Total Book Geek: Review & Giveaway: Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros

Three knocks can change everything…

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbour, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.

REVIEW

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

First two chapters and I was already trying to hold back my tears. If it weren't for all those other people on my train, they would have been streaming down my face. Full Measures starts off with a bang that will destroy your heart for a little while.

When they get the news that their father died in combat, Ember's family crumbles apart. Everyone is suffocating in their grief, so Ember decides that she needs to be the strong, making sure everything around them runs smoothly. Trying to keep the house in order, taking care of her little brother, going to class and so on, while trying to handle her own grief, it takes a toll on her.

Then Josh Walker runs back into her life. He is a couple years older than her and she had a major crush on him in high school. Now it turns out, he also had a crush on her. What wasted years. Josh came back in her life at just the right time and he seems to appear everywhere she goes. He's her little brother's hockey coach, he is also her new next door neighbour, even has the same History class. It also seems he is always there to pick up the pieces whenever Ember falls apart.

Ember can not keep it all locked up inside and Josh said he is her "whatever". Meaning whatever she might need, a ride, a drinking buddy, or even kissing friends. Josh made his feelings clear from the beginning and is willing to give Ember the time to catch up. He knows she might not be in the right state of mind right now to make such big choices. Though he will never give up and keep on loving her even if she is not there to see it.

It is impossible to deny how she feels for him, but with the recent death of her father she now has this big fear of losing people. So Ember keeps Josh waiting, while she tries to figure out life again. What she does know is that Josh makes her feel good and helps her forget the pain. Slowly those feelings turn into something more .

There was one part that I did not see coming. It seems Josh has been keeping a secret from Ember, one that means risking it all. When she finds out things will go bad. I can understand why he was afraid to tall her, but it seems idiotic to keep for himself when it is something that will come out eventually. It was not something he could have kept hidden. Now Ember will have to make a choice and maybe even risk more than just her heart.

Ember and Josh are two great characters. The strength Ember shows during the whole horrible ordeal and the time afterwards to keep her family going, is amazing. I really liked the fact that Josh was there for her to lean on, so she did not have to go through it alone. Josh is a pretty terrific guy. The patience he shows while Ember tries to figure out if she wants him or not, sainthood. It was driving me insane the mixed signals she kept giving him. Very frustrating moments.

The romantic progression between them did go a bit too fast for my liking, even with those high school crushes as a foundation. It is four years later and it is obvious they both have changed a lot since then. I would have also liked to have seen more scenes from them as a couple. Now it was more him helping her out, at hockey practice, hockey games...

Rebecca Yarros has written a great debut New Adult novel. I really liked the overall story line, the big secret was definitely a surprise. The connection between Ember and Josh could have been explored a bit more to me, though as individual characters they are certainly very likeable and relatable. It isn't all dark and gloom, there are some lighter moments in the book as well. The military theme and working was very well told. My knowledge of this is limited, but it seemed genuine and realistic.

Now I am actually hoping Jagger (Josh's BFF) will get his own book.

Full Measures: Kindle ($0.99)

The Author

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years, and they’re currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado.

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