#OctobeRec Fest Review #1 ~ Grip ~ Kennedy Ryan

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.

Grip (well actually its prequel, Flow) served as my intro to Kennedy Ryan. And you do need to read Flow first to see how things started. But Grip was fan-freakin-tastic. And I became an instant fan of Kennedy Ryan.

Highlights:

• Characters
  Grip and Bristol, 8 years later, are still in each other’s orbits. Bristol is now a music agent and Grip, as Bristol foretold, is a star. I admire Grip for continuing to pursue Bristol when she made it so difficult. These two are meant for each other but an incident is standing in the way. KRyan did a phenomenal job of explaining why Bristol has the issues she does as well as explaining the two very different worlds they come from.  Grip and Bristol would be an inter-racial couple and I appreciated how KRyan dove into the challenges they’d face not only because of the color of their skin but also where and how they grew up.
• Romance
  Although there was quite a bit of angst, I understood where both Grip and Bristol were coming from. But once Bristol let down her guard and finally claims what she wants, things seem to fall into place with the aforementioned challenges zooming into focus. I was over the moon for how these two dealt with those challenges and fought for their relationship. Bristol’s fight in particular was great to see after putting off Grip for so long.
• Music
  Music is, of course, central to bother Grip’s and Bristol’s lives. I appreciated how KRyan intertwined music into the story and I specifically want to highlight the lyrics. Grip’s music – hip-hop – is poetic and lyrical and KRyan spotlighted that beautifully. But she also focused on how that genre of music uses lyrics to tell a story…their story…for better or worse. It’s raw but stunning at the same time.

KRyan impressed me beyond measure. She writes real characters – stubborn, flawed, loyal, and true to themselves. And the story is, if you’ll pardon the word, gripping. KRyan is a talent I encourage you to check out if you haven’t. She’s also a sweet soul in person. 🙂 I can’t wait to finish Grip and Bristol’s story and more from her.

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

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