Harper Sloan

Endlich scheint in Isabelle Wests Leben alles gut zu laufen. Sie hat ein florierendes Geschäft, wunderbare Freunde und so ziemlich alles im Griff. Es gibt nur noch eine letzte Hürde zu überwinden. Ihren Ex-Ehemann. Dieses Problem erweist sich als nicht so einfach. Dass jetzt ihre ehemalige große Liebe auftaucht, kann sie gar nicht brauchen. Ex-Marine und Inhaber der Corps Security Firma Holt, Axel Reid, hätte niemals damit gerechnet, Isabelle noch einmal wiederzusehen. Er ist auch nicht sicher, ob er das überhaupt will. Zorn und Wut sind schon so lange ein Teil von ihm, dass er sie nicht einfach abschütteln kann. Und als er damit konfrontiert ist, Isabelle zu beschützen, und seine Gefühle für sie wieder an die Oberfläche kochen, wird alles ein wenig kompliziert.

Axel

Fate hasn't always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a downright bitch. Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn't by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved. For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle...her ex-husband. When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door. Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn't sure he wanted to now. He's carried his anger for so long he isn't sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated. How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?

Haney Hayes PR

I read this book years ago but then finally listened to it. Still to this day I love Alex and Izzy. I've got them on my bookshelf for safekeeping. Could the performance by the narrators been better? Sure, but doesn't everyone have one they like more than others, This story has all the feels. You will get upset, you may cry. It will get hot as sin as well.

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

*Contains Few Spoilers*

Axel is the first book in the Corps Security series by Harper Sloan. This author came on my radar last year with her second chance western trilogy that was the BOMB so after hearing the ladies at Scandalicious Chats, rave about this series and these kick ass military heroes that are the Corps Security I just knew that I needed to pick up Axel which is the first book in the series. And this series is through the Audible Romance Package so I was more than willing to grab this one up and boy this book put me through the wringer. I knew it was a bit darker, considering some of the elements that are introduced.

This story is one of the second chance romances that you really gravitate towards because there are outer influences that tear this couple apart, although by the end you do think that there could have been more effort. However it begins with two high school sweethearts. Axel has been raised in foster homes all of his life, and can't wait to be free of them. Axel knows that he wants Isabelle for his, but it will cost them some time for him to join the military and go through basic training before they can marry. They love each other passionately and want to be together. But Isabelle never imagined that it would cost her hell and back before she would be reunited with Axel again. Because Isabelle hears word that Axel has been killed, and the baby she is pregnant with she loses through a miscarriage. Isabelle is now, trying to recover from an abusive marriage and trying to pave a new life for herself slowly.
He was the only reason I survived at the hands of Brandon, I would just close myself off and think of him and the times we had together. He was my salvation in the darkest of the dark.
She is a career woman, doing what she loves, and spending time with her two best friends who have been there for her when she really needed them when she was broken and damaged and they helped her pick up the pieces for her new life. But when her ex starts threatening her, her best friend Greg "Cage" brings in the cavalry, the men he fought with and would die for and the men that created the Corps Security firm. What Isabelle doesn't expect is that one of his friends, is a man she thought had been dead for years....Axel. Axel had believed that Isabelle had given up on them years ago and holds bitter feelings for her. But when she goes into shock, he realizes that there is more going on than a crazy ex and he needs to know the truth. The tensions are high between Axel and Isabelle, but once the truth comes out, they begin to rebuild their relationship and discovering the love they had for each other never died.

This was a very heart wrenching tale, and I knew going in it was going to tear me apart inside and boy Harper Sloan really did that for me. But I am so glad that I read this book, it was REALLY good although the angst between Axel and Isabelle gets pretty intense, and boy at times I just wanted them to be more understanding and listen to each other instead of falling on past hurts, but really I understand why it was written this way but I really thought Axel was a bit jerkish when he sees Isabelle again and it takes a while before he redeems himself....but he DOES redeem himself in the end so I really enjoyed that.

  
    
      Not one day went by Izzy that my heart didn’t belong to you.   To this day there has only been one woman that has and will ever hold it.   Fuck, baby but the love I have for you is so fucking strong sometimes, I wonder if it will crush me
    
  

Now on to the issue that I think needs to be addressed....this does feature a situation of Domestic Abuse and I am so glad that Harper Sloan went this angle. Because I feel like its such a vital issue in our society today and has been a problem for thousands of years. Lately I have heard many commentary (which this drives me nuts) where most people especially women, view women who are victims of domestic abuse as weak and this is just NOT true. I truly believe that we each have different levels of strength. There is a lot of manipulation involved and its not so simple as just leaving sometimes. I loved that Harper Sloan addressed this issue, because I do feel like it needs to be addressed and we as fellow human beings needn't be so judgemental on something we can't comprehend unless you go through it yourself.  And Isabelle has gone through hell and back and some of it I have gone through myself, losing someone you love just about kills you and so I really understood Isabelle in ways that others don't understand her. I really liked her, because she did pick up the pieces of her life, and try to make a new life for herself. I admired Isabelle's strength and courage and tenacity. She finds new strength in herself, in her friendships and the love she finds again with Axel. We see them go through loss and reconnect again and its truly an emotional roller coaster from the joys to the sorrows.

  
    
      When you are with me I am free.
My strength. My heart. My everything.
Our love now continues forever.
    
  

Overall I found this book to be a sensational read that worked me through all human emotion and gave back ten fold in its autenticity of swoony love, second chance love and a heartwarming if a bit angst romantic tale that is bound to curl your toes!!







 



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Jennifer Eggleston 

3.5 stars

Reminded me of a Lora Leigh novel but without all the sharing, lol. Axel does not share his woman, Izzy. 

This book was definitely tragic at times but the good and great times made up for it. 

Looking forward to reading the remaining books. 

The inner dialogue and at times the dialogue spoken is what kept me from rating the book higher. 

The beginning sucked me in but felt like it stalled a bit in the middle ... the secret/secrets ... just let it out! 

Overall, I am a sucker for those tragic yet oh so hot alpha males and the women they love.

Ana Matti

Raven Dean

***4 Stars***

I felt so many emotions while reading Axel and Izzy's story. It is definitely not one for everyone. It reaches inside of you and grips your insides and twists. I just loved everything about it and the characters just stole my heart. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

Samantha Emery

I really enjoyed this.

Within the first couple of chapters you really felt for our heroine. Isabelle West - who lost the love of her life at 17, and ended up in an abusive relationship for 6 and half years. We start the book just as that relationship comes to an end, and you get a real feel of what her life had been like for so long.

Fast forward and she is living and trying, but she is not over it. It came across like she was on path that would lead to her self destructing at some point.

Enter Axel. Big, Aplha and pissed to the extreme to see Izzy. A lot of crossed wires and miscommunication and neither are particularly happy to see the other, while trying to deny what they still mean to each other 13 years on.

It lost its way a bit in the middle, for me, but I just wanted them to TALK and get it all sorted.

I got a bit annoyed with Izzy and her reactions to people who were trying to help her, but it was understandable given the life she had had and all she had lost and her state of mind when Axel returned to her life.

The ending was great and I am glad It was Izzy who got to repeatedly shoot her ex in the chest and be the "saviour"

It had a great cast of secondary characters and I am definitely reading the rest in the series.

Overall a good solid 4 star read for me.

lilreaderSakura

Well I must say this , it truly is one to win awards for showing ex-marines potty mouths hard at work and not men all have one thing on there mind. But I did enjoyed reading the plot was a bit stiff to me , i think there could have been more to it but of this I think this type of book served the purpose of being the type of book were a girl just want to be covered in angst , drama and some hot romance.

Axel

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