Title: Rock Bottom
Author: R K Lilley
Publisher/Year: R K Lilley 11/12/12
Length: 292 pages
Series: Tristan & Danika #2
Overview
ROCK BOTTOM
BOOK TWO: TRISTAN & DANIKA
Their love had the power of a runaway freight train, and the potential to be just as destructive.
The tempestuous sequel to Bad Things picks up where the first book left off. Reeling from a profound loss, Tristan and Danika struggle to pick up the pieces and build a life together, but the hard habits of a lifetime are not so easy to escape.
Rock Bottom takes us on a dual point of view journey through addiction and desire, through love and agony, and answers the question we’ve been asking since these characters were introduced in Grounded: “What happened between Tristan and Danika?”
DANIKA
Even love couldn’t cushion a fall like ours. My love for Tristan was so big that I felt consumed by it, and even so, it was not enough to overpower our combined demons.
I struggled. I yelled and screamed. I scratched and kicked.
I fought like hell, but even the most determined fighters have to stop before they break.
No one could say I didn’t fight for him.
“I love you,” I spoke softly into his ear.
He gripped me harder. “I can’t ever lose you, Danika. I’m not sure I’d survive it.”
“You’ve got me. And I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.”
I meant the words when I said them, but life had other plans for us.
I’d have given my life for that fight. In fact, I very nearly did.
TRISTAN
She was the one.
If I’d ever had a doubt, I didn’t now. She was the one I’d be thinking about, longing for, until I took my last breath. If I lost her tomorrow, I’d pine for her like a lovesick fool.
This was the kind of love that only hit you once in your life.
My Thoughts
From what we know of the couple based on the In the Air series, you know that things can’t end well right? Especially given how book 1 in the spin-off of Tristan and Danika ended. we know that their relationship is volatile. it’s passionate, explosive, and potentially detrimental to both since they are so dependent on one another. We also see the foreshadowing of a downward spiral since things just didn’t go smoothly for the couple as Tristan’s brother died, and the jealousy and control that both seem to need and have.
We start this 2nd installment of their story in a happier place – it seems like the couple is trying to make things work, although it’s not easy. The band that Tristan’s in has gotten a record deal, but this means that it’ll be a long distance relationship for the two for a bit since they are recording in LA and Danika has a life in Vegas.
What i liked about this though, is that we see the development of another couple and the friendship growth between Frankie and Danika. You get to know a bit more about how their friendship really started and why it seemed to be so strong in the other series. R. K Lilley does a great job of showing us how the Frankie Estella relationship began and started to take shape and it makes you have an entirely different opinion of things which is nice.
In this story too though, we see a lot of things unravel. The trust between Danika and Tristan is tested over and over again. There are forces much larger than themselves at play here. Dean, Distance, Dahlia (Danika’s sister)….all things going against them. But…it makes you wonder when the shoe’s going to drop and what the end result is.
What’s also really nice about this story is that you get a few unexpected twists throughout that weren’t even on my radar as things to ponder since we knew to expect an accident. There are pregnancies, injuries, scheming, and lies….all the while though, we see that the duo has a bond that they aren’t willing to give up on. that’s what heat and great chemistry will do for you.
Similar to what we’ve gotten in other stories by this author, there’s no shortage of steam and heat. you know what you’re going to get and it won’t be boring or short lived at all. you know that the passionate couple will be drawn to one another regardless of what is going on outside of them, and their emotions cannot be controlled.
I’m really looking forward to the 3rd and final installment in their story since i think that it’s going to take us deeper into their lives since it’s further in the future than we were even taken with the other series. I hope that we see conflicts that aren’t necessarily predictable, and i think that we won’t be let down given the journey that we’ve been on already..