Book Rewind · Review: Wicked Heart
(Starcrossed #3) by Leisa Rayven
For today’s Book Rewind we are continuing to review the Starcrossed series by Leisa Rayven! Book 3, Wicked Heart, was originally published in May 2016. The entire series is available now and you can catch my reviews of both book 1, Bad Romeo and book 2, Broken Juliet.
Book Rewind is a meme where we review a backlist title to distinguish reviewed books that are in no way a new release. We noticed we tend to review almost all new or newly released books and wanted to have a feature to spotlight some older books that we either just read or are just reviewing because we never got around to it, or possibly didn’t blog back then! This meme will be posted on Thursdays as a ‘Throwback Thursday’ kind of deal.
We totally encourage others to participate in the Book Rewind Review meme! Backlist titles need love too! Feel free to use our banner and be sure to link back to our page and tag us on social media so we can help promote your posts too!
Wicked Heart (Starcrossed #3) by Leisa Rayven
Category: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: May 17th, 2016; St. Martin’s Griffin
Purchase: Amazon
The one guy she can’t have is the one she can’t forget.
Liam Quinn is one of the biggest movie stars in the world…and the only man Elissa Holt has ever truly loved.
After being out of her life for six years, he and his gorgeous fiancé are set to star in the new Broadway show Elissa is stage managing. The only trouble is, when late night rehearsals bring Elissa and Liam together, the line between what is and what could have been gets blurred. Now one moment of weakness is about to create a scandal that will echo around the world.
Elissa knows that falling for Liam again would be a tragedy in the making, but as any good romantic knows, love doesn’t always follow the script.
Review:
[book rating=5/5]How is it that Leisa Rayven is always capable of surprising me? It shouldn’t be anything new. She proved her talent for plotting and storytelling to me way before her first novel was even published, and I have been a fan for a long time. Yet she did it again. I didn’t think she could top the awesomeness that is Cassie and Ethan’s story in Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet, but yet, here she is, doing just that with Wicked Heart.
Wicked Heart is about Elissa “Lissa” Holt, Ethan’s sister, who was a side character in the first two books. The story follows Lissa’s meeting with the love of her life, Liam Quinn and their re-connection. The first time they randomly meet on the streets New York, and after spending weeks together, they part ways. Then six years later, fate throws them together again, but Liam is now engaged to Angel Bell. Angel is a fellow actress, co-star, and all around beauty. But there’s more behind the scenes that people don’t know about. And that is how we are all here for a real Hollywood – or should I stay Broadway – love story.
I already knew Lissa, but while she was behind the scenes in those books, here she gets the limelight. She is a funny, cheese-loving, exercise-hating, focused, but funny girl, with hilarious inner thoughts. Lissa is very professional and very successful in her career as a stage manager. And sadly, she doesn’t have an active love life; she dates around but they’re never the right man. She’s ruined for anyone other than Liam Quinn, her true love, who is unavailable.
Liam Quinn, oh Liam Quinn. I never thought there would be someone more perfect than Ethan Holt, but here comes Liam. With his witty comments, charming smile, blond hair, and sweeps me off my feet within the first 10 pages. Ethan who? Liam is the epitome of a man. Not only does he have the looks, but he has the heart and soul of a perfect specimen. Although, I thought he was very stupid for leaving Lissa in the first place. I now know he had the right reasons, and for those alone I’m loving him more and more. He went through a lot in his life and yet he could still find the joys and happiness in love and living. Also the chemistry between Lissa and Liam was… wheeeeew, someone bring out the fans because I’m sweating here. They are perfect for each other!
About the first quarter of the story has the same dual timeline that Bad Romeo/Broken Juliet has. The past shows us how Lissa and Liam met for the first time and what happens during those weeks, while the present shows their reconnection and how they deal with their past. Or how they don’t deal with it, in Lissa’s case. Leisa Rayven is the master of these dual timelines. You can clearly see the character growth when you compare the past and the present, something a lot of authors fail to achieve. You can see how they both went from idealistic, young adult fools, madly in love to more rational adults who know love is not that easy.
Wicked Heart is one of those books that grip you hard from the first page and doesn’t let you go until you finished it. Leisa has the ability to create perfect, unforgettable characters and to give them a journey you wish to be a part of. I definitely recommend you to pick up Wicked Heart, if you are in need of hearty laughs, gripping heartaches, beautiful relationships and friendship, the Broadway scene, plus some hot men, who are even hotter in bed.
* This review was originally published, on my now defunct blog, back in May 2016, and has since been edited.
