Happy Saturday y’all! This is my stop during the book blitz for Keeping Kyler by Siobhan Davis. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blitz runs from 30 May till 5 June. You can see the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/book-blitz-keeping-kyler-by-siobhan-davis
I received this book via the author, Siobhan Davis. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Keeping Kyler by Siobhan Davis Series: The Kennedy Boys #3
Published by Self Publish on 2017-05-29
Length: 316 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2017 New Release Challenge
Nothing or no one will keep them apart…
Kyler Kennedy is in the wind.
Shocked and upset, he has taken off on a solo mission—to track down his mom’s ex and demand answers.
Faye understands what it’s like to have your world turned upside down. Determined to support her boyfriend, she gives chase. Yet nothing could prepare her for the ugly truth. Ky has always been plagued with inner demons, and as he falls apart, Faye finally discovers what he’s been hiding from her—from everyone.
When serious accusations arise, Kyler’s future hangs in the balance. But Kennedys stick together in times of crisis, and they rally around him now.
At least there is nothing to prevent Faye and Ky from being together. They go public with their relationship, but not everyone is thrilled for them. Enemies reappear, and fresh battle lines are drawn, but Faye is ready to fight back.
No one is taking her new family from her.
Especially not a manipulative ex.
With time running out for Kyler, Faye takes matters into her own hands.
But when you play with fire, you risk getting burned.
Review
Okay, so I have a confession: I’m not a big contemporary reader (I know that’s not a huge confession because I’ve said it a lot!). I never have been and I never will be. If I pick up a contemporary, it’s because A) I’m in the mood for some clean, Hallmark-type romance, B) I want that HEA that is promised, or C) I have read the author before and loved the writing style. This is a C moment. I love Siobhan Davis‘s writing! I devoured her two sci-fi series with her debut True Calling still being one of my favorites. SO I of course had to give The Kennedy Boys a go.
Finding Kyler and Losing Kyler were actually pretty good reads for me despite liking neither of the main characters (more on that in a sec). I enjoyed the family dynamic, the over-the-top drama and of course Davis’s ability to foreshadow like no other author I’ve read. Davis can write a story that leaves you thinking long after you finished it AND if you pay attention the ending (even those terrible, awful cliffhangers she is known for) aren’t a surprise because Davis leaves plenty of subtle hints along the way.
Despite all of this, I found myself not impressed with Keeping Kyler. It was just okay for me. The drama was toned way down. I noticed that with this book the focus shifted from will they/won’t they to they will but how. This didn’t surprise me as I knew that this book would conclude Ky and Faye’s story. However (without spoiling the book) the things that kept occurring to Ky started to feel repetitive and like filler rather than actually relevant to the plot. The drama with Addison is finally coming to a head and honestly I felt it was drawn out for much too long. I could have cared less about her character by the end.
Then there’s Faye and Ky. I tried so hard to ship these two. I tried to like them. I tried and failed at both. Faye is self-centered and a bit naive in my opinion. She talks a big game about the things she wants yet caves the second Ky needs her. She says she cares for Brad (my heart belongs to him by the way) yet strings him along, flirts with him and even kissed him in the last book only to run right back to Ky. This bothered me because I felt like it really spoke to the core of her character, showing that she really only thought about herself. If I measured the timeline correctly, it’s not even been a year since her parents died. Yet she doesn’t seem to be grieving. Instead she is focused solely on Ky. I would have expected to see some progress in her character, instead from the first scene (being drunk in bed with a guy) to the last she comes off as selfish.
And Ky….he’s just mean. I get that he had a lot happen to him (and I can’t go into details because of spoilers) but that does not give him the right to treat those that love him the way he does. He’s angry with his mother for a secret she kept from him, he’s angry with his father for being late to pick him up which led to an unfortunate event. Instead of placing the blame where it belongs he blames those around him. Then he runs. He is constantly running away from Faye and she lets him! First time he ran, I’d say see ya and good riddance. But that’s me.
Overall, I felt that Siobhan Davis did an excellent job in wrapping up Faye and Ky’s story. Most of the loose ends are resolved and there is an HEA, for those that might be worried there isn’t. The series is even going to continue with standalones for the other characters, which if I’m being honest I’m excited for. Personally Keeping Kyler was just okay for me. If you have enjoyed the series thus far, I highly recommend you continue. A lot happens and many questions are answered. Even though it wasn’t my favorite read, I still enjoyed aspects of it and for that alone will continue the series.
Excerpt
Faye
Kal places his hand on my lower back the second he reaches my side. My gaze bounces from him to Mark. “Mark, this is my cousin Kalvin. Kal, this is the man who saved me the night of the attack.”
“What are you doing here?” he asks in a clipped, suspicious tone of voice.
“Kal!” I hiss, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “You’re being rude.”
His eyes blink excessively as he stares at me in bewilderment. “He’s parked outside our house like a creeper and I’m being rude?”
Okay, he’s got a point, but still. “He. Saved. Me.”
“And I’m very grateful to you for that,” Kal says, focusing his attention on Mark who has since climbed out of his car. “But it doesn’t explain what you’re doing outside our house in the pitch dark.”
“Nor why you two are going somewhere in the dead of night,” Mark throws back.
Kal and I trade glances. “Don’t try to deflect,” Kal replies. “Answer me or I’m calling my dad.” He takes his phone out, his finger hovering over the keypad.
Mark rubs the side of his face, looking conflicted.
“Mark?” My eyes pin him in place, asking an unspoken question.
His eyes shutter momentarily. He takes a step toward me, but Kal holds up a hand to halt him. “Stay right there, buddy.”
“I didn’t want to do it like this. I wasn’t expecting you to come out and see me. I …” He trails off, looking away.
“He’s a freak,” Kal mouths at me, and I scowl, shaking my head, denying it. No one who wades in to help a stranger fight off an attacker is a freak.
A freaking saint more like.
Previous Books in the Series!
Two fractured hearts and a forbidden love they can’t deny.
Can you truly lose someone if they don’t want to be found?
About Siobhan Davis
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the international bestselling True Calling, Saven, and Kennedy Boys series.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Giveaway
There is a giveaway during the book blitz for Keeping Kyler. The giveaway is open International. These are the prizes you can win:
– a $10 Amazon gift card
– a signed paperback copy of Finding Kyler by Siobhan Davis
– a paperback copy of Fallen Crest High by Tijan
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