Defiant Attraction by V.K. Torston ~Review~

Defiant Attraction comes out November 16th!

Dan might be the enemy of my enemy, but I’m not sure that makes him my friend. He’s definitely not my ‘step brother’, no matter what everyone at school says. Honestly, I don’t know what he’s supposed to be to me. Or what he’s becoming…

Fact: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In the yearbook, I’ll be Sophia Ramos: Valedictorian. Years of honor roll certificates, AP classes, and lugging around an obnoxiously large cello case are about to finally pay off. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll escape these decaying suburbs for a top university across the country.

The problem? A few years ago, my mom met someone just as broke, just as drunk, and just as impulsive as she is. Approximately five seconds into their relationship, they decided it would be an excellent idea for him—and his son, Dan—to move in with us. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t).

Now I share a house with none other than Daniel Cole. Even though Dan dropped out two years ago, he’s still the tattooed, bad boy, heartthrob, legend of St. Anthony’s Academy. He and I aren’t supposed to have anything in common.

Living together means war. First, Dan and I were at war with each other. Now, our rivalry is giving way to an unlikely alliance—two opposing sides teaming up against a common enemy: our respective parents.

Which is to say, we’ve been hanging out.

Question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

Here’s the thing: My brain is a complex organ. One hundred billion neurons, each with an average of seven thousand synaptic connections to other neurons. My brain is my ticket out of here.

My heart, by contrast, is a pump. It moves blood around.

I know Dan is off-limits. I know I shouldn’t do something I’ll regret. And I know how much is at stake (my family, my future).

So why can’t I stop thinking about him? Those inscrutable jade eyes. The smile that can say a thousand different things at once. That tattoo curving across his abs…

Even though I know better, I feel that pounding in my chest. And it’s getting harder to ignore.

But if I follow my heart, I can never go back.

Answer: There is no such thing as an immovable object.

About the Author

V.K. Torston is a millennial and ‘cool aunt’ to a brood of nieces and nephews. She was born and raised in San Francisco, attended university in New York City, and aspires to one day live in London. A veteran of the independent music scene, she began writing nonfiction in her late teens. Then she realized that making up stories was way more fun than coming up with endless synonyms for ‘frenetic’ and ‘danceable.’ Her hobbies include drinking too much coffee, making up stupid songs, and ranting about current events. Defiant Attraction is her first novel.

Twitter: @vktorston Website: www.vktorston.com Goodreads Author Page

Review by Tanja

I love discovering a fresh author. V.K. Torston is just that: fresh.

Defiant Attraction is a relatively quick read. It’s young love in a twisted environment and high school angst paired with a less that desirable home life. Dan and Sophia have to find peace in the middle of their family chaos.

When substance addicted parents meet and marry, these two are thrust together. Neither are happy about it, but somehow find a way to cope. As previously stated, this is a quick read, so the coupling is a hurried and rapid connection.  Dealing with friends, school, and awkward situations is part and parcel for Dan and Sophia’s budding relationship. Add in the dysfunctional home life… well, life just isn’t easy.

My only criticism is that I wanted more. I wanted more in-depth thought from both characters, more time spent inside the mind of a nervous and unsure Sophia, and more time in the “real world” of Defiant Attraction. The time with Dan and Sophia is great, but the time apart needed more fleshing out.

I do understand that this may not be the point. It’s more of a short story and a quick kind of read that “scratches an itch” so to speak. I dunno. What I do know is that I really did enjoy Defiant Attraction and have been thinking about it for a few days now.

Give this new author a chance, as I think time will show a rising star in the book world.

~Tanja