I really liked this one, I feel like it was a long time since I read a book from Aly Martinez!The last book I read was ok but this one was fantastic!It was emotional, angsty and heartwarming! I loved the romance and the characters were well developed!

Reclaim: A Standalone Friends-to-Lovers Romance (The Release

Thea and Ramsey are both fighters. They were both dealt a crappy hand in life, but they always had each other and that made all the difference. I loved Thea so much. She's definitely going on my 'top heroines' list. She's resilient, faithful, and unwavering in her love and devotion. Ramsey was amazing as well. Though there were times I wanted to shake him, I completely understood why he did the things he did. Their story was heart breaking at times, but it was also healing and beautiful. Thrive (Guardian Protection #2, Lark and Mira) OR START HERE… Contemporary Romance (heavy banter, no cliffhanger.) There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever. There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine-then, now, and forever. Their happily ever after was plainly all Thea's effort. She never once gave up. I understood the way she behaved when she was a kid. She acted meanly towards Ramsey because she thinks like a kid. What would you expect from a kid whose mother just died? However, an adult Ramsey acting like a kid denying Thea's help, breaking their "best friend law," and pushing her away for her "own good" were what I wasn't able to accept.Every little girl has a fairytale dream where she is saved by a knight in shining armour and they fall in love, living happily ever after. For the next decade, I tried running away from my past by building an empire that would protect me from whatever life would throw at me. Ramsey Stewart and Thea Hull meet when they're kids. Even though they're young, they're both having an exceptionally bad day. Both of them need a friend more than they're willing to admit, but Thea wants nothing to do with Ramsey at first. With time, though... he wears her down.

Aly Martinez Reading Order | Author Aly Martinez

And what a massive stinking lie. She didn't deserve this conniving duo in her life because no matter how we try to explain it away, they deliberately led her to believe that she was the reason he was in prison. No matter how you spin it, Nora fed off her pain because she felt guilty and to assuage her guilt, she encouraged Thea's unhealthy fixation with Ramsey This story was angsty, emotional, and well written. Intriguing plot that was divided into two parts; the past and the present time. I absolutely loved the past, twelve years before it all happened. But regarding the present, twelve years after it all happened, is a story that needs to be told. The following days are all about the heroine’s relentless efforts to break down his walls. Because the book is written in dual point of view, we learn that he still loves her but he thinks she will be better-off with a decent person not an ex-convict so because he loves her SO MUCH, he pushes her away.

Now on the other hand, Ramsey... he is a bit off in the middle. I feel he is more coward. He feels sorry for himself at the middle of the book. I want to slap him awake. I guess it is important to make Ramsey weaks so we can see how Thea shines bright. Despite the fact that my heart had no room for another man, having witnessing the brutal killing of my husband, Penn still took it all. A coming of age, second chance, roiling angst filled story that will leave you breathless and aching for more. It's stuffed full with funny banter, laughter and love but be warned that the cry-fest it shall induce would dessicate your poor heart Thea and Ramsey owned my heart from the very first chapter. Martinez takes you on a spellbinding journey as they meet as children. What starts off as grudging friendship between two broken kids, slowly blooms into something much more potent. Ramsey and Thea meet at a time where they need each other the most, though Ramsey's pain isn't as obvious as Thea's. Young Ramsey is undeterred by Thea's hissing and swatting him away as kids. He slowly but surely weaves his way into her heart with his easy smile and sweet demeanor. But that easy smile hides painful secrets, secrets that young Thea doesn't spot right away. Their friendship slowly blossoms into teenage love, but then one dark evening shatters their life as they know it.

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Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, charcuterie boards, and her mildly neurotic golden retriever. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person. Living in the limelight however made me lose myself somewhere along the way—until he came to my rescue. The plot is good. H and h are best friends since childhood and then in love but something happens which ends up with the H going to prison. He killed a guy who assaulted her. She waited for him for 12 years feeling guilty. But after coming out he doesn’t want to do anything with her. Infact he told her to move on and that he doesn’t love her when he was in the prison.With a slow burn and some angsty moments, Release is a second chance romance that would appeal to those looking for a touching story dealing with real life painful issues. Overall, this novel was not just another amazing story by this author, but a powerful portrayal of a couple who came out on the other side after years of painful and tumultous heartbreak. Ramsey and Thea found a safe haven in one another throughout their whole lives and Martinez portrayed that beautifully. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula ❤