Thursday, March 21, 2013

Review: Edge Of Disaster by A.M. Hargrove


Series: Edge #1
Genre: NA/Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: December 20th 2012
Format: Kindle 
Rating: 4 Stars 

Synopsis:
Alexia Hammond, broken and destroyed by a tragedy she can’t seem to recover from, is on a downward spiral toward destruction. A life of partying, alcohol, drugs and men has brought her near the edge of disaster. That is until one night while at work as a waitress in an upscale restaurant, she falls under the spell of one of her customers, Pearce Middleton. Once she gazes into his smoky gray eyes, her life takes on new meaning. But can she put her past behind her and allow herself to fall for the exciting and gorgeous Pearce, or will her lewd behavior come back to haunt her and ruin her chances of happiness forever?




Having read book two before this one I already knew some of the details that were coming but Hargrove caught me off guard from the beginning. When Alexia wakes up next to two naked guys she has no clue what happened the night before. All she knows is the drugs and alcohol did their job of helping her forget her pain. After losing her fiance Peter in a car accident while she was driving three years before, she feels guilty and responsible  and is punishing herself slowly with random hookups and recreational drug use. She has to get her best friend Terri to come pick her up from her walk of shame and when she gets there tries to talk Alexia into getting help because her lifestyle isn't healthy. Terri suggests she see a psychiatrist but Alexia isn't OK with that idea because it never helped before when she went after the accident. While at her night job working at a restaurant she meets the handsome Doctor, Pearce Middleton. She is instantly flustered by him with his smokey gray eyes, slightly curly sex hair and handsome physique and feels less than worthy of a man like him with her current issues. When he asks her to dinner she declines and ends up right back at the same bar with a random guy in a bathroom. Pearce pursues her relentlessly trying to get her to have dinner with him but she just doesn't think she is good enough for him. After an intense argument early on between them Pearce and Lexi part ways angry when she is kidnapped. When she comes to she is naked and strapped to a bed blindfolded and hears several different men's voices and starts to panic. She fights like hell to get away and she gets an open opportunity due to her kidnapper's clumsiness. She ends up putting up such a fight that she is loaded into a vehicle and taken miles outside of the city and left for dead on the side of the road. When she wakes again she is in the hospital being prepped for surgery having sustained multiple stab wounds and broken bones.

Pearce shows up and vows not to leave her side throughout the operation and once she recovers they start dating and become close, falling in love and panning a future together. Throughout the story you are lulled into a false sense of security as the author makes you think all is well with the world until she turns her character's world upside down! After Lexi was kidnapped she would get threatening letters in the mail she ignored until it became impossible for her to keep it from Pearce. this new revelation brings with it much heartache and angst that could possibly break these two unshakable characters up permanently.

A.M. Hargrove knows how to deliver a steamy love story filled with romance and heartache. The story between Lexi and Pearce was intense from the beginning and even though I didn't fall head over feet for them Like I did Terri and Justin in Shattered Edge, I do have a soft spot for this couple. Seeing Lexi having such a hard time dealing with her Fiance's death was sad. Using drugs and sex to mask the pain of that accident and the fact that her parents blamed her broke my heart. She knew she needed help and meeting Pearce was a positive change that helped heal her along with therapy and her friendship with Terri. 

Pearce Middleton was such a great guy. you could really tell how much he cared for Lexi despite her pushing him away constantly. The main thing I loved about him was how well he reacted when Lexi confided her past in him. Not only did he NOT turn away in disgust but he reassured her of his devotion. Who doesn't want a guy like Pearce? He's rich, he's hot and he's a damn doctor, but beyond that he has a giant heart that is apparent from the start. There are a few parts that are told from his POV and I really wish we could have gotten a little bit more of his side especially during the kidnapping. I would have loved to see what he went through even though they weren't exclusive at the time. 

The closer it got to the end the more I started to worry that certain story aspects wouldn't get cleared up but the way everything wrapped up was exactly as I hoped it would be. It was a bit of a shock to find out exactly what Lexi was up against when everything came out into the open. This was a good story about a broken woman trying to find herself and instead finds so much more. I am looking forward to more amazing reads and beautifully broken characters from Mrs. Hargrove!



   About The Author:

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

"Hello."
"Boss, is that you?"
"Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?"
"Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate."
"Why ever would I want to do that?"
"Because I quit you idiot!"

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

"Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?"
"Sure... Having some car trouble?"
"Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job."
"WHAT?!"
"It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist."

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January.
If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but....














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