Carina Press | August 31, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
Unchecked, book 2
★★★★1/2
SOURCE: AUTHOR
TOUR HOST: XPRESSO BOOK TOURS
After her parents were murdered, Layna Blair spent three years on the run—until Marine Sergeant Blaze Johnson stepped in and saved her. With him, Layna knew safety for the first time…but two weeks after shipping out for another tour in Afghanistan, Blaze comes home early.
When Layna sees the jagged wounds covering his body, every truth she thought she knew is destroyed. Blaze is distant and angry and though her heart is shattered, Layna desperately tries to keep their relationship together in the face of another tragedy. When the tenuous bonds holding them together are ripped apart by a revenge-hungry maniac, Layna must trust her survival instinct and bury her past for good.
But the enemy is two steps ahead, and before she can take action, Layna’s hand is forced by his deadly demands—save herself or save the man who risked his life for her freedom. Blaze saved her once. This time it’s her turn to protect him.
{ about sybil bartel } .
Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…
But Seriously?
Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.
She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.
To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways
{ review } .
I cannot express how excited I was for this conclusion to Blaze and Layna's story.
While there were parts in IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE that I didn't care for, and Layna didn't always keep my attention in a positive way, their story was one that I was excited to continue -- and the glimpse at CHOICE that was left at the end of PROMISE? Well, it definitely was enough to whet the appetite.
Yet again, we have a bit of a fiasco when it comes to Blaze-Layna-Talon. Talon opens up quite a bit to Layna (breaking my heart), Layna has some identity issues and with that come some abandonment issues, and Blaze? Well, you'd think Blaze would have learned how to read his girl by now, but I suppose, it really hasn't been all that long.
I felt that, altogether, the context of CHOICE was fuller and more thought out than PROMISE was. Layna's age shows on more than one occasion, but for a story that deals with Layna and Blaze growing closer together -- they're not together for that much of this story (as in, in the same scene). Blaze still has his protective/jealous/possessive urges when it comes to his best buddy being near Layna while he's gone but that stems from trust -- it was semi-predictible in a way, but only because there are many points in the entire Blaze-Layna journey where you're reminded just how quick they've moved from strangers to more. Blaze does prove himself though, yet again, that Layna's it for him, standing at her side when she needs him most.
With Talon opening up, a slight suspense plot, and sceondary characters getting a few more mentions... I'm yet again excited to see what Sybil will be bringing next.
While there were parts in IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE that I didn't care for, and Layna didn't always keep my attention in a positive way, their story was one that I was excited to continue -- and the glimpse at CHOICE that was left at the end of PROMISE? Well, it definitely was enough to whet the appetite.
Yet again, we have a bit of a fiasco when it comes to Blaze-Layna-Talon. Talon opens up quite a bit to Layna (breaking my heart), Layna has some identity issues and with that come some abandonment issues, and Blaze? Well, you'd think Blaze would have learned how to read his girl by now, but I suppose, it really hasn't been all that long.
I felt that, altogether, the context of CHOICE was fuller and more thought out than PROMISE was. Layna's age shows on more than one occasion, but for a story that deals with Layna and Blaze growing closer together -- they're not together for that much of this story (as in, in the same scene). Blaze still has his protective/jealous/possessive urges when it comes to his best buddy being near Layna while he's gone but that stems from trust -- it was semi-predictible in a way, but only because there are many points in the entire Blaze-Layna journey where you're reminded just how quick they've moved from strangers to more. Blaze does prove himself though, yet again, that Layna's it for him, standing at her side when she needs him most.
With Talon opening up, a slight suspense plot, and sceondary characters getting a few more mentions... I'm yet again excited to see what Sybil will be bringing next.
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Great review! This sounds like a good series and I'm glad the ending didn't disappoint :) Glad you liked it!
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