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Rock Bottom  By  cover art

Rock Bottom

By: R. K. Lilley
Narrated by: Chris Ruen,Sarah Naughton
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Publisher's summary

Their love had the power of a runaway freight train, and the potential to be just as destructive.

The tempestuous sequel to Bad Things picks up where the first book left off. Reeling from a profound loss, Tristan and Danika struggle to pick up the pieces and build a life together, but the hard habits of a lifetime are not so easy to escape.

Rock Bottom takes us on a dual point of view journey through addiction and desire, through love and agony, and answers the question we've been asking since these characters were introduced in Grounded: What happened between Tristan and Danika?

Dankia:

Even love couldn't cushion a fall like ours. My love for Tristan was so big that I felt consumed by it, and even so, it was not enough to overpower our combined demons.

I struggled. I yelled and screamed. I scratched and kicked.

I fought like hell, but even the most determined fighters have to stop before they break.

No one could say I didn't fight for him.

"I love you," I spoke softly into his ear.

He gripped me harder. "I can't ever lose you, Danika. I'm not sure I'd survive it."

"You've got me. And I'm not going anywhere. Not ever."

I meant the words when I said them, but life had other plans for us.

I'd have given my life for that fight. In fact, I very nearly did.

Tristan:

She was the one.

If I'd ever had a doubt, I didn't now. She was the one I'd be thinking about, longing for, until I took my last breath. If I lost her tomorrow, I'd pine for her like a lovesick fool.

This was the kind of love that only hit you once in your life.

This book is intended for readers 18 and up.

©2013 R.K. Lilley (P)2014 R.K. Lilley, LLC

What listeners say about Rock Bottom

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

So much heartache...,

Book two of Tristan and Danika's story literally hits rock bottom as the title suggests. The book starts pretty much where Bad Things left off, with Tristan still reeling from tragedy and loss. His band wants to go out on tour and he needs to decide if he should do it or not. Danika, being the most supportive person ever tells him to do it. They are separated for days and weeks at a time and Tristan's addictive personality prevails and he falls headlong into some pretty heavy drug use. Danika's addictive personality of needing to be in a relationship causes her to be an enabler to Tristan, wanting to try to help him break out of his cycle but always giving in to him. R.k. does an excellent job of portraying the life style of their addictive personalities. At times it was extremely painful for me to listen to, but it is very true to life and life is sometimes very, very ugly.

Tristan and Danika are fierce fighters, both very stubborn, so as I said, they literally hit rock bottom by suffering life changing events before they make changes.

My only detractor in the book and why I gave it four stars instead of five was I felt there was just too much sex. I am not a prude and I love a good sex scene but it got so repetative. We get it, he is huge and he stretches her, the same scenario over and over again. I started to become agitated that Tristan tried to solve every little thing, whether it was a fight, or Danika was hurt by something, or trying to get him to change something, he used sex to fix everything. And Danika let him. I yelled at her more than one time while she was trying to talk to him about something important and he would start kissing her or feeling her up and she would lose her whole train of thought and poof they're having sex and the problem never gets resolved. I realize that is how their addictive personalities work, but I felt that Danika really lost traction in this book.

The ending of Rock Bottom literally gutted me. I was a bawling, blubbering mess. I am can't wait for the next installment.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

THE AGONY OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THAT SLOWLY BREAKS

Never before, and I mean NEVER, has a book put me through such an emotional free-falling tail-spin and, as I plummeted screaming through all the beauty, heartbreak and devastation, I didn't know up from down and right from wrong as there was no easy answer in this intense destructive love story that leaves three people's hearts broken (yes, I'm including my own too) broken with no glue to fix it.

I laughed, I cried, I celebrated, I sighed as devastating/tragic or sweet/touching chapter after chapter held every "OH" moment.... OH SO BEAUTIFUL", "OH SH*T", "OH WTF", "OH NO, NO, NO", "OH THAT'S GREAT NEWS", "OH DON'T DO IT", "OH HELL", "OH THE PAIN"...... well you get the drift around and around it went. Deeper and deeper they fall, through dramas, barriers, tragedy and guilt trying to hold on to each other through sex, through desperation and through their love.... until fate eventually deals the final heartbreaking blow.

Worth a credit? It didn't just pull at my heart strings... it wrenched it out and left me broken, bleeding and dying inside for their devastating losses which only time is going to heal the deep soul destroying scars. It's full of pain, addiction, loss and love and this brilliantly written journey, through two people's desperate destructive love for each other, is soooo worth the credit.... even when it hurts so much.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A SLOW DECENT TO THE BOTTOM-BROKE MY HEART!

This book will go down in history (for me) as being a very conflicted one. It kindled so many emotions that I needed a few days, after finishing it, to try and make sense of my response. Lilley has written this book for someone, hell, for everyone....everyone in life who has lost something very deeply impacting and life changing. Yes, there is grief, loss, drug abuse, and decline. But even if you never experienced addiction, this book will give you a life experience regarding addiction and it's unalterable negative impact on people. This is not a textbook version of addiction, you will experience it as one living in the trenches. Lilley never gives you a scene where the lead is abusing, snorting or anything like that, it's all of the subtle erratic behaviors that become more volatile across settings, as experienced through Danika's eyes.

This second book left me feeling as though Tristan and Danika were in reach of the world at so many points, yet, it all slipped away. After reading this book I wanted to find myself a dark room and cry for days....that's how I felt. I was also conflicted with Tristan--so angry with him, yet tender sympathetic feelings also flowed through. And, Danika.....precious Danika, she was such a strong, beautiful woman who did not deserve to be part of the collateral damage.

This book starts off at a steady pace. Tristan and Danika are dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one. Tristan's rock band was doing well as they had been offered a record deal. Danika was still working as a nanny while studying and pursuing her love for dance. Yet, despite challenging schedules, demands from the band, and every other stressor that pushed on Tristan and Danika, they remained really strong and quite insatiable for one another, I might add. On that note, OMG, I freaken loved how Tristan adored Danika. This man could not live without her.....breath without her. He was caveman-possessive, and a beast in bed--so passionate, so immersed in his love for Danika. And, she responded to him with a love so fierce, and so committed that I knew the unraveling of their separation would be huge. They simply loved each other too hard for it to not end in anything less than catastrophe, and immeasurable pain. By the publisher's summary, readers know that this is the book where Tristan and Danika split up. So I read in dread and there are ominous warnings through Danika's memory as she retells some portions of their experience. Yet, for about 75% of this book, the angst was tolerable. You are left feeling like, OK, that was hard, but they will forge through....Tristan and Danika will get through it...THEN, at about the 30 or 25% mark, disasters uncoil and the freight train is released from the hinges and it all falls a part in the most terrible way possible. The hardest part to digest is that all of the disasters at the end were AVOIDABLE!!! They were within reach of someone's decision, but the wrong decisions were made, no attention was given to predators living in the midst of them, and the constant hunt to find numbness created a savage ending.

After finishing this book, I needed healing for Tristan and Danika and immediately delved into the 3rd book where I knew they would come home to each other.....

Narrators: Sarah Naughton and Chris Ruen were amazing! Sarah was utter perfection. I was even touched by her voices for the little boys Danika took care of. And, well Chris's voice is male perfection....gorgeous voices made this one well-planned, well-performed, well-executed audiobook.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rock Bottom - One F***ed up Mess

Any additional comments?

Book 1 was a whole lot gentler on me then this one, and I found it to be quite tumultuous indeed. It was an interesting mix of Beautiful Disaster and Thoughtless. Intense connection, only friends (despite feeling so much more), and an inevitable romantic relationship laden with jealousy and trust issues, and over-the-top reactions. They were absolutely Love - Hate together. And at times, totally insane.

But this one - This is them… sick. Still so completely wrapped up in each other, wholeheartedly in love, and getting sicker by the minute as their dreams, their happiness, their soul-mate connection (the only thing seemingly worth living for) plummets into a downward spiral.

Bring on the next book as I just have to find out what happens next!!!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

What "Up In the Air" Wants to Be When it Grows up

I wrote a rather scathing review of the Cavendish/Bianca story, which precedes this gem of a trilogy.

Tristan and Danika's story, though, is the polar opposite. The plot is layered in realism, and angst, and beauty, and humor. And SO so much depth. You'll find yourself alternating between loving and hating the lead characters. This is what good writing does. It drags you into its labyrinth and dares you to find your way back out.

Sorry, though...I had to remove a star for the writer's apparent obsession with chignons. Listen. It's just a hair bun. JUST SAY "HAIR BUN"! Omg. I'm sorry. I just can't.

Where I rolled my eyes at the jankily-drawn "50 shades of James" and the "oh, great ...yet another blonde haired blue eyed big boobed virgin supermodel" James/Bianca story, I found myself absolutely in love with the realistically -flawed Tristan, and the smaller framed, mixed w/minority heritage Danika.

In fact, I wanna punch myself for losing my credits on the Up In the Air crapola, but I find myself returning to this story over and over. In fact, I'm listening to Lovely Trigger for the fourth time. It's definitely my favorite in the series. A culmination of the two lovers' personal struggles, and finally, the realization that they complete each other in an everlasting way.

If you're deciding between "Up In the Air" and the Tristan/Danika stories, I vote for T/D. Hands down. Worth it.

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Everything R K Lilley writes I love!!!

If you could sum up Rock Bottom in three words, what would they be?

Heartbreaking! But I am still rooting for each character!

What did you like best about this story?

I like how R K Lilley doesn't just give us what she thinks we want. I seems like now everyone gives us the "Grey" formula, billionaire, great looking cold dominate plus an everyday girl love story. R K isn't afraid to break our heart and show a little ugliness. This makes me feel the story and invest more. I love this writer.

What does Chris Ruen and Sarah Naughton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The woman narrator really sounds like Danika would in my head. Her "man" impression isn't bad either.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The consequences that Tristan doesn't know about yet. What he doesn't remember from the last night.

Any additional comments?

I check back each day for the next installment.

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Holy F#%k

I hope you are prepared with tissues and snacks. This is tough to get through.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Tristan & Danika

****REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ BOOK 2*****


I really loved this book and the 1st book, however I feel like Danika lost enough by the end... I feel like after losing her husband, two babies, her dream of being a dancer and so much more... that making it so she was unable to have/carry anymore babies just went to far.... I literally cried ugly tears the last couple hours of this book and I appreciate how the author showed how ugly and unfair life can be but after a horrific childhood that included rape and abandonment.. & her teen/young adult life that was sometimes beautiful but mostly tragic and heartbreaking.. I feel like her still being able to someday conceive and carry a baby might have been a silver lining... but all I know for sure is I’M ON TO BOOK 3!! THE FINAL BOOK!

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shocking

So intense.. and so heartbreaking. my heart really does hurt for these 2. wow.. Just wow.

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ROCK BOTTOM IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

Oh my, this story, Jesus, I just don't even know where to begin. This was emotional from beginning to end. I was glued to every word. I'm exhausted just from listening. So credit worthy, but super heavy. Get ready to break out the tissues!

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