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A review by theproficientreviewer
Frontline by Alexandra Richland
5.0
PPFF Rating: 5/5 Stars
A hot and possessive, dirty-talking, James Bond-ish guy who drives a Bugatti.
After being in a huge reading funk, this was exactly what I needed. It had all the elements that I love in a book - a hot, rich and domineering guy, a stubborn heroine, interesting secondary characters, witty lines, a little bit of action and best of all: NO CLIFFHANGER! *happy
What I also appreciated about the book was that the author - Alexandra Richland - made several references to TV shows and movies which I thought were really funny and cute, at least for me. She mentioned The Bachelor and Pretty Woman but here are some more notables:
But my favorite was a reference to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series:
Actually, I've been having a love/hate relationship with most books these days because it seems every book that I've come across is about f*cked up characters who have troubled pasts. Sure, I do like to read those as much as the next person but it does get old sometimes. This is why Frontline is such a great relief, to be honest. No one was cheated on, physically, emotionally or sexually abused, no family drama that scarred the characters. Yes, there were trust issues but these were simply rooted in their present and not so much because of their bad childhood or whatever.
HOT. HOT. HOT! Trenton Merrick definitely sounds like your typical book boyfriend - hot, rich, powerful, sex-on-a-stick, demanding and possessive but at the same time, he can be so sweet, it makes you swoon. Sara Peters, on the other hand, is a recent graduate who works as a nurse. She's stubborn and independent and she's proud of her hard-earned money even if she struggles to pay her bills and her student loans.
Typical rich guy/poor girl, alpha-male story, right? But it's so much more than that. Although Trenton gets really bossy and it seems like he's taking over Sara's life, he isn't being too overbearing. Unlike most alpha-males, he doesn't act so unreasonable that it becomes annoying and cliche. Truthfully, when he's being all domineering, I find it very sweet of him. I also like how there's more depth to him than just another billionaire who donates to charities just because he has all that extra cash. He actually feels for the less fortunate people of the world especially for those affected in Haiti (this was mentioned several times in the book).
Swoon. The scenes between Trenton and Sara may not be as erotic as the usual these days but they are steamy enough that I can really feel the sexual tension between them. Just perfect. The fights that they have are not drawn-out that it becomes cheesy and predictable. The story is also fast-paced that there aren't too many back-and-forth arguments and I'm-sorry-AGAIN-give-me-another-chance from Trenton (let's face it, these alpha-males can be such jerks in most books and the heroines would just have to forgive them all over again).
At around 50%, wow! THE CAR SCENE. Hot! *Fans myself* This is also when the action part of the book picked up full speed, literally. Car chase, helicopters, guns blazing, Trenton can seriously give James Bond a run for his money, just not in an Aston Martin but a Bugatti.
At 61%, my heart was breaking. If I was the crying type, I probably would have shed some tears.
It was one action-packed ending and everyone was in on the fight against a Russian bad guy: the Tin Men - Christopher, Sean (Trenton's best friends and best men) and Randall, Sara's best friends - Kelly and Denim, and even Sara's father. Don't worry, there's no cliffhanger. :)
But I'm not going to spoil your excitement so you MUST read this book to find out. All I can say is, this has got to be one of my favorite books this year for sure. Alexandra Richland, I'm now a fan!
***Check out my blog: Press Pause, Fast Forward
A hot and possessive, dirty-talking, James Bond-ish guy who drives a Bugatti.
Trenton emerges from the middle car, a Ferrari. Add in some slow motion, a gust of wind, and an emo rock tune, and it’s like a scene out of a show on the CW.
After being in a huge reading funk, this was exactly what I needed. It had all the elements that I love in a book - a hot, rich and domineering guy, a stubborn heroine, interesting secondary characters, witty lines, a little bit of action and best of all: NO CLIFFHANGER! *happy
What I also appreciated about the book was that the author - Alexandra Richland - made several references to TV shows and movies which I thought were really funny and cute, at least for me. She mentioned The Bachelor and Pretty Woman but here are some more notables:
He’s Manhattan General’s very own McDreamy—known as McFantasy here.
Okay, don’t panic, Sara. All these weapons don’t necessarily mean Mr. Merrick is going to go all Norman Bates on you.
"It’s very . . . Bruce Wayne. And Randall is like your Alfred."
But my favorite was a reference to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series:
I’ve read every book in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series so I can’t help but equate these weapons with sex, control, wealth, bad boys and, well, more sex. And I’m not talking about slow, tame sex. I’m talking hot, wild, fuck-the-foreplay-I need-you-right-now kind of sex.
Actually, I've been having a love/hate relationship with most books these days because it seems every book that I've come across is about f*cked up characters who have troubled pasts. Sure, I do like to read those as much as the next person but it does get old sometimes. This is why Frontline is such a great relief, to be honest. No one was cheated on, physically, emotionally or sexually abused, no family drama that scarred the characters. Yes, there were trust issues but these were simply rooted in their present and not so much because of their bad childhood or whatever.
"Tell me how I make you feel, Sara."
I struggle to reply through my panting. "What about how I make you feel?"
"This isn’t about me,” he says, dispensing hot kisses down my neck. “I will always put you first . . . always."
HOT. HOT. HOT! Trenton Merrick definitely sounds like your typical book boyfriend - hot, rich, powerful, sex-on-a-stick, demanding and possessive but at the same time, he can be so sweet, it makes you swoon. Sara Peters, on the other hand, is a recent graduate who works as a nurse. She's stubborn and independent and she's proud of her hard-earned money even if she struggles to pay her bills and her student loans.
Typical rich guy/poor girl, alpha-male story, right? But it's so much more than that. Although Trenton gets really bossy and it seems like he's taking over Sara's life, he isn't being too overbearing. Unlike most alpha-males, he doesn't act so unreasonable that it becomes annoying and cliche. Truthfully, when he's being all domineering, I find it very sweet of him. I also like how there's more depth to him than just another billionaire who donates to charities just because he has all that extra cash. He actually feels for the less fortunate people of the world especially for those affected in Haiti (this was mentioned several times in the book).
"You are mine, Sara.” Determination saturates Trenton’s words, but his touch remains gentle. “No other man is allowed to touch you, not even look at you inappropriately, or so help me. Do you understand?”
Swoon. The scenes between Trenton and Sara may not be as erotic as the usual these days but they are steamy enough that I can really feel the sexual tension between them. Just perfect. The fights that they have are not drawn-out that it becomes cheesy and predictable. The story is also fast-paced that there aren't too many back-and-forth arguments and I'm-sorry-AGAIN-give-me-another-chance from Trenton (let's face it, these alpha-males can be such jerks in most books and the heroines would just have to forgive them all over again).
"I'm taking you back to my place tonight and I'm going to show you what it's like to be made love to by a man, not screwed by some high school boy."
At around 50%, wow! THE CAR SCENE. Hot! *Fans myself* This is also when the action part of the book picked up full speed, literally. Car chase, helicopters, guns blazing, Trenton can seriously give James Bond a run for his money, just not in an Aston Martin but a Bugatti.
At 61%, my heart was breaking. If I was the crying type, I probably would have shed some tears.
"No shame, no blame, no apologies, no excuses - just fix it."
It was one action-packed ending and everyone was in on the fight against a Russian bad guy: the Tin Men - Christopher, Sean (Trenton's best friends and best men) and Randall, Sara's best friends - Kelly and Denim, and even Sara's father. Don't worry, there's no cliffhanger. :)
But I'm not going to spoil your excitement so you MUST read this book to find out. All I can say is, this has got to be one of my favorite books this year for sure. Alexandra Richland, I'm now a fan!
***Check out my blog: Press Pause, Fast Forward