This review also appears on sitelinkPretty Sassy Cool,
I read the prequel novella in this series, I Need a Hero, last year, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it, One of the things that I liked the most about that book was that it was so fluffy! There was basically no angst, really, One Lucky Hero is pretty much the opposite of thatit's heartbreaking!
After Violet spends a hot night with Dean Sparks, she never expects to see him again.
Imagine her surprise a week later when he's the boss at the program her brother has to attend, forcing her to see her onetime hookup basically every day for a month.
Neither Violet nor Dean can forget the night they shared, Will they allow themselves to see past one night into forever
This book had a lot of drama, It's honestly too much. Violet has dealt with a lot in her past and really can't trust, It surprised me when she hooked up with Dean, but I guess I don't know why, Dean was sweet and swoony as she got to know him, and I definitely get Violet wanting to give in to more with him, I enjoyed their chemistry and wanted them to get it together, but I would have totally understood if Dean would have given up, I totally get why Violet was the way she was, but she did frustrate me a lot,
With that being said, One Lucky Hero is a perfect story if you want more than just a fling that turns into more, I will definitely be checking out the rest of the books in this series, Rating:/
This book was not what I was expecting, I dove in thinking I was going to read a light, fun romance novel, But to copy another review I read, this book was “Drama Lama”, Every character has a deep past with emotional damage they are trying to overcome, While I felt the first few chapters took too long to introduce us to the story, I did enjoy the book, I liked the slow building friendship between Violet and Dean, I liked that their love felt natural and wasnt forced, And I also liked the side characters Violets two siblings and the other men that work with Dean at Alpha Dog Training Program, Overall this was a good read! She had never understood the romance novels that had a hero and a heroine fighting one minute and making out the next, but right now, she totally got it.
Codi Gary is an author that is constantly surprising and delighting me, Her books are always full of depth, growth and wonderful stories and One Lucky Hero is no different, This book was exactly what I wanted on a lazy and rainy Sunday and left me warm and happy in the end, One Lucky Hero is the second standalone and first full length book in the Alpha Dog series and I loved it even more than the first,
“I dont want anything serious, you know that, but with Violet, . . I mean, the girl has got drama up to her eyeballs and trust issues that would make most psychiatrists want to put her in a lab and study her, But I just cant get her out of my head, ”
When Violet and Dean hook up one night after meeting at a concert their chemistry is undeniable but neither are in a place for a relationship and know that nothing more can come of it despite the pull they seem to have over one another.
But when Violets brother ends up in the troubled youth program run by Dean they can no longer avoid each other but instead try to be friends, These two have so much sexual tension and it is clear they both yearn for each other but their current life situation make relationships nearly impossible,
“Im not living Dean, I had no idea what it felt like to be alive until you, ”
I absolutely adored Dean, Protective and alpha tot he core he wants to distant himself from Violet since he wants to be deployed again and yet he just cannot stay away, He has never been drawn to a woman the way he is drawn to her, Violet is raising her brother and sister and has no time for anyone else in her life, She constantly pushes Dean away and yet when he is near she cant help but give in, Everything about the premise of this made me think I would be frustrated by these two and yet it was written in such a way that I never felt like that.
Codi Gary always delievers a clean and fresh story, If you havent read her books yet I highly urge you to give them a shot, I have never been disappointed!
,Smooches
miranda After reading I Need A Hero which is the prequel/ introduction to the Men in Uniform series I knew I was going to love this series, I mean who doesn't like hot military alpha men who get knocked sideways by their heroines! And with One Lucky Hero it did not disappoint, While reading the prequel is encouraged, it's not necessary,
In One Lucky Hero we meet Violet who just wants to be normal for a day, After loosing her mother to suicide and chasing off her drug addicted father, Violet has raised her younger sister and brother, When attending an outdoor concert with her best friend she meets Dean and maybe thinks just one night wouldn't hurt but she had no idea she would be seeing him again and soon.
Dean isn't looking for a relationship and is waiting to get back on active duty, After spending the night with Violet he knows she is different but after giving her his number he knows he won't hear from her again, Color him surprised when he sees her again with her younger brother at the Alpha Dog training center where he works, Dean knows he should leave her alone but the closer they become the harder he falls,
These two characters were so much a like in so many ways I just loved them, Violet and Dean definitely have the stubbornness factor going on and love helping people but when it comes down to themselves they don't want help, From the beginning I loved the attraction between these two and their relationship is mainly push/pull for the entire story,
I also enjoyed meeting Dean and Violet's friends, I can already tell I'm going to love their stories when it's their turn, Best is the one I'm looking forward to reading the most!
Gary included a some tough situations and subjects in this storyline that had my heart breaking for these characters but she also included some witty and sweet moments that made me just enjoy this story to the fullest.
I really enjoyed the while Alpha Dog concept and that helped make the story even better,
As far as the ending went I felt what happened was a little expected but I did enjoy that it had a epilogue so that we got
to touch base with the characters and see what happened to them in the future.
If you're looking for a new military romance with a twist to sink your teeth into I'm definitely recommending this one,
This is the first book in the Men in Uniform series, There is a novella that comes before this called I Need a Hero that I loved and reviewed, You really don't need to read it first but, . . why not I think you'll really enjoy it so give it a try, Plus it kind of sets up what the series is all about,
I really love Dean, from the second he growled at his friend Tyler I was hooked, I find it funny that he says he wants one thing, but really wants another, You can't help but enjoying his character, The man is down to earth and never backs down from a fight,
Now Violet in the beginning of the book I really liked, But her actions to what was going on in her life got on my nerves a little bit, I get that she has so many responsibilities on her shoulders, but instead of jumping on Dean, she should be kicking her brother and sisters asses,
Both of the them are ungrateful and rude,
Of course without their actions a big part of the story wouldn't be there so I get it, I just wouldn't let anyone treat me that way, even someone I love,
But like I said, it all makes for a good story,
One Lucky Hero is a must read, Great story, fantastic characters. and a punch of humor that will leave you wanting more,
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ARC received for a honest review This was my first Gary book, and I am very impressed! The characters, including most of the secondaries, are wellrounded and original.
The plot is thoughtful and, for the most part, masterfully crafted, My one complaint is that the final misunderstanding, when Violet and Dean fail to say what they actually feel yet again, feels a bit forced, It seems like by that point they'd become much better at opening up with each other and that it would have taken a lot more to drive them apart, Overly forced misunderstandings in order to drive a romance plot is one of my pet peeves, Sure, they happen and they can be a huge problem in all types of relationships, But sometimes they can feel contrived solely because a narrative needs conflicts,
I need to give extra props to Gary for the heroine, Violet Douglas, She is one hell of a badass who doesn't have a hackneyed toughgirl persona, She cries very easily nothing wrong with that, but then through her tears she fightssometimes physically, And she does it well,
Gary also incorporates an excellent Bplot about Violet's brother, Casey, and his relationship with Dean, which mostly developed autonomously of Violet, This Bplot not only allows us to get to know and understand Dean better, but it also adds depth to the Douglas family and the world of the Men in Uniform series.
Bplots in romances, if they have them, are typically shallower than Gary's and exist only to advance the Aplot, There's nothing wrong with this romance is meant to be about those involved in the forming relationship, It's just that the use of a complex Bplot makes this work stand out all the more,
As for the audiobook narration, I can't decide between three and four, The audio edition is read by Will Damron, This is only the second time I've listened to a romance narrated by a man, and it's the first contemporary, I think Damron is a pretty good narrator in general, but when he increases his pitch for the female characters' dialogue, it's somewhat nasal and ends up sounding whiny or shrill.
I think these sound qualities have to do with the genre, Because it's a genre geared toward women, the nasal tone sounds almost mocking, To be fair, when women narrate contemporary romance, male characters often sound like Bros, But the male characters not representative of the romance audience, which is a group frequently criticized for reading the genre in the first place, Will Damron may or may not be a big fan of romance, but he's still coming at it from a position of power, as it were, and I would personally prefer that women or men with a great talent for women's voices narrate hetero romance audiobooks.
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