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From USA Today best-selling author Aly Martinez comes a hot-new series of alpha bodyguards. She was my nightmare. Every time I closed my eyes, I watched her fall into that inferno. Over and over, I failed to save her. I hadn't been able to reach her, and the guilt only burned hotter over time. Four years later, I was the unreachable one.
Life hasn't been easy for Charlie. Her mother was a monster. And when Charlie left home, there wasn't always a warm bed, food, or a hot shower. She figured out how to get by on her looks. When her mother dies and she comes home to put that part of her life behind her, she finds the diary. It fills her with rage. She's out for revenge. But along the way she meets him. Ethan DOES play by the rules. And at the top of his list is "Don't get involved with clients." Will he break his rules for Charlie?
Songwriter Dylan McCoy has been burned. By her boyfriend she found in her bed...with someone else. By the contract she signed that obligates her to work with him until the songs for his new album are complete. By her agent when she asked Dylan to keep their breakup on the down-low. When she finds herself in Sunnyville, she refuses to let her new roommate burn her too. Still...a rebound has never looked so good.
I'm a reporter, and I've got the best assignment in the world - get dirt on the hottest country star on the charts, Keith Perkins. The sexy beast who rocks those tight jeans like nobody's business. I'm supposed to learn all of his Dirty Laundry, his deepest and darkest secrets. Without sleeping with him. Easy enough, right? Wrong. I mean, just looking at him makes me wonder what those big, rough hands could do to me. With a voice that's one part velvet and one part growl, it's hard for me to sass him when he melts me into a puddle with a single look.
Kale Bryant. Arrogant. Gorgeous. Commanding. This ER doctor is married to his job. His only vice is one-night stands and short-lived flings. He learned a long time ago loving someone isn't worth the risk. Harley Hope Masterson. Beautiful. Brave. Sweet. The owner of a small coffee shop knows what it's like to struggle. Embroiled in a bitter divorce, she's threatened with losing everything. When Kale accepts a new position down the street from Hope's shop, he begins to question every wall he's built around his heart.
How to kick off a great summer in the Hamptons: Snag a gorgeous rental on the beach. Check. Get a job at a trendy summer haunt. Check. How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons: Fall for the one guy with a dark leather jacket, scruff on his face, and intense eyes that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tony-looking crowd. A guy you can’t have when you’ll be leaving at the end of the season. Check. Check. Check.
From USA Today best-selling author Aly Martinez comes a hot-new series of alpha bodyguards. She was my nightmare. Every time I closed my eyes, I watched her fall into that inferno. Over and over, I failed to save her. I hadn't been able to reach her, and the guilt only burned hotter over time. Four years later, I was the unreachable one.
Life hasn't been easy for Charlie. Her mother was a monster. And when Charlie left home, there wasn't always a warm bed, food, or a hot shower. She figured out how to get by on her looks. When her mother dies and she comes home to put that part of her life behind her, she finds the diary. It fills her with rage. She's out for revenge. But along the way she meets him. Ethan DOES play by the rules. And at the top of his list is "Don't get involved with clients." Will he break his rules for Charlie?
Songwriter Dylan McCoy has been burned. By her boyfriend she found in her bed...with someone else. By the contract she signed that obligates her to work with him until the songs for his new album are complete. By her agent when she asked Dylan to keep their breakup on the down-low. When she finds herself in Sunnyville, she refuses to let her new roommate burn her too. Still...a rebound has never looked so good.
I'm a reporter, and I've got the best assignment in the world - get dirt on the hottest country star on the charts, Keith Perkins. The sexy beast who rocks those tight jeans like nobody's business. I'm supposed to learn all of his Dirty Laundry, his deepest and darkest secrets. Without sleeping with him. Easy enough, right? Wrong. I mean, just looking at him makes me wonder what those big, rough hands could do to me. With a voice that's one part velvet and one part growl, it's hard for me to sass him when he melts me into a puddle with a single look.
Kale Bryant. Arrogant. Gorgeous. Commanding. This ER doctor is married to his job. His only vice is one-night stands and short-lived flings. He learned a long time ago loving someone isn't worth the risk. Harley Hope Masterson. Beautiful. Brave. Sweet. The owner of a small coffee shop knows what it's like to struggle. Embroiled in a bitter divorce, she's threatened with losing everything. When Kale accepts a new position down the street from Hope's shop, he begins to question every wall he's built around his heart.
How to kick off a great summer in the Hamptons: Snag a gorgeous rental on the beach. Check. Get a job at a trendy summer haunt. Check. How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons: Fall for the one guy with a dark leather jacket, scruff on his face, and intense eyes that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tony-looking crowd. A guy you can’t have when you’ll be leaving at the end of the season. Check. Check. Check.
I'm one puff piece away from tearing up my journalism degree and hurling my laptop into the Hudson River. So when I smell a juicy story brewing at my brother's Wall Street investment firm, I'll do whatever it takes to get my scoop. One clever disguise later, I'm deep undercover as the firm's newest broker, simultaneously gathering intel and spouting off stock tips like a boss. Go me, right? Sure, it sounds good on paper, but there's a catch: the actual boss. Chief Executive Panty-melter Jack Holt is cocky. Infuriating. And one smoldering look has me ready to violate every rule in the employee handbook. Thank God my assignment has an expiration date. Because falling for my brother's best friend and business partner is a lose-lose proposition. Right?
My name was Dr. Erica Hill. I was a victim, then a witness, and then I ceased to exist altogether. I may still be breathing, but stripped of my identity, I have long since stopped living. I am invisible, and my life depends on my ability to stay in the shadows. But he sees me. Slate Andrews is the embodiment of everything I have been taught to avoid. He’s rich and famous, and one image of him with a woman would earn millions for any paparazzi lucky enough to snap it.
The first time I laid eyes on Lydia Decker, I couldn’t speak. Or breathe. Or string two coherent thoughts together. And I don’t mean any of that figuratively. No, when I first laid eyes on Lydia Decker - my physical therapist - I was lying flat on my back in the ICU, high as a kite on painkillers, breathing on a ventilator, my bones as broken and splintered as my spirit. She said she’d been assigned to fix me. But what I didn’t know...what I couldn’t possibly know...was that Lydia Decker needed fixing far more than I ever did.
The first time we met was at a party. Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date. I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days. The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing. The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact. I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it. You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week. I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be the adviser to your program and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.
Growing up, the three of us were friends. He was the nerd. I was the playboy. She was the beauty. Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits. He lied. I went off to college, and he got the girl. Amber never knew how I felt. They were together for years - before he broke her heart. Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch. When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.
I'm getting really good at cutting my losses. First, the husband. Divorcing him was the best decision I ever made. But between single-parenting and job-hunting, I can't catch my breath. When a celebrity blogging position falls into my lap, I'm determined to succeed. That is, until I get my first assignment and actually see Noah Frazier for the first time...practically naked and dripping wet. My heart races and I forget how to form complete sentences. His chiseled abs, irresistible smirk, and crystal blue eyes are too perfect to be real. So, what do I do? Get drunk and humiliate myself, of course.
An Irish mobster. A missing friend. Two loyalties, ripping me apart. I had a plan. Get in, get my information, and get out. Easy, right? Turns out, infiltrating the Irish mafia isn't exactly what I thought it would be. I just wanted a soldier. Someone I could flirt with to get me in the door. That's when Lachlan Crow noticed me. Problem was, he wasn't a soldier. No, he was next in line for the throne of the Irish underworld. And he was determined to hate me from the outset.
Catherine Barrington is a rich girl. Chris Cartwright is a poor boy. He left her to make something of himself. A man she could be proud of. A man she could bring home to her parents. A man she could marry. On the trading floor he became the man he knew he could be. Now, it’s time to return.
We met in a trapped elevator. Emmett was on his way to work, sophisticated and handsome in his tailored suit and tie. I was on my way to the sperm bank. Awkward, right? At 35, my life hadn't taken the path I thought it would and I was tired of waiting - I wanted a baby. And I was ready to take matters into my own hands to make it happen. After our ill-fated elevator encounter, Emmett insisted on taking me to dinner - he also insisted on something else - that I ditch my plan involving a turkey baster and let him do the job. He would be my baby daddy.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.... I wasn't supposed to be boyfriendless, homeless, and jobless at 28. And I most definitely wasn't supposed to hit Hollywood's resident bad boy Gabriel Evans with my car and break his foot. Now I'm stuck in his apartment, taking care of him while he's incapacitated. Living with the hottest guy in Hollywood, who I've had a crush on forever, doesn't sound like a chore, right? Wrong. Gabriel Evans is rude and crude and drinks way too much, and as soon as his foot is healed I'm out of here. So why do I keep forgetting to check the classifieds?
For six generations, the women of wine country have had a saying: don’t bang a Hunter man unless you want a bun in your oven. Yeah, well. I’ve got a saying too: no thanks. The last thing I need is baby makes three. My business is expanding, and the only thing I’m interested in getting knocked up is my bottom line. But then one night, Emma Haverford makes me an offer I can’t refuse - she backs away from the land I have my eye on in exchange for a favor...a big, fat, baby-making favor....
At 34, I'm reeling from a divorce. I don't want to party or try to move on. I just want to stay home and post a new recipe on my blog: Brynn's Dips and Balls. But my friends aren't having it. Get out there again, they say. It will be fun, they say. I'm still taking a hard pass. Free designer cocktails, they say. And that's a game-changer. Too bad my ex shows up with his new arm candy. That's when I lose my mind.
When I was nineteen years old, I was faced with a choice that changed my life.
Keep the safety of what I already knew or risk losing everything with the young, hotheaded soldier who stole my heart.
I chose the wrong man, and for seventeen years, I paid in tears, blood, and shattered dreams for that decision.
Now, there’s a man in my house, holding a gun to my head on the order of my ex-husband—given from his prison cell.
That hotheaded soldier I was too afraid to choose? He’s now a six-foot-three wall of muscle who works at the country’s most premier bodyguard agency. I’ve always wanted him, but now, I’ve never needed him more.
It’s the call I’m terrified to make.
I’m sure he still hates me… Even though I’ve never stopped loving him.
4.5 stars for - Thrive - book two in the Guardian Protection series by Aly Martinez. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but book one - Singe - is one of my most favorite books of all time so you know I absolutely recommend reading it too! Fans of this author are in for a treat as we get to see many characters we know and love make an appearance in this book. Honestly, I wasn't really looking forward to a second chance romance since this has never been my favorite romance trope, but the way Aly brings these characters to life in her stories - I can't help falling in love.
Mira York has spent almost twenty years wondering what her life would have been like if she chose a different man all those years ago. The man she married betrayed her and left her practically destitute when he went away to prison. Now that she can finally see light at the end of the tunnel her ex-husband has placed her in danger once again. The only person she can turn to is also the last person in the world that will ever want to speak to her again, but Jeremy is her only hope of getting out of this situation unscathed.
Jeremy Lark is the oldest member of Guardian, but don't you dare tell him he can't keep up. He dresses and acts the part of a gentleman, but if you threaten someone he cares about he will come after you with fists swinging. His job and twin daughters are his entire world so when a phone call comes into Guardian from the very last person he ever thought he would hear from again he is shocked and angry in equal measure. The one woman who shattered his heart is in a world of trouble and needs his help...
Another epic romantic suspense that kept me glued to my kindle from start to finish. I love everything about this series from the broody, bad boys with issues to the people they ultimately end up falling hard and fast for. Can't wait to read Braydon's story next!!!
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I loved this one. Had a little bit of a mystery some cute kids hot guy and hotter sex! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. Narration was stellar
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Something happens when Aly Martinez puts pen to paper... or finger to keyboard... or however it is done for her, that something is unexplainable to me but the most overused of words if magic. She has a very whole approach to stories, including romance, suspense, humor, action, family, steam, Aly Martinez includes it all. And not just in Thrive, in all her books but this is why I love her storytelling.
In Thrive, we are back with our sexy men of Guardian Protection Agency, this time hearing the story of Jeremy and Mira. Jeremy is insanely protective and alpha as he lost Mira for 17 years and Mira is independent and broken as she has been beaten down for 17 years. Bringing them together, now with them in adult stages of their lives was such a different but awesome spin on romance stories. Being 38 myself, it was actually nice to read a book with characters in the same age range. Now don’t let this fool you into thinking it is not a sexy book because Jeremy is insanely sexy and the way he dominates Mira is so hot. I adored the way he would lose control.
Andi Arndt and Jason Carpenter are the pros and came in doing what the pros do. Can’t complain about a minute of their audio skills.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This second change rimance was a slow burn drawing you in a little at a time then wham you can't put it down.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Personally, I think a book is worth the credit when I want to listen to it more than once. This definitely fit the bill. Great story, though the female character made me wish I could smack her from time to time, it was a good listen.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
With each book of Aly Martinez’s that I partake in, I am in total awe of this woman and her writing. She not only gives us brilliant storylines with excellent characters, she gives us a sense of wonderment of the emotional journey that her stories take us on.
Thrive is the second book in the Guardian Protection series and just like the first book in this series; the story is innovative and memorizing. With some twist and turns that you don’t see coming, it is a thoroughly enjoyable story.
The characters, Jeremy and Lark, are complex with a background story that will have you wondering about the outcome of their most recent encounter.
I enjoyed this book in audio version and Andi Arndt and Jason Carpenter did a fantastic job in bringing Jeremy and Lark to life.
I don’t have the words to express how much I loved this story, the narration and the overall feeling of satisfaction I had when it was over. I do know that I do and will continue to recommend Ms. Martinez books to any and everyone.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I love this story and the characters. The narrators do a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I was pleasantly surprised to find my old friends from Singe in this wonderful story. If I had known it was connected and yet a stand-alone I would have gotten it sooner! Ioved it from start to finish. Then did it one more time! I hope we get another spin-off (Maybe Dimple’s story with Whitney) my fingers are crossed! Thank you
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book so much. Mira took me most of the book to get a liking to her. I loved Lark though.
Can't wait for the next one... Johnson?????
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
I almost passed on this one because I don't usually like this story line and I hate cheating in books but I loved this author and she's never let me down so I took a chance. I'm so glad I did because I loved it. I started out hating the heroine but of course she made me change my mind as the story went on. I love hero too, he's just enough alpha to satisfy my needs.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful