Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Cirque: Ryann Kerekes

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Saturday, March 02, 2013

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A good girl trying to find herself.
A troubled boy running from his past.
The seductive allure of the cirque.
One summer that will change them both forever …

Eighteen-year-old ballerina Ariel is determined to experience life outside the dance studio. She auditions for the cirque on a whim, and though ballet training didn’t prepare her for dodging knives, she refuses to flinch and wins the spot of target girl alongside Gabriel, the mysterious knife-thrower. There’s something unmistakably dangerous yet tempting about Gabriel’s crystal blue eyes and tattoos. She’s determined to solve the mystery of his past after learning he’s on the run from the law. Especially since the distraction is just what she needs to avoid admitting to her parents she was dismissed from her ballet contract.

The more she learns about Gabriel, the scars on his body, the foster homes he grew up in, and his fascination with knives, she knows she should run the other way, but that boy’s like crack, oh so bad for you, yet addicting as hell. When he’s arrested and forced to deal with his past, she has to choose between putting her own life back together and dealing with her parents, or taking a chance on Gabriel, as no one else has.

The Cirque is a contemporary new adult romance.

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Kim's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This was who I was, what I did. If you stripped away ballet...what else was there?

The story begins as ballet dancer Ariel is cut from her ballet school. It has been her life's training, but her heart is not really in it anymore.

I hated ballet. I hated the way it strained my relationship with my mother, took over every inch of my life and left room for nothing else. But most of all I hated that now that it was over, I was empty and lost without it.

She stumbles upon an audition for The Cirque show Aerial Mystique. It opens her up to a world of possibilities. Ari is a good girl, usually follows the rules, and does not like to cause trouble. But since her parents are out of the country, why not try something new?

"Everyone's here for a different reason, but there's one thing we all have in common....We're all here to escape from our lives, from boring jobs, from psycho exes..."
She is paired with the mysterious, tattooed, handsome Gabriel. He is quiet, seems uninterested, and keeps his nose down in a book when he is not throwing knives at her for their act. He has a secret past, appears to be trouble, is an outcast at the circus, and should be off limits for Ari. But for some reason she is drawn to him.

He had the whole sexy, brooding,-and-misunderstood look down to a science. His dark hair was disheveled...Tattoos crept from under his sleeves and decorated much of his arms. Bot once again, the feature that stood out most was his sky-blue eyes that seemed to see right through me.

Gabriel wasn't trying to be anyone else and there was something sexy about his confidence. He was all wrong for me of course--but maybe that was kind of the point. So far, I 'd loved without stepping out of line once. And look where that got me--feeling like an intruder in my own skin. If my parents were going to freak out about ballet and the circus, I might as well go for the trifecta: Gabriel. With his tattoos and smug attitude, he would be the cherry on the sundae.

She tries to get Gabriel to notice her. She tries to make him jealous and gets in over her head. Gabriel begins to be more of a protector to her and eventually friend. But Gabriel is an enigma: he is secretive, volatile, confusing, jealous, but also respectful, sweet, and patient. Their communication together needs a lot of work and misunderstandings and fear keep them going in circles.

They gradually get closer... but will his past and his actions, and her inability to go against her parents ruin any chance they have? Is it better to just end it and move on?

I couldn't deny that I had an unhealthy fascination with Gabriel, one that all common sense told me was wrong. But that boy was like crack--oh so bad for you, yet addicting as hell.

The beginning of Ari and Gabriel's relationship was a little slow for me. I really just wanted to push them harder together. Gabriel was very patient. But it definitely got more emotionally intense as it went on, and I was invested in them closer the end. They had a lot working against at them and resolution of their issues did not look certain.

On paper we made no sense, a criminal and a ballerina weren't a likely pair. But when you stripped away the labels, we were perfect for each other. He understood me, made me feel beautiful and always protected me. And I was drawn to him, never saw any of his mistakes, only saw what was in his heart. He was loyal and brave and had the courage to be himself, which I envied.

It is a story about opening up, learning to live for yourself, and about following your own heart. It shows you have to stop running from your past in order to face your future. I loved them together and the growth in the characters.

Thanks to Ryann Kerekes and Madison Says Blog Tours for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Tammy's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"My plan had been to be carefree and to experience--to live a little--and here I was captivated and obsessed by an intense, possibly disturbed guy."

I adored this story of Gabriel and Ari. After all the drama filled books I have been reading as of late, Cirque was that perfect mix of a light quick read filled with just the right amount of drama and love. I quickly became attached to the Gabriel, Ari, Tanner and Sasha. Cirque was a heartfelt story about seeing below the surface and finding love with some one that appears to be totally wrong for you. Ari learned a hard lesson on how appearances can be deceiving. It is a story about growth, friendship, love and finding one's self.

While I loved all the characters, Gabriel held my attention and stole my heart the most. I am a total sucker for a lost tatted damaged "bad boy." I was captivated by him and his past. He had multiple personalities. In public, he acts as such a jerk, very secretive, likes to be left to his own devices, and ignores Ari. Gabriel shows her such indifference with his hot and cold attitude that she begins to act out in order to get his attention. However, beneath all that defensiveness laid a heart of gold. He honestly had no clue how to act around her, and she did not help with all her game playing to make him jealous. Behind closed doors he begins to open up to her, showing more of his true self, while keeping her close within his sights. Gabriel had such a protective nature to him, he kept close but out of sight while he allowed Ari the room to explore, make mistakes and blossom.

Ari was also lost, just in a different way. I loved her, and I loved watching her try and navigate her journey of self-discovery. One of the things I adored about her is we get to see and feel her age. She acts out in typical teen girl fashion on many occasions. I thought it fit the story perfectly, especially as we watched her grow and mature.

I really adored the growth of the characters and their interactions together. I found them to be well developed. I loved, loved, loved the end! I could not stop smiling as I watched both Ari and Gabriel grow within their friendship, with themselves, and with their love for each other. I hope that we get too see more from these two. Congrats, Ryann on a fantastic book and debut!

Thank you to Ryann for the opportunity and the ARC of Cirque for an honest review.
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Ryann Kerekes

Facebook/Blog/Twitter/Goodreads
Ryann Kerekes writes young adult novels with a strong dose of romance. She lives in Minnesota with a super cute husband and two puppies, one of which may be part monkey. When not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, laughing and day dreaming about kissing scenes.

Also writing adult romance as Kendall Ryan.
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Complete Tour Schedule

You’re Invited!

The Cirque – Twitter Release Party

Monday, March 4, 8:009:00 p.m. Central time

Interact with and expose new readers to your blog as we tweet about the book, the circus, characters, etc.

As well as ...

*steamy snippets!

*Links to giveaways during the party!

*Q&A with the author, other readers & bloggers from the book tour!

Grab your copy and follow along! Just use the hashtag #TheCirque in each tweet.

We’ll be talking book boyfriends, tattooed hotties, knifethrowing & #TheCirque come join us!
Make sure to follow the author and host of the party, @RyannKerekes

GIVEAWAY!
Up for grabs is ONE signed paperback (US only) and TWO ebook copies
(Kindle or Nook). Winners will be chosen on Saturday, March 9.
Note: If rafflecopter box does not show up in post, just click on rafflecopter link below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway