Review Tour + Giveaway: Sideswiped by Lia Riley
Title: Sideswiped
Author: Lia Riley
Series: Off the Map #2
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: October 7th, 2014
It was only meant to last the summer . . .
Talia Stolfi has seen more than her share of loss in her twenty-one years. But then fate brought her Bran Lockhart, and her dark world was suddenly and spectacularly illuminated. So if being with Bran means leaving her colorless NorCal life for rugged and wild Australia, then that’s what she’ll do. But as much as Talia longs to give herself over completely to a new beginning, the fears of her past are still lurking in the shadows.
Bran Lockhart knows that living without the beautiful girl who stole his heart will be torment, so he’ll take whatever time with her he can. But even though she has packed up her life in California and is back in his arms for the time being, she can’t stay forever. And the remaining time they have together is ticking by way too fast. Though fate seems determined to tear them apart, they won’t give up without a fight—because while time may have limits, their love is infinite . . .
Giselle’s Review:
Lia Riley has done it again! She has managed to double my love for characters I was already completely in love with and made me fall even harder for her fabulous writing style.
Sideswiped is the second book in the Off The Map trilogy and holy hell! You know how everyone says the middle child is the one thats worst off? They are usually said to get little or no attention and they are just kind-of “there”. Well that is NOT the case with this middle book! Sideswiped will have your attention 110%. It will grab ahold of you and not let you go. It is all-consuming.
I loved so many things about Sideswiped, even though yes, Bran did piss me off several times. I still love him and his biceps.
The character development we see in Talia in this book is just GOLDEN. I’m all for this new-found, independent Talia and I can not wait to see how her character continues to grow and develop. I also feel like we get a better view of Bran’s character in this book and what he is feeling. Bran is pretty closed off in Upside Down but in this book, there can be no doubts about what Bran wants and what he’s thinking, even if what he wants pisses you off to no end! Nevertheless, seeing Brans more emotional side in Sideswiped made up for the times he angered me.
As always Lia totally kills it with the epic dialogue and witty, quirky writing style. These characters are far from perfect and I love that their thoughts, especially Talia’s, are all over the place. This just makes them seem all the more real. I don’t think these characters can ever not make laugh out loud and if you enjoyed the humor in Upside Down you will become obsessed with some of the lines in Sideswiped.
“I haven’t seen so many gorgeous hats in one place since I watched Kate marry Will.”
Feeling the chemistry between Talia and Bran is an easy task with Lia’s fabulous writing skills. But not only do Bran and Talia have sizzling chemistry, they also have a funny, real, best-friend-like relationship that will have you begging whatever god or god’s you believe in for a Bran of your own. <3
Also, round of applause for a new supporting character…Karma! Yup I wrote that correctly, his name’s Karma. The addition of Karma’s character to the story was A freaking plus! I enjoyed his character so so much and without him this story would have not been the same.
Sideswiped is the second book in this amazing trilogy by Lia Riley and if you haven’t read the first book, Upside Down, I recommend that you go do that ASAP! Then go ahead and read this amazing sequel, I know you want to. 😉
Check out my review for Upside Down HERE!
Silvana’s Review:
“Bran and I are two loose ends who found a way to tie ourselves together.”
All right. Guys. This is one book you have to read. Like seriously. Read Upside Down, the first of the trilogy, and come back and read this book. Sideswiped is a book you need in your life.
Sideswiped was such a great experience. I was suck-in since the very first page. The quantity of quotes I bookmarked from the very first two chapters is unreal. Lia Riley, I want to give you Fassavoy and every little piece of cookie that is out there in the world. Lia wrote a story of trust and epic love and the very definition of adventure. I found this book better than the first one; so much fun and laugh and tears at the end.
Talia is my baby. I love her character, HER DEVELOPMENT SINCE THE FIRST BOOK IS BIG, and her love for Bran is out of this world.
“If you burn away my bones, my love for him would remain, tattooed in the air.”
Also the whole writing! The writing is beautiful, so poetical and true. I am not surprised I loved this book so much as I did. Lia writes magnificent stories and I can’t wait for moooooore and more books to come. Of course give me Inside Out first so I can cry because of Bran and Talia until the end of times.
And then Mr. Bran Lockheart. Jesus this guy. This guy is everything. In Upside Down, you see Bran but I think, you can’t really truly see inside him. Like yeah, you get his POVs but he is not yet there, you know? His heart is too closed off and very restricted to not many people. Or not at all. But then in Sideswiped, Bran experiences this major turn-around in his life. Talia. He has never, in his life, love a person like he loves her. And he is scared.
“Will she ever know– truly grasp – that I died a little every day waiting for her?”
I seriously want to put every quote on a wall and stare at them all day.
You love Talia even more in this book. I loved her. LOVED her. She grows so much and I’m so happy by the outcome. She wants the best for both of them, but mostly she wants what’s best for Bran. You truly grasp here the love, the big love, these two have for each other. Even if Bran is an idiot sometimes, even if scenes happen that piss you off big time, even all that cannot compare to the love Bran and Talia share.
Some favorite quotes (*cough* can I put the whole book *cough*)
“Her body is holy ground. Our kiss a prayer. This girl is my own personal religion.”
“The space between our seats is the distance between lost and found.”
“Love isn’t enough of a word.”
Talia lifts the mobile from my pocket, check the screen, and snorts. “Wow, weird. Karma is calling.”
Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling XXXX with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. When not torturing heroes (because c’mon, who doesn’t love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live in Northern California.