ONE STORY. TWO COUPLES.
The Retrieval Duet by Aly Martinez is a two part series.
RETRIEVAL is NOW LIVE and will bring readers the first part of this emotional second chance romance.
TRANSFER (Part Two) will release on September 27th!
NOW AVAILABLE on the following retailers:
Retrieval (Part One):
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2aMnW74
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aW07Yb
iBooks: http://apple.co/2aH2bFb
Nook: http://bit.ly/2cOYcsK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aFOVxB
Blurb
I proposed on our first date.
She laughed and told me I was insane. Less than a day later, she said yes.
It was a whirlwind, but we were happy…
Until we got greedy and wanted a family.
It was a life I couldn’t give her, not for lack of trying. Fertility just wasn’t on our side. We sought out doctors and treatments. Spent money we didn’t have. Lied to our families. Smiled for our friends. Put on a brave face for a world that didn’t understand.
Finally, we were successful…
Until we were forced to bury our son.
We were left broken, battered, and destroyed.
They say love is in the details, but it was the details that ruined us.
This is the story of how I took back what had always been mine.
The retrieval of my wife and our family.
EXCERPT
“Where’d you get beer?” Elisabeth asked as she scrambled from the couch.
“Seth,” I replied, hanging my head and rubbing my eyes.
Jesus, I’d wanted to kiss her. She was being a bitch, spouting shit she didn’t mean just because she was too scared to let me in.
But, even through it, those plump lips were calling to me.
I’d never been able to resist that woman. Despite that we’d fallen apart, it hadn’t changed. The hum for her was still in my veins. It never went away, but for two years, it had been dormant. I’d packed it down so tightly that I’d hoped it had died. But, with one look, my body began thrumming like a live wire.
“Seth?” she asked as she bent over to straighten her tight, black pencil skirt.
It was a rare occasion to catch Elisabeth in something other than a perfectly pressed skirt and a pair of heels. But she’d been sleeping all day. It was wrinkled all to hell and back. The only thing her efforts succeeded in was drawing my attention down to her legs.
Legs that had spent many nights wrapped around my hips as she came while crying my name.
Shit. I should go.
But, after the way she’d latched on to me that morning, I wasn’t going anywhere.
“My assistant,” I answered. “I had him pick you up a bottle of wine, too.”
She blinked. “You have an assistant? Who delivers you beer? And your ex-wife wine?”
“No, I have an assistant who does whatever the fuck I need him to do. And, luckily for us, beer and wine happen to fall into the whatever-the-fuck-I-need-him-to-do category tonight.” She fought back a smile as I finished, “So do gyros.”
“Damn. I need to get one of those,” she mumbled to herself.
I smirked. “Cash my checks and you could afford one.”
It was a dick move, bringing up the money right then. But, despite her expert hand in decorating, that little starter house we’d bought with rose-colored glasses now needed a shit-ton of work.
Her back shot ramrod straight, fury crinkling the corners of her eyes as she snarled, “I’m not cashing your checks.”
I shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to figure out how to get your own wine and dinner after tonight.”
“I think I can manage,” she fired back.
“Suit yourself.” I pushed off the couch and meandered to the kitchen.
I went to the fridge and leaned in, searching for anything I could snack on. With the exception of at least a dozen Tupperware containers, she didn’t have much in the way of a quick bite.
Snagging a handful of grapes from the drawer, I made a mental note to send Seth to the grocery store after he’d delivered dinner.
Popping the grapes in my mouth one by one, I felt her watching me in what could only be defined as silent awe. I decided my best move would be to ignore it. “You know, I should have invented Tupperware. You alone could keep me in business,” I told her, retrieving a beer and then shutting the door.
She scoffed then muttered, “At least then I would have benefitted from you abandoning our marriage.”
Lava fresh off the volcanoes in Hell boiled in my veins.
I cocked my head to the side and questioned, “I’m sorry. Come again?”
“You should go,” she snapped.
Think a-fucking-gain.
“Nah, I’m good. Got any movies?”
I tipped the bottle to my lips, doing my best to calm the storm brewing within me, all while still fighting the desire to take her to the floor, plant myself between her legs, and remind her how that fucking attitude affected me.
Clearly, she had forgotten.
My cock had not.
“Roman, it’s been a crazy day. Please don’t do this tonight.”
“Do what?” I asked, leaning back against the huge, granite island.
She threw her hands out to the sides in frustration. “What you always do.”
“What do I always do, Lissy?”
“This!” she yelled.
I frowned and took another pull from my beer. “Haven’t been in our kitchen, drinking beer, in a long time. I hardly think it’s fair to say I always do it.”
Her eyes nearly bulged from her head. “My kitchen, Roman. This is my kitchen. Not ours. And you know good and damn well that is not what I’m talking about.”
My lips twitched as I pointed the neck of my bottle at her. “No. What I know good and damn well is that I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. Or why you’re slinging unnecessary and, might I add, undeserved attitude at me like a short-order cook at the bitch house.”
“He did not say that to me,” she whispered to herself.
When I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug, she swung a pointed finger toward the door and yelled, “Get out!”
I grinned, crossing my legs at the ankle. “You always were cranky when you were hungry.”
And that was the exact moment her head exploded.
5 "I couldn't put it down" stars
I honestly think this is probably some of Aly Martinez’s best work. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Without a doubt she knows how to write a fantastic hook; from the first page I was ALL IN. I started this Monday morning and finished Monday night. I couldn’t put it down and it is extremely rare for me to finish a book in a day.
The story centers around 2 couples and how their lives intersect. Retrieval is told in three POV’s; the first two are Roman and Elisabeth’s. Retrieval is the story of their struggles with infertility and how it ended their marriage. These two were definitely meant to be together but when they were faced with tragedy and failure they ended in divorce. Two years later neither one of them have moved on. Much to Elisabeth’s annoyance Roman has continued to try and be present in her life in the background. He is still very much in love with her and realizes his failures in how they ended. He is waiting for his "in" with her and his chance comes in a very unexpected way. Elisabeth has convinced herself that she is ready to move on until an event brings them back in each other’s orbit.
The third POV is Clare’s. I will not tell you any of her story because it is a major spoiler and it is central to the healing of Elisabeth and Roman. Clare’s story begins in Retrieval but will conclude with Transfer.
This story was so fast paced but I didn’t feel like it was rushed. I loved the flashbacks of Roman and Elisabeth and how they became a couple. It wasn’t heavy handed so it didn’t take away but added to the story. I really felt like they were soul mates. The event that brings them back together makes them face what went wrong and once they start to deal with that they are able to deal with the outside evils in their world. One of the best things about this story was the authenticity of Roman and Elisabeth; especially Roman. I think he was fleshed out really well and how he felt as a man in the situation they were in was well done. Retrieval had me on the edge of my seat; it had everything I love in a good romance, action, suspense, villains, love, sex, and great lead characters. It is such a unique love story and if you are looking for something different to read you need to pick this up. Well done! I can’t wait to get my hands on Transfer.
Want More?
Pre-order Transfer (Part Two)
Releasing September 27th
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aW0WAf
iBooks: http://apple.co/2beFszd
Nook: http://bit.ly/2c6BYR9
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aW1So5
Meet Aly Martinez
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
No comments:
Post a Comment