Long Shot - Special Edition (Hoops)

Product Information

I am still speechless to what I should be writing for this review. Kennedy Ryan has this beautiful way of telling a story that you can relate to and just be in that moment with her characters. Sean Crisden and Jo Raylan embody everything these characters feel and go through. AMAZING narration!! Overall Pace of Story: Good, but the ending was way too abrupt (and at 78% in the kindle app). I never skimmed though and I thought it flowed well otherwise. The cover does not reflect the content of the book in the slightest - it is not light at all, you should read tr!ggérs about them because the scenes are very detailed, but nevertheless I highly recommend it because there are important topics that need to be talked about more ❤️ Kennedy Ryan doesn’t just write stories, she provides a reading experience with a rich, beautiful narrative and has once again blown me away with the sheer power of her writing. This author is not one to shy away from exploring the full depths of her characters and the world they find themselves in, and never has this been more apparent than in, 'Long Shot.' It’s raw, thought provoking, and edgy, and feels so very real and authentic in the telling making this a heart-breaking story that thankfully healed my heart when I needed it to. Iris Dupree is a smart, beautiful, and determined. She has survived so much and has turned out to be a survivor. She will not be like her mother, she has plans and dreams. Caleb Bradley is a star college basketball player and Iris’s boyfriend. But a chance meeting with August West, a fellow rival of Caleb’s, changes something in life’s cosmic plan.

I love Kennedy Ryan's words. They're poetry in motion. Art. She has created something so beautiful and poignant in this painful yet hopeful story. I don't think my words will ever be enough to express how much I love it. But what I can say is, I love that this author continues to use her platform to tell the stories that need to be heard. Relevant issues, the good and the bad. There is no sugarcoating the pain, and I commend her for that. Their love gave me hope. It also helps that it made me swoon so bad. With the connection these two have, you won't even have any space in your heart to deny they're meant to be. I could hug Lotus so tight for her appearance at the most crucial juncture, to save the story and save her sister. Everybody should have a Lo in their corner #HOPSCOTCH! Parallel to the excruciating, very graphic and horrid POV from Iris days of abuse, we had August's POV. All slow, recovering from an injury, growing as a NBA player and as a man. Alright. I'm not sure what was the author's intent, but I had difficulties to remain interested about what was going on in his life. The alternate POVs felt so unbalanced. All I wanted to know was how Iris would eventually escape her living hell and be done with the book. This is a story of love, sisterhood, heartache, healing, and hope. A story that will make your heart stop, and make it beat again. And it's a story you will carry with you forever.Long Shot (stand-alone). A bad decision, years of regrets, a love that could never be, but for the dream that kept them alive! But like I said, it truly did get better towards the middle and I really enjoyed how the author incorporated elements of humor, suspense, sports and romance all in one to create this phenomenal piece of writing! It’s that one night she had with August West before graduation that leaves them both with so many what ifs even years later. As their encounters solidify a connection too strong to deny and yet Iris’ circumstances too dangerous to leave. I loved Iris' relationship with her cousin and best friend Lotus. Their solidarity and deep bond. She was there when Iris needed her the most, and stayed strong for Iris when she couldn't be. Their relationship with their grandmother was beautiful.

August and Iris’s love story is one that defies all the odds. It’s a love that lifts you up, leaves you inspired, and makes you feel hopeful that true love exists. That good men exist. Long Shot is a gorgeous romance, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story of one woman’s strength, perseverance, and survival. Iris is the star of this story and she shines so bright. Kennedy Ryan weaves together a story full of romance, heartache, and healing. It comes together seamlessly to make one epic story. Long Shot is an book that is going toward the top of my favorites for 2018 and that I recommend to all. Holy Moly this was one powerful read! Kennedy Ryan’s writing grabbed hold of me from the beginning with a connection between Iris and August that spans years. Centered around two NBA ball players and a beautiful young women fresh out of college. Iris is driven by her own career dreams and aspirations. Iris Dupree’s life takes several dark turns during the years and her situation seems hopeless. WOW. I'm still recovering from how emotional this book was and how INCREDIBLE it was. It was so heartbreakingly beautiful and was similar to It Ends With Us as they both have the topic of Domestic Violence. Long Shot is a sports romance, my first time reading NBA, and it has also has the aspect of forbidden romance too. Let me first say, this is not the fluffy contemporary sports romance you might be expecting. This book was BRUTAL. If you have triggers in general about domestic/physical/sexual/emotional abuse, then consider yourself warned to not read this book because this book does not pull any punches AT ALL. I can't emphasize this enough, and I am not one to really give trigger warnings often but this book absolutely necessitates it. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. The side characters were fantastic and I hope we get more of Iris and AugustIt’s only in the contrast of night, when things are darkest, that the stars shine. Iris is my constellation. She took the darkness as her cue to shine. It only made her brighter, stronger, and tonight, her hard-won glimmer lights up the sky.

There are roughly, 172,000 words in the English language. The average person knows 20,000-30,000 words and uses 3,000 of them commonly. Out of all these words at my disposal, I can’t find enough of them to string together to adequately describe how important, how transformative and how utterly necessary I found Long Shot to be. So out of all of these words, my heart has finally settled on a simple enough word that doesn’t have a ton of pizzazz, but it does have depth and weight. Remarkable. Long Shot, the inaugural book in the Hoops series by Kennedy Ryan is absolutely remarkable and, frankly, astounding. I always know I’ve read something truly special when my usual hyperbolic thrill is throttled…I write this barely leashed, yearning to hurl every sparkly, attention grabbing adjective to capture, enrapture and damn near will you to read this novel. Long Shot is so vital. I want to nudge, shove and push it into every heart and emblazon it into the mind of every person I know. There is little else I want to do besides dissect, deep dive and have conversations about this book. I’m consumed by its audacity. Now from the teasers and posts the author has shared, I think most can surmise what this story is about and the tough subject it covers (a little more on that towards the end of this review). I don't want to go into any specific details because it'll be pretty hard to talk about the plot without honestly revealing huge spoilers.Center,” he says, linking our fingers and toying with the hair hanging on my shoulder. “If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you’d hold in my life. You’d be center. I’d play you at the five.”

Welcome to Shh... [Smut, Heroes & HEAs], a reader group dedicated to contemporary Romance & Erotica. I usually read books in one sitting, but with this one, I had to stop for a few times because I was overwhelmed with feelings. I bawled, screamed in anger and frustration, and I just had to take it all in. This book brought me to my knees.Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable…but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man—basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival. None for Caleb, the obvious villain of the story, parading his girlfriend/prize to spite his nemesis. Long Shot is a love story, but it's also so much more than that. Don't get me wrong, Iris and August's romance gave me all the feels, but Iris' personal journey in this novel touched me even more. Kennedy Ryan is one of those authors that doesn't just entertain you with her stories. She makes you think. She enlightens you, and sometimes, she might even change you.