I can't recall the last time I read a book set in the world of gymnastics. It's wonderful to see one. Make sure you check out the excerpt, my review, and then enter Laurel's giveaway!
These Battered Hands by Laurel Ulen Curtis
Date of Publication: September 29, 2015
Blurb
Callie
Blood, sweat, hard work, and a disconcerting lack of tears—my entire life—was meant to culminate in a flourish of glory and significance.
I'd thought I'd always known exactly what that meant.
But I'd had the timing wrong by about three minutes.
I knew now.
This moment wasn't everything. The one person I found myself wanting more than anything during it was.
Nik
One preconceived notion can haunt you for the entirety of your life.
I thought I owed it to myself and to everyone who'd ever backed me to do what was expected. What was right. What I was supposed to do.
But nothing is forbidden in love. Not circumstances or propriety or the denial of the object of said affection.
I knew now.
This was it.
If I wanted it, I had to take it.
This gymnastics love story is more than grips, rips, and battered hands.
For Calia Nickleson and Nikolai Bagrov, it was everything.
Blood, sweat, hard work, and a disconcerting lack of tears—my entire life—was meant to culminate in a flourish of glory and significance.
I'd thought I'd always known exactly what that meant.
But I'd had the timing wrong by about three minutes.
I knew now.
This moment wasn't everything. The one person I found myself wanting more than anything during it was.
Nik
One preconceived notion can haunt you for the entirety of your life.
I thought I owed it to myself and to everyone who'd ever backed me to do what was expected. What was right. What I was supposed to do.
But nothing is forbidden in love. Not circumstances or propriety or the denial of the object of said affection.
I knew now.
This was it.
If I wanted it, I had to take it.
This gymnastics love story is more than grips, rips, and battered hands.
For Calia Nickleson and Nikolai Bagrov, it was everything.
Excerpt
His eyes were like actual pools of water—moving, flowing, and changing color along with depth. Each time his focus shifted, so did mine, zeroing in on a new fleck of deep blue and trying to help it float through the much more abundant aqua. Their magnetism made it hard to focus on his words, but I wouldn’t have traded those moments spent studying their nuances for all of the words in the dictionary.
Sure, looks were shallow and words could mean everything, but in those split seconds when his eyes changed before my own, I would have sworn on my every Olympic medal it was the opposite.
And right now, I needed the comfort of that feeling. I needed it to swaddle me in its warmth and make everything feel right again.
The word wrong had never been a concept worthy of my focus, but as I tried to make sense of what was happening, denying its existence was no longer an option.
Up felt like down and left very nearly tricked me into believing it was right.
Voices called out to me constantly and on repeat, but none of them were the one I wanted. Like they were speaking through water, every pronunciation of my name seemed foreign and unwelcome, and my brain did nothing but scream another.
I tried valiantly to talk my uncooperative body into bending to my will, but for the first time in my life it wouldn’t.
Digging deep down into my gut, I found the last vestiges of my energy and willed them into one single action.
Into one single word.
“Nik.”
Priorities shifted and silence mocked me.
My entire life had been a series of events all specifically driven toward this very moment. I’d known all of my work was meant to culminate in a flourish of glory and significance. I’d known there’d be a second in time when I knew why each part of my life had played out the way it had. Why I’d worked, why I’d sweat, why I’d fought to keep going well after most people’s journeys were done.
I’d even known it would probably happen now—on this stage, in front of all of these people.
I’d just had the timing wrong by about three minutes.
But I knew now.
This was it.
The thing I found myself wanting most during this moment—that was everything.
He was everything.
Available From
His eyes were like actual pools of water—moving, flowing, and changing color along with depth. Each time his focus shifted, so did mine, zeroing in on a new fleck of deep blue and trying to help it float through the much more abundant aqua. Their magnetism made it hard to focus on his words, but I wouldn’t have traded those moments spent studying their nuances for all of the words in the dictionary.
Sure, looks were shallow and words could mean everything, but in those split seconds when his eyes changed before my own, I would have sworn on my every Olympic medal it was the opposite.
And right now, I needed the comfort of that feeling. I needed it to swaddle me in its warmth and make everything feel right again.
The word wrong had never been a concept worthy of my focus, but as I tried to make sense of what was happening, denying its existence was no longer an option.
Up felt like down and left very nearly tricked me into believing it was right.
Voices called out to me constantly and on repeat, but none of them were the one I wanted. Like they were speaking through water, every pronunciation of my name seemed foreign and unwelcome, and my brain did nothing but scream another.
I tried valiantly to talk my uncooperative body into bending to my will, but for the first time in my life it wouldn’t.
Digging deep down into my gut, I found the last vestiges of my energy and willed them into one single action.
Into one single word.
“Nik.”
Priorities shifted and silence mocked me.
My entire life had been a series of events all specifically driven toward this very moment. I’d known all of my work was meant to culminate in a flourish of glory and significance. I’d known there’d be a second in time when I knew why each part of my life had played out the way it had. Why I’d worked, why I’d sweat, why I’d fought to keep going well after most people’s journeys were done.
I’d even known it would probably happen now—on this stage, in front of all of these people.
I’d just had the timing wrong by about three minutes.
But I knew now.
This was it.
The thing I found myself wanting most during this moment—that was everything.
He was everything.
Available From
Amazon (Kindle) Kobo
Review
Review
★★★★ stars
I've been fascinated by gymnastics since I was a little girl. I envied the flexibility and skill of both male and female gymnasts. I always day dreamed about being able to fly and twist they way did. Now as an adult, I still love to watch when the USA competes on an international level probably as much as I love reading about it. There aren't very many romances set in the gymnastics world, which is why I was so excited about this book.
I really enjoyed getting to know Callie and Nik. Callie was a little harder to read. She's been competing for so long and she's now trying to go back to the Olympics for a third time. She's older than everyone else competing and training around her, and she feels alone and unwanted. Nik is not a traditional gymnast, but a world ranked tumbler and he'd been given the responsibility of coaching Callie, who before was her own coach.
The chemistry between them is evident from the first time they meet. I really liked how Nik challenged Callie. He didn't let her hide behind a facade of arrogance and confidence, but instead went head to head with her to make her give her all. I loved seeing Callie change and grow, not only as a person, but as a competitor as a result. I really didn't like how involved Callie's parents were in her life and training. It seemed so odd a 26 year old woman who was competent in every way would allow someone to control her life the way her father did. Of course, I have no real experience with these matters, but that might just be me.
Besides the story, I really liked the formatting of the book. It wasn't just that the book was told in alternate chapters, but I grew to enjoy how the chapters ended and began. It really was a great way to tie what was happening in Nik and Callie's lives together. The story is fast paced and the end will certainly take you by surprise as it did me. This is the first book by Laurel Ulen Curtis I've read, but it certainly won't be my last! I can't wait to see what she writes next.
*Thank you to the publicist for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
About Laurel Ulen Curtis
Laurel Ulen Curtis is a 28 year old mother of one. She lives with her husband and son (and cat!) in New Jersey, but grew up all over the United States. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, and puts that to almost no use other than forecasting for her friends and writing a storm chasing heroine! She has a passion for her family, laughing, and reading and writing Romance novels. She's also addicted to Coke. The drink, not the drug.Find Laurel Ulen Curtis Online
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