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ava_mussell's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rebeeps's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
beckyrendon's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
These aren't tears, I got smoke in my eyes. What smoke hurts, hence crying. Not tears. Just something in my eye...
Okay, so let me start with the comment that the blurb itself is hot in the absolute protective vibe it exudes. I got giddy with anticipated alpha hotness just reading the blurb. So let me tell you my post-read reaction: Smokin'. Jude is a smokin' hot, broody alpha. The man's heart is wrapped in a cloak of darkness and terror. One night changed his world and his nightmares constantly remind him of his flaws. His failure.
But the saying is: one man's failure is another's hero, right? No, well it should be. But heroes are for fairytales right, real life doesn't happen that way...
If you ask Rhion, real life is stranger than fiction. But she finds fiction far more entertaining because her life is a sad tale. Rhion lives in an unconventional way. She would tell you her life started and stopped that night. She would tell you that Jude is Jude. She would mean every word of her story too. Does that make it true?
One side blames, one side honors. Which side of the story is true?
I have to say that Aly Martinez throws a wicked fast curveball. And she throws it while your facing a different direction. I was caught off guard and unaware. I knew shady stuff was probably going down, but wow was that out of left field. Singe just made me love her more. I may have started stalking the author once I read Retrieval. (Harmless Facebook stalking. I haven't upgraded/escalated yet. No police involvement. Guardian has not yet been hired.) So I may not be the best judge of character, but writing that I can judge. This woman has talent in spades. Her characters and story line suck you in faster that a car accident on the highway (don't even pretend you don't watch the clean up whether in horror or sympathy). Just like that car wreck, you are helpless to stop and nothing you do will change the outcome but you are still praying for a happy ending. So my twisted metaphor aside, this is a book to read. Just watch your back, Apollo is lurking there somewhere.
reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
These aren't tears, I got smoke in my eyes. What smoke hurts, hence crying. Not tears. Just something in my eye...
Okay, so let me start with the comment that the blurb itself is hot in the absolute protective vibe it exudes. I got giddy with anticipated alpha hotness just reading the blurb. So let me tell you my post-read reaction: Smokin'. Jude is a smokin' hot, broody alpha. The man's heart is wrapped in a cloak of darkness and terror. One night changed his world and his nightmares constantly remind him of his flaws. His failure.
But the saying is: one man's failure is another's hero, right? No, well it should be. But heroes are for fairytales right, real life doesn't happen that way...
If you ask Rhion, real life is stranger than fiction. But she finds fiction far more entertaining because her life is a sad tale. Rhion lives in an unconventional way. She would tell you her life started and stopped that night. She would tell you that Jude is Jude. She would mean every word of her story too. Does that make it true?
One side blames, one side honors. Which side of the story is true?
I have to say that Aly Martinez throws a wicked fast curveball. And she throws it while your facing a different direction. I was caught off guard and unaware. I knew shady stuff was probably going down, but wow was that out of left field. Singe just made me love her more. I may have started stalking the author once I read Retrieval. (Harmless Facebook stalking. I haven't upgraded/escalated yet. No police involvement. Guardian has not yet been hired.) So I may not be the best judge of character, but writing that I can judge. This woman has talent in spades. Her characters and story line suck you in faster that a car accident on the highway (don't even pretend you don't watch the clean up whether in horror or sympathy). Just like that car wreck, you are helpless to stop and nothing you do will change the outcome but you are still praying for a happy ending. So my twisted metaphor aside, this is a book to read. Just watch your back, Apollo is lurking there somewhere.
reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
labwa_0712's review against another edition
2.0
When I first read Aly Martinez's book, I was extremely impressed by her writing style. Her dialogues, her descriptions were emotional and amazing. Having said that, I did have bad experiences with her initial books that I read, especially the Wrecked and Ruined series. Her writing was awesome but the characters were ridiculous. Insta-love, bad case of alpha syndrome, and stupid, easily yielding heroines. I almost gave up on her but then I read the Regret duet. It was beautiful, with an amazing romance and great characters, with a touch of mystery. Then I read the Darkest Sunrise duet. That was the game-changer. I completely fell in love with AM's books and knew I had to continue reading them. These four books and Release are some of my favorite books. So naturally, I have high expectations from her books.
Back to this book. one word to describe it- confusing. I was totally lost. I didn't understand what was going on. Who the hell were Leo (I later realized he was a character from a book I read but didn't care about it so I forgot about him), Lark, Devon, Alex, Johnson, Aidan ( oops his name was Aidan Johnson). Such a big character dump in two pages. Then everything was so confusing. Rhion wrote books and got money from them, gave that money to her step-sister but she also wore expensive clothes and was an heiress? Was she rich or was she poor? I don't know.
So four years ago, she was in a fire when Jude saved her. Since then, she haunted him in his nightmares but he starred in her fantasies. Her hero. so when they meet, we see this immense attraction between them. How did it come about? They didn't know each other, hardly even talked. The only thing they shared was that he saved her so why was he drawn to her? I guess she would be grateful to him and projected her feelings into a romantic notion but what about him? He saved her, got fired, moved away, dreamed about her, moved back, met her, and immediately mauled her. Thats basically it. They talked with so much familiarity but I didn't get the connection between them, It was as if I missed a whole chunk of the story where they fall for each other.
Then there was some shit about her step-mother and her younger brother who's a psycho and apparently dangerous and that's when I pulled the plug. I couldn't continue anymore. I liked none of the characters. To me, secondary characters are a huge factor in a story. They help to shape and add depth to a story but here, they were just uninteresting. As for the main characters, I didn't get what Rhion was supposed to be. A quirky, talkative heroine or a scared, traumatized, and quiet one? She was a confusing one. And then there was Jude. He acted like he cared and loved her so much when the truth was he hardly knew her.
At this point, I don't care what happens. The writing is awesome as usual, with great dialogues but this isn't for me. I realized I have a hate-love relationship with AM's books. Fingers crossed for her next one.
Back to this book. one word to describe it- confusing. I was totally lost. I didn't understand what was going on. Who the hell were Leo (I later realized he was a character from a book I read but didn't care about it so I forgot about him), Lark, Devon, Alex, Johnson, Aidan ( oops his name was Aidan Johnson). Such a big character dump in two pages. Then everything was so confusing. Rhion wrote books and got money from them, gave that money to her step-sister but she also wore expensive clothes and was an heiress? Was she rich or was she poor? I don't know.
So four years ago, she was in a fire when Jude saved her. Since then, she haunted him in his nightmares but he starred in her fantasies. Her hero. so when they meet, we see this immense attraction between them. How did it come about? They didn't know each other, hardly even talked. The only thing they shared was that he saved her so why was he drawn to her? I guess she would be grateful to him and projected her feelings into a romantic notion but what about him? He saved her, got fired, moved away, dreamed about her, moved back, met her, and immediately mauled her. Thats basically it. They talked with so much familiarity but I didn't get the connection between them, It was as if I missed a whole chunk of the story where they fall for each other.
Then there was some shit about her step-mother and her younger brother who's a psycho and apparently dangerous and that's when I pulled the plug. I couldn't continue anymore. I liked none of the characters. To me, secondary characters are a huge factor in a story. They help to shape and add depth to a story but here, they were just uninteresting. As for the main characters, I didn't get what Rhion was supposed to be. A quirky, talkative heroine or a scared, traumatized, and quiet one? She was a confusing one. And then there was Jude. He acted like he cared and loved her so much when the truth was he hardly knew her.
At this point, I don't care what happens. The writing is awesome as usual, with great dialogues but this isn't for me. I realized I have a hate-love relationship with AM's books. Fingers crossed for her next one.
kate_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
Just hit the 3 star mark. I was confused by this book at the beginning trying to figure the plot out. Not Ms. Martinez's best work IMO. I liked it but it is missing something. I consider it to be me and not the book.
scvallese1's review against another edition
5.0
What a different read! I thoroughly loved this book!
Rhion was such a strong character, and I felt as if Jude was flawed in such an honest way. The plot had a unique twist that kept me thinking and revising predictions, while still maintaining a romance feel.
Ok, and the biggest perk was that many characters from Ms. Martinez's other books were side characters or made cameos. I loved that!!
I highly recommend!
Rhion was such a strong character, and I felt as if Jude was flawed in such an honest way. The plot had a unique twist that kept me thinking and revising predictions, while still maintaining a romance feel.
Ok, and the biggest perk was that many characters from Ms. Martinez's other books were side characters or made cameos. I loved that!!
I highly recommend!
mccorbin's review against another edition
5.0
And she does it again! Seriously, so, so, good. It was possibly everything I wanted and more in a book and I devoured it within days. I just couldn't get enough of Jude and Rhion. I couldn’t get enough of the secondary characters; all of those men that Jude works with seem insanely wonderful. I can’t wait to read more about them.
Jude meets Rhion in an unfortunate event. While responding to a call, Jude drives up to a house fire where he spots a woman trapped in the upper level. Saving her doesn’t work out as planned and nightmares haunt him for years afterwards. Then while taking a job in a new city, he meets Rhion and truths are revealed.
These two characters were just as destructive as they were amazing together. Jude is an overprotective and possessive alpha male who knows what he wants and gets it. His problem is that while he wants Rhion, badly, he doesn’t feel worthy of her. Rhion is just as broken as Jude but in her own way. Stuck in constant fear, she has hired the services of Guardian Protection and finds herself in the presence of Jude, a hero from the past.
Jude is the alpha-y of the alphas and would fit perfectly in a Kristen Ashley book. Less words, more action, extreme possessiveness and this all worked for him. He was perfect! He knew how to be professional and protective when needed and he also knew how to be possessive and hot when the clock struck 5pm. (And let me just say, that scene….wowza!)
So this book is a must and to prove it, I will leave you with this… “Love rarely makes a man smile. Especially if said man is me and he has to deal with a crazy woman like you. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t burn the world down for you. Extinguish an entire species. And then place their ashes at your feet if it meant you’d smile…”
Jude meets Rhion in an unfortunate event. While responding to a call, Jude drives up to a house fire where he spots a woman trapped in the upper level. Saving her doesn’t work out as planned and nightmares haunt him for years afterwards. Then while taking a job in a new city, he meets Rhion and truths are revealed.
These two characters were just as destructive as they were amazing together. Jude is an overprotective and possessive alpha male who knows what he wants and gets it. His problem is that while he wants Rhion, badly, he doesn’t feel worthy of her. Rhion is just as broken as Jude but in her own way. Stuck in constant fear, she has hired the services of Guardian Protection and finds herself in the presence of Jude, a hero from the past.
Jude is the alpha-y of the alphas and would fit perfectly in a Kristen Ashley book. Less words, more action, extreme possessiveness and this all worked for him. He was perfect! He knew how to be professional and protective when needed and he also knew how to be possessive and hot when the clock struck 5pm. (And let me just say, that scene….wowza!)
So this book is a must and to prove it, I will leave you with this… “Love rarely makes a man smile. Especially if said man is me and he has to deal with a crazy woman like you. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t burn the world down for you. Extinguish an entire species. And then place their ashes at your feet if it meant you’d smile…”
jen286's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
4.5 stars
I loved Singe! This is one of those books where it was time to go to bed and I thought, no, one more chapter...until I was finished reading. I couldn't put it down. I loved Rhion and Jude! They were wonderful together. Oh, this was a great story.
Rhion is close with the guys at Guardian Protection Agency. She brings them breakfast and loves hanging out with them all, especially Johnson. She was so much fun. So quick on her feet and witty I loved it! She made me laugh. Even though she has a not so good past, things that might break other people, she was light and fun and sunshine. It was wonderful.
Jude is the new guy at Guardian Protection Agency, though things aren't going like he planned. For one thing Johnson seems to have it out for him for some reason. For another he runs into Rhion, a girl he shouldn't want, but can't seem to stay away from.
These two were so much fun to read. They both have had a lot to deal with in their lives, but they were perfect together. Rhion is good at hiding her fears, taking control and trying to live somewhat, but she still has issues. I loved that she wrote romances. I enjoyed watching her come up with story ideas and get a little glimpse into that world. She was so much fun. And Jude was heartbreaking to read. He puts so much on his own shoulders, tries to take everyone's pain and suffering as his own. I loved him and loved how Rhion was able to help him deal with some of his stuff. Without her I think he would have fallen into a deeper depression. He needed the kick in the butt she gave him at times. He needed her opposite view of events that had transpired in his life. He needed the positive good that is Rhion.
This story was amazing. I don't want to say too much and give it all away, so I am keeping it short and sweet, but it was a great read. There were a few times where you find something out or something happens and I was blown away. Just yelling "Yes! This is awesome!!" in my head. Loved it!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book for voluntary review consideration
4.5 stars
I loved Singe! This is one of those books where it was time to go to bed and I thought, no, one more chapter...until I was finished reading. I couldn't put it down. I loved Rhion and Jude! They were wonderful together. Oh, this was a great story.
Rhion is close with the guys at Guardian Protection Agency. She brings them breakfast and loves hanging out with them all, especially Johnson. She was so much fun. So quick on her feet and witty I loved it! She made me laugh. Even though she has a not so good past, things that might break other people, she was light and fun and sunshine. It was wonderful.
Jude is the new guy at Guardian Protection Agency, though things aren't going like he planned. For one thing Johnson seems to have it out for him for some reason. For another he runs into Rhion, a girl he shouldn't want, but can't seem to stay away from.
These two were so much fun to read. They both have had a lot to deal with in their lives, but they were perfect together. Rhion is good at hiding her fears, taking control and trying to live somewhat, but she still has issues. I loved that she wrote romances. I enjoyed watching her come up with story ideas and get a little glimpse into that world. She was so much fun. And Jude was heartbreaking to read. He puts so much on his own shoulders, tries to take everyone's pain and suffering as his own. I loved him and loved how Rhion was able to help him deal with some of his stuff. Without her I think he would have fallen into a deeper depression. He needed the kick in the butt she gave him at times. He needed her opposite view of events that had transpired in his life. He needed the positive good that is Rhion.
This story was amazing. I don't want to say too much and give it all away, so I am keeping it short and sweet, but it was a great read. There were a few times where you find something out or something happens and I was blown away. Just yelling "Yes! This is awesome!!" in my head. Loved it!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book for voluntary review consideration