| Title | : | Out of Bounds (Off Balance) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published September 6, 2022 |
This collection includes:
Notebook entries between Kova and Adrianna
My Dearest Malysh: Kova's Valentine's Letter to Adrianna
Outtakes: Deleted Scenes from Balance, Execution, Release, Twist and Dismount
Out of Bounds Bonus: Lucia Interviews Kova
Original and Revised: An open letter why there are two versions of the Off Balance series
Five chapter preview to What's Left of Us - Avery and Xavier's story
Series Playlist
FAQ
Out of Bounds is not a full length novel. Out of Bounds is a companion novel for readers who want every morsel they can get their hands on.
Out of Bounds (Off Balance) Reviews
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I just finished an ARC of Out of Bounds and even though it was so nostalgic to revisit Kova and Ria (Those deleted scenes had me f*cked up) the chokehold Avery and Xavier have on me after reading their chapters…🫠
I CANT F*CKING WAIT FOR THEIR BOOK 🫶🏻
It was a tiny glimpse into their love story and the pages were dripping with sex appeal, banter and toxicity.
Bring on February 2023. Lucia Franco, you’ve done it again.
Anyway…kinda made me feel like rereading Hush Hush 😮💨💅🏼 -
3.5 stars
Out of Bounds is a modge podge of extra scenes, interviews with characters, and notebook entries from the ‘Off Balance’ series. We also get a nice preview of the Avery/Xavier book to come!
I am probably not the audience for this book, as I’m the type of reader that doesn’t read extra scenes, doesn’t read sneak peeks or first chapters of books etc, but after finishing the Off Balance series this week, I wasn’t ready to let go of Kova and Ria. This was a fairly quick read and I especially loved the interview with Kova and getting to be in his head some. -
I’m crying.
I will literally take any little bits and pieces I can get of Ria & Kova. I loved seeing the snippets that were cut from the series and conversations that didn’t make the final cut. But what I loved most was Kova’s interview it was so clever and felt so raw and real and had me crying at the end as Lucia, and therefore all of us readers, said goodbye to Kova for good. I love these characters like they’re real people and I’m so sad to see them to. I also loved the look into Avery and Xavier’s book because I’ve been waiting for their story ever since Execution!! I cannot wait for that to be released next year.
Thank you Lucia for pushing through all of the hell you went through with this series and these characters to tell their stories and give all of us readers this series! -
Oh, how much I have missed these two. Adrianna and Kova will forever have a special place in my heart, more than anyone could know. It's one of my all-time favorite series.
Out Of Bounds is the companion to the Off Balance series. You will find many deleted chapters from each book, making me hate to love Kova all over again. He still wins me in the end—bonus letter and notes between the two.
Wow is all I can say about the interview with Kova. He spoke about Adrianna with such devoted love and intensity. I didn’t expect it. And it was a blubbering mess by the end.
There is an added sneak peek chapters to an upcoming book I couldn’t be more ecstatic about. Is it Feb 2023 yet,?
What killed me and left me with a heavy heart is The Open Letter and what the author went through and continues to go through. I can only Imagine how hard it was for her to write this. I will forever support this author.
As the great LeVar Burton has said.”Read the books they're banning. That's where the good stuff is!”
It's said to say goodbye. Luckily, we can re-read the series and hopefully read cameos in future books. -
I have read every single book this incredible lady has written and has stood by her side when folks were acting a fool. Helping Lucia rewrite these books was an incredible honor that I would gladly do all over again for her. Adrianna is Lucia in book form. Her strength, tenacity and scrappiness barely scratches the surface as to how amazing Lucia is.
I’m in a blanket of Kova feels after reading Out of Bounds—which is LIVE NOW!! I will never get enough of him and I’ll never forget how along with Adri, he also pushed my boundaries as well and I gladly welcomed it. -
The release was supposed to be in 2021? It’s 2022 😢😢😢
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GAHHH! Goodbye Kova and Ria. I hold this series so near and dear to my heart, i’ve even started trying to collect the physical copies of the books. I originally read the entire series back to back last August when I was starting school and nervous AF, I mean seriously my anxiety was at an all time high. I read all five books in that week, and to say it sidelined every issue I had over class. Also a special thanks to Mrs. Lucia for writing such a beautiful and INSANE love story despite the obstacles it took to write it, i’m forever thankful for you.
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Kova and Ria own me. This series owns me. Everything Lucia Franco writes owns me.
I haven't cried so much while reading a book in a long time. I think the last time was when I read Dismount for the first time actually.
When I finished the Off Balance series, I had said that KovaRia and their story will stay with me for a long time. Now, I'm almost certain I'll carry them in my heart forever. Not a day goes by without thinking about them and these books.
Their love is so profound. So strong. So resilient. So absolute. So all consuming. Prior to reading Out of Bounds I had kind of forgotten the intensity of their feelings for one another, and while reading this book, remembering their all encompassing love, was like being hit by a thunderstorm.
I lost it completely when I read Kova's POV and then his interview. God, the way that man loves Ria... I feel it in my bones. In my soul.
Saying goodbye for good to them is hard and I'll miss them so much. But, their journey is complete. They got their hard-earned happy ending and I couldn't be happier for them.
PS All the people who harassed, stalked and bullied Lucia, you should be ashamed of yourselves. The open letter she wrote at the end broke my heart all over again for different reasons. From now on, I sincerely hope people leave her alone and start minding their own business. My full support and love goes out to her. -
Ok so seeing as how this was a companion novel and not to be read without having read the Off Balance series, I have to go about this a bit differently. To be totally honest I was not a huge fan of the deleted scenes, BUT I think that may have been due to the fact that I haven't read the books in a while, so if I were to go back and re-read the series and then go read the deleted scenes I would most likely appreciate them A LOT more! I absolutely loved the Valentine's note from Kova. I think if it were up to me I would like to have seen a note of what he may have given her on their wedding day. Or to see some journal entries from any of her pregnancies.
More than anything I FLOVED the interview with Kova! OMG that man would be so infuriating to interview, but in all honesty it seems like most coaches are.... getting answers is like pulling teeth! But there were some very real points that I was laughing at his replies! I totally agree that we (as readers) didn't need his POV because it was HER story! That is 100% true..... and I thought that when he would write in the journal to her was a nice touch of getting a little of his POV through out her story. But this was definitely a fun read! And it really does make me want to go back and read all 5 books all over again!
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice
Swoon 😍😍😍
Angst -
The way I was once so excited to read this.
Get the behind the scenes action, kovas pov.
It was just a bunch of Boring and useless information
The deleted scenes tbh … didn’t make a lot of sense and again it wasn’t anything exciting to read just boring facts.
As for kovas pov I thought we’d get an insight to how he felt about Adrianna back then you know keen their relationship was taking off… not him saying again & again how happy and in love he is with his wife and kids….
Like I knew this already at the end of dismount and I didn’t really care, it was cute but she could have just posted as an extra on her website or in the Facebook group I didn’t really think anyone needed to pay 3.99 to read that.
And the interview was supposed to be the best part where readers asked questions to kova and finally got answers…..
Yeah all it was was a rambling between the author and her fictional characters, every-time a question was asked about how he felt about ria / what he was thinking at that time, the author cut it short and made him and her banter.
Honestly it felt like the author was scared to write more about how he felt back then do to fear of backlash thats why she kept cutting it short.
Basically I’m kinda upset that I spent 3.99 on this when there was in fact nothing new or additional added what did we really read?
As for Avery & Xaviers story … I’m gonna be honest I’m not the biggest fan of second chance but even theirs seem far fetched … two fucking time jumps over Avery having a miscarriage at “16” and Xavier thinking she aborted the baby???
I’m sorry what.
that much miscommunication really? -
Adrianna + Kova ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I want more ……
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oh how i missed kova & ria!
i’ve been waiting since i finished dismount in april to read oob & it was SO worth the wait
i am so sad to have the door closed to this amazing world but am so freaking excited to read avery & xavier’s story!
thank you lucia for writing this amazing story 🤍 it will forever be one of my favorites! -
I loved seeing more behind the scenes snippets of one of my favorite series!!! Ria and Kova are truly one of a kind. If you haven’t read the Off Balance series, this companion novel will be very spoiler-y. Definitely read the full series first, then come back to Out of Bounds!
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I cannot believe I rated this so low. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this 🙁
I felt no connection to Ria or Kova this time around and that man is MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE.
Maybe it’s because it’s been so long so I read the series but this didn’t feel necessary.
And come on NOOOOOOOO SPICE?! I’m sad 🫤 -
4⭐️ 3 days after finishing dismount this was just what I needed.
Having just a little bit more of KOVA. 🫶
Love him. Loved seeing his side of things even if it was a little bit. I love this world and I can’t wait for What’s left of us.
I still wish dismount was in his povs.
I still have unanswered questions.
Like where did Hayden go? What happened to the wife. All those little things I would love to know. I thought they might be in this book but they weren’t.
This book was great for a little more insight but that it really.
Hopefully one day I’ll get them answers -
How does a person adequately describe a surprise, a gift, a gem or that amazing Big O that creeps up on you when you are already laying in boneless satisfaction?
Out of Bounds was all the above wrapped into one!
Yes, all the above! I loved the Off Balance series to the point of obsession. It was so unique, fearless, well written and created characters you loved and hated with equality. Seriously, my love/hate relationship with every character in this series felt real! I will never forget the feelings I felt at the end of every book. I was stunned, bummed, might have plotted a murder, in my head, for an author a time or 5. To say the series was brilliant just doesn’t do it full justice.
So yes, Out of Bounds is the perfect gift. It takes me back into the world of Kova and Ria. It lets me surround myself with characters that I loved and have missed. It also shows me this author, Lucia Franco, cannot be broken. She may have gotten a bit beat up, bent, but not broken. I admire her tenacity, determination and the ability to give the one finger salute to all her haters. You go girl!
Thank you for this gift! I can’t express my gratitude with mere words. I have tears streaming down my face, from the sheer emotion, that finishing this companion book evoked. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟You brought home the GOLD🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 -
Aaaah cómo me gusta el estilo de esta autora 💖 tqm Ría y Kova.
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⛔️ Apparently soon to be released
⛔️ First snippet in Kova’s pov:
https://bit.ly/3PhHyj8
⛔️For the Off Balance lovers who want it all. The messy scenes that didn’t make the cut, the inspiration, playlists, love letters, and a sit down interview with Kova and Adrianna about their past, present, and future. Out of Bounds is a deleted scenes book approximately 50k words. Out of Bounds is not a full length new story.
☝🏼Per author website ☝🏼 -
I was so excited to read this book! I loved the entire Off Balance series and this book was a nice nostalgic walk down memory lane with these characters, Ria & Kova.
Complete with an interview with Kova and things cut from the original books in the series, I enjoyed all the material provided. You can not just pick up this book and read it, you would need to read the series first.
This isn’t an actual novel, it’s a companion book to the series. If you’re a fan of this world & characters, you’ll appreciate this for what it is…extra material. -
I love the series so much. Thought the companion novel was nice, but I didn't feel like it added anything to the overall story. A fun light read for Ria/Kova lovers!
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22/07/21
Oh. My. God. wtf!! This year. It's coming THIS FREAKIN YEAR!!! Every single time as the cover, release date and the teasers come out, a small piece of me is going to die and reach the heavens. And once I've read the last line of this beauty, I am going to die in piece
23/08/22
THE COVER THE HAT THE FREAKIN A IM SCREAMING
03/09/22
The end. Can't believe it's actually the end. I am so not ready to say the final goodbye to Kova and Ria. That hurts me like crazy. But I also get where Lucia comes from.
The deleted scenes were not what I was expecting. They were so much more. Revisiting them is always so painful.
After dismount I was left with wanting more. Out of bounds soothed that wanting in me. It was healing. Excruciating. But healing.
I also absolutely cannot wait for Feb 7! The little preview of Ave and X has all my heart. -
"Without another glance, he opened up the front door and left, leaving my heart shattered in a million tiny pieces."-Balance
"I do stupid things, I know I do, but when it is just us, it all makes sense."-Execution
"We are a team-I exhale, you inhale."-Release
"But when it came to Kova, my heart only beat for him."-Twist
"There was no turmoil, no heartache, no secrets. It was just us, together, living my dream."-Dismount
"We took a risk on a love that was against the odds before it started, and we were stubborn enough to win."-Out of Bounds
The Off Balance Series by Lucia Franco. I could've highlighted every dang page of this series. It had been over a year since I had read an interconnected series about the same couple. Let me tell you, it took me on an emotional roller coaster of epic proportions. I had the pleasure of meeting @lucia_franco_ at the Holidays for the Belles signing in Dallas, and my friends and I got to tell her how we all stayed up til 130 in the morning discussing this series. Our friends Meg and Maria, it's one of their favorite series of all time. But it was super fun that so many of us were reading it at the same time, and we all were at different parts.
A story of Adrianna Rossi,a gymnast whose goal in life is to reach the Olympics. Her fathers llong-timefriend and gymnastics coach Kova Konstantin is an elite gymnastics coach twhospecializes in elite training to get his gymnasts to the Olympics.What they both didn't expect was to push eachothers buttons and push boundaries in more ways than one. Kova pissed me off until probably book 4. Lol Adrianna gave me anxiety the entire time. I wanted to strangle them both. But her perservance and drive to be the best was so amazing to read. I respected the hell out of her for that. And Kova was her strength and mentor in so many ways.
Listen, not all love is black and white. Not every love story is what we think it should be. What society thinks it should be. Sometimes it's messy, sometimes it starts out differently than expected. But that is love. I loved Kovas love for her. It was absolutely unwavering. Lucia Franco, round of applause for you girlfriend. Absolutely incredible. #offbalance -
The whole off balance series pulled at my heart strings, it made me fall in love with the characters so when Dismount came out I was a wreck. Saying goodbye to Kova and Ria was bittersweet and I wanted more of them.
Lucia is an absolute Queen who despite all that she went through with Off Balance decided to write this epic companion novel to give us more of the couple we all love so much.
From the very first page I was hooked. Reading deleted scenes that didn’t make it into the official books was beautiful, I started to reminisce over the books and where those scenes could have taken place. It made me want to re read the whole series again to be honest!
The interview was incredible and I was most excited for it. I loved how we managed to see a different side to Kova through this companion novel. We really saw the love and devotion he has to his Ria. I absolutely loved each element of this companion novel and it was the most perfect addition and ending to the Off Balance series - a series which will always hold a piece of my soul with it.
But can we please talk about Avery and Xavier! Throughout the whole series I was completely obsessed with these side characters story and wanted to know more! From the first time I ever read the series I secretly wished Lucia would write a book for Avery and Xavier and guess what … she has!!!!
The sneak peak into their own book was PHENOMENAL! I honestly cannot wait!! I have literally wanted their story for the longest time and cannot get over the fact that we really are so close to getting it. I know that they are going to be explosive and there will be so much angst! I can’t wait!
Overall I’m so thankful to Lucia for Out of Bounds - it was precious and beautiful and to be honest everything I needed to bid farewell to my most loved characters Ria and Kova. After Dismount it was so bittersweet saying goodbye to them. This really has allowed me to let them go because I know that whenever I need a piece of them I have this whole completed series. ❤️🔥 -
I’ve been so excited for more Kova and Ria, I’m so happy Lucia gave us “Out of bounds”… was it enough… no because my selfish ass never wanted to say goodbye to them 😂😂
I’m obsessed with the deleted scenes it was so emotional and getting to go back to pivotal moments and reading them in a different light and seeing more of those moments I just loved it!
There was one deleted scene where Xavier called Kova scum… let me tell you I was so mad, I mean I went from for hate to love back to hate then back to love with Kova but don’t talk to my Kova like that!😂
The interview was hilarious! I think that was honestly my favourite bit! I love how it’s literally the kova we love and exactly how he would answer… so many people wanted answers for different things and kova has this shock factor when he speaks its direct, not sugar coated it’s to the point and tough shit if your uncomfortable and I love that’s how it was!
Interview scene….. Lucia: except it wasn’t that easy
Kova: not when you write the book it is not
😂😂 that is so true Lucia took our hearts and shattered it to millions of pieces to slowly piece it back together throughout the series
Will I ever get over the strength of the love kova has for Ria….. never!!!
When they are saying goodbye at the end of the interview it literally gut punched me and I got all teary eyed cause it truly felt like an official goodbye and my heart hurts at that thought…. Like I’m not ok with it being the end! 😭😭
Avery and Xavier’s book “what’s left of us” excerpt has left me even more excited for their book.
I just know I’m going to go through a lot of love and hate with Xavier 😂
Reading the end and what Lucia went through because of bullies hating on this series broke my heart… I’ll always be grateful, proud and love Lucia for her resilience and strength… you are a queen!!!! -
"𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯."
I have said it before and I will keep saying it over and over again, THIS SERIES OWNS ME! I feel like these two characters are a part of me at this point because I will literally never let them go. I bet that 20 years from now I will still be rereading these books and thinking daaaaaamn this is what I call intensity haha.
This being my favorite series of course I was still missing Kova and Ria to death even though I was more than happy with how Dismount ended, so Out of Bounds came at the right time and it totally reminded me how much I love this couple. I mean...I totally had teary eyes in the first two pages and was unequivocally bawling my eyes out by the end lol. This book was everything I still needed from the Balance series (hello there Kova's pov a.k.a the best thing ever). Lucia is a saint for giving us this beauty after everything and I will love her forever because of it.
It's so heartwarming to know that after everything Kova and Ria went through, now they couldn't be in a better place. So even though it's sad to say good-bye I did it with the biggest smile on my face when I finished this book. But in reality though I will never say good-bye...my next reread starts in a couple of days!
"𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳." -
I never read anything about this series online before I read it. All I knew was the general premise and that a booktuber I like highly recommend it. I didn't know that Amazon had banned the series initially and that the writer had to rewrite much of the story. Learning this certainly explained a lot of the inconsistencies in the series such as where it was set-- which never made geographical sense to me. Also, there were abrupt transitions from one scene to the next at times in the books. Now I know why. After reading the letter My Dearest Mylash at the beginning of this book that was part of the old version of the story, I'm glad it had to be rewritten. I found Kova's voice in that letter to be super creepy and pedophile-like. If I had read that initially I would not have continued reading this series which I did mostly enjoy. Overall, I thought this book was unnecessary and just for the most diehard of fans. I did not need to read the outtakes, and the interview with Kova only marginally advanced the story. My favorite part was the preview of Avery and Xavier's book which I'm looking forward to reading.
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4.75 ⭐
The beginning was a little bit confusing for me as I don't know by heart the order of books by their titles.
Kova's POV inserts and the interview with Lucia was pure GOLD! 🤩 I loved every single word in it and cherish it deeply!
I'm glad Lucia kept the relationship real after the final HEA. The detailed glimses into Ria and Kova's relationship confirmed that their life was far from easy and perfect. Kova's struggle with being accepted by Frank and Xavier was raw and real. His undying love for Ria and ability to see beyond his own feelings was heartwarming 💗
The addition of a few chapters from What's Left of Us is both an amazing treat and a cruel treat! I'm gonna eat up the story of Avery and Xavier!
Marking my calendar and counting the days till its release!
The note from Lucia at the end was heartbreaking 💔 I was unaware of the cyberbulling and my heart bleeds for her. The treatment and suffering was undeserved. All the more reasons for me to spread good word about her work and make all my friends read her books 🤭 -
I went down a trip on memory lane with this final conclusion to the Off Balance series.
I finished reading this series I believe 2 years ago?, meaning I forgot about most if not all of what happened during it. Reading this mini conclusion was so interesting because not only did I meet the characters again but I also got to read deleted scenes and letters that did not make it into the actual series.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed Kova and Adrianna’s story and I’m happy that they got their HEA. Also, getting Kova’s input and POV on the events that took place all throughout the series was so cute and very intriguing. I think it’s better off that the actual Off Balance series was only told through Adrianna’s POV cause if it were to be through Kova’s as well...i’d probably get a headache reading it. -
Kova & Ria will live on forever
As readers, when we love books so much they grow to be a part of us- not just in our kindles or on our shelves, but in our soul. The words intertwine through our veins and heart and stay with us forever. That’s what the off balance series is for me.
Lucia is a talented author who has captivated our lives through many books about this forbidden relationship. We have waited patiently for Out of Bounds and it was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Each bonus/deleted scene brought me back to all the feelings I felt while reading this the first time. The interview with Kova was perfection! And the notes that Lucia wrote were heartbreaking.
And can I jump in a time machine now to make it february already for What’s Left of Me?
