Publish Date: February 10th, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Rating: 4 / 5
I won a copy via a giveaway. Thank you, Jess @ JessTimeToRead!
Blurb:
Three knocks can change everything..."She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.
First Thoughts
What an emotional roller coaster! One minute I'm crying over Ember's father's death, then I'm laughing at Gus and his love for ice cream, then I'm falling in love with Josh, then I'm angry at that jerk Riley, then I'm crying all over again.
Three knocks can change everything.
I can't even imagine. I pictured myself in Ember's shoes, her younger sister's shoes, her kid brother's shoes, her mother's shoes, and her grandmother's shoes... Each character dealt with their grief in different ways and Rebecca Yarros get it right-- you can relate to each and every one of them.
What I Enjoyed
Josh Walker. He is completely swoon-worthy, girls! I loved that he was there for her when she wanted him to be, but also there for her when she didn't even know she needed him to be. He said all the right things at all the right times and knew exactly how quick and how slow to work at their relationship. Le sigh. Perfect.
The realism. Do I like that April charged $5000 on her grieving mother's credit card to ease her pain with designer things? No, but I get it. Do I like that little 7 year old Gus struggled to understand what it meant to lose his dad? No, but it happens. Do I like that Ember's mother completely checked out and wouldn't get out of bed for weeks? No, but I'd probably react the same way. I absolutely loved the realistic reactions of the characters.
The plot twist. Omgsh. When I found out why Josh went out of town once a month (even on hockey game weekends), I was devastated. I knew it would be a deal breaker for Ember. I could understand her anger in why he kept it from her, but I could also understand his hesitance in telling her what was going on.
Memorable Quote
“Maybe love this exquisite, this powerful isn’t meant to last forever. Maybe we’re meant to burn so brightly for each other right now to light whatever path we’re heading down, but there’s no sustaining a fire like this.”
TL;DR
Ember's army dad dies in Afghanistan and it rocks the whole family. Each character is easy to relate to. Josh Walker is every woman's dream man. Just when you think Ember and Josh are headed to a happy place, his secret comes out. You want to yell at Ember for running away from him, but you totally understand her decision. READ IT.
4 asterisks
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