Book Review: Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publish Date: Nov. 6, 2012

Paperback, 544 pages
Fiction, New Adult, Romance
 ISBN: 9781476717470
Thoughtless #1

My Review:
Warning: This story is addictive, emotionally draining and well-worth the time-spent reading it if you enjoy books like this.  And to be honest I wasn't sure I would enjoy a story like this.  I don't like cheating stories.  But I like this "New Adult" genre a lot and had been hearing so much about these books so when I was sent the ARC I knew I had to give it a try.  What resulted was pretty much an uninterrupted reading of a 500+ page book, and I could pretty much let that speak for itself and let the review end here, but I'll clue you in to what made me like this book.

First this is fiction and truthfully we can all pick the type of fiction we like to read.  Don't like the realistic stuff, don't read it. Me personally I don't read much sci-fi, but you might love it.  But that's what makes the world a wonderful place.  So Thoughtless has a place. It's realistic.  There are people like Kiera, Denny and Kellan out there. Confused 20-somethings that want a relationship, want to do what's right and end up screwing things up no matter what.  I was captivated by this thought.  Captivated by Kiera's need to do what was right and her need to be safe.  What woman can't relate to that (okay, I can).  Denny is safe, Denny is right, but Kellan, oh Kellan, he's something else entirely.

Yes a lot of the book is going back and forth.  It's an emotional roller coaster, but I never felt like it grew old or tired.  I felt like each time each character was exploring something new.  I think the author did a great job with the plotting, because honestly it's 500-pages of "who am I going to choose" but it never gets boring.  I loved getting to know Kiera, Denny, Kellan plus the other bandmates, Kiera's co-workers and her sister.  Each character was intriguing and had a great place in the story.  I wanted more of each of them.

Finally, for those of you unsure of the heat-level of this in the recent climate of the "50-Shades" world, this is mild, there is sex, but just the typical romance novel variety.  It's hot, it's sexy, but not out there. This is not erotica.  This is romance.  She just happens to be involved with two guys at the same time (but not in the same room, lol).  I don't have anything against erotica, I enjoy it, but I don't want people to shy away from this book because of the cover image.

In the end, I would highly recommend this book for people who love relationship books that put them through the wringer.  This isn't a happy-go-lucky romance novel. Yes there are happy parts, but there are parts that will parts that will equally have you wanting to kill all three of the main characters because of their stupidity with each other.  But you keep reading because you care, because you want to know what happens, because somehow Kiera, Denny and Kellan worm their way into your heart and brain and you care.  For those hours that you read this book, you will care, the author just has a way of making it happen.  I know it did for me and I had to make myself not open my ARC of Effortless right away, but it will be opened soon, because I am eager to know what happens next.  So give Thoughtless a chance and let it take you away for an afternoon or evening or two or however many it takes . . .


My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
For almost two years now, Kiera’s boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she’s ever wanted: loving, tender, and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together—Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university—everything seems perfect. 

Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart. Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he’s purely a friend she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes . . . and none of them will ever be the same.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
S.C. Stephens is an independent author who enjoys spending every free moment she has creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance.

Her first attempt at a full-length novel was Thoughtless. She wrote the angst-filled love triangle in early 2009 and published it that summer on FictionPress. Amazed and surprised by the response, more stories were quick to follow.

Conversion, the first novel in a three story vampire series, was released in the fall. Collision Course, a tragic, yet hopeful tale of love and loss was released in early 2010. The second Conversion novel came out next, along with It’s All Relative, a different take on a one night stand story.

In addition to writing, Stephens enjoys reading other people’s fabulous novels, loading up her iPod with writer’s block reducing music, heading out to the movie theaters, and spending quality time with her children.

You can contact Stephens at ThoughtlessRomantic@gmail.com

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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.