Review: Hot Shot

Hot Shot by Karina Halle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Karina Halle has been on my radar for quite some time, ever since the synopsis of Smut left me intrigued. Although Smut is the main Karina Halle book to have piqued my interest, there are a few of her books that have left me hovering over the ‘buy’ button on Amazon. Having purchased Smut, I told myself to wait before purchasing any of the author’s other books. That being said, I was not opposed to reading Hot Shot when the chance came about.

When Hot Shot appeared on my Kindle, I did not realise it was book three in the North Ridge series. It works perfectly fine as standalone novel, though, so do not feel as though you need to read the prior books. There is clearly history between the characters, and some big events have gone down, but it is not essential to have read the prior books before reading this one – the story stands perfectly fine alone. The only issue you may face is the one I now face – I want to go back and find out more, I want to fill in the history. I loved the characters so much that I need more, so much so that I have already downloaded book one, Wild Card, onto my Kindle. If Hot Shot is any indication of what I can expect from the prior books, I’m positive I’m going to love the North Ridge series. In fact, based upon how much I enjoyed this one, I may very well power through a few Karina Halle reads very soon.

From the very start, I fell in love with this story. The characters, the storyline, and the writing were all beautiful. Each detail pulled me in, every sentence I read left me wanting more. It is a book I found extremely difficult to put down – one I may not have been able to put down had my Kindle not died on me. Once the story grips you, you’re lost to it. You want more, you need more, and you will do anything to see how everything comes together.

Throughout, there is so much emotion to experience. Karina Halle grabs you with her powerful words, pulling you deep into the emotions of the characters. You feel what they are feeling, you feel as though the history is your own, and you connect with events on so many levels. You come to love the characters, you want the best for them, and cannot help but ride the rollercoaster of events with them.

Although I knew what was to come at about the half way point from the synopsis, I found myself so lost to the story that I did not mind a somewhat overused trope appearing in this story. There was so much depth throughout, so many elements came into play, that I found myself lost for the ride. It was sweet and steamy, it was heavy and humorous, it was painful and beautiful. In so many ways, it was a wonderful collection of contrasts, keeping you locked into the story from the start until the end.

Honestly, I cannot wait until I can dive into the prior North Ridge books – I have a feeling I’m going to love these books, this entire series, by the time I’ve played catch up.

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