Stripped by Brooklyn Skye is a tale of struggle, loss and healing with a hot rowing God thrown in for good measure.

Quinn's family has been through the wringer. Her sister committed suicide a year ago, her father, Dean of a nearby College, was involved in a massive scandal a few short months after that. Now the family is bankrupt and Quinn has to find some way to pay for college. The best paying job she can find that still leaves her enough time for school, nude modeling for a college art class. But not at her college, her dad's old place of employment so she doesn't end up modeling for people she knows.

Torrin collides with Quinn, quite literally, on her first day of work and is relentless in his pursuit of her. He slowly breaks down the walls she has built around her heart in a determined effort to not become like her sister. Heartbroken and suicidal over a boy.

As it often happens in life, these two fall in love with each other and then the universe steps in and throws them some wicked curveballs. Can they make it through the secrets and lies and come out the other side still in love AND together? ( )

Stripped was an alluring story of two damaged people coming together and helping each other. It draws you into the broken life of Quinn, an emotionally closed off girl and the lengths she go through to finish college. I really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story, though I wanted more, it felt real and natural.. no insta-love here. It's also has a great level of humor and snark added into it, which balances out the darker parts of the book.

Cover and writing
After reading the book, you'll understand the cover much better. I actually like it a bit more now. At first glance it is mysterious and it does make you want to pick it up. Brooklyn's writing was great. It was perfectly balanced. It is told in the first person POV from Quinn's prospective.

Main Character
Quinn starts out as a strong character, but you get glimpses of a shattered person here and there. She deals with her issues and grief with her chin up.. which I totally admire!

Swoonworthy points: 7
This is the part of the book I'd have liked a bit more on. The couple make a perfect pair, and they interact well. The issue, is that there is a lot of things going on in Quinn's life and the book doesn't fully focus on the romance. There are a few hot scenes, and overall Torrin is a sweet, sarcastic, stud-muffin that just wants to be with Quinn.

Overall, this was a great addition to the NA genre. It is a hard one to put down and a quick one to finish. I would definitely recommend it! ( )

It's probably bad when I have no recollection of finishing this book. I thought I flounced. :-/ ( )

It's been one year since Quinn Montgomery's sister Zoe killed herself. Her sister was her best friend, she idolized her, they told each other everything, or so she thought. Without leaving a note, Quinn has made her own assumptions regarding her sister's reasons for doing what she did, which boils down to having her heart crushed by a guy. So what does Quinn do? She vows to never fall in love, to never put herself in a position where a guy can break her heart..........save yourself..........what she hears her sister tell her in her dreams, and what Quinn believes means save yourself from falling in love.

Stripped is a very well written story and the plot was interesting. I loved Torrin. I would have liked to have seen more details about his life. He was hot, he was patient, he didn't take Quinn's cramp, and he wound up being really chivalrous in the end. Quinn was another story. I just couldn't bring myself to like her, despite feeling sorry for her. She was really a bitch. Part of it had to do with what she had been through, and part of it was just her personality. I thought maybe I would grow to like her as the book progressed, but I didn't. I am sure there are plenty of people that will like her, but I just couldn't. That doesn't mean the story isn't good, because it is a good story. I just didn't care for the main character. The romance between Torrin and Quinn was....different. In my opinion, Torrin was a saint to put up with the things he did, and he had plenty of baggage and hurts he was dealing with himself. I was satisfied with the ending and how things worked out, and it would have been even better to have an epilogue that went into a little more detail about where their lives went, though not necessary. It just would have been a bonus. Overall, Stripped is a good story that is emotionally driven and at times intense. It personally didn't blow me away, though I have read quite a few 5-star reviews, so don't let my opinion deter you at all from checking this book out. You just may love it.

What I did absolutely love was this quote which was on Quinn's sister Zoe's grave marker.
"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so we can see life with a clearer view again."
I thought that was beautiful. ( )