Review: Hothouse Flower by Krista & Becca Ritchie

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hothouse Flower

Series: Calloway Sisters #2

by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

New Adult Romance: recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

***Authors' Note*** Hothouse Flower is a spin-off of the Addicted series. Kiss the Sky is required before reading, and we strongly recommend reading the Addicted series before this spin-off.

MY THOUGHTS

"I am flying. Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

My love for this world only continues to grow with each book! I swear, just when I think I can't love it anymore, Krista & Becca Ritchie prove me wrong with another amazing story. Their stories are always so raw and full of emotion and passion. They draw you in so completely, and make you feel like these characters are real people. They dive deep into the gritty parts of life, the parts that you want to shy away from. They aren't afraid to make you hate characters. And they aren't afraid to make you fall for them either. And honestly.. I think I love Daisy and Ryke's story the best.

"He's like my wolf-dangerous, alluring, and protective-but I can never get close enough or else he'll bite me."

I have waited through a novella and two books to see this relationship finally bloom, and let me tell you, it was beautiful. They both fought so hard to keep their feelings at bay, knowing what the consequences would be if they were to get together, but in the end their love for each other was just too strong. And once they let go, boy did they let go. Their relationship is wild, passionate and messy. They fought hard for each other. They took care of each other. Even before they got together.

"I don't know if that's a no or a yes. Inside I'm screaming, give me something! Blink once for yes, twice for no!"

The character growth in Hothouse Flower is tremendous. Daisy goes from being a scared, newly legal little girl to a beautiful young woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants, even if it's against her mother's wishes. Ryke finally lets go of all his doubts and inhibitions, all the anxiety and guilt he carried with him from wanting Daisy to be more than just a friend when he knew that his brother would despise his for it. He discovered that he had to stop treating his brother like he has to walk on eggshells around him, and let go of his hatred for his mother and father and what they put him through.

The relationship between characters also took a ginormous leap by the end of Hothouse Flower as well, and I'm so glad that we're finally seeing it. The resentment between several of the characters had to eventually get to a point where it either grew or dissipated. It was just something that had to happen for the sake of the story and in order for the characters to move forward. There were a few notable exceptions to this though *ahem* Samantha Calloway and Sara Hale *cough cough*.  Their pettiness and all around snobbery and hatred astound me. The lengths they are willing to go to bring others down to make themselves feel better and get their way is just horrible. I couldn't believe that Samantha was willing to do what she did, even if that included hurting her relationship with her favorite daughter. Luckily, by this point Daisy had grown so much as a character that she was able to stand up to her mother.

"Beginnings are the hardest because they're the parts that pull people in, that make them want the ends. And endings are the most painful, the parts that can leave you bleeding out."

Hothouse Flower was truly magnificent. I loved every moment of this story, even the difficult parts. Sometimes you need "security and love in order to stay alive," and Ryke Meadows is here to tell you.. that's okay.

"You are your own anchor. Do you want to keep burning or are you going to let yourself rise?"

RATING