Guestpost: A real life HEA by Julia Rachel Barrett

When we first started thinking about Secret HEA Society we already knew that  we would love to see what others think about about HEAs in general. Every person seems to see it as something else so we started asking friends around the blogosphere about their two cents. Today we are happy to welcome our first guestposter here at Secret HEA Society. Julia Rachel Barrett is a wonderful author and a really good friend. Julia will actually tell us about her own personal HEA. 
Please give her a warm welcome and be sure to tell us what your thoughts are.

Lysander:
Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;

But either it was different in blood—

Hermia:

O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low.

Lysander:

Or else misgraffèd in respect of years—

Hermia:

O spite! too old to be engag'd to young.

Lysander:

Or else it stood upon the choice of friends—

Hermia:

O hell! to choose love by another's eyes.

- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act One, Scene One, William Shakespeare.

I agree. The course of true love never did run smooth, at least not in my case. When Susi asked me to blog about an HEA, or my idea of an HEA, I figured I should simply tell a story…an interesting story about true love.
Any of my readers familiar with my romantic suspense, Come Back to Me, know parts of my story. James, my hero, is actually based upon my husband. Many of the events in the book are true – some have been changed to protect people I love.

My husband and I met at a tough time in my life. I think I fell in love with him the very moment I saw him, but I was fourteen years old, screwed up as hell, and certainly not prepared to have a relationship with anyone, let alone someone who was older, wiser, and in a position of authority. Despite the fact that we lived nearly four hundred miles apart, we became friends. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about him.

Over the next three years, until I graduated from high school, we kept in touch, writing letters, talking on the phone and spending a few days together each year. After that, when it was possible to actually become a couple, we seemed to be at cross purposes. We’d get together, but something would happen and I’d push him away. I was very wary of getting close to people in those days.

When I was twenty (yeah, I know, I was way too young), I finally got together with my James. It was the most amazing time of my life. The stars were aligned and I was in a good place at last. But then tragedy struck. What happened to Cara in Come Back to Me, happened to me. I barely survived. Once again I pushed everyone I loved, everyone who cared about me, away. Like Cara, I ran off, straight into the arms of a man who was just like my James, except he was his evil doppelganger.

Took me three years to extricate myself from that hell, but I had to in order to save the lives of my mother and my infant son, in addition to my own.

So where’s my HEA?
Fast forward two years. I was on my own, a single parent, working nights, foregoing sleep to support my son, and trying to stay under the radar of anyone who might be interested in me in the wrong way. I hadn’t heard a word from my James in five years. I thought it was time to find out if there was any chance for us.
What does a woman do when she wonders if the love of her life is married to someone else? Why, she telephones his mother, of course.
“Hi, Stella, this is Julia.”
“Julia, it’s so good to hear from you. He’s not married. Let me give you his number. You should call him.” (She always did love me. Despite everything I’d put him through, she still believed I was right for her son.)

I called. He didn’t answer. I called him off and on for two weeks, but he didn’t answer. I think his mother must have told him to answer because at last, he answered. We talked, caught up; exchanged information. We agreed to meet in one month.

A month went by and on the appointed day of our meeting, he didn’t show; he didn’t call, nor did I call him to ask why he didn’t show. I knew the reason for his absence. I’d hurt him terribly five years before and he was afraid. A week after our planned meeting, I received a letter. I read the following words: “I’ve met someone else and I want to see where this might lead. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be with you.”

Calm, I set the letter on my bed and reached beneath my mattress. I pulled out a box I’d kept safe for many years. In the box was everything he’d ever given me, every letter he’d ever written. Still calm, I carried the box into the backyard. It was the middle of February and there was three feet of snow on the ground. I opened my barbecue grill, set the box on the grate, along with the letter I’d just read. I squeezed an entire bottle of lighter fluid over the box and lit it on fire. As I watched our history go up in flames, I ordered myself to get on with my life, without him.

Over the next eight months, I tentatively entered the dating pool, with mixed success, I must admit. I dated the occasional doctor, spent some time with an old classmate, and at last, out of the blue, met a great guy. He was smart, funny, sexy, rich, had a smokin’ hot future ahead of him. His family owned an entire island, not to mention a private jet. Most important, he liked my son. He and I really hit it off. When he left town to spend time with his family on the East Coast, I felt confident we’d pick up where we left off as soon as he returned.
Here’s where the story gets weird. Picture this – early October. All the leaves have turned color and they’ve begun to drop; they’re scattered all over my yard. The afternoon is pleasant. I take my toddler outside with me and we rake leaves into big piles –jump into them, scattering leaves far and wide, rake them again so we can jump into the piles. At last, my son grows tired and the two of us lay down in the leaves. He falls asleep in my arms. I stare up at the sunlight filtering through the branches of a big oak tree, more at peace than I’ve been in many years.

As lay quiet, a disembodied voice speaks from the branches of the oak tree. The voice rings out like a bell and it’s as true a voice as I’ve ever heard. The voice says, “Your life is in good hands.” That’s all it says. I don’t run; I’m not frightened. It’s the clearest voice I’ve ever heard.
I get up, lift my sleeping son into my arms, and carry him to his crib. An hour later, the man I’m currently dating calls. He tells me he’s sending his private jet to pick us up – tomorrow – my son and me. The pilot will fly us to his family’s island. He wants his family to meet us. How do I respond? I say the following, “No, I’m so sorry, but no. And I don’t want to continue the relationship.” I don’t know why I say this. I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, but these are the words I hear coming out of my mouth. Why am I saying this? What’s wrong with me?
I didn’t have to work that night so I was able to get a decent night’s sleep. I went to bed around eleven p.m. At two a.m., my phone rang.
Groggy me…”Hello?”
“Julia, it’s James.”
“James? Why are you calling me?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Where are you?”
“Superior, Wisconsin.”
“What are you doing there?”
“I was supposed to go on a kayak trip, but I want to see you.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
“But you’re six hundred miles away.”
“I know. I’ll be there around noon.”
“Okay.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I turned over and went back to sleep.

He showed up just after noon the next day, the kayak secured to the roof of his car. I stood in the drive. Without a word, he lifted me into his arms, whisked me off to bed like a good romance hero should, and then, once we’d paid our long overdue dues, asked me to marry him. HEA…it does exist.

So this is Julia's take on HEA. Tell us about yours? What do you think make a HEA perfect?

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Review: Pushing Her Boundaries by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Maggie is done with men. Flying to Minneapolis, she’s seated beside the type of man she always falls for. A sexy, arrogant alpha jerk.

Mace Williams irritates the woman next to him. She's so damn sexy, he doesn't care. When their seatmate suffers a cardiac arrest, Maggie and Mace team up to save his life, but it's too late.

In Minneapolis, Maggie heads to a restaurant with her sister, only to find Mace waiting. Worse, she learns he'll soon be her brother-in-law.

Stuck in her sister’s apartment with Mace, Maggie offers him one night of sex, anything goes. No obligations, no recriminations. Mace agrees...he wants more than Maggie's body, he wants her heart.

Thrown into a disastrous canoe trip, they must work together to survive. Maggie must face her demons and trust Mace with her life. Mace is determined to save her, regardless of what the future brings.

Review:
When Julia told me she wrote a book inspired by her canoe trip from hell I said hell yes I want to read that one. I always admire how much real life Julia can convey through her writing and a real life story with a romantic story build around it? What's not to like about that.

Maggie is a strong woman. She's not easily scared and has a specific inner calmness I admire. She was burned in the past and to say it with her own words: It's more like who didn't burn her. Her life wasn't easy but she made the best out of it and tries not to wallow in self-pity. She knows what she wants and mostly she got it right. She has a temper and a bit of a potty mouth but I always love this in a character. I admired her openess (even though she isn't as open as she thinks, at least emotionally) and way of thinking everything through.

Mace seems to be an asshole at first- though I liked him from the start. I knew that one was made for Maggie. I loved his directness and his dirty talking made him seem like on of those good bad guys. *winks* He's intelligent, smart, protective but not overbearing and not some hot shot über-macho who wouldn't survive the wraith of the female population in real life. I loved that he can admit that Maggie knows something better. It really shows his strength that he can see when someone else is right and has no problem in admitting that out loud.

These two really set the pages on fire- their chemistry is scorching and the way the normally so strong Maggie was able to "submit" to Mace was wonderfully pictured.The story itself was as awesome as I thought it would be- funny, witty and with a good touch of freakish craziness like you see so often in real life *wink* I love how touching and down to earth Julia writes- you can actually see yourself talking to her characters, the only thing I missed was a proper ending- I felt a bit cheated on the HEA.

Pushing Her Boundaries was an entertaining and fun read with a real touch to it. I loved the characters enjoyed the setting and I will always be grateful that I won't ever go canoeing again (different story but same conclusion). A great read you don't want to miss.

To learn more about Julia and her books please visit her website here. She has a great blog there too. You don't want to miss that (e.g. crazy canoe trip reports).

Other reviews @goodreads, but the book @BookStrand

Attention: I got this book for free from the author and I like to call Julia my friend so make out of that what you want! 

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Review: One Four All by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Lira Pakan, heir to the Throne of Zhinshu, has vanished. Her zealots gather along the border with the neighboring state of Khubuk, awaiting the outcome of her father's pleas to the World Court.

Captain Tanner Kepp serves in the elite Special Forces of Khubuk. When the captain is ordered to choose two men to accompany him to Land's End, an isolated compound on the maritime border between Khubuk and Zinshu, the last thing he expects to find is the missing princess.

Captain Kepp, Arms Master Cer Watso and Sergeant Redda Till realize they must rescue her and avert all out war.

The princess, however, has other plans. These men can be more than her rescuers. According to the law of Zhinshu, she must choose three men as consorts. Her people say: "one to guard the right hand, one to guard the left hand, and one to guard the back, always."

Review:
When Julia told me she wrote her first menage I was immediately sure I had to read it. Julia's novels are always hot so I imagined a menage with THREE men would be scorching hot. And I was right.

One Four All feels like a contemporary fantasy novel. It's set in a kind of parallel universe. They seem to have the same technology we have but their religious and moral views are different from ours. Why fantasy? Because we have a princess and a king and those always stand for fantasy in my eyes. Yes I'm full of prejudices. I loved how this world was build up. Not through one big info dump but more through the story-telling We learn everything on the way- with a little tidbit here and there.

The story starts with 3 soldiers on the edge of diving into a war with the neighboring country, Zhinshu. But out of nowhere they get send away on a different mission. They should guard the wife of an "important" politician and they aren't really happy about this development at all. When they arrive at the mansion this changes nearly immediately. They can feel that something is not the way it should be. And when they lay their eyes on Lira for the first time they know that she's not there out of her free will. I loved that Kepp, Red and Wat were all so different in character. They all have their own appeal but I have to admit I had an extra soft spot for Red. He was funny and he won my heart ASAP.

Lira is the heir of the crown of Zhinshu.  She got kidnapped by this crazy politician and he wants her to bear his children. He's not really happy about her being so complicated and denying him but luckily that's the way it works. She can't get pregnant if she's forced to have sex so he has to bring her to do it willingly. Not easy because Lira is a strong woman and even under threats and ransom she won't back down and give herself to him. She suffers through every torture he throws her way but her iron will never diminish. But she is relived when she first meets our three heroes because she can feel deep inside that they will be her rescue. She is a wonderful character, strong and made for being a queen. She knows her way around people and she knows how to defend herself. She's comfortable with herself and it shows in her actions. I really liked that girl.

The sex in this book is hot. Oh my this novel is made for a cold night at home. As you can imagine three guys and a woman is much and I have to admit at some points a bit too much for me. It was always sexy as hell but at some moments I thought it would be better with one guy less. See I'm not that greedy. But I still enjoyed it though.

The story itself is full of twists and turns and definitely has some actions. Onces or twice I sat straight on my couch and just couldn't read fast enough to see what would happen next. I always love how Julia makes her characters interact. It feels like real people would talk to each other and it always reminds me of talking to her. Her books are as she is, you just have to like them.

One Four All is a highly erotic and heartfelt story.The story will draw you in and the characters will make you smile more than once. Recommended for all erotica and menage lovers.

To learn more about Julia and her books please visit her website here. She has a great blog there too. You don't want to miss that.

Other reviews @goodreads, but the book @BookStrand

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Review: Anytime Darlin' by Julia Rachel Barrett

Descritpion:

Paramedic Jake McKenna drops to his knees beside the young woman. Beaten, starved, she's barely breathing, burning with fever. He stabilizes her, but when she opens her green eyes and stares, panic-stricken, into his, he realizes this is only the beginning of their relationship.

Devlin Barre has been through hell. If her uncle finds her, she's dead. When she looks into the warm brown eyes of the paramedic, she knows deep in her bones she can trust this man with her life. Devlin and Jake grow close, but, fearful of commitment, Devlin runs off to rebuild her life, leaving Jake heartbroken.

Five years later, Jake and Devlin meet again. Neither has forgotten a single detail of their time together. Both harbor the secret hope that they can begin again--this time, for keeps. But Devlin isn't the only person who ran off. Her uncle still waits for the right opportunity to get the one person who got away.

Note: This book contains rape of the heroine.

Review:

After reading the blurb for this book I had to swallow real hard. I wasn't sure if I would be up for this. I'm not  at all fond of rape in books. I hate when authors use this as a way to make their heroine more vulnerable. It is, at least for me, not a topic that should be talked about lightly. It's something that will influence you and your life severely and it's nothing you can just forget or ignore easily. That being said I have to say it's the first book I ever read about that topic that didn't made me hate it. Julia handled this topic with so much care and thoughtfulness, it was bearable for me to read about it. Yes, It broke my heart and made me cry but I found it was handled in away that me believe it's real- with all the pain, hurt and humilation it involves. I don't think this topic should be banned from books and  Anytime Darlin' showed me that there are books out there who do it right.

Jake is a wonderful character. He's working as a paramedic but he's a cowboy at heart. He always helped out on his father's ranch and he wants to have one for himself in the future too. He loves his family and always has an open ear for them when they need him. He's caring, funny and has a dirty side, too. For me he is a dream come true. I love when a man is more than just sex-o- stick. Of course I know to appreciate a sex-on-stick man, no worries I'm still a red-blooded woman, but I think you need some one you can trust completely, someone you just want to tell everything no matter what. Jake is one of those men. He eriadtes calmness and reassurance- he's a place of peace for Dev.

Devlin's life is shattered and lays in pieces in front of her. When the paramedics find her in the Kmart she nearly gave up life. Until she saw Jake. She doesn't know why but she feels  safe with him- like nothing can touch her. He gives her the hope and safety she needs to give her the strength to survive. I loved  reading about her journey even though it was a cruel and sad one. I admired her strength and how she tried to stand on her own feet. She's a survivor and I'm sure she will give hope to other woman in this situation.

When these two meet again after 5 years without one single word the air between them sizzles.  They can't keep their hands off each other and wow they really know how to use their creativity. It gave  the whole book a lighter touch and finally satisfied my need to see these two being happy.
 I enjoyed the way Julia also included the lives of the side-characters in her story. They all were unique in their own way and they just fit in. I loved the group dynamic this created and I caught myself wanting to be part of such a close knitted group of friends.

At the end of the book I could have lived without one scene but I'm never a fan of seeing something through the bad guy's eyes. It's always so weird and I don't really like to read the twisted thoughts of a maniac. Yes I am a scaredy cat when it comes to books.

As you perhaps noticed I really did like this book. It was a wonderful emotional read- a rollercoaster ride that will take you from heartbreakingly sad to nearly high of joy. Anytime Darlin' made me feel and that's one of the things I love most about books. Julia's writing drew me in completely and I couldn't put this book down. I have already spent hours discussing this book and it still hasn't let go of me. Definitely a keeper on the top of my shelf.
 
To learn more about Julia and her books please visit her website here.

Read other reviews @goodreads, buy the book @BookStrand

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Review: The Beauty and the Feast by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Eva Raines is an uncomplicated country girl who's all about food. Eva moves to the Napa Valley where her culinary skills come to the attention of the owners of a start-up, All Things to All People, and Eva finds her niche as a personal chef. Now all she needs is a man as perfect as her cooking, but she has serious doubts that such a creature exists.

When wealthy entrepreneur, winery owner, and noted Lothario, Gabriel Abbott, makes plans to seduce his flavor of the month, his assistant hires All Things to All People to cater a gourmet dinner. Eva expects to use her way with food to showcase the startup. What she unexpectedly discovers is that her culinary skills showcase far more.

Once Gabriel finds himself seduced by Eva's voice, and the sensual flavors and textures of her food, his previous plans are quickly forgotten. He begins to obsess about meeting his little chef in person. But when Eva and Gabe finally come face to face, the question is, how hot will their fire burn?

Review:
I read this book a while back in my exams period and I just discovered that I totally forgot to review it in all the stress. And it totally deserves a review. I got this book from Julia and I'm so thankful she send it to me. It really made my day better and let me forget all the stress of the exams for a few hours.

What makes this book so special? I loved that the characters felt this huge attraction to each other even before they met. I think we all know that situation when you hear the voice of someone and start thinking about what he or she will look like. Or perhaps that is just me because of my job at the directory assistance.

Eva is a wonderful character. She works for a catering firm and is a really independent woman. She seems perfect and prim as in how can she be that perfect but after a bit of time we discover what makes her a real human. She has a seriously dirty mouth from time to time and I had to laugh so often just cuz of the stuff  that came out of her mouth. She loves to cook and it mostly felt like foreplay what she does with the food. I really liked her from the start.

When Gabe hears Eva's voice for the first time he is smitten and it gets even worse when he tastes her food for the first time. I really thought that food couldn't be such a turn on but Gabe showed me that I was wrong. He really "likes" her food and OMG how I wished I were the cook. He is one hot man and I completely understand what Eva finds so interesting and sexy about him. He has a way to talk and gesture that just makes you crave him. He's a millionaire but is still such a nice guy.

Together these two are one nice pair. They are made for each other. They have these easy conversations and funny banters but they know how to turn up the heat, too. I'm always totally blown away how Julia creates this matching couples. I love how her couples are together and how they seem to be so real.

One thing I didn't like is the old condom story. I know it is an old rant but I really can't get how you can forget any protection for so long. Not good at all!!!

The story around our couple was okay but I think that the whole Stephanie and her revenge thing was a bit too much. I don't think a woman would be that way without having any real connection to the man before. It could be that I just haven't met such a girl but I'm happy I didn't. LOL

All in all Beauty and the Feast was a wonderful book to give your mind a rest from a stressy time. I couldn't put it down and I enjoyed not only the steamy part but also all the food. Be aware that this book will make you hungry and not only in the literal way. *wink*

To learn more about Julia and her books please visit her website here.


You can read other reviews @goodreads and you can buy the book @fictionwise

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Review: My Everything by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Security consultant Ben McCall is alone. His wife and unborn child are dead, victims of an assassination attempt meant for someone else. Grieving, he disappears. When his best friend is in danger Ben resurfaces, only to find his friend isn’t the target of a murderer, he is.

Grace Adams is one of the walking wounded. Her husband died two years ago. One night she is incapacitated. A man comes to her aid. He’s the man she fell in love with years before, Ben McCall. As the passion between them reignites, Grace too becomes a target of the madman who stalks Ben.

Review: 
I received this book as a review copy from the author and after reading the blurb I was like "Okay we will see.". And I have to say this blurb doesn't do the book any justice.

The book is fast paced and written in such a lovely way, I just couldn't put it down. We switch from different POVs through the whole story but it made the story more 3 dimensional and not at all confusing. I loved how Ms. Barrett chose an unique voice for each of her characters. It made them so much more real in my eyes.

Our heroine Grace had a few grave moments in her life. She lost her husband to leukemia after only 2 years of marriage and she suffers from really hard migraine attacks from time to time.But she doesn't give up and tries to handle this all on her own. She is a specialist for pain management and it would look really unprofessional to have problems on exactly the same topic. While she has one of her attacks she meets Ben, her big teenage crush. He helps her and is more understanding and helpful than many other people in her life.

Ben is broken inside. He lost his wife and his unborn child in a terror assasination he should have prevented. He works in the security sector and it was his purpose and task to prevent things like that but he failed and got punished for his mistake. Or that is what he thinks. We all know that there are certain things in life we just can't stop from happening. We shouldn't stop trying to but sometimes it's just the way it is. And especially in this situation it's not at all his fault. As you can see I really felt for him. Poor man. He's a strongly caring person and although he vanished from the surface of his normal life for a year to hide and work through his grief, he still cares for his family and friends. When he hears that his best friend is in grave danger he doesn't hestitate and immediately starts his journey home. The moment he meets Grace again after ten years his first thought is that she is a distraction. But why? He quickly finds out how unlogical this assumption is and discovers his own attraction and perhaps a bit more for her. Surely he feels guilty for that and even more he knows that this is possibly the worst moment ever to get close and personal to someone he really cares about.

The situation gets even more dramatic when Ben finds out that not only his bestfriend is in danger but his sister got kidnapped to draw him out of hiding. The plot is really suspenseful and I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time. The story is a great mix of relationship building and actual story plot. It always gave me what I wanted and it was a real satisfying read for such a short novel.

One thing at the end was a bit "Yeah, sure!" and I don't mean the supernatural aspect. I won't tell you more because that would be one gigantic spoiler but if I can forgive something like that other readers probably can,too.

All in all this book was a great read with scorching hot, emotional intense and thrilling action in a perfect mix. I can recommend this book to all the lovers of a nice steamy romance with the right amount of suspense!



To learn more about Julia Rachel Barrett please visit her website here and her blog here.
And please come back on Friday(FEB 26th) for a guestpost and a giveaway with Julia.

Read other reviews @goodreads
Buy this ebook @Cobblestone Press

Update: I'm also over at Book Lovers INC today talking about The Greatness that could be Blio.

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Review: Captured by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Mari wakes naked, on the cold metal floor of a cargo cage. She has been captured by an alien trapper, Ekkatt, a man of Attun-Ra. Her destination is the meat market. Her only hope of survival is to connect with Ekkatt. She never expects to fall in love with him.


Review:

First thing I have to say is: I so love science fiction! I really adore this genre with all those little techy things in the mix with great action and a bit of romance or even erotica. I always enjoy reading about the social problem in foreign societies as a mirror of our own- present or past. In my opinion, we grab these things better when we have a little distance to the ones that are accused. And isn't it a nice way when the accused are sexy big men with long silky blue-black hair and yellow feline eyes? Very nice way in my opinion.

The book starts a bit alarmingly. We wake up together with Mari in a room full of naked woman in cages, not only human ones but many different species, and two hunky men watching over them. First thing I thought was: OMG not the Stockholm syndrome again! But after that I thought: isn't it greedy to have a whole ship of sex-slaves? But as it shows it's not the way my dirty mind pictured it. The women aren't kidnapped to being raped, their even worse future is being sold on the meat market. Yep, you read that right! There are species enjoying nothing more than a human steak. So ick!!!! But okay, we need a bad party in this book. Even worse for me was the attitude of the "smugglers"(who are vegetarians by the way- love that part). They think humans are nothing more than animals without any feelings and higher cognitive functions. You feel charmed already?

So how does it work out that Mari fells in love with one of them? Ekkatt isn't like the most of his species. He sees from the first minute after Mari woke up on the ship that she is different than all the other women he has transported. She's brave and totally able to form coherent sentences and to argument with logic. Why is that so surprisingly for him? Because no women ever before woke up on a transport.

Mari is a real strong heroine. She doesn't cower even in her severe situation and tries to be brave enough to live through it all. Her will to live is unbreakable and she sees her chance in the handsome Ekkatt. She notices that he isn't convinced of her being a stupid animal. So she grabs all her wit and courage to make him free her or at least help her.

Ekkatt's character is unbelievable open for someone being raised in such a society. He is headstrong and has a pure moral attitude towards life no matter the species. As soon as he realizes what the authorities plan to do to Mari he has to do something to prevent this. This decision is a really big one and if someone catches him he will be punished by death. But nothing will sway him from this point.

These two have seriously chemistry going on and I'm again surprised that luckily the aliens fit us anatomically. LOL I enjoyed reading about these two. Their interactions are lovely and they are both so concerned for each others- that just melted my heart. The way Mari showed Ekkatt what kissing is was adorable. I loved that Ms. Barrett also include a language barrier between our couple. The way Mari described some words to Ekkatt was just hilarious.

As you may have noticed, I really liked this book but 2 things were a bit of a letdown for me. First, there was a revelation from Mari's near personal past I found a bit too much. I thought this(Sorry I can't say what) would influence her decisions differently but I can accept that as a minor fault. The bigger problem for me was the ending. It was kind of abrupt and I still had so many open questions. It was a bit unsatisfying to end this book at exactly this point. But I hope we will get a second book in this world that will hopefully answer my questions.

After all I recommend this book to all of you with at least a small interest in science fiction with the right amount of social struggles and a hot romance in the mix.

To learn more about Julia Rachel Barrett please visit her website here and her blog here.
And please come back next Tuesday(Jan 19th) for a guestpost and a giveaway with Julia.

Read other reviews @goodreads
Buy this ebook @bookstrand

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