Copyright © 2022 by Lucia Franco
Edited by Nadine Winningham
Formatted by Champagne Book Design
Cover Design by Okay Creations
Photography by Lindee Robinson
Cover Model Andrew Kruczynski
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
To the readers who wanted every morsel of Ria and Kova they could get their hands on.
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’d say this one was roughly worth seven hundred and fifty thousand words.”
This line in Dismount is the final word count of all the Off Balance books.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Introduction to Out of Bounds
Series Playlist
2020 Off Balance Series FAQ
My Dearest Malysh
Outtakes: Deleted scenes from the Off Balance series Books
Deleted Love Notes from Their Notebook
Deleted Scenes from Balance
Deleted Scenes from Execution
Deleted Scenes from Release
Deleted Scenes from Twist
Deleted Scenes from Dismount
Out of Bounds Bonus: Lucia Interviews Kova
Read an excerpt of What’s Left of Us, Avery and Xavier’s story
An open letter about the Off Balance series
More novels by Lucia Franco
About Lucia Franco
Hey, hey!
You made it out! How are you hanging in there? Did you survive? Or are you still not over it?
I’m still not over it. I haven’t been able to reread some parts of Dismount since I wrote them. I’d waited to write the ending until I was home alone, having a gut feeling I was going to suffer while doing it. And I did. I sat on my bed with the lights off after the sun went down and typed each word until I reached the end.
I cried my eyes out writing Dismount. I teared up with Twist. But the last couple of chapters in Dismount, particularly the airport scene, completely gutted me. I felt debilitating pain. It was like I was saying goodbye to a world that became close and personal to me. The characters had become real. Every aspect of their fake lives played like a vivid saga in my head.
Suddenly I wasn’t ready anymore and grasped at every straw. I wanted to hold on and follow their next steps. The characters weren’t fake. They were very much alive and a part of my life.
Since the very first chapter of Balance, the Off Balance series has been about Adrianna’s journey to the Olympics and the dedication one endures for a passion so few understand. Olympic gold was the ultimate glory, and she attained it. Adrianna did what she had set out to do. As much as I would love to follow her into the future, it wouldn’t be the same world we have all come to know. It would be new people, a new setting, and not the Kova and Ria we crave.
The most important thing you should know before turning the page is that Out of Bounds is not a full-length novel, short story, or a novella. Out of Bounds should be considered a companion novel as it contains content that did not make it past the editing stage from the five books in the series. Some of the chapters are complete, some end abruptly. Some are long, others are a few sentences. There are facts, questions, and more.
Never in a million years could I have imagined anyone would want more after the Off Balance series ended. I definitely never imagined writing a companion novel to the series. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Being able to give this to the devout readers is such a gift. I am forever thankful for your love and support. Thank you for believing in me and loving the forbidden romance story that stole my heart.
The need for more is always with me because true love never dies. Kova and Ria will live on forever.
XOXO,
Lucia
With five novels in the series, I didn’t create separate playlists for each book. Instead, I added to the original list. A song doesn’t have to make sense lyrically. Sometimes it’s the beat of the song that matters more than the words.
“Circus” by Britney Spears was playing on the radio shortly after the idea to write the series came to me. I’d been obsessively thinking about the story when I heard the beat of the chorus. I felt the adrenaline and immediately imagined Adrianna performing a floor routine to the music. It’s the song that reminds me most of the series.
Here are songs that were on repeat a lot while writing the series of books. These are public playlists on both iTunes and Spotify that readers can follow. The list is longer online.
“Circus” by Britney Spears
“Fly” by Nicki Minaj
“Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake
“Throwback” by Usher and Jadakiss
“Love Me Harder” by Ariana Grande
“Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande
“Chains” by Nick Jonas
“Demons” by Imagine Dragons
“Wild Things” by Alessia Cara
“Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez
“The Heart Wants What It Wants” by Selena Gomez
“Powerful” by Ellie Goulding
“Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding
“Starboy” by The Weeknd
“Sweetest Sin” by Jessica Simpson
“That’s My Girl” by Fifth Harmony
“Eyes Open” by Taylor Swift
“It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars
“Gorilla” by Bruno Mars
“What’s Left of Me” by Nick Lachey
“Tonight I’m F**king You” by Enrique Iglesias
“Wide Awake” by Katy Perry
“Light’s Down Low” by MAX
“Bird Set Free” by Sia
“Neighbors Know My Name” by Trey Songz
“Without Me” by Halsey
“Never Be the Same” by Camila
There have been many questions in regard to the Off Balance series being removed from Amazon in December of 2019. I’ve collected the concerns addressed from readers and opted to write a FAQ for reference. I hope this addresses questions relating to the series and the final book, Dismount.
Do I have to read the FAQ before reading Dismount?
No, you absolutely do not. I’m asked daily about the changes I had to make to the series and how it will affect the final book. I put this FAQ together so that it may be helpful to those who’ve been reading the series since the first book and had questions after they were removed from Amazon. It’s also a place for curious new readers to find answers.
If I read the original books and jump into Dismount, will it still make sense? Or will the ages/years/timeline no longer add up? Do I need to reread the books?