Grip
By: Kennedy Ryan
Series: Grip
Book #: 1 out of 2
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural Relationship
Trope: Angst, Brother’s Best Friend, Music, Rap Music, Opposites attract
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: March 2nd, 2017
My Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb:
***This is not a cliffhanger.***
Resisting an irresistible force wears you down and turns you out. I know. I’ve been doing it for years.
I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I’ve got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary. And Marlon James – Grip to his fans – is nothing short of extraordinary.
Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I’ve thrown away the key. All that’s left is friendship and work.
He’s on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true. I manage his career, but I can’t seem to manage my heart.
It’s wild, reckless, disobedient. And it remembers all the things I want to forget.
Make sure you grab FLOW, the FREE prequel first! FLOW is chronicling the week of magical days and nights that will haunt Grip & Bristol for years to come. GRIP is the full-length conclusion of their story.
Have you ever tried to kick your own ass after reading a novel that’s been out in the world for damn near four years just because you feel like you missed out on all the moments to hype this book up… even more than the hype that is still surrounding it? That basically sums up me right about now. Bristol and Grip’s story is amazing in EVERY SINGLE WAY! Kennedy Ryan just made another fan for life in me! There is no going back from this novel, there is no forgetting all that took place within this story. There is no soaking the tears that washed down my face back into my tear ducts. Kennedy Ryan will go down in my mind as a literary genius.
In My Own Words:
Grip is the first full length novel in the Grip series by Kennedy Ryan. If you want a better understanding of Grip and Bristol’s friendship/relationship, I highly recommend you read Flow (prequel) before picking up this novel.
Eight years later, and Grip is still pining after the one who got away. Now Bristol is back and looking to help lead the new record company her brother has successfully built. Her focus is strictly on managing her artists, including Grip. Her heart is closed down and it’s understandable.
But nothing can stop a man from getting what he want’s and Grip wants Bristol’s heart. After all, she still has his, it’s only fair…. right?
My Thoughts:
“Our grandfathers had to run, run, run. My generation’s out of breath. We ain’t running no more.”
WOW! Kennedy Ryan…. Just wow! There are no words for how much this novel has consumed my thoughts. There are no words to describe the emotional meltdown state that Kennedy Ryan has left me in. there are no words to describe how much I truly respect Kennedy Ryan and her ability not only to write a captivating romance but to also cause her readers, like me, to open my eyes and see the hardships from both sides of the spectrum. We are all human, we all deal with different situations, we all have tragedies and fears in our lives. It’s time for the world to discover what true definition of compassion is. That is the lesson Kennedy Ryan teaches between the lines of this romance. A world without compassion for the human race, is a world that will go down in flames. Grip and Bristol’s story touched my heart and continues to cling to my soul.
The Grip series is raw, real, and insightful!
There is no denying the fact that Kennedy Ryan poured her heart into this novel. I felt it through every page, through every emotion, through every moment. And that is why this author will forever have a supporter in me.
Now let’s dive into what I loved about this novel.
“I come here with my heart bleeding on my sleeve, and it’s still not enough for him. He needs me to cut it out and hand it to him in chunks of flesh and blood.”
I loved the fact that Grip is trying to change the world for the better. He’s a black man living in a world full of hate towards him just because of his color. And he’s also dealing with hate towards him because his heart chose to fall in love with a Caucasian woman. This man has the strength of a titan. If he was any other man, he would have crumbled on sight. He would have let the world have their way, where his race and his love life is concerned. He would have given in, but this man didn’t give in. This man fought for what he believed in. He fought for his life, and he fought for his ability to love who he wanted to love. The heart wants what it wants, and his heart chose Bristol.
“I warned you that I’m not like other girls. I don’t have those limits. I’d do anything for you. It sounds romantic until it crosses your lines, huh? Until it goes too far.”
Now, Bristol was the tough cookie to crack. This woman has never known the life of prejudice based on her skin tone. Sure she was neglected by her parents and pushed to the side often, but that was a representation of their bad parenting ways. That wasn’t reflected based on her skin tone. She let people inside her head and for years she fought the connection between her and Grip because she felt those voices were right, she felt he would do better and be more successful at changing the world if he was dating a woman who went through and understood the same situations as he had went through and continues to go through on a day to day basis. She let the world win, she pushed him into another’s arms. She made the ultimate sacrifice and gave away her heart. Until Grip broke through all of her barriers and steel walls. He forced her to see him for the man who loves her with his whole heart, the man she always and without a doubt saw from the moment she met him.
“He’s dictating my heartbeat, governing my pulse, holding my next breath cupped in his hands.”
I’ve always been a person that doesn’t take history lightly. The history through Grips point of view hurt my heart. No child should ever have to witness all that he witnessed, no man should have to fear what he fears. No woman should have to stand by their door and worry that their child might not make it home. No mother should have to mourn over their child’s body. And as Grip’s point of view also goes to show, there are good cops that are trying to change the system but they can’t change the system with the bad standing in their way. I understand this is a fictional story, but as I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about the world we live in today. Kennedy Ryan further opened my eyes to the tragedies that occur everyday through Grip’s eyes. I don’t recall a time when I finished a book and sat there for close to an hour staring off into space and letting all that took place truly sink in.
Both sides of this novel (Grip and Bristol’s) teach a harsh lesson about prejudice and that even the most caring of people can have prejudiced thoughts. Those you don’t expect it from, can shock the ever loving hell out of you. When Grip brought Bristol home to meet his mom, Ms. James. The discomfort over her son bringing a white woman home showed bright as day on her face. She even went as far as saying she would never accept his decision to date a white woman. And the same went for the first time Bristol introduced Grip to her mom. These two had the most important people in their lives turn their backs on their love due to the color of their skin. It’s sad that this happens every damn day no matter what skin color you are. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about all the families that turn their back on their children because of who their heart decides to love. I will never begin to understand what goes on in the minds of everyone, but you love who you love.
“We splinter into a thousand pieces in her kitchen, becoming more together than we were apart. More than we were alone. With whispered promises and words of love, we exchange hearts.”
Speaking of love, did i mention I had to fan the flames a few times! Grip and Bristol’s emotional connection was on point, but their physical connection….. Holy inferno! All the lusty vibes nearly had my kindle going up in flames. This also goes to show, these two were made for each other! Bristol tried to fight the lust and the need coursing through her veins, but she soon found out, there is no fighting fate. Ah, fate at it’s finest.
Now that I emotionally rambled my way through another review, I want it to be known to all readers, if you haven’t had a chance to pick up the Grip series by Kennedy Ryan, you should seriously think about doing it as soon as you possibly can. If you’re looking for a romance that may just be as life changing as you were hoping it would be, don’t hesitate and grab this series, and if you are looking for a novel with hot as hell sexy time scenes and a chemistry and connection that will never be broken…… Don’t hesitate and pick up this series today! Grip and Bristol’s story has the ability to stay with you for years! This will be the book that lingers in my memories. I’ll never forget this one, that’s for damn sure.
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Available with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://amzn.to/37RTMvK
Amazon World: http://viewbook.at/GripKR
Peace Love and Happy Reading,
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