RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Reclaim Me (Chasing Fire #3)

Reclaim Me (Chasing Fire #3), by Ann Marie Walker and Amy K. Rogers
Publish Date: October 20, 2015
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher via Netgalley
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) There’s almost nothing Alessandra Sinclair wouldn’t do for Hudson Chase. He was her first love, and she’s determined that he’ll be her last. But when the terrible truth Hudson has been hiding comes to light, Allie finds herself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a man from her past who’s determined to use what he knows to ruin Hudson. Now, the only way to save the man she loves may be to lose him forever…

Hudson has always known that the secrets he keeps could be his downfall, but he never expected them to put Allie’s life in danger as well. It’s time for him to come clean—before everything he’s ever wanted is destroyed…

This - THIS - is everything a series ender should be. There was danger and mystery and angst and some of the best romantic moments ever. Reclaim Me was the best way to close the book on Alessandra and Hudson's story.

After a crazy cliffhanger at the end of Release Me, I went into Reclaim Me feeling a bit trepidatious. Allie's horrible ex had cornered her, both literally and figuratively. She had very real reason to fear for both hers and Hudson's lives.

Now, see, I'm always a big fan of communication. I hate it when characters make decisions for their loved ones out of some misplaced sense of protection. They martyr themselves and become miserable, when, if they had just explained how they felt or what was going on and approached the problem together, it all could've turned out better for everyone. Allie had the perfect opportunity to act in that way here, and for awhile I thought I'd spend the entire book being frustrated at her actions and lack of trust in Hudson's ability to help her handle the situation.

However, Allie was an amazingly awesome heroine. She remembers how badly she functioned without Hudson in her life, and decides to not repeat past mistakes. And, thus, she and Hudson set out together to try and thwart Julian's plans and still remain together. Which is not an easy feat when it seems that Julian has them bested at every turn.

Julian was a truly loathsome man. There was not one single redeeming quality about him. Never once did he show remorse for his actions or any true affection for Allie. It made it easy to hate him. He was a great villain.

The shining star in Reclaim Me was Hudson, though. This dreamy man knows how to woo a woman. And, when that woman is THE woman, it's even better. Reclaim Me is told in dual POV, so we get to hear both Allie's and his thoughts on the events as they are unfolding. We witness Hudson's intense frustration at his inability to fix things right away. We witness his continually growing feelings for Allie, which I promise you will make you swoon HARD. And, we witness Hudson in full alpha mode as he wrangles the people around him and works his angles to help the woman he loves.

I really loved the fleshing out of the side relationship between Hudson's brother Nick and Allie's BFF Harper. Nick has come a very long way since book 1, and he's now a reliable source of advice and comfort for his big brother. And, Harper has always been Allie's voice of reason. Together, Nick and Harper are just what Allie and Hudson needed in this really difficult time.

Despite how nail biting Reclaim Me was, I was so sad to see Allie's and Hudson's story come to a close. It was a crazy, sexy, exciting ride, though, and one that I really enjoyed.