{"id":29407,"date":"2018-01-20T08:00:55","date_gmt":"2018-01-20T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=29407"},"modified":"2018-01-20T08:12:18","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T13:12:18","slug":"arc-review-thrive-guardian-protection-2-by-aly-martinez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=29407","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour & ARC Review: Thrive (Guardian Protection, #2) by Aly Martinez"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Paperback<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Audio<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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When I was nineteen years old, I was faced with a choice that changed my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep the safety of what I already knew or risk losing everything with the young, hotheaded soldier who stole my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

I chose the wrong man, and for seventeen years, I paid in tears, blood, and shattered dreams for that decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, there\u2019s a man in my house, holding a gun to my head on the order of my ex-husband\u2014given from his prison cell.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That hotheaded soldier I was too afraid to choose? He\u2019s now a six-foot-three wall of muscle who works at the country\u2019s most premier bodyguard agency. I\u2019ve always wanted him, but now, I\u2019ve never needed him more.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the call I\u2019m terrified to make.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure he still hates me\u2026 Even though I\u2019ve never stopped loving him.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cYou were always mine.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4.5 stars!<\/strong> <\/b><\/p>\n

Aly Martinez continues to prove that she can do no wrong with this book \u2013 an incredible second-chance-romance that is smart, fun, passionate and intense, and full of the feels that I have come to expect from this author. The second book in the Guardian Protection<\/i>, this book brings us back to Leo James and his badass boys, but could easily be read as a standalone (though why would you want to miss anything<\/i> this woman writes?), and I absolutely loved it!<\/p>\n

Jeremy Lark and Mira York met when he was a hot-headed, troublemaking 23 year old, and she was a 19 year old girl with a bad home life. She was his best friend\u2019s girl and completely off limits, but the relationship was toxic and Jeremy and Mira found themselves falling together into a secret affair. It was short but intense, but when Mira was faced with the ultimate decision, she didn\u2019t choose Jeremy.<\/p>\n

Jeremy\u2019s life fell apart, and he completely lost his way. But, fuelled by his anger and hatred, he pulled himself out of his downward spiral and went on to become \u2018Lark\u2019, one of the Guardian Protection boys, and is now a divorced father of twin girls. His life is on track until one day, 17 years after he last saw her, Mira calls him for help.<\/p>\n

Mira\u2019s life has been a rollercoaster. Since she made her fateful decision all those years ago, she has paid the price over and over again. Now divorced, her life still bears the taint of the choice she made, and when danger literally comes to her door, Jeremy is the only one she can think of to turn to for help.<\/p>\n

This is NOT a happy reunion! The emotions are intense, and it\u2019s all anger, guilt, confusion, and epic pent-up frustration. There is so much hurt, but the chemistry is still there, and it makes for a combustible coming together as Lark and Mira are thrown back together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI distinctly remember you being able to carry on a conversation with complete sentences and courtesy.\u201d
\nSpoiler alert: It was the wrong thing to say.
\nHis head swung my way so fast that I was shocked it didn\u2019t fly off his neck. \u201cI\u2019m <\/i>not the man you remember! Stop fucking assuming you know me.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s all kinds of complicated, and their pain is palpable, but as much as I ached for these two and all they were going through, the dynamic between them is just so damn entertaining! Yes, you have all of the powerful emotion which makes their situation all kinds of intense, but Lark is a protective alpha and Mira is stubborn and sassy, and they have this sense of playfulness about them. They bicker and argue, and Mira\u2019s \u201csnit fits<\/i>\u201d are hilarious, and I loved watching them together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no way I\u2019m going home with you! Have you lost your mind?\u201d
\nHis face lit in understanding. \u201cAhhhh\u2026okay. So this is the part where you have the snit fit.\u201d He shifted on the bed, making a show of getting more comfortable. \u201cSorry. It\u2019s been a while. I wasn\u2019t prepared.\u201d He crossed his thick arms over his chest and made a shooing motion with four fingers while holding his bicep. \u201cCarry on. I didn\u2019t mean to interrupt.\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a wonderful reflection of the way they used to be with each other, and it doesn\u2019t take long for that familiarity to ease the way into sweet memories and rekindled attraction, and my heart pounded as I read, watching all of that passion and emotion just begging to be released and I felt every single moment of it!<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been back not <\/i>two days and that was all it had taken to realize that, for the last seventeen years, I hadn\u2019t been living.
\nAnd I fucking hated her for that.
\nBecause I loved her so goddamn much that it had only been <\/i>two fucking days and I was already scrambling trying to figure out how I was ever going to let her go.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story of their past is revealed in flashbacks, and in their conversation with each other, and OMG it hurt! They made mistakes, they weren\u2019t open with each other, and misunderstandings and the naivety of youth led to their hearts both being broken, and though they both went on with their lives, they never recovered from the loss of each other. And as painful as it is reading about their history, watching them deal with it in the present is even more so! There is so much between these two, and it\u2019s impossible not to be drawn into everything that is happening between them.<\/p>\n

A world of hurt was rolling in on me in waves. And, because it was her, my heart was all but volunteering for me to drown.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But while they are figuring out what is happening between them, Mira is still in danger, and I loved the added intensity that it brought to the story. She goes through a lot, and it\u2019s an emotional ride for her as her life is ripped out from under her again and again. But is there anything hotter than an alpha man claiming his girl, supporting her and being there for her, and then going all badass to protect her? I\u2019m not sure there is, and Lark in badass protective mode is something to behold!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not letting you go, Mira. We\u2019ll take some time, get to know each other again. but, if you think for one second that I\u2019m letting you go again, <\/i>you are the one who has lost your fucking mind.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s especially amazing when it\u2019s contrasted with his sweet, emotional side as he lays it all out there and fights for his girl\u2019s heart in sensationally swoony style.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always going to be this easy, baby. No matter how much we say the past is in the past, there are going to be times when resentment claws its way through our flames. And it\u2019s going to take both of us, together, working as a team to fight that back.\u201d I tucked a stray hair behind her ear and allowed my gaze to roam her beautiful face. Fuck, this woman owned me. She always had. Always would. \u201cI\u2019m committing to do that with you Mira. I\u2019m committing to fight harder than I\u2019ve ever fought for anything in my life. Because we\u2019re fucking worth it.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

*dreamy sigh* Oh how I love a functional romance!!!!<\/p>\n

The rest of the Guardian Protection crew are a part of the story as they come together to take Lark\u2019s back and protect Mira. I loved seeing all of the boys again, and with a spine-tingling intro into Braydon\u2019s story, I can\u2019t wait for his book up next!<\/p>\n

It all ends really well with an absolutely gorgeous epilogue that left me grinning like a fool, and I loved it!<\/p>\n

4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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The Guardian Protection series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"Cover\u00a0 \"Cover<\/h4>\n

Singe (#1) <\/strong>(Jude)
\nReview
\n<\/a>Buy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Thrive (#2) <\/strong>(Lark)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Falter (#3) <\/strong>(Braydon)
\nTo be released 24 April<\/p>\n

Consume (#4)<\/strong>
\nComing soon<\/p>\n

Guardian (#5)<\/strong>
\nComing soon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About\u00a0the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"ali<\/p>\n

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.<\/p>\n

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.<\/p>\n

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.<\/p>\n

WEBSITE<\/a>\u00a0|<\/b>\u00a0FACEBOOK<\/b><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/b>TWITTER<\/b><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 INSTAGRAM\u00a0<\/a> | NEWSLETTER<\/a> | <\/b>GOODREADS<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 | AMAZON<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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For more amazing reads by this author, check out our Aly Martinez Author Spotlight<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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