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Review

“I’ve seen love burn someone to the ground, and I’ve seen it make sense of the ridiculous. I won’t settle for less than that kind of fire.”

OMG, yes! Jagger and Paisley’s story is funny, sweet, sexy, full of emotion and incredibly swoony. Their romance is intense, and is blended beautifully with drama that contributes to but never overwhelms the story. It sucked me in immediately and had me madly flipping pages, and I loved every moment of it.

This book follows on from Rebecca’s first book, Full Measures, where Jagger was introduced as Josh’s best friend, and both Josh and Ember appear in this one – but this book can still be easily read as a standalone. And as much as I enjoyed Full Measures, I didn’t completely connect with it, but this one had ALL the feels!!!

Jagger is enrolled at a prestigious flight school where he is training to become a military pilot. Despite being a reckless, fun-loving, man-whore, flying an Apache helicopter is the dream he has been chasing his whole life, and after overcoming tragedy and some major family issues, he has made it on his own and is going to let nothing stand in his way.

20 year old Paisley is attempting to step outside of the glass box she is kept in by her parents and life her life to the fullest. Following the sudden death of her beloved sister, she is determined to complete her Bucket List – despite being afflicted with the same heart condition that took her sister, and the danger that the adrenaline-fueled list represents to the ticking time-bomb in her chest.

When her first foray into the ocean becomes a fight for her life, she is rescued by Jagger, who pulls her from the water and revives her. That moment sparks something deep inside of both of them, so that when they unexpectedly see each other again, their deep attraction pulls them together in a way neither of them expected.

“Look, I know it’s odd, and that you don’t know me. But I pulled you out of that water. I filled your lungs with my own breath, and if that doesn’t make me responsible for you, I’m not sure what does.”

There are some big complications in their way – firstly Paisley has a boyfriend, secondly, that boyfriend is Jagger’s rival and biggest competition for the top spot in his training program, and thirdly, Paisley is the daughter of Jagger’s Commanding General. They are both also battling issues in their personal lives, but none of that can stand in the way of true love!

“Every fucking cell in my body screams out that she belongs with me.”

Jagger and Paisley’s relationship is intense and full of emotion and mad lust from the very beginning. Unable to stay away from each other, they become friends and (insisting on total honesty with each other) neither of them can deny what is blossoming between them. The deepening of their relationship is full of joking, banter, gorgeously sweet moments and heaps of UST, and with all that is standing in their way, there is definitely some angst. It creates a delicious tension, and the build-up is fantastic! It’s realistic and dripping with feels and I loved every moment of watching them fall and fall hard, unable to resist their attraction.

“I want everything, Paisley. I want your smiles, your laughs, your kisses. Yes, I want to be your friend, and more. I want to feel your arms around me at night, taste your kiss for breakfast, and I want to hear my name on your lips when I make you come apart. I want to study on the couch while you do your homework. I want to fight with you and make up with you. I want to shoulder the burdens your carrying, even the ones you still won’t tell me about, and I want…I want everything.”

But they are both keeping a secret from the other. Despite their total honesty, they know that there is something the other is holding back, but they are content to be together and wait for the other to be ready to share. I really liked the way this was done. It’s not like they are maliciously hiding something, they both have their reasons for shutting a part of themselves away, and these side stories played out really nicely alongside the romantic storyline until the time comes for it all to converge, and holy hell, when it all comes out, the feels are intense!

“Nothing in my life prepared me for how much I would love you.”

I love these characters! Paisley is relatable, sweet (but not in an irritating way), and so brave! She knows what she wants, and she goes for it, and I loved watching her journey. And Jagger is the perfect mix of funny, arrogant, sexy, swoony and vulnerable, and I absolutely love him! He is a strong man who has worked hard to be where he is at, and his love for Paisley, and his devotion to the ones he cares about it absolutely amazing!

I’d be worthy of her, not because she asked me to – she’d never ask me to change – but because she deserved the best man to hold her, understand her, love her.

I love how much they love each other. How they are strong enough to fight for what they want, and to stand together when they need to. I love how open and honest they are about their feelings for each other. There is no game playing, no stupid behaviour, no love triangle, and it’s all very functional. Yes there is drama, but it’s realistic and not drawn out, and it’s resolved quickly.

“I love you, and it’s not the kind of love that wavers. It’s the scary kind that doesn’t fade. I look at you, and I see not just everything I want for my life, but everything I am, because you took the emptiest, darkest pits of my soul and filled them with you. You are as much a part of me as my own heart, and it doesn’t beat without you.”

You can tell that Rebecca Yarros is writing about what she knows, because even though the focus is definitely on the romance, the military stuff has a strong part presence, with lots of details and intricate knowledge that goes along with the lifestyle, and, like the first book in the series, she gives it a lot of heart.

“For once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

The writing is funny, romantic, sexy and emotive, and the pacing of the story is perfect. The story is told in dual POV, which is absolutely necessary with the importance of the side stories, and it’s all tied together beautifully.

I was completely swept away by the story, and have my fingers crossed that we’ll get to see more from this group of characters very soon – both Grayson and Will need happy ever afters!!!

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.