Review: Afterburn (#1, Afterburn and Aftershock) by Sylvia Day - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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Review: Afterburn (#1, Afterburn and Aftershock) by Sylvia Day

My Thoughts

Undeniably Sylvia Day… sexy, seductive and all alpha.
A fast-paced, engaging novella filled with intrigue that had me questioning motives in the most sinfully delightful way.

4halfstars

Synopsis

afterburn#1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day, America’s premier author of provocative fiction, delivers the debut novel from CosmoRed-Hot Reads from Harlequin.

The realization that Jax still affected me so strongly was a jagged pill to swallow. He’d only been part of my life for five short weeks two years ago. But now he was back. Walking into a deal I’d worked hard to close. And God, he was magnificent. His eyes were a brown so dark they were nearly black. Thickly lashed, they were relentless in their intensity. Had I really thought they were soft and warm? There was nothing soft about Jackson Rutledge. He was a hard and jaded man, cut from a ruthless cloth.

In that moment I understood how badly I wanted to unravel the mystery of Jax. Bad enough that I didn’t mind how much it was going to cost me…

My Review

“There was a man in my life who underestimated me once. You proved people wrong. I just want to do the same.”

A sexy second-chance romance, dueling restaurateurs, a wealthy gorgeous alpha looking for a second shot with an Italian beauty that’s intent on landing the deal of a lifetime… what is not to love? Add to that a well-played game of cat and mouse with powerful business players trying to one-up each other, well, I was immediately hooked and ended up devouring this novella in one fun sitting.

Gia Rossi is up for the type of job everyone desires… one that could propel her into the restaurant business working alongside one of the most well-known, successful women in the market. She needs this. For too long, she’s been crippled by the memory of a man who was too good for her, who left without so much as a goodbye. She’s determined to make something of herself and pave a path that’s different from her family’s Italian restaurant business. She’s after the new and novel, the innovative something special she can’t quite put her finger on, but she knows that working with Lei Yeung is the best possible opportunity for her. When her dreams come true, she dives into work in order to bury her heartache.

She’s working to land a lucrative, high-profile deal… a business coup-de-état that as a plus, would achieve a well-deserved retribution for her boss against an old business colleague that betrayed her once. Contracts in hand and ready to celebrate, the deal becomes something else entirely when someone from Gia’s past shockingly enters the picture.

“Dressed in a gray V-neck sweater and dress slacks of a darker hue, he looked like a successful man with the day off, but I knew better. Jackson Rutledge never took a day off. He worked hard, played hard, fucked hard.”

When’s Gia’s past romance unexpectedly storms back into her life and is suddenly in deep in their business, she doesn’t even begin to know how to process. She’s left unsettled, the unstoppable desire suddenly present again, pulling her to him. He’s his old arrogant gorgeous self, determined to make Gia his once more using his most seductive and alluring naughty ways. When the business deal becomes a game of chess, each side making their move towards winning, she begins to question Jax’s motives. Does he really want her? Is it all just for show? Is she a dirty little secret?

“There was nothing soft about Jackson Rutledge. He was a hard and jaded man, cut from a ruthless cloth.”

I was totally entangled in the push and pull of their current predicament. Jax Rutledge is irresistibly sexy and swoon worthy. Seeing them together is addicting, a total guilty pleasure that played out like a movie in my head. Gia, however, tries to keep things surface-level in order to protect her own heart. She had loved him and wanted more, something he seemed incapable of giving.

“If I tangled with him I’d get hurt, because I would hope. I wanted more. But what choice did I have?”

I did find it interesting however, that although she said she had loved him, it didn’t seem like she really knew him. Despite their obvious attraction and unrelenting desire, Jax is shrouded by mystery and misconception. He’s cryptic and closed-off, almost like he doesn’t let anyone see the real him, including Gia. His family functions like a business, with self-serving alliances set in place for ruthless gain. And although Jax implies he is nothing like his family, he’s right in there stabbing backs and walking away without a care in the world. Who is the real Jackson Rutledge?

“I’d never recognized his flaws, although he surely had some. I had never acknowledged that there might be struggles in his life, circumstances and people who might pull him in different directions and away from me. I’d never scratched below the surface.”

Their time together is steamy and explosive and I loved that Gia wasn’t a weak female character at all despite her inability to fend off his charm. She is focused on staying in control and finding the perspective she needs to clearly see the situation before her. I can’t wait to read the second part of the story, Aftershock, which releases November 12th. I want to learn more about Jax and how he really feels and I’d like to see the women in this story kick some male ass and be victorious in the end. It’s a quick read that I really enjoyed! I can assure you Gideon fans, you’ll be falling for Jax’s alluring and dominant ways too! Quick, fun, sexy and bold, pick this one up!

“You were made for me,” he said fiercely. “No one else, Gia. You’re mine.”

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Reading Order and Purchase Links

Click on cover image to purchase from Amazon.

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