Amour Amour by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Publication Date: December 12, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Page Count: 347 pages
Summary: The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.” When Thora unknowingly walks into the cross hairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the future--acrobatic partners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world. Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be just background to his spellbinding show.
I didn't hear about Amour Amour until very recently, as I was currently reading the Addicted series by the same authors. I was already completely hooked on the series because of the writing, the characters, and their chemistry with each other whether through friendships or relationships. These authors do such a good job with all the aspects of a book that I truly love, so I decided I had to try Amour Amour. Especially since I was just finishing the last of the Addicted books. I had high expectations all things considered, and I was not let down! I really loved this one as well.
I enjoyed the world these authors created, a world within Vegas that one usually does not take a look at or even think about. When one thinks of Vegas they think of the wild nights that are ahead of them. And very often, Vegas settings lead to an unrealistic drunken marriage. But circus acts? Definitely uncommon. But so very well done. I loved the peeks we got at the different shows such as Aerial Ethereal and the hard work and sacrifice the performers have to go through to make things work. I enjoy seeing the hard work Thora and Nik had to go through and her struggles and how real they were because even when we work at our very hardest we aren't always rewarded for that hard work.
And the characters. They were just as much a joy to experience. I could really relate to Thora's struggles with trying to fight for her dreams versus just giving up and going home to play it safe, to listen to the negativity of those close to you. This is something a lot of people can understand especially those reading the new adult genre and within the age range in which one is beginning to figure out their life, or are trying to. Then there's Nik. He came of so abrasive at first, I was prepared to not be too fond of the hero of the story, but I'm glad I was wrong. Slowly, he begins to open up to Thora, and we get to see the different sides of him, the good and the flawed, that make him so interesting. The way his family is so important to him, and their dreams, including Thora's, was amazing. The side characters were just as awesome, especially John and Timo, and Luka and Katya and the rest of the Katova clan. The authors do an extraordinary job of creating characters with perfect complexities, they're so unique. They do an equally amazing job with the characters in Addicted.
Overall, I enjoyed this one, and I am completely hooked on everything else by these authors. I love how they make interesting stories that stand out in the New Adult genre, where many stories become a bit uniform. I read all of their books so quickly, I'm sad to be finished. I'll be eagerly looking forward to anything else they would be releasing in the future.