Review : Hothouse Flower by Becca & Krista Ritchie

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2)
Author : Becca & Krista Ritchie
Publication Date : March 28th 2014
Publisher : Self-Published
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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

Personal Thoughts

By now most of you already know how much love I have for this series. Ryke has been my favorite out of the 3 boys ever since he was introduced into the series, so to say that I was impatient for Hothouse Flower would be an understatement. While I wouldn't say Hothouse Flower was my favorite book of the series, I definitely enjoyed reading more about Daisy and Ryke's relationship.

Addicted to You gave insight into the lives of addicts. Kiss the Sky gave insight into life as reality TV celebrities and finally now Hothouse Flower gave insight into the life of a supermodel. Daisy was forced by her mother at a very young age to become a model. Supermodels might look gorgeous and incite jealousy from many members of the public, but Hothouse Flower shows how that their lives aren't all that sunny and bright. Daisy has always been a little wild, so I can't say I connected with her on any level because I'm the complete opposite of wild, but she's a character I love because of how genuine and sweet she is. It pained me to watch her go through so many of the issues she went through, especially because she is so young, but I was glad that she had a friend in Ryke to confide in. Throughout Hothouse Flower, Daisy grew into someone much stronger who didn't bow down to the interests of her mother.

Like I mentioned before, Ryke and his potty mouth have been incredibly appealing to me from the start of the story. We get to learn much more about his past in Hothouse Flower and by the end, I just wanted to give him a big hug. Ryke might come across as a complete asshole, but he is one of the sweetest and most down-to-earth male characters I've ever come across. He's also a gentleman who treats all women with equal amount of respect. You would think that by the frequency with which he uses the f-word that he's complete jerk, but Ryke is someone who cares deeply for the people around him. His romance with Daisy proved that. It was smoldering with chemistry, but it was also filled with sweet swoon-worthy moments.

In my review for the previous books, I've pointed that I love the relationships in this series. Hothouse Flower only strengthened my love for that aspect. I love how Becca and Krista managed to keep everything so realistic. The happy moments, the arguments and the sad moments are so authentic. These characters are truly what a family should be like. Ryke's relationship with Lo was the most interesting one in Hothouse Flower. Lo has always been against any kind of relationship between Ryke and Daisy because of their age difference and because he doesn't fully trust Ryke. Over the course of the book, Lo does things that made me angry, but ultimately they were realistic reactions. Their brotherly bond is, however, much stronger by the end despite all of the obstacles they face.

The reason why I didn't love Hothouse Flower more than the other books in the series is because of the revelations made about Rose and Lily. It's kept a secret for most of the book, but I managed to guess it early on and I have to say that I'm not happy about it. I will most probably get over my dislike for those themes in when Thrive and Addicted After All come out, but still I wish the authors had not led the story in that direction. However, I do have faith in Becca & Krista and I can't wait to see how everything wraps up.

A book that portrays sibling relationships in a positive way, tackles important themes and has steamy romances,  Hothouse Flower is not to be missed. In fact, this entire series is not to be missed!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5