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.

REVIEW: Release Me (Chasing Fire #2)

Release Me (Chasing Fire #2), by Ann Marie Walker and Amy K. Rogers
Publish Date: July 21, 2015
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Alessandra Sinclair knows that Hudson Chase is the last man she should want. The boy from the wrong side of the tracks has grown into a man who would do anything to get ahead, even if it means breaking Allie’s heart. But whenever she’s near him, the attraction between them is undeniable. And now that they’re working together, keeping her distance from Hudson is almost as impossible as keeping her feelings in check…

Hudson already lost Allie once and he refuses to lose her again. He’s determined to use their new business partnership to rekindle the spark he knows is still there. Only the closer he gets to winning her over, the clearer it becomes there are still secrets that could tear them apart for good…

Wow - Ann and Amy really know how to do cliffhangers right. Remind Me, book 1 in the Chasing Fire series, had left readers hanging, wondering whether Allie would be able to forgive Hudson after his secrets regarding her family's company drove them apart. If you thought that was bad, just wait until you read Release Me. After reaching the end of this one, I kept hitting the advance arrow on my Kindle, hoping it was a mistake, and I really wasn't at 100%. Waiting to see what the fallout from the latest roadblock to this couple's HEA will be is going to be torture. 

Allie is a very determined woman. Despite the horrifically tragic events that transpired at the beginning of Release Me, she was determined to hang on to her anger toward Hudson. She needed his love and support so much, and yet, she denied herself because she was of the opinion that what he had done was unforgiveable. 

Now, this is really the only problem I had with this book. Allie was kind of a bitch. I mean, she never even gave him a chance to explain his motives or what happened. She heard what she wanted to hear, and didn't want to listen any more. She was willing to be absolutely miserable rather than go back to Hudson - a man she admittedly loved and still dreamed about. Pride goeth before a fall, Allie. Thank goodness she had her best friend Harper, but even she couldn't completely assuage Allie's grief at losing so much in such a short period of time. 

Harper was my favorite side character, because she did exactly what BFFs are supposed to do. She supported Allie and plied her with ice cream, shopping and wine. And, when it was the right time, effectively told Allie to get her head out of her ass and stop being an idiot. We all need friends like that. 

Hudson could not have been more perfect. And, this poor man is managing so much. He has two multi-billion dollar corporations he's in charge of running, a brother in rehab he's trying to support and to top it off, he's trying to figure out if there's a way to get back the woman he loves. He needs her support as much as she needs his, and he admits it. I love that about him. 

And, who could forget the snake Julian, Allie's former fiance? After what he did to Allie in book 1, we assumed he had crawled away to lick his wounds. Unfortunately, you have not heard the last of him, and even worse are his plans for Allie and Hudson, the likes of which we don't even fully realize at the end of Release Me. I'm sure it's awful for both of them, though. 

I liked Release Me better than Remind Me. The suspense of whether Allie would take Hudson back consumed me for awhile. And, despite the volatility between them, it never dampened the sexual tension and chemistry. It was there and it was explosive the whole way through, no matter if they were fighting or loving. The best part about Release Me is seeing such incredible growth in all the characters. Hudson, Allie and Nick use their experiences to grow and change and shift into what they need to be in order to be happy. 

I will be waiting very impatiently for the final book in the Chasing Fire series, Reclaim Me. I have no doubt that Hudson and Allie will find their HEA eventually (I mean, if that cover isn't a dead giveaway, I don't know what is), but I'm also sure that the road there is still fraught with pot holes. All the best stories are like that. 

 

REVIEW: Remind Me (Chasing Fire #1)

Remind Me (Chasing Fire #1), by Ann Marie Walker and Amy K. Rogers
Publish Date: April 21, 2015
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-ARC, provided by NetGalley and the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) As heiress to a media empire Alessandra Sinclair was raised to put family obligations first. But everything changes the night her first love walks back into her life and turns her whole world upside down. Haunted by the memories of a secret romance with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, she can't seem to get Hudson Chase out of her mind. Once again torn between two worlds, Allie must decide how much she’s willing to risk to have the love she’s always longed for.

Ten years is a long time to wait, but billionaire Hudson Chase didn’t become CEO of one of the country’s fastest growing companies by giving up on what he wants. Now that he’s got Allie in his sights again, he’s determined to make her regret breaking his heart. And this time, he’s going to make damn sure he’s not so easy to forget.

I've been gorging myself on these second change romance stories lately. I just love them so much. I'm such a romantic - I choose to believe that, if you could make it work once, you can find your way back to one another and make it work again. This trope especially feeds all my inner warm fuzzies. Of course, it's always best if it's not too easy for them - it has to be a little challenging to find that elusive HEA or else the book isn't fun, right? 

It appears that Alessandra and Hudson have their work cut out for them. They had one perfect summer together when they were 17. Until she chooses her filthy rich parents and her trust fund over the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. It's a decision that comes back to haunt her ten years later when she runs into Hudson at a fund raiser, and he's changed a lot. He's grown up and made a few billion dollars. It appears that he's missed his chance too, as Allie is now engaged to a stuffy French prick. Except, nothing really changed for them. Not really. 

Hudson is understandably upset with Allie. He loved her and she ditched him without so much as a thought once someone better came along. Or, so he thought. Their first few exchanges are rather heated. Hudson is very conflicted. He's still very much drawn to her, but he's also very angry. One minute he lashes out, and says awful things, the next, he's trying to get into her pants. This guy has serious passion. 

For her part, Allie is extremely conflicted. She's not exactly happy in her life. Her mother is the most shallow, superficial horrid woman. Her father only cares about his company. And her fiance is a complete douchebag. But, Allie doesn't see that she has any options. Her engagement was arranged as part of a business deal, and she's convinced that if she breaks it that contracts will be forfeit, people will lose jobs, and her family will disown her. And, she doesn't think she's quite brave enough for that. 

Hudson is dealing with so much. His younger brother is in a really bad place, and despite his best efforts to help him, he just seems to keep getting worse and worse. Hudson is also a business man and very busy. He's working some huge deals that will have a huge impact on his business. And then he's also trying to deal with his feelings for Allie and trying to figure out a way to get her to choose him instead of her fiance. 

Allie was irritating. Her whole life she continuously chose people who didn't care one bit about her. I get that they're her family, but when they prove time and time again that they love themselves more than you, I don't know how you can keep giving them your blind loyalty. Especially when everything they stand for is anathema to everything you believe in. Allie enjoys working for her family's charity. Her mother's most lofty goal for her is to be a trophy wife with a wicked backhand tennis swing. 

Remind Me ends on a cliffhanger. Things are not looking good for Allie and Hudson when several events, one after the other, at the end of the book tear them apart right when Allie had decided to change her path in life. It's the perfect lead-in to book 2 in the series, Release Me, and after that ending, I'm primed and ready to read it.