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heabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
I knew going in, that ABSOLUTION was going to be really emotional; there's so much history between Luke and Emily and we've seen hints of it throughout the series. Kaylea Cross is a fantastic writer and her stories always suck me in from the start. ABSOLUTION had a slower pace with less action but that was fine because it was really more about rebuilding the relationship between Luke and Emily. These two have really lived hard lives and I was so happy to see them finally get their happily ever after.
From the beginning we've seen how dedicated Luke is to stopping Tehrazzi and how conflicted he was over his hand in turning a young boy into a terrorist. Cross does an amazing job creating a truly complex villain and exploring the grey areas around his motivations. Luke is sure that Tehrazzi will target Emily so he insists on protecting her, but when he finds out she's sick he realizes that he might lose his chance for reconciliation. Luke is very much the strong, silent type who's used to taking charge and solving problems but he can't solve Emily's cancer. On top of that, Luke has to learn to forgive himself for his past mistakes and I really loved watching him deal with these more vulnerable moments. I do wish we could have seen more of Luke rebuilding his relationship with his son, Rayne, but since they weren't in the same country it's understandable.
Emily has tried to move on from Luke but he's the love of her life and he'll always have her heart. I felt so much for Emily who's been dealt a lot of hard hands in life and isn't sure if she can keep fighting. Emily was so sweet and compassionate and a natural caretaker but she doesn't exactly know how to lean on others. She always wanted things to be perfect for Luke when they were still together, but it also meant keeping her worries and concerns to herself. Having Luke back in her life is hard for Emily but she's so willing to forgive and enjoy the time they have together.
Luke and Emily were truly perfect together and my heart hurts for the time they had to spend apart. It was obvious from the beginning how much they still cared for each other and how strong their attraction still was. Luke and Emily had a lot to work through and I loved going on this journey with them.
Content Warning: Emily has cancer and is undergoing treatment; Luke has PTSD
From the beginning we've seen how dedicated Luke is to stopping Tehrazzi and how conflicted he was over his hand in turning a young boy into a terrorist. Cross does an amazing job creating a truly complex villain and exploring the grey areas around his motivations. Luke is sure that Tehrazzi will target Emily so he insists on protecting her, but when he finds out she's sick he realizes that he might lose his chance for reconciliation. Luke is very much the strong, silent type who's used to taking charge and solving problems but he can't solve Emily's cancer. On top of that, Luke has to learn to forgive himself for his past mistakes and I really loved watching him deal with these more vulnerable moments. I do wish we could have seen more of Luke rebuilding his relationship with his son, Rayne, but since they weren't in the same country it's understandable.
Emily has tried to move on from Luke but he's the love of her life and he'll always have her heart. I felt so much for Emily who's been dealt a lot of hard hands in life and isn't sure if she can keep fighting. Emily was so sweet and compassionate and a natural caretaker but she doesn't exactly know how to lean on others. She always wanted things to be perfect for Luke when they were still together, but it also meant keeping her worries and concerns to herself. Having Luke back in her life is hard for Emily but she's so willing to forgive and enjoy the time they have together.
Luke and Emily were truly perfect together and my heart hurts for the time they had to spend apart. It was obvious from the beginning how much they still cared for each other and how strong their attraction still was. Luke and Emily had a lot to work through and I loved going on this journey with them.
Content Warning: Emily has cancer and is undergoing treatment; Luke has PTSD
tracemus's review
4.0
This was a good book. The story was great, as were the relationships within the book. I'm not a fan of the romantic scenes, but other than that it was good.
tracemus's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good book. The story was great, as were the relationships within the book. I'm not a fan of the romantic scenes, but other than that it was good.
mildy_lozza's review against another edition
I’m going to assume this is one of these books where you really need to have read the books before. Bummer!
clak5686's review
5.0
This is the fifth and final book in the series. It was a great ride to the conclusion of this series. As each book ends, you are more interested in the conclusion of Luke & Emily's story. Luke left Emily and Rayne 20 years ago because he did not trust himself not to hurt them. He never stopped loving Emily. Emily has always loved Luke but there has been so much pain in their past. The series concludes with the final showdown between Luke and Tehrazzi. At this point, Luke really doesn't care if he dies. But, he needs to end Tehrazzi. Luke goes to see Emily to convince her to come to Beirut with him. He's concerned that Tehrazzi will come after her. He believes in the fortified home of Bryn's deceased father with the team he's assembled that he can protect her. What he finds levels him. Emily has cancer. She tells him she can't/won't go. He makes arrangements for Dr. Neveah Adams and medic, Ben Sinclair, to provide her chemo. Luke tells Emily that she must fight the cancer and that she must go so he can keep her safe. The time they share in Beirut is very difficult. Luke loves her and wants a chance at absolution and to spend the rest of his life with her. However, he is careful not to make promises because he knows that it is likely he will die. They spend the night together before he leaves. When Emily awakens she finds he left her the St. Christopher medal she had given him and that he always wore. She knows that he expects to die on the mission. Emily goes to church to light a candle for him and is taken hostage by Tehrazzi. Luke goes after Emily. Both Luke and Emily are willing to die to save the other. It was a great finale for the series. It was humbling to watch Luke when it was all over.
gerireads's review
5.0
5+++ stars!
One of the best romantic suspense book I've read in a long, long time! This book has everything; a beautiful love story, intense action, friendship, hot sex, the feels...everything.
Luke Hutchinson, a legendary CIA operative, walked away from the only woman he ever loved and his young son after an incident which convinced him he wasn't good enough for them. So he walked out, leaving Em and his son Rayne behind and for two decades he stayed away. Until a threat from his past threatened the woman he loved.
Emily felt the sting of Luke's betrayal to her core. She raised their son alone but she never got over her husband. She managed to content herself with her life in Charleston untilcancer came knocking on her door forcing her to confront her own mortality and the fact that she may never get a chance at happiness--specifically happiness with Luke again.
With both of these threats hanging over their heads Luke and Em found themselves racing against time. Though it's quite obvious that they still loved each other, years of being apart had both hurt them and it wasn't easy to let go of the pain and guilt between them.
I have to be honest, this book wasn't easy for me to read. It dealt with some very serious stuff. Stuff that I don't normally like to read in my books because it usually destroys me. Although I do love to have a good cry every now and then, there are certain subject matter that's just too difficult for me. And the thing that Em dealt with in this book and the uncertainty that goes with it was almost too much for me. But as my friend Baba said to me when I lamented how the ending of this story might destroy me, this story is a hopeful one. And after I finished it, I agreed with her. And I should say, I'm glad Ms. Cross chose to end it that way because if it had ended another way, it wouldn't be as believable anymore.
That said, there are plenty of elements that made this a brilliant romantic suspense book, in my opinion. First, the balance between the suspense side and the romance side. Both elements are gripping in its intensity and flowed seamlessly together. Sometimes when you read a romantic suspense, it's either there's too much romance and not enough suspense or there's too much suspense and not enough romance. But here, Kaylea Cross did a brilliant job at balance the romantic elements with the suspense.
Second; Luke and Emily, and the other characters in general including the bad guy. Gosh, in a time where the market is saturated with NA/YA with their 18 to 20 something MCs, it is refreshing to read a book that has a 50 year old hero and a not much younger heroine in it. These guys have truly lived and it showed. And guess what? Older MCs are sexy as hell, and these two are combustible together. Whew! The sex scenes were some of the best I've read in a while. I am primarily romance reader, so I've read plenty of sex scenes that sometimes I tend to skim through them coz they're pretty much the same nowadays. But with this one, I had to read everything because there was so much emotion built into these sex scenes, I didn't want to miss a thing.
And since this romantic suspense, let's not forget that there is a real bad guy here. A sinister one bent on destroying Luke and everyone he loves. And yes, he is the bad guy but he is not a caricature of all other bad guys out there who just like to blow up things. That's what made him scary. He wasn't some two-dimensional monster. He had layers and layers to his lunacy that I actually understood him. I didn't agree with him of course,but heck if I didn't cry when he drew his last breath and plaintively asked Luke to stay with him. I don't cry over bad guys ever! EVER. But I cried over this bad guy. Shit. I didn't like that but what the heck. Whether it's out of pity or not, I say, Ms. Cross did a brilliant job.
Third, the friendship, specifically the bond that the women shared with each other. This was the last book in the series, so all the MCs from the previous books made an appearance here and considering I read this series backwards, starting with this one, I haven't really "met" most of these women before. But it didn't matter because, again, Ms. Cross did a brilliant job at capturing the anxiety that each of these women go through every time their partners are on the field, never knowing if they'd come back alive or in a body bag. And the way they bonded with each other was just wonderful to read.
This is definitely one book I will not soon forget. It deserves more than 5 stars and rest assured, this book won't be my last read from this author! Thank you, Ms. Kaylea Cross for that exhilarating ride.
One of the best romantic suspense book I've read in a long, long time! This book has everything; a beautiful love story, intense action, friendship, hot sex, the feels...everything.
Luke Hutchinson, a legendary CIA operative, walked away from the only woman he ever loved and his young son after an incident which convinced him he wasn't good enough for them. So he walked out, leaving Em and his son Rayne behind and for two decades he stayed away. Until a threat from his past threatened the woman he loved.
Emily felt the sting of Luke's betrayal to her core. She raised their son alone but she never got over her husband. She managed to content herself with her life in Charleston until
With both of these threats hanging over their heads Luke and Em found themselves racing against time. Though it's quite obvious that they still loved each other, years of being apart had both hurt them and it wasn't easy to let go of the pain and guilt between them.
I have to be honest, this book wasn't easy for me to read. It dealt with some very serious stuff. Stuff that I don't normally like to read in my books because it usually destroys me. Although I do love to have a good cry every now and then, there are certain subject matter that's just too difficult for me. And the thing that Em dealt with in this book and the uncertainty that goes with it was almost too much for me. But as my friend Baba said to me when I lamented how the ending of this story might destroy me, this story is a hopeful one. And after I finished it, I agreed with her. And I should say, I'm glad Ms. Cross chose to end it that way because if it had ended another way, it wouldn't be as believable anymore.
That said, there are plenty of elements that made this a brilliant romantic suspense book, in my opinion. First, the balance between the suspense side and the romance side. Both elements are gripping in its intensity and flowed seamlessly together. Sometimes when you read a romantic suspense, it's either there's too much romance and not enough suspense or there's too much suspense and not enough romance. But here, Kaylea Cross did a brilliant job at balance the romantic elements with the suspense.
Second; Luke and Emily, and the other characters in general including the bad guy. Gosh, in a time where the market is saturated with NA/YA with their 18 to 20 something MCs, it is refreshing to read a book that has a 50 year old hero and a not much younger heroine in it. These guys have truly lived and it showed. And guess what? Older MCs are sexy as hell, and these two are combustible together. Whew! The sex scenes were some of the best I've read in a while. I am primarily romance reader, so I've read plenty of sex scenes that sometimes I tend to skim through them coz they're pretty much the same nowadays. But with this one, I had to read everything because there was so much emotion built into these sex scenes, I didn't want to miss a thing.
And since this romantic suspense, let's not forget that there is a real bad guy here. A sinister one bent on destroying Luke and everyone he loves. And yes, he is the bad guy but he is not a caricature of all other bad guys out there who just like to blow up things. That's what made him scary. He wasn't some two-dimensional monster. He had layers and layers to his lunacy that I actually understood him. I didn't agree with him of course,
Third, the friendship, specifically the bond that the women shared with each other. This was the last book in the series, so all the MCs from the previous books made an appearance here and considering I read this series backwards, starting with this one, I haven't really "met" most of these women before. But it didn't matter because, again, Ms. Cross did a brilliant job at capturing the anxiety that each of these women go through every time their partners are on the field, never knowing if they'd come back alive or in a body bag. And the way they bonded with each other was just wonderful to read.
This is definitely one book I will not soon forget. It deserves more than 5 stars and rest assured, this book won't be my last read from this author! Thank you, Ms. Kaylea Cross for that exhilarating ride.
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