Trigger Warning: Graphic depictions of rape and physical abuse
Rating: ★★★ +.5 | 460 pages | Contemporary | Self-Published | Release Date: 3/20/2018
Iris Dupree is trapped in her own personal nightmare with her abusive and controlling NBA boyfriend. She’s always had bigger dreams for herself and knows she needs to get her and her daughter away safely so they can have a better life. Maybe even one that includes pro-baller August West–the one man she’s never forgotten about.
I’ve been hearing about this book for a year and its shine got even brighter when Ryan became the first Black woman to win a RITA which I think was well deserved. With this book Ryan is using the parameters of the romance genre to tell a tough story. August has to work hard as a hero to earn Iris’ trust after everything she has been through and he does that without coming in and saving the day for her.
For a romance novel, this is a doorstopper of a book but the pages flew by for me, which is saying a lot because I am a slow reader. Ryan’s writing is immersive and her use of the first-person present added an immediacy to the narrative that really worked for me. I would love for more books to be written this way and it’s something I’m becoming more aware of in the books I’m reading.
Long Shot can be a tough read at times but it’s ultimately a story of triumph and (of course) finding an HEA at the end of the road.
I knew this book was about domestic violence but those scenes were a lot more graphic and gut-wrenching than I was expecting. There was some talk about this book needing trigger warnings and this book definitely needs one
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