Review: Riot Street by Tyler King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - April 30, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Enemies-to-lovers Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat - 2 out of 5
Length - 433 pages

Avery Avalon is starting over for a second time. After a unique upbringing and painful past, she's determined to reinvent herself as she enters adulthood. In her path to become a journalist, she is disheartened that the only thing people want from her is to hear about her infamous father - the one who is in prison. It doesn't help that the only job offer she receives comes from the one man she'd rather not owe a favor.

Without a better offer, Avery reluctantly takes the job at Riot Street magazine, working side by side with Ethan Ash. The man who launched his career as the first journalist to get Avery's father to talk after he was sentenced to prison. The man who she wants nothing to do with. The man who seems to understand her more than anyone else.

As Avery begins to let Ethan in, what she hopes will be a new beginning, a release from her past life, proves too good to be true. She can't keep the past hidden forever and as the fate of her father and his crimes force her to confront her own issues, she realizes that Ethan may have darker demons than her.

Find your copy of Riot Street here:
Goodreads | Amazon

MY REVIEW

Ever read a book's blurb and were still unprepared for the story held within its pages? That was me with RIOT STREET. I didn't expect half of what I got and I think that was what I loved most about it.

What else I loved:
📰 How naked and exposed the author allowed her characters to be. Both Avery and Ethan were devastatingly broken and at times neither one seemed able to subsist, mush less support the other.
📰 How the author tackled cult culture, not so much the day-to-day of that life, but it's aftermath. What was captured didn't appear to be contrived and had an honest if somewhat traumatizing feel to it.
📰 The way the author wove the authentic feel of journalism and I'm guessing that's from her own experience.

What didn't work for me:
📰 I was okay with the entire story being told from Avery's POV, although I felt that Ethan's perspective would have given these characters and their story more depth and more connection. However, I felt overwhelmed by the heavy usage of similes, metaphors and idioms. It was as if I couldn't go a whole passage without being bombarded. It happened during Avery's internal monologues, her narration, her conversations, and even her intimate moments with Ethan. So much so that it took away from the impact each element should have had.

At the end of the day, did I enjoy this story? Heck yeah. Avery and Ethan both found their way into my heart and I would definitely read from this author again.