Review: Love this story...makes you believe in love and HEAs
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
Madison Phillips has spent the last eight years trying to forget Luc Angeli, the boy who she gave her virginity to on her eighteenth birthday, who then walked away from her thinking he was protecting her."Do yourself a favor, Maddy. Save your love for some man who actually deserves it."She has never been able to put the past behind her and has decided that the only way to move on with her life is to return to Las Vegas and put the past to rest."I was never in love with the bastard. But he's like a virus that's infected my life. I'm here to purge him once and for all."Luc Angeli spent his youth trying to earn his father's love..."When he was young he'd done the best to earn his father's love. He'd been a top athlete. He'd made straight A's. And following in his father's footsteps, he'd bedded every willing female who'd crossed his path."...and the past eight years determined to be a better man."I'd just come to the conclusion that after years of trying to emulate my father, I'd become a man who I didn't particularly like, and respected even less. I was determined to change, which meant I wasn't going to take advantage of an innocent teenager who'd convinced herself she was in love with me."When Maddy returns to Las Vegas and shows up at a benefit event that Luc is attending, she puts her plan of revenge in place and is determined that this time she will be the one to walk away. Luc realizes that walking away from Maddy eight years ago was a big mistake..."He'd walked away from her once. It wasn't going to happen again."...and even though he lets her walk out of the hotel room they have just shared, he knows that he will do whatever it takes to keep her in his life this time..."Because you're the catch that I was stupid enough to let get away.""You can run all you want, Maddy. Eventually the past will catch up with you.""The temptation was yours. The weakness was mine. A weakness it seems I haven't outgrown."I must say that this was such a refreshing read. Even though this story was only novella length, Alexandra Ivy was able to pack enough angst and romance into the story to leave you smiling at the HEA. It was nice to see Maddy come to realize just how wrong she was about Luc (prior to me getting to the point of wanting to slap her!), and I loved her friend Kristen, who calls BS on her when she tries to deny why she has come back to Las Vegas and her true feelings about Luc.This is another great read from Alexandra Ivy. If you are looking for a book that will leave you smiling and believing in love and happily-ever-after's, I highly recommend this book.I received First Rapture through The League of Ivy Readers Group in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased theWicked Firstsanthology, in which this story was a part of.