Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros

Three knocks can change everything…

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart. 

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.

 

I do a re-read with my favorite books and this is my first book narrated by Carly Robins. I’m spoiled with duel POV’s narrations. I would love to have listened to Josh’s POV, but Carly did a good job. You can sense her emotions completely. There are some dramatic points during the read and oh boy you felt for her. You can feel Ember through Carly and it just made the audio listening experience better.

5 Endearing Stars

Reading Full Measures was like finding a lost gem in a sea of stones. It was light, but sad, amazing and not what I expected

On Ember’s twentieth birthday she lost her Dad and her world was turned upside down. Her mom is too distraught to function, her younger teenager sister is rebelling like crazy and her seven year old brother needs someone to take care of him. Despite Ember’s pain, she steps up to take care of her family. It’s not easy for Ember to take on her Mom and Dad’s shoes, she’s still in school, still has friends and still has a boyfriend, but Josh Walker, Ember’s old high school crush, seems to always be there to help her when she’s having a rough day

Oh MY GOD, I LOVE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, yet STRONG Heroine story line!

Ember

I adore Ember. She’s not your typical Heroine. When she finds out her dad dies, you just FEEL FOR HER! You want to wrap her in your arms and tell her that everything is going to be okay. Ember is just heart-broken, but she keeps herself together for the sake of the family. Her brother wants her to get a cake for her birthday and so Ember goes to the store and buys cake. She forgets her wallet and Josh is there to pay for her.

Josh

I really liked Josh. Full Measures is told from Ember’s POV, but Josh has the perfect balance of Hero, Jerk and Cave-man tendencies. I didn’t want him to be super perfect and he wasn’t. He is just so sweet and caring and is always there for Ember.

Overall

Towards the second half of the book, it shifts and it everything just gets super intense. I was going through so many emotions, but in a very good way. I couldn’t get enough and I needed to see how everything was going to play out!

I LOVE the way Full Measures was written because there were NO FLASHBACKS! I got the story from start to finish and I was emotional from start to finish. I also loved the pace. There’s a lot that happens in Full Measures and a lot of character development. As Ember struggles to take care of her family, she slowly grows and starts finding herself too.

I even love the side characters. I loved reading the Mom’s pain, the brother’s adorableness and even her sister who was always annoying, but was addictive to read about. I think Full Measures worked out so well for me because Yarros made it believable and emotional. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was reading Ember’s dynamics. I felt the chemistry and banter between Josh and Ember and it was perfect!

THIS IS A MUST READ!

Audio Questions

If you could sum up Full Measures in three words, what would they be?

Emotional, Tear-jerker, Endearing

What did you like best about this story?

Josh Walker! I love the Hero. Sometimes you want to fall for the nice guy, the guy that is always there, and the guy that can bring a smile to your face. Yarros created such a sexy, yet lovable Hero. I couldn’t get enough of him. I loved how he was always there for Ember, but he didn’t let Ember jerk him around. He had this crazy balance of sweet and sexy confident male.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the beginning. I loved reading Ember’s emotions while she found out her father died. You just feel for her. You feel her pain, her emotions and even confusion. I love how Josh and Ember first meet and she didn’t have money to buy her own birthday cake! I was so sad and cute at the same time. I loved it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Overall, it was a moving book. I think Josh and Ember’s dynamics were pretty intense, which makes sense because they re-met under a stressful situation.  I loved how put together the book was. Every scene and every moment was there for a reason. I liked how the beginning kind of connected with the ending. Totally blew my mind. It was perfect.

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years, and they’re currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado. 

http://www.rebeccaelizabethyarros.com

AMAZON

Captured by Jasinda Wilder

Captured by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS STARS!!!!

I love Jasinda and Jack!!!!!! I want to slap myself in the face for waiting FOREVER to read Captured

I will be honest. I was scared. Yes, I was scared that I was going to be disappointed and cry my eyes out. Well I cried, but not what you think.

I credit bloody emotional cried because it was just so good!!!!

Captured is part of Wounded (although not linked). You do not need to read Wounded to read Captured, but there are characters from Wounded (kind of like a mini cameo) that pop in. This is also my second novel by Jack and I loved Missionary.

I was never really a fan of military books, but these reads are changing my mind!

The summary doesn’t really tell you what happens so if you want a little more, then read my version, if not, skip to my overall thoughts and opinions.

Summary

Reegan is a military wife. She married young and her husband is back on tour overseas. Derek is overseas with Reegan’s husband and both men are CAPTURED! Oh what is there to do?! Reegan is gasp pregnant and now she faces …. Being alone?

My Emotions

I loved Captured from start to finish. It was dark, gritty, emotional, raw and overall exactly what I needed and was looking for.

You will cry, you will be a bloody mess and it will melt your heart and soul… Promise!

I loved Reegan, she’s a strong independent woman raising a baby on her own. I know, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I love those mamas and babies. I 100% understood her character, her struggles and pain. You wanted to immerse yourself into her world.

You will fall in love with Derek. Like I said, I’m not a fan of military guys, but oh boy, it’s hard to not love Derek. He’s so alpha, strong, dominate and determined, but he’s also loyal, venerable and totally sweet! I loved seeing both sides of him. I loved the combat, hardcore Derek and the tortured, kind of crazy in the head Derek as well.

There’s a lot that goes on in Captured. It takes you to a full range of emotions, but what I love most about this book was the romance. The characters were fully developed and completely fit. The chemistry was off the charts and the steamy scenes will leave you blushing.

The book is also very face pace and there’s never any lagging moments. The book is only about the two main characters and I gobbled up the pages.

If you are a Jasinda fan, you have to read Captured. It’s the perfect ugly cry book.

I.LOVED.IT.

Amazon

A Beautiful Distraction (Hard Feelings, #3) by Kelsie Leverich

A Beautiful Distraction by Kelsie Leverich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3-3.5 Fallon and Rafe Stars

Fallon is a tough cookie. She’s a stripper and she owns the club she strips at. She’s had a hard past and she doesn’t let anyone get to her. She has her rules and she doesn’t do relationships.

Rafe is a First Sergeant and is back from deployment. He’s hurt because of his ex and he doesn’t trust women easily. When Fallon and Rafe meet, their chemistry is undeniable. Rafe is okay with Fallon’s rules and is willing be at arm’s length… until he starts to have serious feelings.

Review

I liked A Beautiful Distraction. The overall plot and idea was good. You have the tough Heroine stripper (and we all know I love a good stripper book), mixed with a tough military guy. The beginning was a touch slow for me and it was a little hard to get into. Once I got into the Fallon and Rafe dynamics, it started to pick up.

There’s a lot of tug and pull between the two main characters. Fallon is a bit frustrating at times because she is so stubborn. Yes, she is hurt from past pains so that is why she is so guarded, but so is Rafe, so I couldn’t really sympathize too much with. I had mixed feelings with Fallon because I like how strong she was, but I was turned off by how much she pushed Rafe away.

Rafe is a great guy and he has his hang-ups, but I felt like he was really trying to work with Fallon and work on getting over his hurt from his ex. The steam was great though. Rafe is kind of alpha and gets a little jealous with Fallon and her dancing (I love my alpha males). There are some cute moments like when Fallon meets Rafe’s family and she interacts with them.

The ending is a roller coaster of emotions and it’s a lot of drama. If you like a book with a lot of tension, then this one is for you.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

Series Order
REVIEW | AMAZON
REVIEW | AMAZON
AMAZON

Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros

Three knocks can change everything…

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart. 

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.

5 Endearing Stars

Reading Full Measures was like finding a lost gem in a sea of stones. It was light, but sad, amazing and not what I expected

Summery

On Ember’s twentieth birthday she lost her Dad and her world was turned upside down. Her mom is too distraught to function, her younger teenager sister is rebelling like crazy and her seven year old brother needs someone to take care of him. Despite Ember’s pain, she steps up to take care of her family. It’s not easy for Ember to take on her Mom and Dad’s shoes, she’s still in school, still has friends and still has a boyfriend, but Josh Walker, Ember’s old high school crush, seems to always be there to help her when she’s having a rough day.

Oh MY GOD, I LOVE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, yet STRONG Heroine story line!

Ember

I adore Ember. She’s not your typical Heroine. When she finds out her dad dies, you just FEEL FOR HER! You want to wrap her in your arms and tell her that everything is going to be okay. Ember is just heart-broken, but she keeps herself together for the sake of the family. Her brother wants her to get a cake for her birthday and so Ember goes to the store and buys cake. She forgets her wallet and Josh is there to pay for her.

Josh

I really liked Josh. Full Measures is told from Ember’s POV, but Josh had the perfect balance of Hero, Jerk and Cave-man tendencies. I didn’t want him to be super perfect and he wasn’t. He is just so sweet and caring and is always there for Ember.

Overall

I LOVE the way Full Measures was written because there were NO FLASHBACKS! I got the story from start to finish and I was emotional from start to finish. I also loved the pace. There’s a lot that happens in Full Measures and a lot of character development. As Ember struggles to take care of her family, she slowly grows and starts finding herself too.

I even love the side characters. I loved reading the Mom’s pain, the brother’s adorableness and even her sister who was always annoying, but was addictive to read about. I think Full Measures worked out so well for me because Yarros made it believable and emotional. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was reading Ember’s dynamics. I felt the chemistry and banter between Josh and Ember and it was perfect!

THIS IS A MUST READ!

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years, and they’re currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado. 

http://www.rebeccaelizabethyarros.com

AMAZON

Feel the Rush (Hard Feelings, #2) by Kelsie Leverich

Feel the Rush by Kelsie Leverich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Thrilling Stars

She wanted to find Mr. Safe, but instead Mr. Trill came baring into her life

Megan will be turning thirty in one month and she hasn’t achieved anything on her list. By the age of thirty she wanted to be married with kids and live in a house, but instead, she’s single, lives in an apartment and has two cats. She’s tired of dating the bad boys, the ones who make her feel good, but don’t offer her anything more. She wants to settle down for Mr. Safe. Reed is not Mr. Safe. He’s in the military and jumps out of airplanes for a living. Reed is very attracted to Megan, but can’t offer her what she wants.

Feel the Rush was simply a happy read for me and was very enjoyable.

I totally understand Megan. She’s hitting that major milestone in her life. She’s leaving her young adult years and will be moving forward to her mid-life. At that point, you kind of have to look at your life and figure out what you want. Megan has been burned in the past and is done with bad guys. She decides to change her life and her best friend Eva is there to help her.

I love Eva, she’s a really great best friend and at times, when I wanted to slap Megan for being so silly, Eva was there to kind of reel all the characters in.

When Megan and Reed first meet, it’s like bombs of attraction and who wouldn’t be attracted to man who jumps out of airplanes for a living?! Ummm… HELLO! That is simply HOTT!!! Reed is your adventure seeker and is okay with jumping from cliffs, water-rafting and doing just crazy stuff, which makes Megan very nervous.

the things that scare us the most, are the things that give us the biggest rush

I really liked the tension between Eva and Reed, because to me, it seemed really believable. Megan and Reed have mini-adventures and reading about their relationship form and grow was just sweet. Of course Megan pushes Reed away plenty of times because she’s trained her heart to look for a certain type of man, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Then of course we get into the deeper stuff. We start to understand why Megan is so closed off and why Reed loves doing wild things.

All in all, there’s a nice balance of tug and war between the two characters. If you are looking for a fun, flirty and feisty book, this one is for you.

Series Order
REVIEW | AMAZON
AMAZON

The Missionary by Jack Wilder

Ex-Navy SEAL Stone Pressfield has a bad feeling about the proposed church missions trip to Manila, Philippines. The college-age church group plans to go to Manila and help victims of the sex-trafficking industry. Stone's lingering nightmare memories about the sex-trafficking industry have him warning church leaders that the trip is a bad idea. He knows all too well that it could end in violence, and those involved aren't to be trifled with.

When beautiful Wren Morgan goes missing, he has a sick feeling that he knows exactly who took her, and for what purpose. The problem is, Wren isn't just any other student. She's someone he's close to, someone he cares about. Now she's in the hands of cruel, evil men, and Stone is the only one who can rescue her before the unthinkable happens.

5 Crazy My-heart-can’t-take-it, I-need-valium, BUT I-love-it  STARS!!!!

I’m a huge Jasinda Wilder fan and by huge, I mean, scary-stalker-girl-crush fan, so when I heard her husband, Jack Wilder, was writing a book, I was like I don’t care if it’s about elephants taking a dump, I’m gonna read it.

I’ve read a few books from male authors like Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson and Kurt Vonnegut, and of those are fabulous authors to me.  So, when I saw The Missionary’s cover, I thought to myself, oh this is going to be like a Jo Nesbo book, a big mystery with a touch of romance.

OH NO

BIG FAT WRONG

THE MISSIONARY IS NO ORDINARY BOOK

let me explain ....

When I read the blurb and I saw, sex trafficking, I knew I was done for. I had to read it. I didn't care if Jesus walked into my house and told me not to, I would say really Jesus? Yeah right and then proceed to read this book.

The Missionary is like one BIG action movie where you will be gripping the edge of your seat and glued to your pages until you are done.  Stone and Wren go on a church mission trip to the Philippines.  The church wants to save the girls who are part of the sex-trafficking industry.  Stone is EX-Navy SEAL (HELLO!), who understands it takes more than a group of young kids from a church group to do any real damage, but Wren and everyone in the group are, determine to do good.  So off they go to help and **GASP** Wren gets kidnapped.

It’s no secret I love kidnapping books.  I gobble these up like turkey on Thanksgiving.  The darker the better? Yes. The grittier, please. Do I like, oh-my-god, did-that-really-happen kind of books? You can bet I do.  I don’t know why I love reading about kidnapping and sex slavery theme books, there is just something so raw about it.

The Missionary isn’t the lightest of reads.  There are a few dark scenes, but the book needed them.  On top of this, it’s a very descriptive book.  I usually cringe against descriptive writing because I’m a dialogue kind of girl, but Wilder paints a beautiful description of the area and I felt like I was there.  I felt for Stone and I felt for Wren.

I have to say it! Shout out to my Asian ladies.  Wren is Filipino!  It’s not every day I read a book where the leading Heroine is Asian and yes, when I read one where she is, it does something to me. It’s just nice to be represented.  For all of those who wondering, I’m Vietnamese, so I especially love the Pho reference.  Don’t know what that is? Look it up.

Oh Stone, he’s awesome, he’s epic, he’s well, like his name a Stone. Do I love his name? Yes, yes I do. I think Stone is an excellent name for a Hero.  Wilder created a badass hero, I could one hundred percent picture ex-military guy busting in to save the day. He’s beefy, manly and really smart.

If shit gets hairy, get out of the way and stay out of the way until I get you. 

The Missionary is more than a “save the girl” read.  There are many layers and many and many shifts.  Just when I think I know where it’s going, something happens and I’m thrown in a different direction. It’s action pack! I could seriously watch this as a movie.

This book does have steam people! Oh lord, thank you for those parts.  I had everything I could think of, face-pace writing, with great leading characters and gut-wrenching story-line.

The Missionary will definitely take you on a crazy journey and leave an impression on you.  I’m just glad I am happily married, or Mrs. Jasinda would think I’m macking on her man. Because seriously, I’m a Jack Wilder fan.  Well, I’m just a Wilder fan period. 

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review  

She had to fight it. It was coming, it was going to happen, and soon. She’d rather die than endure that. As he clomped down the creaking wooden steps, Wren realized with a bolt of horrified awareness, that she very literally would rather die than let him—or anyone else—rape her. 

He knelt down in front of her, a cruel smile on his lips. “I got prends come to see you. Pretty American girl, not look like no American girl. Dese prends, dey come see. Maybe, dey want try you. Yes? I make a good deal.” He grabbed her upper lip and twisted it so hard she couldn’t stop the yelp of pain and the start of tears. “You keep shut up, I don’t let them try you before buy you. You like dat? No, I don’t tink so.You keep shut your stupid mout, dey look, dey touch, but dey not gonna fuck you.” He said the vile, vulgar word with hissing, spitting vitriol, making the ‘f’ sound almost an ‘p’, but not quite: ppffuck.

With that, he left, smacking her none-too-gently, hard enough to make her ears ring and the cross around her neck swing free and dangle in the darkness.

And that was when Wren Morgan understood, fully, that he wasn’t just an opportunistic animal. He’d hit her, but he hadn’t damaged her. He’d forced drugs on her, but he hadn’t raped her himself, or let anyone else do so. He was saving her, keeping her intact. Keeping a product in prime condition so he could make a maximum profit. 

Wren was young and sheltered, and she knew she was naive in some ways, especially when it came to men, but she was far from stupid. She wasn’t a virgin, but the few experiences she’d had only served to emphasize how awful things were going to get.

Unless a miracle happened. Unless someone saved her. 

Someone like Stone. 

Even in tied up, in pain, drug-fogged and addled, terrified, and alone, Wren felt a shiver go through her at the thought of Stone Pressfield. Huge, hard, mysterious, and difficult, Stone was…everything a girl could want. Six-foot-four, a body Adonis would be jealous of, close-cropped dark blond hair and deep brown, almost black eyes. But he was out of reach. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested. Not like that, at least. He’d made it clear she wasn’t enough for him. 

That didn’t stop her, in the darkness of a dirty, bug-infested, smelly hole in the ground prison cell, from wishing for him, from hoping and praying that he would come for her. 

As she fell into an exhausted, frightened doze, Wren let herself imagine Stone bursting through the trap door and carrying her away. 

It was small comfort, but it was something. 

Jack Wilder—aka Mr. Wilder—is one half of the writing team "The Wilders." You might know his wife, Jasinda Wilder, as the author of bestselling books such as Falling Into You, Falling Into Us, Stripped, and Wounded, among many others. The Missionary is Jack's first solo work, but you can bet it won't be the last. The Wilders live in the suburbs outside of Detroit, Michigan with their five kids, a dog that vaguely resembles a coyote,  and a manny. 

You'll often find Jack drinking beer and eating Cheez-Its

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