Maria Luis

One of the best of 2019

I love this author. Every book is a delightful journey. Her stories are the perfect balance of humor and depth. Her characters always grow in the books. This was certainly the case in this book. Aspen and Dominic were the perfect yin and yang. They both had baggage but they were able to tear down those walls with each other. There were laughs. There was chemistry. There were vulnerable moments. There was Topher who might be my favorite kid ever. There was steam-- sweet show more Lord was that steam steamy. There was a dirty talking mouth. There was snarky sarcasm. Basically, there was a little of everything.

In a nutshell, this author, and this book, are the reasons I love to read. It made me feel good. It made me like football (fun fact, I abhor football). I cannot recommend this author of book enough. Every book she writes is amazing. This book though might be my favorite.

I cannot wait for the next book. show less

Holy cow.

I was right to assume that the reason it took longer to get invested in the previous book, Road to Fire, was because this author was world-building and setting up the backstory that would run through this series. I have to say that it paid off because this book had me from the start and didn't let go until the very end.

The suspense, the epic characters, the storyline, the mystery, the chemistry, the intrigue, and the steam (good LORD the steam was on a whole other level in this show more book), made this story excel even more than the first one and even more than any expectations that I might have had going into this story. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with Damien and Rowena the way that I did but good lord, I fell and then some.

Each of these characters was dynamic in their own right but together they were unstoppable. I loved seeing them both offer something to the other that nobody else in the world had been able to do. I liked seeing the hope and growth in the characters. And again, the steam? Yeah, I almost needed to say umpteen Hail Mary's to save my soul because the first scene was one of the hottest I have ever read.

I am looking forward to whatever this author decides to do and see what she has in store. I know this book was just released but I already need more. One of my favorites for 2020 and from this author period. show less

This was cute read and Aspen had me laughing. She was strong willed even when she didn't think she could be. Dom was everything and at first he has a chip on his shoulder but Aspen quickly puts him in his place and helps realize he needs the town and its people to ground him. They were a great pair and I wanted to punch her ex husband so much. I really enjoyed this book.

4.4 stars

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I saw the blurb for this book. All I knew was that this author wrote it and I was all in. I was right to jump into the story because it was riveting. It is very different than this author's previous books that I have read. For her first foray into a darker more political world, she did a great job.

The book starts a little slow, however, I think that was due to the fact that she needed to set up the world-building and premise of the story. show more This book felt very reminiscent of a mixture of James Bond/MI6 and Mission Impossible. Only without the gadgets. There was a lot of action and I mean A LOT. At times that was hard to follow because there are a lot of details here and things at play. In this case, it, both, helped and hindered the story for me. I struggled with who were they protecting and what side they were on. At times, the animosity even toward family was confusing as well.

A little over halfway into the story I was all aboard. I fell in love with these characters. Isla and Saxon were sublime. Truly. They were fire and ice and on two opposing sides. I loved the author pitted them the way that she did. Love shouldn't have a chance when being loyal is the life you are born into. Yet, the heart cannot be controlled in matters of love. Watching these two was painful and it was poignant.

The book sets up the next book very well and I look forward to that. I enjoyed reading how this idea came about and seeing where she intends to take the story next. It definitely made me think, "what if?" in regards to the idea of how things would have been different had a major historical event gone a different direction. These days, in this country, I would almost welcome that. I highly recommend the story to readers that like political intrigue, suspense, and a love that defies the odds. show less