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Synopsis:
She’s always been off-limits…
Former Army Special Forces Sgt. Marco Vieri has never thought of Alyssa Scott as more than his best friend’s little sister, but her return home changes that…and challenges him to keep his war-borne demons at bay. Marco’s not the same person he was back when he protected Alyssa from her abusive father, and he’s not about to let her see the mess he’s become.
…but now she’s all grown up.
When Alyssa takes a job at the bar where Marco works, her carefree smiles wreak havoc on his resolve to bury his feelings. How can he protect her when he can’t stop thinking about her in his bed? But Alyssa’s not looking for protection—not anymore. Now that she’s back in his life, she’s determined to heal her forbidden hero, one touch at a time…
My Review:
This is the first book in The Hero series by Laura Kaye and having read Hearts in Darkness by Laura, I knew this would be a great story….but great isn’t the right word, really. More like fantastic, amazing, incredible…you get the idea here. I loved it!
Alyssa Scott has little money, a freshly earned degree in restaurant management and event planning, and a whole lot of determination. She is convinced that getting a job at Whiskey’s Music Roadhouse is exactly the start she needs. Throw in the fact that Marco Vieri, her older brother’s best friend, former Army Special Forces Sgt. and object of her desire since as long as she can remember, works there is more than enough for her to prove this is exactly where she needs to be. When she sees Marco at the bar, after not seeing him for two years, she is hell-bent on getting him to think of her as a woman, and not just his best friend’s kid sister. Only she soon realizes Marco may not be the same guy he was when she knew him two years ago. Can she help get back to the Marco she remembers? The Marco she cares for desperately?
Marco can’t believe his eyes. Standing at his bar is Alyssa Scott, the little sister of his best friend; only she’s not so little anymore. Surely it isn’t right for him to be noticing how much she’s *ahem* grown? Besides, even if she wasn’t totally off-limits for being practically family, he’s not any kind of anything she needs. His war-damaged soul isn’t what Alyssa should have to deal with. Sure, he and his family protected her from her from a dreadful, abusive dad, and in those days he would have done anything for her just to see her smile. But now, the best thing he could do for her is to keep his distance. But when he finds out she has nowhere to stay and no money, keeping a distance is going to be quite hard…since he’s invited her to stay with him. None too soon, Marco realizes it’s going to be hard pushing Aly away, when she’s the one that can truly help him regain some kind of peace.
To say Marco broke my heart would be an understatement. He is the epitome of the wounded hero, which, I’m sure, had every reader wanting to scoop up and take home with her and fix him. I fell in love with him after the first chapter. He is honorable and kind but is in such a dark emotional place, it had me crying many, many times. I probably looked like I was in pain when I was reading because I so wanted him to just be ok. He is a book hero I won’t soon forget. Not to mention he is gorgeous and sexy and drives a ’67 Mustang, one of the hottest cars EVA! Alyssa, thankfully, is like a dog with a bone and refuses to let go of the idea that she can help Marco and bring some joy back into his life. The joy and happiness he deserves for just being Marco.
This story had so many highs and lows and I loved every one. There are scenes in this book that will stay with me probably forever. Um, the lake scene is one of the hottest scenes ever and damn if I didn’t cry like a baby when Marco tries to pick up playing the guitar again after being injured in combat. I know I’m not usually a spoiler type of gal, but if reading about those scenes gets you to dive into this book, then I say YAHOO and no spoiler apology needed!
Laura does such a kick-ass job of getting the reader to feel every emotion both Marco and Alyssa experience. I feel like I know them and I could pick up the phone and see how they’re doing! Because of that talent, I have become a huge fan of all of her work and always look forward to new releases. Thank you, Laura, for giving us Marco, a hero that truly deserved a happy ending!
Five Loves