Name: Lover of Romance 's review of Balance by Lucia Franco
Item: Balance
Rating: 4
Author: Lover of Romance

Lucia Franco

Adrianna Rossi is no stranger to the rigorous demands required of her body. Years of pain and determination make her one of the best. Olympic glory is the ultimate goal, and she’ll do anything to achieve it. Even if that means leaving home to attend World Cup Academy of Gymnastics, a training center that serves one purpose—producing champions. Perfection, precision, and dedication are required of his athletes. When two time Olympian Konstantin Kournakova is persuaded into training the young hopeful, he immediately regrets it. She doesn’t come close to his high standards. As the relentless pursuit of her dream keeps her striving, a passion is ignited within him. Kova’s power and domination, coupled with Adrianna’s fierce tenacity, reveal there is more for her body to learn. Every interaction can be misconstrued, but there’s no mistaking the darkening of his gaze, the lingering of his touch, or the illicit image of his bare skin pressed against hers. Integrity is on the line. One toe off the beam and their forbidden desires could ruin everything they’ve worked for, throwing it all off balance.

Balance

Lover of Romance 

Sara Uribe

Uhm wow?

I honestly don’t think that a book has ever made me feel like this. Let me start off by saying that I did like this book, but at the same time I was left so unsatisfied. I feel like the expectations that I had for this book were extremely high. And they just weren't met. Kova and Adrianna have such a back and forth relationship, which I loved. I’m not a fan of insta-love in the books I read so this was right up my alley. The attraction that these two have toward one another is undeniable. No matter how bad they try to stay away, they just can't help it and go back for more. I felt like I was on a merry-go-round going around and around and around in a circle, but it didn’t lead me anywhere. Does some stuff happen? Sure. But there was not much growth, besides Adrianna getting much more confident in her gymnastics, and because of her age she's quite immature which is understandable. Believe me I understand gymnastics, I was an All Star Cheerleader for 10+ years and had many private lessons with gymnastics coaches, so I get the gist of everything but I feel like this book didn’t move anywhere. I mean don’t get me wrong the sex scenes are pretty spicy 🥵 but it just fell a little flat for me. It wasn’t satisfying but at the same time it was. I just found it was so unnecessarily long. This book easily could’ve been done in way less words. I mean the damn book was almost 600 pages!!! WHY? I felt like I was looking at one of those situations where you know you should look away but you just can’t help but keep watching. This is that. I mean I’m definitely going to give book two a try. I just hope in the next few books there’s a little bit more substance.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

QUE PUTO ASCO
TIENE 32 PUTOS AÑOS ACTÚA COMO UN PUTO NIÑO Y LO PEOR ES QUE DEJA EMBARAZADA A UNA CHICA DE 17? FUN
aparte la mina tiene lupus y IR etapa 4?? que chucha wn

Forbidden & spicy! Check tws. Kind of long but it kept me interested 

Nyachang Johnson 

Abby Champion

horrible... idk what I just read but it was horrible.

Sarahy Benavides 

Five stars cause I hate it, everything, well done, the book deserves it for making me uncomfortable

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
 


  
    Do not ever be sorry for the passion that lives inside of you. It is a gift not everyone is given
  




  First Impressions

Balance is the first book in the Off Balance series and this was recommended to me by a good friend on Instagram. Its been a long while since I have read a taboo contemporary so I was intrigued by this one, the setup was so interesting and there was this rich atmosphere of the gymnastic theme that was solid in this one. But definitely check the triggers on this one and also its a very lengthy book (but the writing is engaging so you will breeze through the 600 pages). This is an author I have become fascinated by and some of her books are banned books which only interested me even more. I also was wondering where this story would go and it’s definitely a series that features one couple so keep in mind as there is a definite cliffhanger (kinda) in this one. There are also underage themes and a (couch-student) affair so I would recommend knowing that before going into it and being prepared to have some of your boundaries tested. However, taking all that in account, this was a solid read and I am excited to explore it more.


  
    Gymnastics was everything to me—it was my heart and soul, the air I breathed. It was the one thing that allowed me to be me.
  



  Summary

Adrianna Rossi is a gymnast and has dreamed of competing in the Olympics one day and she is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. So convinces her father, to take it seriously. She is almost seventeen and he takes her to the “World Cup Academy of Gymnastics” where her father’s friend runs it and the man that would be her main coach….two time Olympian Konstantin Kournakova. He warns Ria that this will push her limits and the training is brutal but her talents will become more refined. Adrianna is determined to make it through no matter how tough it gets. Kova pushes Adrianna to the limit, pushing her out of her comfort zone, and through the training, there is a sizzling chemistry that grows slowly between Kova and Adiranna. They both know how dangerous it is for anything to happen between them, they know their love is forbidden and some lines shouldn’t be crossed. However, sometimes the taste of the forbidden is too hard to resist.


  
    We were balancing on a fine line and we both knew it.”
  



  What I Loved

There were so many aspects to the story that I really adored. The pacing of the story is highly engaging here, so I do think its a book that you will be able to sweep through very quickly, despite its length. Don’t let the 600 pages make you resistant, because the writing is the type that will be a page-turner and I read it in less than three hours and in one sitting so I was very drawn into this story. The characters as individuals are highly well written. I adored the way that these two characters were written and what glimpses we get of their strengths and vulnerabilities. Our hero, is Russian (and you all know that I LOVE a sexy dominant Russian). This hero is highly mixed in my thoughts, I love his confidence and assurance, and how he pushes his students to excel to the best of their abilities.. He has these tender vulnerabilities in small moments that make me want to hug him because he has had a rough life, but he also a fierce determination that is impressive and matched within our heroine. Adrianna has had parents that aren’t super involved in her life, her mother is indifferent and even though she loves her father, he isn’t around much. There is a level of maturity in Adrianna where she does feel older than her age so its easy to forget that she is underage. Even though the surroundings are packed with “mean girls” she doesn’t get caught in their vicious cycle, I loved her inner strength and tenacity. She has such courage and strength of will to forge ahead no matter how hard she is pushed. Then we have the atmospheric tone of the story, This ASPECT I truly adored. We get to see a side of gymnastics that most don’t get to see and its evident that the author did her research. We see what gymnasts go through on a regular basic, how hard they are pushed and what is expected of them. Its a sport I have always loved, and seeing this side of it was a phenomenal experience. There is a taboo in this book and I was torn with it. I will be honest I just JUMPED into this book without reading reviews and seeing what it was about haha I think if I had known more beforehand I would have enjoyed it more. Because I don’t mind age gaps or even when the character is underage if there is a higher maturity. But I did love the slow built chemistry that builds between these two,. I really felt this was carefully written,


  
    You are so beautiful it hurts. You hold yourself together even during the toughest times. You are a force to be reckoned with, something no one will see coming.
  



  What I Struggled With

There were definite issues that I had with this story. The first was the hero. I had such mixed feelings about him, he can be brutal in many ways in his effort to make his students succeed but his character felt disjointed at times and very unbalanced and I never knew what to expect from him, Then there is the cheating aspect. Now there is cheating, the hero is in a relationship with someone else and still has intimate contact with Adrianna and there is mention of him going back to his girlfriend after being with Adrianna (whether he actually does is unknown but there is a reference to it). This taboo nature of their relationship will make you uncomfortable at times but that is what taboo romance is….it pushes your boundaries. (it might have been a bit a bit much for me as I had a good friend that went to prison for getting involved with a student) So it definitely felt too close to reality in some respects for me that caused more discomfort than others might experience. Also lastly there is a cliffhanger, so fair warning on this.


  
    You are my greatest weakness. From the moment I set eyes on you, I have been fighting my attraction.
  



  Overall View

I found Balance to be a tantalizing read that pushes your limits, extends your capabilities and delivers delights of the forbidden to your reading experience. Its a story that captivates, cultivates and inspires with cultivated determination and sensuality.


  
    We were a revolving door of temptation and persuasion.
  



  Trigger Warnings: 

(view spoiler)[Cheating, Relationship w/ a Minor, mentions of Rape and Death of a Parent (hide spoiler)]

Kayla lord 

Umm…. 

Wow! This book was amazing and has me hooked from the very beginning! The ending was ummm terrifying… can’t wait to keep reading more of this series!

Megan Lowe

Wow! This book is intense! It’s taboo, it’s hot, it’s love and hate all wrapped up in one pretty little package.
Kova is an asshole (we know and accept this) and does push the limits of likeability but that’s what taboo books do, challenge.
And this book challenges plenty. If you’re not afraid to change the way you think, give this book a go!

Kaitlyn Gustafson

Shrinidhi

I honestly thought I will love this but this is... This is all kinds of fucked up I am usually a sucker forbidden and taboo and I love a teacher Student romance atleast I thought I did but after this whenever they had a romantic contact I would literally scream she is a kid! I wanted her to be Hayden

Michelle Vasquez

“I had let myself fall completely for someone I could never have.”

Adrianna and Kova were quite honestly doomed from the start. Forbidden to the highest extent that it’s quite honestly taboo - due to her age, as well as their relationship. She’s the gymnast striving to get to her end game of being on that Olympic stage - and he is the owner and trainer of the facility that she is now a member of. 

Right away Adrianna is challenged and beaten down by Kova. She is threatened by her position, and has been humbled by the amount of competition she is now encountering. Kova was surprised by Adrianna’s willingness to not back down. She fought him at every turn - and with that, she changed how he perceived her, and it softened him. Their connection quite honestly was unavoidable. She bobbed and he weaved. They pushed and pulled, and it created a messy, and emotionally unavailable and hurtful relationship. Everything about it was wrong from the start - but in the end it ended up doing more harm than good. Although I typically prefer multiple POV, it was good to see Adrianna and her growth from the beginning.

TW // age of consent: is different in every country/state, so to some it is not what they are accustomed to.

Lover of Romance &
Balance by Lucia Franco

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