Tag: aly martinez

Book Review: The Brightest Sunset (The Darkest Sunrise #2) by Aly Martinez

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 27th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

GOOD CONCLUSION.

I liked the way thing wrapped up in this one. It once again kept me totally enthralled and I needed to know that there was going to be a happy ending or I might have thrown this book across the room.

What I didn’t love was Brady. He was awful the entire time and while I understood it was there to create the tension, it did eventually start to feel a bit over the top and redundant.

I once again still love Porter and Charlotte. They are really there for each other and it’s sweet. I like that neither of them gave up and actually found a way to work together for a solution that would make everyone feel satisfied.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance; multiple open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of kidnapped baby, recounting of an attempted murder-suicide (side character), physical altercations, grief and depression

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Book Review: The Darkest Sunrise (The Darkest Sunrise #1) by Aly Martinez

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 266 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 13th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.
“You’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy.”
“Your son needs a heart transplant.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.
Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.
“He’s gone.”
For ten years, the darkness consumed me.
In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

THE DRAMA.

Totally picked this up based off of ONE review I saw from a friend. And then I binged both books back to back. Was it GREAT? No. But it stopped my reading slump from the pure drama of having to know what was going to happen next.

There’s a lot to unpack in this heavy, short story. It kind of had a CoHo vibe with the intensity of it all. I did like the romance at its core. There were many great sweet moments between them as both struggled with some past traumas.

I felt a vast array of emotions throughout as things went up and down and seriously, all around. I don’t want to leave a long review because I don’t want to allude to any of the things that go down. It was enthralling and kept my attention and was exactly what I was looking for at the time.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapped baby, attempted murder-suicide (side character), a child with a heart condition, grief and depression, physical altercations

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