Review: Awesome YA Romantic Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2013
I loved the first book in the Project Five Fifteen series and I was really excited to get started on the second book, As You Were, and I liked this book even better than the first.  The story centers around a group of badass young assassins and a girl name Ronnie Rose.  Kalen, Ace, Nash, Denver, and Laith were part of a government run program that raised up and taught young boys, beginning at age 5 until age 16, how to be assassins.  When Kalen, the leader of the group, realized that the boys who were turning 16 began to disappear, he knew it was time to escape if they wanted to live.  They have been on the run ever since, always alert, always cautious, moving from place to place, each possessing abilities and skills that make them some of the most dangerous people on the planet.  In book one, the thing they never thought would or could never happen did......Kalen fell in love with Ronnie Rose.  Now the two are together, on the run, and having the time of their lives until everything begins to crash in on them, testing their love, their loyalty, and their trust in each other, and in those closest to them.As You Were is told from Ronnie's point of view.  I really liked Ronnie's character.  She is sweet, yet tough, and she loves Kalen fiercely.  Ronnie is willing to do whatever it takes to protect Kalen, and her new family.  Kalen is sexy, hot, a total badass, and at 20 years old has the weight of the world on his shoulders.  He loves Ronnie with everything he has in him, and wants to protect her at any cost.  He is new to relationships, so he makes a few mistakes, but always redeems himself.  I loved the relationship between Ronnie and Kalen, and I really enjoyed watching them grow individually and as a couple in this book.  I also loved the other guys in the story, especially Ace, the youngest of the bunch, who is only 15.  He and Ronnie have become best friends and share a special bond.  Nash and Denver are great to.  They both have killer good looks, and Denver is quite the charmer and ladies man.  Nash is probably the most mature in the group, second to Kalen.I absolutely loved the plot and story line in this series.  I would compare it to the Jason Bourne movies.  The story has similar elements, though it is quite unique and different in its on right, which I really loved.  It is definitely an intense thriller, but also has plenty of romance, combined with danger, betrayal, and of course the Jason Bourne style kickass action.  Samantha Summers has done an excellent job in enabling you to identify not only with the main characters, but the secondary characters as well, so that you feel enveloped in their world with them.  If you are a romance fan, especially one with thriller aspects, then the Project Five Fifteen series is something you should definitely check out, and if you are looking for something unique and different, then this series is one that definitely fits that bill also.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and most certainly would recommend it.