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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
WOWZA!
So many beautiful men packed into one, really awesome book.
There was a whole lot more to this one than I was expecting. Romance, heartbreak, terror and some really hot sex too. So much happened - I'm still in a bit of shock from it all.
Looking forward to the rest of this series!
So many beautiful men packed into one, really awesome book.
There was a whole lot more to this one than I was expecting. Romance, heartbreak, terror and some really hot sex too. So much happened - I'm still in a bit of shock from it all.
Looking forward to the rest of this series!
I have had this series on my tbr for quite a while now and just haven't gotten around to it. I was excited to start this series seeing all the 4-5 star reviews out there. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority but these two MC's got on my nerves for most of the book. Yes, I felt terrible for what has happened to Izzy - she has had a terrible life. However, for most of the book this adult acted like a teenager. Not willing to talk, drinking, deciding while drunk to run off and get a tattoo and hiding from those that she needs to talk to. I also had an issue with Axel and his reaction to Izzy for most of the book. At least until Izzy decides to put on her big girl panties and actually talk to him so he has a clue about what really happened all those years ago but - dude clue in - your friend just asked you and the team for help with a woman who has been .
I actually enjoyed the rest of the characters more than these two MC's. Sway was hilarious. So even though I'm not a gushing fan girl over book 1 - I am looking forward to Cage's book.
Spoiler
I also don't understand how after Izzy is beaten within almost an inch of her life she did not attempt to get some sort of self defense training - not sure is she went for any psychological help either - I just may not be remembering it. Nor did her two 'besties' Cage and Dee attempt to get her into self defense training. Ummm - you're attacker is still out there and they don't usually go away until you're dead.Spoiler
brutalized by her ex-husband - what don't you get about that scenario if you are in the security business. Then you scream and rage - pretty much like the ex did to her - wow dude you are brilliant. I wouldn't have wanted to be around you at all either and I have no abuse in my past.I actually enjoyed the rest of the characters more than these two MC's. Sway was hilarious. So even though I'm not a gushing fan girl over book 1 - I am looking forward to Cage's book.
4.5; Review to come!
Why have I just NOW started this series ... so behind in the game!
Why have I just NOW started this series ... so behind in the game!
4.5; Review to come!
Why have I just NOW started this series ... so behind in the game!
Why have I just NOW started this series ... so behind in the game!
Ok. So, every freaking female with a pulse is going to use every cliche and analogy to talk about Axel, so I'm going to resist talking about that fine fine man (actually he's part of a fine fine pack of men) and the amazing things that come out of his mouth and I'm going to take about [a:Harper Sloan|7122060|Harper Sloan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1371059475p2/7122060.jpg] and the awesome book she wrote!
I'm not one to enjoy a bunch of that stupid formula generated love push/pull miscommunication or he said/she said because it is so overdone. Any time I find an author that can pull off a story without it, I'm a fan. Well, this was the most heart wrenching tale of non-communication followed by miscommunication that I've ever read. The only thing that kept me from crying was the fact that Axel and Izzy are sassy, as are the rest of the characters...all the way down to Sway! That's how I like it...hot, funny, heart wrenching and with an ending that I was holding my breath for!
You. Must. Read. This. Book.
I'm not one to enjoy a bunch of that stupid formula generated love push/pull miscommunication or he said/she said because it is so overdone. Any time I find an author that can pull off a story without it, I'm a fan. Well, this was the most heart wrenching tale of non-communication followed by miscommunication that I've ever read. The only thing that kept me from crying was the fact that Axel and Izzy are sassy, as are the rest of the characters...all the way down to Sway! That's how I like it...hot, funny, heart wrenching and with an ending that I was holding my breath for!
You. Must. Read. This. Book.
Standalone but part of a series with repeating characters.
Isabelle was convinced that everything she every loved is always taken away from her. Izzy needs help to escape an abusive husband and Axel comes to the rescue. Big misunderstanding between Axel and Isabelle is a huge part of the book and they are not mature enough to talk it out. That really irritated me. Plot wasn’t very original. I hated the way that Axel talked (never used pronouns) and Greg constantly called Isabelle “Baby Girl”, which made her appear weak and like she was 12.
Isabelle was convinced that everything she every loved is always taken away from her. Izzy needs help to escape an abusive husband and Axel comes to the rescue. Big misunderstanding between Axel and Isabelle is a huge part of the book and they are not mature enough to talk it out. That really irritated me. Plot wasn’t very original. I hated the way that Axel talked (never used pronouns) and Greg constantly called Isabelle “Baby Girl”, which made her appear weak and like she was 12.
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i wouldn’t remember this book or recommend it but it’s fast paced and kinda interesting w a v basic ml
Some of the phrasing doesn't come across well in audio and there is still one aspect of this book that has annoyed me from the start. Why couldn't Axel or his PI find her? She wasn't in hiding, he knew her parents and her parents last names, it's a simple records search to find out the mother's maiden name and Izzy should have had school enrollment, work history or something that should have been easy to track. Otherwise, I still like this story, Greg and Dee are fantastic and all of the Corp guys are fun to read. I think Axel was a dick when he first connects with Izzy again, but he does a decent job of atoning by the end.
This is a really hard review for me to write. When I first discovered this book I was extremely excited. It had a hot cover and a great blurb. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of it….er…a copy of it on my kindle. Once it came out, I couldn’t wait to start it.
I wanted to love this book, and part of me did love it. But I also hated it. Not everything about it, just parts…like Izzy…Dee…Greg…Brandon…Axel’s “so called friends”. With friends like them, who needs enemies!? Everyone turned their back on him like he was a monster…like he was responsible for every bad thing that had happened to Izzy. And I hated that. (In case you haven’t figured it out, I loved Axel.) Plus, everyone kept referencing information that Axel wasn’t privy to. Then they would say it’s not their story to tell. But they still blamed him. How’s he supposed to react or even act, when he doesn’t have all the information?!
“you need to watch your mouth and what you say about Iz. Until you know what’s going on, you have no room to say anything. Not one damn thing.”
I know some people had issues with Axel, but I loved him. I had no problems with the way he acted. I completely understood his anger. He was justified in his feelings. As far as he knew, she walked away from him… ditched him after he joined the military. She moved on. He has a right to be angry.
I felt bad for Izzy. She went through some horrible things and I’m sorry for that, but the way she acted toward Axel completely pissed me off. At times Izzy was stupid, immature and played stupid high school games. And the friends were overbearing and bandwagon people She seemed to give everyone puppy dog eyes and they were instantly on her side. Even people that had never met her before and were longtime friends with Axel. I really hated Dee. I understood that she was trying to be a good friend, but my only thought as I was reading was, I wouldn’t want her as a friend. She kept sticking her nose into places it didn’t belong…causing more problems. She had all the information. I get that she wasn’t going to tell Izzy’s story but she shouldn’t have passed judgment on Axel when she knew he had no idea what happened to Izzy. She should have at least told Axel that Izzy had thought he was dead all these years. Then maybe he would have backed down with his attitude. Everyone acted like he was the reason her life fell apart. Like he’s the one that caused her miscarriage and beat her within an inch of her life. Sorry, as you can see, this was a big issue for me.
Aside from the friend issues, my biggest complaint for the book was the amount of time it took Izzy to finally talk to Axel. She thought he was dead but she acted like he walked away from her. And she even bounced between those thoughts in one paragraph. She started out by saying she had thought he was dead all these years…to he walked away…back to she thought he was dead. How is he to blame for not knowing what was going on when she thought he was dead? Anyway, there were many times that I was yelling at Izzy and Axel to finally talk. It was left a little too long for me.
Another issue I had was in regards to Izzy’s safety. For some that was scared of her ex-husband, she was an idiot when it came to her safety. After she ended up in the hospital, Axel wanted to protect her but she ran from him. And Maddox irritated me by taking her in. I could see that Axel was freaked out about her getting hurt when all of them were at her house and he wanted to protect her. But she ran from him and his friend helped. I was yelling at the friends to stop getting between Axel and Izzy. I was tired of the secrets and avoidance.
I was also worried about Greg. There were times when I got the feeling that he was going to be a love interest for Izzy. And that would have been fine…if Axel wasn’t around. And since it took so long into the book for Axel to reappear, (if I hadn’t known it was his book), I would have thought Greg was going to be the hero of the book. I was really happy to see that he wasn’t a third angle of a love triangle. That is probably one of my least favorite plot devices in books.
I'm giving it 4 because the story wasn't bad and I loved Axel. It was a good first attempt. And I give her a lot of credit for writing it & publishing it. The plot got swallowed up a bit and it felt like she was trying to juggle getting them together, them talking and the stalker ex. It worked in theory but the execution was a little off. But overall, this was a very good first novel and I will definitely read more from Harper Sloan.
Check out my joint review with Nikki!
I wanted to love this book, and part of me did love it. But I also hated it. Not everything about it, just parts…like Izzy…Dee…Greg…Brandon…Axel’s “so called friends”. With friends like them, who needs enemies!? Everyone turned their back on him like he was a monster…like he was responsible for every bad thing that had happened to Izzy. And I hated that. (In case you haven’t figured it out, I loved Axel.) Plus, everyone kept referencing information that Axel wasn’t privy to. Then they would say it’s not their story to tell. But they still blamed him. How’s he supposed to react or even act, when he doesn’t have all the information?!
“you need to watch your mouth and what you say about Iz. Until you know what’s going on, you have no room to say anything. Not one damn thing.”
I know some people had issues with Axel, but I loved him. I had no problems with the way he acted. I completely understood his anger. He was justified in his feelings. As far as he knew, she walked away from him… ditched him after he joined the military. She moved on. He has a right to be angry.
I felt bad for Izzy. She went through some horrible things and I’m sorry for that, but the way she acted toward Axel completely pissed me off. At times Izzy was stupid, immature and played stupid high school games. And the friends were overbearing and bandwagon people She seemed to give everyone puppy dog eyes and they were instantly on her side. Even people that had never met her before and were longtime friends with Axel. I really hated Dee. I understood that she was trying to be a good friend, but my only thought as I was reading was, I wouldn’t want her as a friend. She kept sticking her nose into places it didn’t belong…causing more problems. She had all the information. I get that she wasn’t going to tell Izzy’s story but she shouldn’t have passed judgment on Axel when she knew he had no idea what happened to Izzy. She should have at least told Axel that Izzy had thought he was dead all these years. Then maybe he would have backed down with his attitude. Everyone acted like he was the reason her life fell apart. Like he’s the one that caused her miscarriage and beat her within an inch of her life. Sorry, as you can see, this was a big issue for me.
Aside from the friend issues, my biggest complaint for the book was the amount of time it took Izzy to finally talk to Axel. She thought he was dead but she acted like he walked away from her. And she even bounced between those thoughts in one paragraph. She started out by saying she had thought he was dead all these years…to he walked away…back to she thought he was dead. How is he to blame for not knowing what was going on when she thought he was dead? Anyway, there were many times that I was yelling at Izzy and Axel to finally talk. It was left a little too long for me.
Another issue I had was in regards to Izzy’s safety. For some that was scared of her ex-husband, she was an idiot when it came to her safety. After she ended up in the hospital, Axel wanted to protect her but she ran from him. And Maddox irritated me by taking her in. I could see that Axel was freaked out about her getting hurt when all of them were at her house and he wanted to protect her. But she ran from him and his friend helped. I was yelling at the friends to stop getting between Axel and Izzy. I was tired of the secrets and avoidance.
I was also worried about Greg. There were times when I got the feeling that he was going to be a love interest for Izzy. And that would have been fine…if Axel wasn’t around. And since it took so long into the book for Axel to reappear, (if I hadn’t known it was his book), I would have thought Greg was going to be the hero of the book. I was really happy to see that he wasn’t a third angle of a love triangle. That is probably one of my least favorite plot devices in books.
I'm giving it 4 because the story wasn't bad and I loved Axel. It was a good first attempt. And I give her a lot of credit for writing it & publishing it. The plot got swallowed up a bit and it felt like she was trying to juggle getting them together, them talking and the stalker ex. It worked in theory but the execution was a little off. But overall, this was a very good first novel and I will definitely read more from Harper Sloan.
Check out my joint review with Nikki!
3.5 stars.
I'd like to start by saying I fucking HATED Izzy. I'm sympathetic to people with depression because I've grown up around it and can totally understand what that does to people, my issue is that I cannot stand someone who complains but refuses to help themselves. I'm unsure if she went to a shrink for two years or six months (was the time jump two years or the six months since she filed for divorce, and if the first why'd she take a year and a half to file?) but either way, after a 6 or 7 year abusive marriage that nearly killed you, that's not long enough. Especially if you're still drinking away your sorrows and purposefully hide away from people and shut down and act like that's an okay thing? I say that because she's always like oh Dee and G know I'm like this and to just drop it when I'm in a funk. What? How are they still your friends if you know it enough meaning you've done it many many times... Gawd.
And once again in a romance book, everything is solved with the C word. COMMUNICATION. Do they do it? Hell no hey don't! Because then their lives would be easy!
My last issue was some of the language I guess you'd say... Certain things didn't read well in my head, or he was always saying this one word I now forget but I irked me. The sex scenes talking made me uncomfortable because it didn't feel real to me at times, and reactions (like when she tells him about the miscarriage) felt super super dramatised. I liked his reaction on the dock. His shock and stuff, but the no no baby no stuff was like huh? Also, how has she never gone on medication for anxiety or depression? Just reading her anxiety made me anxious (so kudos for that it was done well).
So it sounds like I'm shitting on it, but I was somewhere between liking it and REALLY liking it, I just think Izzy and the crazily over dramatic ex husband who spoke in a REALLY unrealistic kind of way (how I pictured him from the descriptive words used whenever he was screaming and yelling didn't quite fit what was happening or being said so it's my issue, but still) brought it down for me a little. Love G & Maddox. Maybe even Beck but he has a dick card by his name too so we will see.
I'd like to start by saying I fucking HATED Izzy. I'm sympathetic to people with depression because I've grown up around it and can totally understand what that does to people, my issue is that I cannot stand someone who complains but refuses to help themselves. I'm unsure if she went to a shrink for two years or six months (was the time jump two years or the six months since she filed for divorce, and if the first why'd she take a year and a half to file?) but either way, after a 6 or 7 year abusive marriage that nearly killed you, that's not long enough. Especially if you're still drinking away your sorrows and purposefully hide away from people and shut down and act like that's an okay thing? I say that because she's always like oh Dee and G know I'm like this and to just drop it when I'm in a funk. What? How are they still your friends if you know it enough meaning you've done it many many times... Gawd.
And once again in a romance book, everything is solved with the C word. COMMUNICATION. Do they do it? Hell no hey don't! Because then their lives would be easy!
My last issue was some of the language I guess you'd say... Certain things didn't read well in my head, or he was always saying this one word I now forget but I irked me. The sex scenes talking made me uncomfortable because it didn't feel real to me at times, and reactions (like when she tells him about the miscarriage) felt super super dramatised. I liked his reaction on the dock. His shock and stuff, but the no no baby no stuff was like huh? Also, how has she never gone on medication for anxiety or depression? Just reading her anxiety made me anxious (so kudos for that it was done well).
So it sounds like I'm shitting on it, but I was somewhere between liking it and REALLY liking it, I just think Izzy and the crazily over dramatic ex husband who spoke in a REALLY unrealistic kind of way (how I pictured him from the descriptive words used whenever he was screaming and yelling didn't quite fit what was happening or being said so it's my issue, but still) brought it down for me a little. Love G & Maddox. Maybe even Beck but he has a dick card by his name too so we will see.