Book review: Infini by Krista & Becca Ritchie

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My name is Luka Kotova. I’m an irresponsible fuck-up. Thanks for your time. Now let me be.

Luka Kotova is a high-risk acrobat in Aerial Ethereal’s Viva.  Baylee Wright is a talented juggler in Aerial Ethereal’s Infini.  The two were inseparable friends when they were children, and a romance blossomed as they grew older. Unfortunately, they were torn apart by circumstances out of their control, and while they haven’t spoken in years, they’ve never forgotten about each other either.  Now that Luka has been transferred from Viva to Infini, they’re reunited, and they can hardly keep their feelings under control.

If you’re a fan of Krista & Becca Ritchie, you’ll no doubt recognize Aerial Ethereal as the setting for Amour Amour.  Although Infini can technically be read as a standalone, I would highly recommend reading Amour Amour first so that you can understand the full impact of everything that happens.  Luka is the brother of Nikolai, Amour Amour’s protagonist, and many side characters from that book pop up throughout Infini, and some play fairly major roles.

So, I basically read this entire book in one day as I was home sick from work.  It was really the ideal distraction from how disgusting I felt because Krista & Becca always create these engaging worlds that you just can’t step away from.  You just have to keep reading. It seemed like I had just started it and then I was at the 80% mark.  This book is 465 pages, and I flew through it in a few hours.

The verdict?  Luka Kotova has won my heart.  I don’t know what it is with these authors.  They create such beautifully flawed characters with such good hearts that you can’t help but love.  I mean, Luka’s got his issues, but I never for a second doubted that he was a good person.

And don’t get me wrong – Baylee is a great character, too.

But LUKA. Ugh.  I just wanted to reach through the pages and give him a hug.  The guy has been through so much in his life and he is still so loving and caring and nurturing toward his siblings.  I know he’s a fictional character, but I hope he’s happy.

The whole Kotova family, actually, is just great.  Even Kotovas that you think you won’t necessarily like turn out to be wonderful people.  I love how much they care about each other.  How much they rely on each other and help each other through whatever happens.  There’s just no question.  If something happens, you just know that you’ll have this big group of Kotovas there, rooting for you.

Speaking of side Kotovas, can I put in a formal request for Katya to get her own book and to finally find some happiness?  And also for Camila and Dimitri to get their own book, because clearly they are meant to be.  Also, if I can continue to make unsolicited suggestions, can we just see more of Timo and John being cute? Please and thank you!

If you’re a fan of Krista & Becca’s other series (Addicted/Calloway Sisters), you’ll be thrilled to know that those characters are alive and well in this book. There are shout outs to Calloway Couture, Superheroes and Scones, Fizz and Ziff, and even the villainous Scott Van Wright!

And speaking of Scott Van Wright, I saw an early review that compared him to Geoffrey, Infini’s choreographer.  I mean, sure, Geoffrey is a jerk, but I thought there could be no possible way that he’d be worse than that manipulative backstabbing pedophile, but then there was –no spoilers– that scene with all of the Kotova guys protecting Luka from him, and my heart just shattered into a million pieces because WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT.  I am still crying over that scene.  I honestly forgot how good Krista & Becca are at breaking my heart.

I guess I’m just going to end this by saying that I loved this book.  I loved Luka’s (parentheticals), like even though we were in his head, there were things he wasn’t sure he wanted to share. I’ve never seen that done in a book before, and I was really impressed with how it made me feel like I knew him better.

When I initially finished this book, I thought, oh that was good, I’ll give it a 4.5. But you know what? This book deserves more than a 4.5.  It deserves all the stars, so I have to give it a full five.

Final rating: ★★★★★

#mmdreading: a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able