyes and knew his night terrors would be back. Brax was the brightest guy Harper had ever met and totally in love with Olivia. Brax called Olivia grace. Murphy Polk was from England and the closest friend Harper had. Murphy was the girl who fit in every crowd . everyone liked her. Murphy and Harper had met the first day of their freshman year. They hadn’t instantly became friends but Murphy persisted. Murphy never asked questions she simply accepted. Harper didn’t like games or pranks and she definitely didn’t agree with dares. She felt the Kappas fraternity across the street from her sorority had to learn they couldn’t treat women like trash . Harper was president of the Delta’s sorority Unspoken acceptance from Murphy and Murphy would never know how much Harper appreciated that. Brax was arguing and it was the young man she had seen yesterday and it was Brax’s older brother Kane. Brax and Kane had grown up in the same foster home and had been joined at the hip since. Kane kinda looked like trouble for Brax and Brax couldn’t afford it as Brax was still on probation on the baseball team for the trouble he had got in last year. Kane has been in trouble before for running numbers. Harper doesn’t allow anyone to get really close to her and see past the mask and the broken person Harper really is. Kane has also been broken he’s been through hell and he instantly sensed Harper is like him. He knows Harper is hiding something and Kane is determined to find out what. Harper comes up with a dare that she and her sorority sisters get three bad boys and train them to be good boyfriends. Harper picks Kane. Kane said he hadn’t counted on Harper and she had come out of nowhere. Harper can’t get Kane out of her mind and why she chose him. Harper questions everyone and everything every move she makes in in fear.
I liked this story a lot. But i didn’t like how often it is mentioned Harper’s grandmother is a monster . I felt bad even as a young woman Harper had night terrors and panic attacks. I also didn’t like that Kane seemed to stalk Harper and then has insta love for her/ i am just not a fan of insta love except maybe in paranormal situations and this isn’t paranormal in anyway. My heart broke in the flashbacks of Harper’s and Kane's previous life. But Harper and Kane just don’t really WOW me as a couple course after all the abuse they went through their relationship would be different. This also felt rushed in some places. I wondered how Harper nor Kane did not have a complete breakdown with all the pressure and night terrors and fear. I liked the fact Kane found a home in the foster care system and a brother who loved him. Not all foster homes and foster parents are bad and uncaring. I was also glad Kane’s father was sent to prison for his abuse of his children it is where he belonged long before he was actually sent there and the kids were taken from him. I loved how Kane lovingly took care of his sister and took beatings and blame for his sister so she wouldn’t get beaten if he could help it. I liked the plot of this story. I was rooting for Harper and Kane they had been so broken from their past they needed someone to help them heal.. I liked the characters in this story the plot was great. I also loved the ins and outs of this story. I recommend.
Like most cats, I have many lives. In one of my other lives, I teach college and grades are due. So, my paws are worn out.
I don't time of a grand list today but we can have some fun
I made this Goodreads list: Romance Novels with the Number 11 and up in the Title.
So, what Romance titles spring to your mind? Lets play!
I received a copy of this book for my stop on the blog tour at Donnie Darko Girl.
After loving Stupid Girl, I was excited to read Stupid Boy. With different characters as the focus, Stupid Boy can be read as a standalone, although I think reading Stupid Girl first will enhance your experience since the stories are connected.
This is probably going to sound morbid, but I do like reading realistic fiction where the characters are broken and need to work through their dark past in order to truly live. Stupid Boy makes me think about the saying, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." Kane sees that right away about Harper despite the outer image she's trying to project, and I think it's because he comes from a painful background, too.
Kane's experiences have given him the ability to see it in someone else, even someone he's just met. When both people have that in their past, they can understand each other in a way without words that other people may not be able to do. I think Harper was trying much harder and more desperately to repress the experiences she had been through, and that was why she didn't see past Kane's exterior shell right away. She wants to pack her pain in a suitcase and keep it in the back of a closet, away from her sight.
I wanted to know what had happened to both of these characters, and through bits and pieces here and there, you come to know what they went through. It's horrifying, and no one should have had to go through that.
I was happy to see Olivia and Brax from the first book in Stupid Boy. I really liked them and was hoping they'd be connected to the characters in this book, which they are.
The only thing that kept me from giving the book five stars was the story lulled in places. It might have been just me and my frame of mind at the time, but a few places were slow for me. Other than that, I really loved reading about Kane and Harper's story, and I'm looking forward to reading about new characters in the next installment.