"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 neighbor, 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.
My Review
I recently read a book that had me full on crying like a baby in the first few pages. Of course that got me thinking and I was trying to remember the last time that happened. And then I remembered this book. I had been wanting to do a reread so the next day, while on my commute to work, I started to read "Full Measures" again. BIG MISTAKE! Have you ever tried to not cry on a crowded subway? It's very hard to do.
Anyway....I forgot how much I loved this book. From the very beginning the author was able to grab my attention and I just couldn't put the book down. The same thing happened the second time I read it. And then I went in to pull quotes for this review and ended up rereading like half the book. I couldn't help it!
December "Ember" Howard, has just suffered a tragic loss and is trying to hold her family together. While at the supermarket she has a bit of a breakdown and gets some help in the form of Josh Walker.
“Tears streamed down my face unnoticed as I stood at the register, waiting for the young girl to ring up my cake and ice cream. “Thirty-two nineteen,” she told me. I reached for my back pocket, where I normally kept my tiny wallet, but found only the smooth spandex of my running shorts.
“Shit,” I whispered, closing my eyes in defeat. No coat. No wallet. Great planning.
“I got this.” The brown-eyed guy slid a fifty dollar bill across the conveyor belt to the clerk. I hadn’t even noticed he’d been behind me. I turned to look back”
And then we quickly learn that December went to high school with Josh.
“Josh Walker. Holy shit. High school. Memories crashed through me, but that Josh Walker couldn’t possibly be the one standing in front of me. No, that one had been a tattooed, motorcycle-driving, cheerleader magnet, not this clean-cut all-American nice guy."
Through another unfortunate event, Josh and Ember are thrown together and they discover they are VERY attracted to each other. Ember is reluctant to start up a relationship with Josh but he makes it pretty clear that he is not giving up on her.
“We’re taking it slow until you say so, because I can’t bear to hear a ‘no’ from you. But here’s your only warning: I’m going to chase the fuck out of you.” The promise dripping from his voice was enough to set my thighs on fire.
He pulled away, leaving me a heart-thumping mess against the glass. He waved to the girls and walked right past them without another word, but then turned back around. “Oh, and Ember?” I blinked in response. “I’m still your whatever, for whatever you need.”
I mean....Josh Walker is a keeper. He's hot. Like panty melting hot. And ridiculously sweet. Such a good combo. All he wants to do is to be there for Ember. He wants to take care of her since she is so preoccupied with taking care of her grieving family and not herself. I definitely did not yell at my e-reader multiple times when I thought that Ember was being silly by not committing to him.
This book is an emotional ride. I cried multiple times while reading it. Josh has a big secret and to most people it may not seem like a big deal, but to Ember it is a deal breaker. My heart broke for both of them when the secret came to light. I cried along with Ember when she learns what Josh has been hiding from her and also when she does what she thinks she needs to do.
One of the things I liked most about this book was the glimpse into military life. I know next to nothing about that lifestyle so it was very interesting to me. It's always nice to get a glimpse into a world I know nothing about.
Rebecca Yarros' next book, "Eyes Turned Skyward" is about Josh's roommate Jagger. We get a little bit of Jagger in this book and I can't wait to get my hands on his book as well as any other books Rebecca may write in the future.
“Hi, I’m Ember, your neighbor?
A very sexy smile lit up his face. “Hello, Ember, my neighbor.”
“Yeah.” I peeked around him. “Does Josh happen to be here?”
His face fell. “Ah, shit. Did he already call dibs? You don’t really look like the Josh type.”
I arched my eyebrow at him, and he stuttered, “You’re hot as hell, he just usually goes for the . . .”
“Barbies?” I was well aware of what “type” Josh went for.
“Exactly.” He opened the door, making room for me to slide past him into a hallway that mirrored our own layout. “Walker! You got company!” He turned back to me. “Just in case he isn’t what you’re looking for . . .” He flashed a killer smile. “My name’s Jagger.”
I tried to ignore that he was hitting on me. He was really good at it. “It’s nice to meet you, Jagger.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure.” He held his tongue between his teeth, flashing a tongue ring.”
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