Book Review: Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens is infuriating. There were some incredibly intense, emotional moments but there were also far too many 'I want to choke a bitch' moments.

The book opens as the dazzlingly handsome Denny Harris and his girlfriend of two years Keira Allen are driving cross-country to their new home after Keira decides to move from Athens, Ohio to Seattle, Washington to be with Denny. Two years ago, Denny came to America from Australia to help his aunt get settled in Ohio after she moved there after she was offered a job at Ohio University. Denny had fallen in love with the US after he'd spent a year here in high school as part of a foreign exchange student program and visiting his aunt reminded him of that, so he moved back to the US and accepted a position as a teaching assistant at the University of Ohio where he met Keira.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Denny moves to Seattle because of a job offer and Keira follows her boyfriend. Denny had an amazing job opportunity and Keira didn't want to be away from him. Immediately upon moving to Seattle, Keira feels drawn to her boyfriend's friend and roommate/landlord gorgeous, rock god stunningly beautiful Kellan Kyle, lead singer of "The D-Bags". Unexpectedly, Denny has to go out of town for two months for his new job and Kiera and Kellen become close – too close – in Denny's absence. Everything comes crashing down after one phone call. Keira and Kellan cross a line and because Keira refuses to decide between these two amazing men things take a heartbreaking turn. Thoughtless is essentially 544 pages of this silly, selfish slut trying to decide between these two gorgeous men. Kiera is the most selfish, asinine, immature, lying, prudish (as prudish as one can be when one is cheating on one's boyfriend with his best friend while you are all living together) character I've come across in a loooong time (I loathed Julia in Gabriel's Inferno, but I would've gladly taken Paul's place as her fawning, ever-faithful servant if she'd agree to murder Keira... slowly).

Relaxing for the first time in what felt like weeks, I turned and slipped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. I felt him stiffen a little at how closely we were connected, and then he relaxed, too, his thumb lightly stroking my back. I wasn't sure why I did that, but I sighed contently at the warmth of his embrace.

Let me assure you the man in question was NOT Keira's boyfriend. Additionally, they did that when Denny was out of town on business and in front of several people who knew them and Denny!

On nights that I had off, he sometimes came back home after rehearsal instead of going to Pete's with the guys, and we'd have dinner together and the snuggle close to watch a movie. Sometimes he'd put his arm around me and lightly rub mine with his fingertips. Sometimes he would hold my hand, playing with my fingers and smilingly that amazingly sexy half-smile.

Again, this is while her boyfriend is off working.

Once, when I'd been exhausted after a sleepless night of missing Denny, we'd snuggled on the couch and he'd gently pulled me down to rest my head on his lap. I had fallen asleep that way, turned slightly into him, with his arm over me protectively and his other hand running through my hair. Somewhere in the back f my head, I knew it was probably more than Denny would be okay with but it was comforting, it was nice.

Really, Keira?! Somewhere in the back of your head you thought Denny might not be ok with you being intimate with his best friend. One word: Slut.

Denny – thoughtlessly – calls from his business trip to inform Keira that he now needs to move to Arizona for business. A hurt and pissed Keira dumps him and sleeps with Kellan. Denny quits his job and rushes back home to Keira. Ladies start you engines, the triangle is now officially in effect.

Keira flip-flopped no less than three times between these two dazzling men who loved her dearly. And to add insult to injury she did it with willful callousness. The bitch had me wondering if she should be on anti-psychotic medication. The trollop would declare her love to Kellan while at work and on the drive home change her mind AGAIN and choose Denny. W.T.F?!?!?!?!

I can understand Kiera feeling like Denny was safe. I can understand the first sexual encounter with Kellan – to some extent. But once Keira knew Kellan loved her and knew she still had feelings for Denny, she needed to pull up her big girl panties and sit down with both men and – talk!  Tell them both how she was feeling and how confused she was. Continuing to play with them like that could only lead to destruction and it did – big time.

After several weeks of Keira's indecisiveness Kellan decides to end their affair and begins dating and sleeping with other women. She has no qualms about having sex with Denny, but Kellan having sex is wrong because he isn't in a serious relationship. (This girl is unbelievable.) So one day as Kellan is having sex in his room Keira becomes insanely jealous and decides to punish him by... wait for it... stealing his car!

Keira tells Kellan that she wants him to leave so she can concentrate on her relationship with Denny (although I don't understand why Keira asks Kellan to leave... he owns the house...??? Does she expect to break his heart, then make him leave the home he owns to her and her boyfriend?!?!) but finally Kellan caves to her demands and tells Keira he's leaving.

"Wait, please stay."
"I can't do this anymore."
"Can't do what... stay? You know Denny would want to say good-bye." The words were feeble and wrong. This had nothing to do with Denny...
"I can't stay here... in Seattle. I'm leaving." I grabbed his arm. He stiffened, but didn't knock me away again.
"No, please, don't leave! Stay... stay here with... with us. Just don't go..."
"I... Why are you...? You said..." He swallowed and stared over my shoulder like he couldn't bare to watch me anymore. "You don't... You and me aren't... I thought you... I'm sorry I've been cold, but I can't stay, Keira. I can't watch it anymore I need to leave..."
"No!" I practically yelled at him, and gripping his arm even tighter that before.
"Keira... let me go. You don't want this..." he whispered. "Go back inside. Go back to Denny." He moved his hand to pull me off his arm, but I smacked it away
"Stay."
"Please, Keira, go," he whispered, his beautiful eyes suddenly glistening, his perfect face torn.
"Stay... please. Stay with me... don't leave me," I begged quietly.
One single tear rolled down his cheek and the thing inside me broke completely.
Softly, he still pleaded. "Don't. I don't want..."
Thoughtless, I placed my free hand upon his cheek and wiped the tear away.
"Keira, please... let me go," he whispered.
I ignored him and brought my other hand to the back of his neck. I pulled him to me until my lips brushed his.
"Don't do this... What are you doing, Keira?"
"I don't know... just don't leave me, please don't leave me," I whispered breathlessly.'

They have sex in the parking lot while Denny waits for them in the club wondering where the hell they are. All that drama and do you know the next day Keira tells Kellan she made a mistake and asks him to leave again?!?! Un-fucking-believable! Kellan and Keira's back-and-forth is nauseating. It closely resembles this:

Keira: I want you.
Kellan: I love you.
Keira: I hate you.
Kellan: I’m yours.
Keira: Don’t leave me.
Kellan: I won't leave you
Keira: Leave me alone.
Kellan: You’re a whore.
Keira: I’m in love with you.
Kellan: You’re a tease.
Keira: I love Denny.
Kellan: Who do you want?
Keira: I choose Denny.
Kellan: I'm leaving.
Keira: I love you.
Kellan: Who do you want?
Keira: I choose you.

(Rinse and repeat.)

I thought things were going to improve, but I was so very wrong. Apparently, I over-estimated Kiera; I thought – eventually – she would act like an adult and face the consequences of her actions and finally break up with Denny and set the poor man free, but NO! Kiera continued being a selfish, stupid, immature, whore. She has sex with Kellan while Denny is in the next room sleeping, the returns to Denny's bed like she hasn't done anything wrong.

She is not only hurting Denny but also is killing Kellan because she continues having sex with Denny after saying how much she loves Kellan. All the sneaky cheating tainted Kellan and Keira's love and prevented it from resonating with me. I felt Kellan loved Keira, but Keira lusted after Kellan.

Kellan possessed just the right amount of danger, seduction, and spectacular beauty to make him irresistible. I was just as angry with Kellan as I was with Keira until he tried to end things with Keira, but she wouldn't let him go! Then when we learn his back story... He was so damaged and tormented and desperate for real love. All he's known is abuse and hate, so when he fell for Keira he was willing to put up with anything to keep her. It was so sad. I couldn't be angry with him for long. He was a gorgeous and (seemingly) self-assured man on the outside, but was a abused and broken little boy on the inside.

Denny is an amazing combination of brilliance, sweetness, and exotic beauty making it impossible not to love him. He. Broke. My. Heart. I have no words for the pain Keira and Kellan caused him. My heart ached for Denny. I wanted to force-feed Keira a live alligator in hopes of it eating her from the inside out. This bitch made me ill. The fact that she's still alive at the end of the book pissed me off big time.

There were two confrontations between the three leads (after Denny is finally aware of the cheating) that are nothing less than enthralling. The author really pulled out the big guns when she wrote those scenes. She should have ended the book about 3/4 of the way in during the second climactic, emotional moment between the trio. That ending would've been EPIC. Then she should've used the last quarter of Thoughtless and made that the first half of Effortless, the second book in the series. That would have been fantastic and it would've better framed Keira and Kellan's relationship; made their relationship an intense love instead of just an intense love of sex. This book was actually painful to read. I was captivated by Denny and Kellan's passionate love for Keira, but I hated Keira with a passion.

The sequel, Effortless, has already been released and the final book in the trilogy, Reckless, will be released in paperback and on ebook on March 5, 2013.

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Book Details: Paperback | Gallery Books | 544 pages | ISBN 9781476717470 | November 6, 2012