Thoughtless (Thoughtless, #1) in Buddy Read Zone

Sep 11, 2011 KarenH rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cheating-heroine, keep-the-kleenex-close-by, keepers, bad-boy-hero, two-men-one-choice, friends-to-lovers, great-dialogue, sexy-with-a-capital-s-hero, kindle-books-5-stars-plus, top-5ish-favorites

Thoughtless is a compassionate but heartbreaking story of three people caught in a contemporary love triangle. I read this book last Sunday, and I don't know if it was because Andy Whitfield passed away, or because it was the 10th anniversary of 9/11...maybe a bad case of the "Sunday blues" or simply because the angst was ratcheted up so high in the story. Whatever the reason, when all hell broke loose in Chapter 23, the damn burst. Reading with blurred vision is such a bloody nuisance but I had Thoughtless is a compassionate but heartbreaking story of three people caught in a contemporary love triangle. I read this book last Sunday, and I don't know if it was because Andy Whitfield passed away, or because it was the 10th anniversary of 9/11...maybe a bad case of the "Sunday blues" or simply because the angst was ratcheted up so high in the story. Whatever the reason, when all hell broke loose in Chapter 23, the damn burst. Reading with blurred vision is such a bloody nuisance but I had to finish the last three chapters to see if somehow, despite the cheating, deceit and lies, all 3 protagonists were able to find a measure of peace & happiness in the end.

Kiera and Denny, both in their early 20's, have been an exclusive couple for 2 years. When Denny is offered an intern position with a prestigious ad firm in Seattle, Kiera applies for and receives a scholarship to the University of Washington. Leaving small-town life behind they travel across the country...moving in with a close friend of Denny's from when he served as an exchange student in high school. Enter Kellan Kyle...an extremely good-looking, sexier-than-hell lead singer in a local band...and new roommate to the transplanted Ohioans.

What follows is an extremely intense story of a young woman who is torn between her love for two equally-deserving men and their unwavering love for her. There is no menage here, where in a fantasy world Kiera would keep both Denny and Kellan. This isn't erotica, yet the sexual tension is so prevalent and so fine-tuned you'll be buzzing with expectation. Told through Kiera's POV, it is a simple day-to-day story made complex by the unexpected attraction between Kiera and Kellan and the powerful, emotionally high-charged atmosphere that settles among these two as well as the unsuspecting Denny. Fortunately, even with the limited POV,the author won't ever leave you scratching your head and wondering 'what just happened here?' She leaves nothing to speculation and plays the entire drama out in explicit (although somewhat lengthy) detail.

As you can probably guess, there is cheating in this story. And while the idea of cheating in a romance novel might totally turn you off, at least the circumstances that prompt the cheating are not due to the overplayed drunkenness or selfishness or the big misunderstanding...they are simply due to inexperience, vulnerability and the inevitable loss in the struggle to follow one's head and not one's heart. As such, there are no bad guys in the story. Unfortunately, this greatly restricts the reader's ability to justify the cheating; and because of the devastating outcome, it was hard for me to forgive Kiera and be truly happy for her.

This book is angst at its best. I was riding the emotional roller coaster of a lifetime and had to physically unwind & stretch cramped muscles whenever I took a break. But I loved the fact that a story could totally consume me like Thoughtless did...blubbering tears and all. The author, S.C. Stephens really has the ability to express feelings and emotions and internal struggle. She gets to the heart & core of the characters and thoroughly fleshes them out...so much so you will feel like a personal friend to Kiera, Kellan & Denny. Their story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and you will live every moment with them.

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!

5***

Kellan

Theme song: http://youtu.be/2qsKY-Q9lmc ...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Duchess Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-pcs, genre-contemp-romance, read-in-2012, favorites

"Love doesn't exactly come with an off switch."

Gosh, this book left me torn. Kiera is a difficult heroine to like throughout most of the book. I DID come to the conclusion that she is just young and immature. She's at that stage in life when you don't think too hard about how your actions will affect others, and you don't realized that the decisions you make today can come back to haunt you. She just went with what felt right at the time. Obviously, Kiera was torn, too. Sweet, thoughtful, comfor "Love doesn't exactly come with an off switch."

Gosh, this book left me torn. Kiera is a difficult heroine to like throughout most of the book. I DID come to the conclusion that she is just young and immature. She's at that stage in life when you don't think too hard about how your actions will affect others, and you don't realized that the decisions you make today can come back to haunt you. She just went with what felt right at the time. Obviously, Kiera was torn, too. Sweet, thoughtful, comfortable two year relationship, or passionate, volatile, untried new man? Aaah! I just wanted to smack her (on the shoulder, as she seems to prefer that move) or hug her.

Of course, Kellan is dreamy. A rock star in their city, he has his pick of women. Literally, they throw themselves at him. And no holding back! His relationship with women is not to be read about by those with delicate sensibilities. I was in turns disgusted and saddened by his behavior. It was just as self destructive as Kiera's indecisiveness.

Denny is the two year boyfriend. He's basically what every girl wants in a man: beautiful, thoughtful, faithful - simply perfect. That's why Kiera is so confused. She has the ideal boyfriend; so why is Kellan consuming her? Because, as we learn, he is as multifaceted as they come. And Keira loves every facet; good and bad. Kellan is certain that he doesn't deserve Kiera. We come to understand that in his own way, Kellan is a good person, too.

"His good heart broke mine."

I was so emotionally confused by this book. At times angry, others sad, and still others almost euphoric. There was a time or two that I simply wanted the story to move forward. But that was mostly because I wanted to get to a happy ending. When a book makes me this bipolar, it's got to be good, in my opinion.

"There was a frenzied desperation to our lovemaking that had never been there before. It was heartfelt, it was heartbreaking. It was extreme joy, it was bone-crushing grief. It was fiery-hot, it was icy-cold. It was true love sprouting, it was true love dying. It was like we were both trying to hold onto something that was slipping through our fingers, and we didn't understand why."

Aah! Break my heart!
That's one of the reasons I love to read. All of these emotional stepping stones made for one hell of a roller coaster ride! Even though so much of the story focuses on one man, I still found myself wondering which one she would choose. This was the epitome of choosing with your head or with your heart.
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Jun 05, 2012 Steph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-read, buddy-read, read-with-shanna

Those of you who know me pretty well will probably be questioning my five star review for this book. I know, I'm a little shocked myself to be honest.
I generally cannot stand love triangles and on top of that I hate cheating. That's why I've put this damn book off for so long now.
A huge thank you to my partner in crime, Shanna. I wouldn't have read this without you hun.

I won't go over the plot because there are already so many great reviews out there. I am outrageously late to the Thoughtle ...more

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Feb 22, 2012 ~V~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

My thoughts on this book...

Denny...soooo sweet..i just felt bad for the guy and how clueless he was, or maybe he was just in denial? (view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Katie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp, e-book

I had a rather extensive love-hate, hate-love relationship with Thoughtless. My love, love, love was for the heros. Both Kellan and Denny were absolutely wonderful characters. Both men were well developed characters that I thought the author did a wonderful job of creating these guys. I felt every happiness, every sorrow they felt. I don't think I would have wanted these men any different than they were.

My hate, absolute despise was for the heroine, Kiara. This was a huge downer considering the ...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Debbie♥ love my Ducks♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, kindle-lent, romance

It was just ok for me don't know what all the fuss is about ;( ...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Sara ~Sphunky~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ebooks-i-own, kindle-lendable

3/12/13: Re-reading the first two books to celebrate and get ready for the release of Reckless!!! I still give this one 4.5 stars. Kellan Kyle is my all-time favorite book boyfriend. Damn! I just absolutely love him. Re-reading this I was still extremely aggravated by Kiera, although the re-read gave me a slightly different perspective since I had already read this book and Effortless (where she grew on me a little more). This is a series that I know I will re-read many, MANY times in the future 3/12/13: Re-reading the first two books to celebrate and get ready for the release of Reckless!!! I still give this one 4.5 stars. Kellan Kyle is my all-time favorite book boyfriend. Damn! I just absolutely love him. Re-reading this I was still extremely aggravated by Kiera, although the re-read gave me a slightly different perspective since I had already read this book and Effortless (where she grew on me a little more). This is a series that I know I will re-read many, MANY times in the future. Thoughtless is a completely consuming and emotionally draining, but that's one of the reasons I love it so much.

4.5 stars This book comes down to one question: Do you choose safety/comfort/trust or passion/fire/excitment in a relationship? I really liked this one, although the subject matter/relationship could be uncomfortable for some people (it's a love triangle with cheating involved). I thought it was realistic though as these types of situations happen a lot (although maybe not with someone as HOT has Kellan Kyle). Stephens did a wonderful job portraying the raw emotions, moral battles, and consequences involved in such relationships. I equate reading this book to riding an extreme roller coaster at an amusement park...full of extreme highs and extreme lows. I was drained when I finished reading it (it is a somewhat long book too).

I completely fell in love with Kellan, the lead singer of the D-Bags and total hottie with a tortured past. He's a bad boy with a soft heart and "history" with women. Stephens did a great job explaining why Kellan acts the way he does. It had me grabbing for the tissues a few times. The scene towards the end in the Space Needle had my emotions all over the place. I think Kellan Kyle and Travis Maddox are fighting for my favorite hero of all-time at this point (sigh).

I liked Denny, but I found him to be a little too "good" for my taste and too work-obsessed. He treats Kiera like a queen and is a total care taker, but he almost does it to a fault. I don't want to give away too much here, but I'll just leave it at I liked Denny, but he just didn't "do it" for me. (I guess that answers which type of relationship I would choose!)

Kiera, oh Kiera. I found her completely frustrating 80% of the time. I realize she is young and naive (and dealing with two attractive and attentive men), so I'm giving her a 20% leeway because of that. Otherwise, I found her indecisiveness and game playing to be completely frustrating and exhausting after a while. I was somewhat sympathetic to her for the first half of the book (which by the way, is very slow to start, but keep with it, it's worth it) and I could see her dilemma, but after a while, I just keep screaming "C'mon girl, wake up and smell the coffee" (literally as she talks about the smell of coffee a lot in this book)! She is very insecure, which I can understand being that her sister is a Hooters girls and completely hot in addition to girls constantly throwing themselves at Kellan. But, honey, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen! I did enjoy watching her grow a little during her experiences in Seattle with the two men. She was under a lot of stress over the course of this book, but she had a lot of "help" working it out :-)

The secondary characters in this book are good as well. I love Evan and Jenny, and how can you not love and crack up at Griffin. I love the scenes he is in. He's completely inappropriate and crude, but he's hiliarious. I've already started the second book and I love it even more. I can't wait to see what happens to Kiera and her man... ...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Crazy for Books (Stephanie) rated it liked it

Shelves: series-sequels, netgalley-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. NetGalley free book review.

I read a couple of reviews on Amazon and was waffling about buying this book before noticing that it was something I could read for free though my NetGalley account. One of the major criticisms I saw was that Kiera was sleeping with two men and drastically stringing them along. My first thought was how bad could it be. My second thought was that things happen in relationships that make them complicated and hard to make the proper choices, but OMG this was ridiculous. T NetGalley free book review.

I read a couple of reviews on Amazon and was waffling about buying this book before noticing that it was something I could read for free though my NetGalley account. One of the major criticisms I saw was that Kiera was sleeping with two men and drastically stringing them along. My first thought was how bad could it be. My second thought was that things happen in relationships that make them complicated and hard to make the proper choices, but OMG this was ridiculous. This isn't to say I didn't like the book. I liked it and could have liked it more if it weren't for the constant going back and forth by Kiera.

In some ways I felt like the author was trying to make the book as long as possible. But I have to say it drove me nuts eventually. I can understand Kiera feeling like Denny was safe. I can understand the first and even the second slip up with Kellan, to some extent. But once she knew how he felt about her and knew what she was going to potentially do to Denny, she needed to pull up her big girl panties and sit them down and talk. Them them both what was going on in her head and how confused she was. Her actions could only lead to destruction, which it did.

Denny was a little too peripheral of a character for me. I wanted to know more about him other than his drive towards his career and his seemingly unaware love for Kiera. How all her moods didn't alert him to what was going on is beyond me, which he explains later that he kind of knew something was going on with her, but he just let things go until things were out of control.

I don't have an issue with the cheating as some of the other reviewers I've read had. I believe that things happen and that you can't always control how you feel about someone. You can control how your act and be and adult and make sure you are free and clear before you act on those feelings, but I'm not nieve enough to believe that's how most people act.

But, I have to say I did like it. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what Kiera would do, when Denny would figure it all out, what Kellan would ultimately do. Based on how the author wrote Kellan, it wouldn't have even been a hard decision for me. I would have immediately been with Kellan. Although I thought Denny was sweet, he took their relationship for granted. He didn't think he had to work at it. I do believe that Kiera over reacted to Denny getting and taking the job in Arizona, but since she had moved from Ohio to Seattle to be with him, he should have taken her into consideration and discussed it with her before making that decision.

I believe that Denny's inability to consider Kiera in his major decisions was the start of their problems. Kiera being young and klinging to the first person she was in love with is the other half of their problem.

Good book, read the first couple chapters of EFFORTLESS, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money reading the sequel if it's more of the same filler of either or both of them not knowing what they want and how to communicate. Will consider. ...more

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May 14, 2012 Jessica rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2012-reads

Let me start off by saying THANK GOD that is done! The reason I kept reading was I needed to know how there could possibly be 400 pages of this I was suprised that S.C. Stephens found a way to do it, that made me want to throw the book (of course I couldn't because then I'd break my Kindle, but trust me if I could I would). I have no idea how people could like this book Kiera was so heartless, thoughtless and inconsiderate and the worst was she kept making Kellan feel like trash when it was all Let me start off by saying THANK GOD that is done! The reason I kept reading was I needed to know how there could possibly be 400 pages of this I was suprised that S.C. Stephens found a way to do it, that made me want to throw the book (of course I couldn't because then I'd break my Kindle, but trust me if I could I would). I have no idea how people could like this book Kiera was so heartless, thoughtless and inconsiderate and the worst was she kept making Kellan feel like trash when it was all her, she was the one who initiated ALL the sex, she was the one who was making it hard for him to NOT pursue her. I felt bad for Denny because he deserved better and I hated how Kiera acted towards him right from the start when he had to leave for his job for 2 months she made him feel like she should come first that she moved all the way to Seattle for him and that he was abandoning her. Then he has great news that he got promoted but he had to stay there and she could join him once her school was done in 2 years and she BREAKS UP with him REALLY!?!?!? How selfish could you be its 2 years and he said he would visit her and her him but no thats not good enough and she gives him the line "obviously your job is more important then me" COME ON get over yourself he is starting a carrer to support you and he is not allowed to do that. This is when all the cheating starts and of course she feels bad about it but then Denny comes home Leaves his job I might add for this piece of trash and takes a job that he hates and she gets mad that he gets called away so often and feels no remorse over the fact that he left a job he loved for her and is suffering in a crap ass job FOR HER. Now poor Kellan is in love with her and decides it would be best if he leaves becuase he can't stand watching Kiera and Denny being lovey? ? ?(which they aren't really because her mind is always on Kellan, but she has to string Denny along)and Kiera is going to have none of that because she "needs" him so she goes all flirty on him and comming on to him and Kellan is saying no we shouldn't and tries pushing away but he loves her and it is to hard for him to keep saying no so he gives in the have sex and she feels sick to her stomach right after making Kellan feel worse and blames him UGH REALLY ?!?!? SEE WHAT I AM SAYING this is an entire book of this!

Now you wanna know my FAVORITE part of the book it is Kiera getting kicked in the head :) an then waking up in a hospital and BOTH guys breaking up with her I was like YES! ! ! ! ! Victory! All though I hated what was going on before she got kicked and I HATED that she just stod there I would have been yelling and screaming but hey Kiera has no real emotion. Ugh but both guys also before they break up were apologizing to HER!! WHY??? She was the bitch not them she should have been up front with Denny it happens I guess where someone can love to people at once but if they do they should be up front about it no strining people around. In the end Kiera gets Kellan claiming she was scared of the passion between them and that Denny was like a safety blanket I don't know but I have NO CLUE how there possibly could be a second book and now a third WTF REALLY?!?!?!?!

I have no clue if I am going to read Effortless because description says she is determined to learn from her mistakes and not to inflict pain on Kellan BUT. . . OMG there is a BUT . . . life offers new challenges for every relationship . . . Because the first book's challenges weren't enough . . . and when Kiera's love is put to the ultimate test . . . lol she doesn't know how to love and we already know she fails miserably in relationships. . . will it survive? . . . Yeah this book isn't sounding to promising to me I think she is going to fail but I really do not feel like reading another book about someone so heartless.
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Apr 22, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rock-stars, books-everyone-loved-but-me

I had a lot of mixed emotions while reading this book. Most of the book made me very angry. I felt no sympathy towards the 2 main characters. Although I felt that Keira deserved what she got in the end, it was very emotional and it made me cry several times. I will be reading the second book in the series.

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Feb 23, 2012 Anne OK rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Holy Moly!! There were times I screamed and yelled not-so-nice-words during the reading of this book – most frequently directing them at Kiera! “Thoughtless” by S.C. Stephens offers an extra-long fast and furious ride on a runaway train heading straight over the cliff. This triangle of love is compelling, exhausting, angst-ridden, intense -- filled with cheating, lies, deceit and sneakiness. But it’s guaranteed addictive entertainment! I could not stop myself and I’m already planning to read the Holy Moly!! There were times I screamed and yelled not-so-nice-words during the reading of this book – most frequently directing them at Kiera! “Thoughtless” by S.C. Stephens offers an extra-long fast and furious ride on a runaway train heading straight over the cliff. This triangle of love is compelling, exhausting, angst-ridden, intense -- filled with cheating, lies, deceit and sneakiness. But it’s guaranteed addictive entertainment! I could not stop myself and I’m already planning to read the next sequel. I’m calling it my “cruel and unusual punishment summer event.”

The plot has been covered well by many other reviewers so I will not redo it again here. I’ll just mention several of the highlights and not-so-highlights for me. This book is written in first person from Kiera’s point of view which read almost like a diary. Surprisingly, this appealed to me.

Denny and Kellan are the two male leads and both are in many ways abused and hurt by Kiera over and over. Denny is Kiera’s long-time boyfriend. Kellan is Denny’s best friend and "brother", who offers them a place to live when they move cross country for Denny’s new job and where Kiera will continue with her college education. So begins the triangle and the devastating events that change each of their lives.

It was hard for me to accept the excuse that Kiera is young and inexperienced. She certainly didn’t have any trouble jumping from one bed to the other – sometimes in the same night. Her indecisiveness drove me literally to pulling my hair and biting my nails! I could fall for the excuse that she loved them both in different ways. I could even go so far as to believe how difficult it was to choose one over the other. But she’s old enough to know right from wrong and she was just dead damn wrong in her handling of the situation. Then again, both Denny and Kellan were also responsible for enabling Kiera to continue stringing them both along.

There was absolutely no mention of birth control or condoms ever made in any of the sexual encounters. I found this especially disturbing since some of these characters had multiple partners.

Kudos to the author for writing a story that leaves nothing to the imagination. You certainly get all the answers and every emotional detail. This book will turn you inside out with its spectrum of emotional struggles and heartbreak. As you reach the bittersweet conclusion, you’ll find this story will stay with you in days to come.
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Mar 21, 2012 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, blog-recommendations, rock-star-famous, read-2012, lots-of-angst, rereads, series-favs

I read this book 5 months ago and liked it but the heroine just made me crazy with her indecision. Kiera, falls for two guys. The guys are close friends and both are great. She goes back and forth between Denny and Kellan. Who will she pick? Ok, to be honest, I wanted to wring her scrawny little neck! Kiera's indecision was maddening. How could anyone cause such hurt and pain? This was not going to end well. I was an emotional wreck reading this book and I'm sure I rushed through to find the HEA ...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Vivian Dominguez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult

Once I got passed the "overly descriptive" writing of this author....I have to admit I enjoyed the roller coaster ride she set me in....

I actually felt like I was going through all these emotions along with the characters..Kellan Kyle..(.sigh)..very ADDICTING!!!..Have to admit..I had my moments I wanted to literally choke Kiera...but she grew on me eventually when she finally realized what she had in front of her blind eyes...loved their story!!!...

Would have liked to see the other characters de ...more

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May 29, 2012 Vikki ~ *squee* lite ~ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: angsty, books-everyone-loved-but-me, cheating, rock-star, h-h-needs-a-2x4, sniffle, series, love-triangle

I really wanted to like this book - the writing is great - great plot etc. but I just could not get past the cheating. Heck, I'm someone who doesn't even like to see the h/H with someone before they fall in love with each other - and the plot was good enough that I was ok with how things started in the beginning - but frankly - as Kiera dithered about who to choose, I just got so fed up with her. If I could have pulled her out of the book and smacked her around it would have made my day. As some ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Erica Alyson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorite-books, new-adult

I Loved this book!

Kiera and Kellan are awesome main characters. I couldn't get enough of them and of course I loved the DBags.

There were times when I was yelling at my kindle because I wanted Kiera to make better decisions, but if I were in her situation I am not sure how I would have reacted. You have the safe, secure and stable. Vs. The unknown, hot rocker. That is a tough call but the journey through there story was awesome one of my favorite books! ...more

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