Review: 5 - "I won't promise I'll ever be perfect, but I can promise to keep trying." Stars!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
You could say that I am ‘tight’ when it comes to dishing out a 5, with regards to stars on my book ratings. This is not because I am a meanie, but because I read a lot of books. A large number of them of a very high calibre, and as such you will see that I give a lot of 4.5 stars. To hit a 5, an author has to do evoke 3 things from me –1) Keep my mind on the story and characters (I get distracted very easily)2) Get my emotions involved (crying like a baby with this one) and3) Offer me a story, I will remember that I read in 12 months time and who/what it was about (fickle I know, but when you read the volume of books I do, enjoyable doesn't always equate to memorable).Skye Jordan ticked every one of those boxes and then some. I have loved the Renegades Series from its beginnings, but with Ricochet we are given a whole different level of writing, to quote the author -My goal is to write each book better than the last.And boy she sooooo has!There are a lot of books in the romantic fiction genre at the moment, that feature servicemen and active and retired, that are dealing with the traumas of past battle and the absolute horror of conflict. PTSD and injuries (mental and physical) that result from seeing live combat are also heavily featured and for the most part dealt with extremely respectfully. Skye has managed to write the story of a man on the brink, fighting to hold it together, while struggling with guilt, flashbacks and a whole band of Demons in absolute heartbreaking detail. Master Sergeant Nathan Ryker is a man you will fall in love with, fall apart with, and put yourself back together again with as well.Every pain in his body disappeared. Every shadow vanished. She chased all of his demons away, and for a moment, he found relief.I think the reason that this story pulled me in so completely is that it is fresh, the storyline and the characters in the main aren’t unusual and the tropes are pretty mainstream, but the writing... Each and every plot point, action, reaction and conversation for me just felt clean, you could almost feel the level of concentration from the author in wanting to make sure that everything is ‘just-right’. The sex....OMG it is freaking hot, inventive and I went back and re-read pretty much every scene just to make sure I didn’t miss anything out.”I’m offering you exactly what you want. No-strings, no-shame, no-limits, no-complications, wicked-good sex. Complete with an agreed-upon end date, a vow of secrecy and an eight-thousand-mile anti-stalking guarantee when it’s over.”Rachel has figured in the previous two books in the series (Reckless & Rebel) as she is the glue that holds the Renegade Men together, sassy, full of attitude, she give the guys as good as she gets and takes no prisoners, when it comes to speaking her mind. Lacking in a little self-confidence and moving on from her own heartbreak, one night of no-strings sex is just what she is looking for to give her a little boost.She wanted a man’s hands on her. A man’s mouth everywhere. A man’s body moving with hers.Unfortunately the guy she hooks up with knows more about her than she does about him...He kissed like a devil, had a body like granite, and used his hands like a god.I think the most poignant and emotional points of the story for me were Nathan’s flashbacks, his reaction to them and how Rachel tried to help him, even when faced with his anger and denial. I really felt the suffering from both of them, and there is a point later on in the book where he meets up with an old team member where I had to stop reading for a time just to pull myself together enough to focus on the words.Skye Jordan, with this book has given me everything I want from a story, absolute hands-down 100% excellence. You don't need to read the previous two books in this series, but I urge you too as they are also stellar reads. But you will also then see just how mind-blowingly wonderful this third instalment it.ARC generously provided by the author via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review.