Ari refuses to let any man back into her life. She’s had her heart broken one too many times before. But Dominic will do anything to fight his way into her heart.
What’s it About?
Two broken souls collide as ominous threats emerge…
Arianna Lawson has one goal: help her sister defeat the Sendaxa regime and live a solemn existence free from the chaos of their dystopian world. Life has taught her hard lessons about pain and loss, and she has no desire to open herself to love—even for the strong, stoic man who consumes her every thought.
Dominic Cavalleri has experienced his own loss, retreating behind false emotion to bury the pain. After sustaining a life-threatening injury, he’s determined to change his ways—and to explore the emotion he saw in Arianna’s gorgeous eyes when he was moments from death.
Thrust into a dangerous mission, the two soldiers work together as their passion ignites. But Arianna’s stubborn denial of her feelings is Dominic’s greatest foe, and he’ll stop at nothing to tear down her walls as they fight to restore balance.
If you love a reverse grumpy-sunshine story (she’s grumpy!) with a hero determined to bestow the love his woman deserves, a side of smokin’ hot romance, and a race to save the world, this book is for you! Settle in and enjoy!
First Impressions
Hot daaaaaaamn! The sexual chemistry between Ari and Dominic was simmering throughout the entirety of the first novel in this dystopian series. When a bullet almost ended Dominic’s life in the final scene of book one, both of these stubborn fighters woke up to the feelings they’ve tried to keep buried for years. If there’s one thing they both know for certain in this messed up world, it’s that life is short, and those you love most can be ripped from you in the cruelest of ways in the mere blink of an eye. In this action-filled sequel, their simmering chemistry reaches a boiling point where it quite literally leaps off the page and smacks you hard right across the face.
This book was everything I could have possibly wanted for Ari and Dominic’s relationship. They are perfectly matched in every way. Hard-headed, authoritative fighters who have loved and lost, and care deeply for the few people they have left in this world to call family. Ari has loved Dominic for years, but he’s always felt an unrequited love for her sister Dani. When he seemingly lay dying in Ari’s arms during a mission gone wrong, Dom’s finally realized that the true love of his life is the woman who insists on building walls of stone up around her heart. He might be everything she’s always wanted, but when he finally starts to voice and attempt to act on her deepest desires, she retreats behind those walls of hers. Good thing Dominic is the kind of man who won’t back down. Not when it comes to finally holding her tight in his arms.
Dominating the Fighter
At one point during this dystopian read set in a future where a life-changing super drug has brought about the downfall of an addicted society, I couldn’t help but think that the most unbelievable feature was the fact that not one, but multiple men would dare cheat on Ari. She seems like the kind of woman who would know several ways to hide a body and get away with it. But as we hear more of her story it sort of made sense that these men were too afraid to confront her directly and admit that their relationship was over. In Dominic however, she finds a man who isn’t afraid to get right up in her face, push her up against a wall if necessary, and whisper his lips all over her body to get his point across. He knows just how hard to push her to finally confront her feelings, but never takes things to an extreme that would make her truly uncomfortable.
And let’s face it, Ari is bad-ass enough that she probably knows about 15 different ways to break free of his hold if she really wanted to. Ari is so used to being the dominant and assertive personality in every aspect of her life, especially on the battlefield, but Dominic can recognize that when it comes to the bedroom she’s looking for someone else to be in charge. Their dominant/submissive relationship is markedly subtle compared to other romances that explore this subject, something I for one appreciated. We see some delightful dirty talk, a bit of light spanking, and it’s clear that they both get a (literal) rise when Dominic puts his hand around Ari’s throat in a show of what can almost be described as possessive adoration. Years in the military mean that in the heat of battle they’re both undeniably aware of each other’s movements, and this translates so beautifully in the bedroom to understanding the movement of their bodies. It’s a dance they’ve come to perfect, and have found in each other the perfect partner to last a lifetime.
Expanding the Battleground
The majority of this book takes place quite literally in my own backyard of Washington, D.C. Having just recently seen the A24 film Civil War, it was surprisingly easy to visualize a surreal, dystopian version of this city I call home with soldiers constantly scouting to eliminate those who don’t belong. Not only was the visual representation of the city on point, but that film and this novel both present us with a power-hungry leader at the helm, so confident is he of remaining in his position of authority that he’ll willingly ignore the poignant signs of rebellion starting to rise up throughout the city. A hallmark of this series is that it loves to present us with some twists and turns to the plot that will constantly keep us on our toes, not to mention a slow build of tension that eventually climaxes in a mission gone wrong.
This second novel also presents us with a final show of brute force in a harrowing battle confrontation as soldiers surround the safe haven compound in which our heroes have sheltered themselves. Having predicted the twist of the previous novel, I went into this sequel perhaps more confident and self-assured than I should have been. Just when I thought I had these characters figured out, and could see a clear path for how events would progress into the third and final book…BAM! Plot twist. WAM! Mind-blowing epilogue reminiscent of a post-credit scene in a Marvel film. This series will constantly have you suspecting everyone of being a friend one minute and possible foe in the next, and leave you guessing as to who might succumb to the twists of fate or emerge victorious.
*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*
Series: The Sendaxa Chronicles, book 2. I cannot wait to get book three into my hands. This has quickly become my favorite and most anticipated series of the year. You’ll want to read these in order.
Would I befriend the heroine? Oh she’d kick my ass in more ways than one. I’d probably have to admire her from afar.
Would I date the hero? I’m salivating over here. We get to enjoy a scene of him wearing a freakin’ tux for crying out loud.
Final Impressions: This was a fantastic addition to the series. While book one might have a slight edge in overall awesomeness by presenting us with this unique world and all of the major players contained within it, I loved how this sequel allowed us to focus first and foremost on the couple that stole the show from opening bell. We do still get a few chapters highlighting the other characters in the series, including the couple from book one, as well as the impeccably devastating hero who will round out the final book in this trilogy. I would have loved to get at least one chapter told from our villain’s perspective, not to mention Ari and Dani’s sister Raquel. The fact that the author managed to surprise me with her twists and turns made this an absolute joy ride, and I can’t wait to see how everything will finally come together in the next book.
Smut Level: Book one brought the steam, book two brings the bang. Dominic makes a meal of Ari multiple times over. I will admit though, one of the moments I appreciated the most was the mention that amidst all of this dystopian fighting Ari hasn’t exactly found time to shave her legs or keep to a tidy bikini line. Gotta love the realism.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Reading Goddess Press, LLC. 226 Pages.
Romance Novels for the Beach 