Damaged Like Us (Like Us Series: Billionaires & Bodyguards)

This review is for all 13 books as they are equally good. I am now reading the series for the 3rd time. My top 2 favorite series. I absolutely love the characters and the storylines. There is something for everyone, Het, MM and poly. BUT I find myself strangely unsettled this time around and finally figured it out. I want more. More especially of Xander, Charlie, Tom and Beckett with their bodyguards. These characters did not get their full story and it seems like there is much more to tell. And of course, especially MORE of Maximoff and Farrow, great as a couple in work and play. I hope the authors are not tired of this wonderful family. I would love to continue reading.

The twins do it again. Just when I didn't think the Addicted series characters could get any better Becca and Krista Ritchie give us Damaged Like Us. This is a spin off series from the original Addicted series and it pick up with the Hale, Cobalt, and Meadows kids as adults. This first book centers on everyone's favorite adorable kid Maximoff Hale. If you read the Addicted Series you'll remember Maximoff as the Batman loving, water addicted swimmer, adorable little kid and big brother to the Hale kids, Luna, Xander, and Kinney. At the end of the Addicted series it's mentioned that Maximoff Hale is a loving, kind, loyal and responsible little boy who is constantly taking on more than he should to the chagrin of his parents especially his father Loren Hale. Not much has changed in the Damaged Like Us series for Maximoff Hale except we find out in this book that he's come out as bi-sexual. The entire world is focused on him and his actions and Maximoff Hale is VERY aware of that, allowing public opinion to dictate his actions to a large extent. Maximoff a.k.a Moffy to his friends and family is still struggling to get the world to see that Loren Hale is his biological father and he takes great pains to distance himself from his Uncle Ryke whom he bears a marked physical resemblance to. In this new series Moffy and Jane are the closest and best-est of friends not just because they're cousins but because the intense scrutiny in their lives has made it impossible for them to trust anyone outside of the immediate family. Later the media will twist this relationship, as they are known to do, anytime these families get together, or hell just exist. The story begins with Moffy getting a new bodyguard one he doesn't want. Enter Farrow Keene 27 year old bodyguard to Lily Hale now being transferred to Moffy's detail. There's a complicated relationship already in place between Moffy and Farrow that highlights the fact that these two have known each other since they were kids as Farrow's father was and still is the families concierge doctor. Here's what these two authors do so well. They take a volatile subject, addiction, alternate lifestyle, paparazzi, family dynamics and they make these characters who deal with, experience, and live through these situations believable, relatable, and above all HUMAN. We see Moffy struggle to deal with the insensitivity and hostility that comes with being born into a famous family. We see his kindness in spite of or maybe because of all of that. We see him as a person with flaws but who struggles every day to navigate the treacherous waters of his life under the intense eye of the media and we see him (for the most part) succeed. The best part, the very best part in my not so humble opinion is seeing him learn to trust enough to fall in love. To LOVE to open himself to that vulnerability and we get to see him be loved in turn. I can't tell you what these books have meant to me. As the child of an alcoholic parent it was validation to read the Addicted Series and to know, to feel, to UNDERSTAND exactly what Loren Hale dealt with in his own home with his own alcoholic father. As a woman it was vindication to watch Lily Hale overcome an addiction that society would turn into something awful and filthy. To see her strength in overcoming that. Maximoff Hale's story only further cements why these books have gathered such a huge following. Why we as readers have fallen in love with these people. Becca and Krista Richie give real emotions, real stories, real situations that many of us are either dealing with now or have dealt with in the past. These books are like literary therapy. They show us the light at the end of very dark tunnels and they give us the courage and the fortitude to keep going. Becca and Krista always approach these topics with sensitivity and tolerance allowing us to explore our own morality and sexual identity in a safe and positive way. If you read nothing else this year you have to read Damaged Like Us.

There might be some vague spoilers since I’ll be posting a few quotes from the book, but nothing major that will ruin the book for you. Anything that might be considered a direct spoiler will be behind a spoiler cut. Possible spoilers for past book’s and the addicted series.

FIVE STARS THOOOO <3 IT WAS AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL AND EVERYTHING I WANTED!!!!!! Please BUY the book (K & B deserve the money, tbh!!!) and give it a chance. I wish I had read it slower because I don’t want to have to wait for more.

Okay, so this is my first m/m romance book. I read more f/f romance (when I can actually find a good one ) cause I love watching other girls fall in love while I lay in bed in ratty pajamas and stuff my face with junk food. So I wasn’t sure what to expect because female characters are who I fall in love with first when reading (because men are literally from hell and girls are angels), but I should know by now to trust that Krista and Becca will make me fall in love with the characters & story.

Maximoff Hale – I already knew going in that I was going to love him and route for his happy ending. Hell, I’m 100% sure we all loved is batman loving butt the second he was born. K & B managed to make him a perfect picture of both his parents. The boy has cheekbones for days. Moffy’s got a big heart and gives himself completely to those love. Watching him spit out sarcastic replies reminded me so much of Loren that I was constantly nostalgic and dying for a re-read of the addicted series. His relationship with Jane and his siblings was one of my favorite parts of this book. Even when we didn’t get to see them in person, they were still a strong presence in his life and in this book. I love how brave and honest he was about being himself. I’m super glad K & B went for the bisexual label since a lot of the time that’s such a taboo word in the media.

Farrow Keene – Oh my god, he was utter perfection. For some reason he was permanently this super serious and gruff bodyguard. Even when we got little snippets from K & B, I still couldn’t switch off that he was some tough alpha dude. He still was a tough alpha dude, but he was genuinely so funny. Like, he constantly made me laugh throughout the book. He’s serious about his job and protecting Moffy, but he was also teasing and fun. I think he was a good balance for Moffy because he held too much of the world on his shoulders. He’s someone I’d love to hang out with, but he’s too damn hot and I feel like I would end up nervous lmao

Relationship - Oh man, watching them slowly fall into this easy friendship and partnership was so beautiful to watch. The way Farrow slowly let Maximoff take control without compromising his safety was amazing. I swear K & B write some of the healthiest relationships, which is funny considering the main six started out in their relationships. They know how to write bad boys without making them gross or abusive. They’re soft and they have emotions and they cry. It’s just refreshing to see relationships that aren’t one sided and full of trust. They’re not just lovers, but they’re friends too.

Steam factor – AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I know K & B said it wasn’t a slow burn, but I swear the sexual tension was killing me before I even started reading. I was on chapter one and wondering when naked fun times were gonna happen. When it did happen? Boy, it was steaming up my glasses. You won’t be disappointed!

Also, Luna and Kinney are like two halves of me!!! Ghosts and aliens? I’M IN LOVE. I seriously need a book for every character. I’M WILLING TO BEG TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. LIKE ON MY KNEES AND THROWING MONEY LEFT AND RIGHT!!! Lmao I’ll cry if we don’t get a story for the rest of kids. The family dynamics are giving me life and I LOVE it.

Thank you, Krista and Becca! For always being on point and making me laugh and gush over fictional characters. You guys wormed your way to my top rated and auto buy authors for me.

The Ritchie twins have once again given the fans what we want, and have brought us back into their Addicted world, but this time writing about the next generation. And though set in the same world, this book has a feeling that is different from the originals, which I really appreciated, though there is still that incredible sense of family and friendship that runs strongly throughout the series, and an emotional, heartfelt and steamy romance that captured my heart and left me hugging my kindle and already planning my next re-read.

Obviously if you’ve read the Addicted series, you’re going to appreciate this book on a much deeper level than somebody who is starting fresh, but there is some background given and this book could be read as a standalone. Just be aware that there is SO much context to the overarching story that is this series and its characters that you will definitely be missing out without having read the Addicted books first. Also be aware that this is an m/m book. Don’t let that put you off if you haven’t read it before, because this love story is so fun, so natural, so full of chemistry and so beautiful, that you can’t help but fall in love with these two as they fall for each other dreamy sigh.

Fans of the Addicted series will remember little Moffy as the oldest child of Lo and Lily Hale – the adorable little boy who stole our hearts with his sweetness. Well Maximoff is now 22 – well adjusted, happy and successful, and I was so incredibly impressed at who he has grown up to be. He stole my heart as a toddler, and now he’s done it again as an adult with his intelligence, his quiet strength, his commitment and loyalty to his family, and his steadfast, responsible nature and caring heart, and he has become one of my all-time favourite characters of the series.

Maximoff has accepted has accepted the craziness that is his life in the media, and has firmly placed himself in the role of staunch defender for his loved ones, and damn, that strength is sexy! But along with that, he refuses to expose anybody else to that kind of life so he’s never had a relationship, preferring meaningless hook ups and keeping his close relationships within his family, as they are the only ones he can trust. But as crazy as Maximoff’s life is, it’s about to get a whole lot more so when he is assigned a new bodyguard – Farrow Keene, the man who used to protect his mother, and the man that Moffy has crushed on since he was 16 years old.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about the story, because you just want to dive in and experience it all as it unfolds, but OMG, I just love Maximoff and Farrow together! The chemistry is there from the very beginning - attraction tempered with a healthy amount of snark - but no matter how much they may try to resist the forbidden pull between them, their need for each other is impossible to resist, with the sexual tension building until every moment between them is dripping with anticipation. And it’s all so natural! I could feel every little moment as things change between them. It flows, it makes sense, it’s easy and it’s perfectly paced, and it just happens. Like it’s meant to be.

And as much as I loved Maximoff, Farrow was right up there with him. Another strong, protective alpha, he is no-nonsense and open about his feelings and what he wants, and I love that! And he’s such a great match for Maximoff! Whether they’re teasing, bantering, flirting, or all of those at the same time, their playful hotness blends perfectly with their growing feelings (and of course their passion for each other is off the charts!) and it’s all beautifully written as they embrace all that is happening between them.

The forbidden nature of their relationship adds further intensity and a delicious twist to their developing relationship, but at the same time creates a ‘this is meant to be, no matter what’ sort of feeling that I revelled in. These two just get each other, and I happily lost myself in their story.

As always, the dynamics throughout the story are sensational – the relationships are beautifully explored, and in addition to the wonder that is Maximoff and Farrow together, I loved seeing Maximoff with his parents, his uncles, his siblings and cousins. I especially loved seeing the changes in the relationships as the kids have grown, and catching up with these characters that I love so much was fantastic.

And I loved getting to know the security teams that protect the entire family. From their interplay with each other, to the close relationships that they have with the ones they protect, there are some wonderful dynamics in play, and I can’t wait for that to be explored more in future books of the series.

And as we’re watching Maximoff and Farrow’s relationship unfold, we also get to spend a lot of time with the other Hale, Cobalt and Meadows kids (Jane and Sulli in particular), and there are storylines there just begging to be written.

Going into this book I had a lot of questions about Maximoff, and I was so gratified that they were answered – his attitudes towards sex and alcohol after being raised by two recovering addicts, his feelings towards his Uncle Ryke following the rumours of his paternity, and his relationship with the press after being raised in the public eye. I feel like these issues were addressed really well.

The book ends in a great place and I was left completely satisfied, but I am so in love with these characters and their story that I am hungry for more. And I was thrilled to discover that the next book of the series Lovers Like Us, will be a continuation of Maximoff and Farrow’s story, because I really feel that there is so much more to explore with these characters!

This was a truly special read, and I am eagerly awaiting whatever comes next.

I have been fans of Krista and Becca Ritchie for years! I honestly believe that they are some of the best in the business! With that being said, I did not like Damaged Like Us as much as I liked their other books. But that doesn't mean that I did not love this book!

Before I get into that I have a few comments/concerns about the book. I did not understand why we had to go through the whole Ryke/Moffy thing again. I just watched the Q&A on you tube so I sort of get it but I still think it was sort of irritating.

My other concern was Moffy's issues with being bisexual. So.. Moffy has this ivy league education. He was a philosophy major. He even has a non-profit dedicated to helping people in the lgbtq community...and yet he somehow is holding on to the idea that he should "protect" bisexual people from the negative stigma's placed on them by being a "good bisexual". I was just like????? As a black woman, I do not hold my feelings down because of the "angry black woman" stereotype floating around. I don't protect black women by making myself miserable or being fake so that people will know that not all black people are bad. For one, that is unhealthy. Secondly, I just don't think that his beliefs are common for someone with his educational background. How can you start up a non-profit to help the lgbtq community with that mindset? Like they make it seem like he is so smart and he is so well read.. If that is the case he would have read queer theory or he would have interacted with lgbtq people who preached authenticity. It seems like anyone who is actively trying to change things would be like the problem isn't with bisexual people being too "sexual." The problem is with bigoted people. Altering yourself to make sure that you don't fall into stereotypes that bigoted people have will not help bigoted people.

In regards to the book, Moffy and Farrow didn't seem to be as "destined to be" as some of K&B's other couples. Lily and Lo inspired me. Rose and Connor became relationship goals for me. Seeing Thora and Nik and Baylee and Luka together made my heart smile. While I am rooting for Moffy and Farrow because I want both of them to have love, I don't have the same joy that I had seeing them together as I did for the other couples.

Moffy and Farrow didn't have "the it" for me. I guess you could say that I don't call what they have "love." I think that is okay because this is a series. I suppose it is unreasonable to hold them to the same standards as the other couples whose relationship got to be developed over time. I guess if someone just met their soul mated they wouldn't know that they were each other's soul mates in the beginning. If it's a situation where DLU is more of an origin story of their love, then I am sure I will appreciate it more later.

Overall, I think Moffy and Farrow are both compassionate people who care about each other. I ended up really caring about both characters individually, even if I did not fall for them as a couple. I don't think one would purposefully or willingly hurt the other. I love the way Krista and Becca show this. I also love the fact K&B published a M/M book. But more than all of that, I love love love getting to experience more of the Calloway, Hale, and Meadow families. I am so happy that Krista and Becca are at it again!

4 stars!

“Dear World, stop f***ing with me. Sincerely, an agitated human.”

Maximoff Hale is the son of reality television star royalty. His entire life, he has known nothing but the spotlight, the constant nagging of the paparazzi, and has always had a body guard. But when his guard retires, Moffy is faced with having to spend his days with a new guard. He’s even more shocked when that new bodyguard ends up being his childhood crush, Farrow Keene.

Farrow is five years older than Moffy, and with his father being the Hale family physician, he’s comfortable with the family. The more time he spends with his charge, the more he realizes he’s attracted to him, and the feeling seems to be mutual. The only problem? Bodyguard and charges cannot date, making anything between them forbidden.

“Don’t you see, Maximoff? There’s a cement wall in front of you, and you’ve just been told to be satisfied with staring at it. And so you stand there, not able to see the other side.”

I was so extremely excited for this book, not only is it a spin-off of the Addicted series, but we get an MM romance too? I was completely overjoyed and ecstatic, it’s like Christmas came in June! Finishing this book, I came to the realization of why I love books by the Ritchie twins so much: they always deliver a quality story with realistic, relatable characters and lots of feels. It’s obvious they take their time when writing a book and make sure the reader gets a story of great caliber. And Damaged Like Us follows in that same vein.

I loved both Moffy and Farrow equally, these two men were amazing! Moffy is the oldest of all the Calloway children, and because of that he falls into the role of protector. Moffy will support is siblings and cousins, would kill for them. His loyalty to his family is the most important thing to him. Farrow values his work, he knows that what he does makes a difference, and he will also do anything to keep the family safe. It’s rare that I say this about a character, but I also really dug Farrow’s demeanor, the twins did an amazing job describing him and developing him.

There were some issues near the end that I felt were rushed and kind of brushed aside. I wish that we had seen more of what came of those issues, but maybe we will see more of their impact in the next book? Or a novella? I was just shocked by the behavior of some of the characters from the original series and never really got an explanation or confrontation about it, which I really wish we had.

I love these authors, I after having read eleven works by them I can honestly say they write the best books in the indie romance community. I really enjoyed this book, it’s a fantastic start to a new series and I cannot wait to read what is to come.

“Millions of people know me, but not like this. Not like that. I hang onto that fact like rope on a wall that blocks my view of everything. He’s how I see the other side. He’s made my life feel freer.”

At various points while reading I asked myself how I was going to rate this book. I am still a little uncertain, but I think 3 stars is fair. I have to say up front that this is not normally a book I would read and that is precisely why I chose it. The books I normally enjoy involve Murder & Mayhem. However, M/M for this book meant something totally different...

This book is the first book in a spin-off series from another series of books called Addicted. I have not read any of the books in the addicted series or any of the other spin-offs. So I completely approached this cold.

Basic Plot: A famous family has 24 hour protection from a group of bodyguards. Each family member has a particular bodyguard that they are assigned. This book involves one of the adult children (Maximoff) of this famous family and a romantic relationship that he develops with his assigned bodyguard (Farrow). The attraction between them develops when Farrow is reassigned to be Maximoff's bodyguard after having been his moms bodyguard. They initially have kind of a love hate relationship that develops into just love, but because of their client/bodyguard relationship they cannot go public with their relationship.

I did not fully understand why Maximoff or even his parents were famous. I think this reminded me of people like the Kardashians or like people on some reality show that somehow become famous. But, I went with it and just accepted that these people were somehow Beyonce/Taylor Swift type famous. There were a lot of repetitive phrases that at points got on my nerves and there were also events that happened in the book that felt pointless to moving the story along. The stuff with the paparazzi felt overdone.

Overall it was interesting, and there is a chance that I would read another book in this family of books. (If anyone loves this series and feels like there is one of these books in particular that I should read, please let me know. I'm always open to new books and suggestions.) There were things I liked about the book, like after you got past some of the annoying stuff about Maximoff, I did like that there was a vulnerability to him that he only showed his family and Farrow. And I did like the relationship between Maximoff and Farrow. I think that what made their relationship interesting for me was the M/M dynamic, which was different from the books I normally read. Had this been typical M/F it would have been an unremarkable book. I also like Jane's quirky-ness and I wanted to know more about how she became so comfortable and accepting of who she is.

WARNING this book contained strong language and explicit sexual situations