Synopsis
After her parents were murdered, Layna Blair spent three years on the run—until Marine Sergeant Blaze Johnson stepped in and saved her. With him, Layna knew safety for the first time…but two weeks after shipping out for another tour in Afghanistan, Blaze comes home early.
When Layna sees the jagged wounds covering his body, every truth she thought she knew is destroyed. Blaze is distant and angry and though her heart is shattered, Layna desperately tries to keep their relationship together in the face of another tragedy. When the tenuous bonds holding them together are ripped apart by a revenge-hungry maniac, Layna must trust her survival instinct and bury her past for good.
But the enemy is two steps ahead, and before she can take action, Layna’s hand is forced by his deadly demands—save herself or save the man who risked his life for her freedom. Blaze saved her once. This time it’s her turn to protect him.
91,000 words
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25584499-impossible-choice?ac=1
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Review
**This book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review**
Another steamy, drama-packed story from Sybil Bartel! This is the second book in the Unchecked series and I must say that I enjoyed this story a bit more than the first book, IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE. I felt that I got to know the characters a whole lot more and I was able to understand them in a manner that I don’t think was possible with just the first book.
We pretty much pick up where the last book left off, give or take a bit of time, with Layna trying to deal with Blaze’s deployment to Afghanistan — with the help of Talon. Talon, good ol’ Talon, probably one of the highlights of the two books, is definitely his ever flirtatious and ambiguous self. But his relationship/friendship with Layna is part of what makes the character development and entanglements so interesting. Nothing is just black and white. Nothing is ever simple.
Enter Blaze — who returns from Afghanistan earlier then intended due to being injured. This very incident is what sheds the remaining ambiguity I felt when it came to, not only Blaze’s character, but also with Layna’s. I will admit, Layna is NOT my favorite character. But I understood her a lot more after this book.
Layna definitely grows a lot throughout this book, with the help of Talon and Blaze, who both have to put her in her place from time to time — very lovingly (most of the time). If I have to pinpoint my love/hate feelings for Layna, it’s like this — if I met her in person, I’d respect her. But we could NOT be friends. We’re too incompatible. I will say that I forgot how young she was, so that makes up for it a bit. Plus she’s been through hell, but my goodness, the girl’s emotions are ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. I couldn’t keep up from time to time.
I think, though, Sybil was extremely smart in giving the reader both Talon and Blaze’s cool, calm and collected (mostly) demeanors. To counter the rollercoaster of emotions that is experienced when it comes to Layna. The story needed that balance, otherwise it would have been way too much to handle.
Despite Layna’s demeanor, I really enjoyed how she and Blaze brought out the best and the worst in one another. Their relationship, believe it or not, is quite tangible to me. I believed it. I could see it playing out before me in real life. In fact, I’m sure I know a few people that are in relationships like theirs. One minute you’re hot, the next you’re boiling. Then you’re ice cold. That’s love for you, sometimes.
Overall, without giving anything away, I really liked the progression of this book, better than the first. Sometimes the pacing seemed a bit uneven, but by then I was too invested in the characters and the plot to really care. While this story has a plot that can carry it, I find that the characters are what really make this an engaging read. I was more concerned about the characters affecting one another versus the world affecting the characters. And that’s what I love about books — when I come to care about the characters more than anything.
So, good one, Sybil! I can’t wait for more books from you!
Rating: ★★★★
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About Sybil Bartel
Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.
Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…
But Seriously?
Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil —
She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.
To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.
Christina Marie 