Book Review – Retrieval by Aly Martinez

Retrieval (The Retrieval Duet Book 1)
I went into this one on the blurb (and reader recommendations) alone, and I got the surprise of my life! WOW!!!!

Noooooo no… I knew it would be good (great even). That wasn’t the surprise. I’m already a big fan of this author’s other books. She’s able to combine laugh-out-loud humor, great dialogue, believable endearing (and a few hateful) characters with poignant storylines, and true emotions. She doesn’t shy away from pain, and handles it realistically. It makes sense and it feels like real life.

And this book is no exception. In fact the blurb intrigued me like crazy, I knew it was going to be heartfelt and emotional.

Maryse: I AM LOVING Retrieval!! It kind of has an awesome KA feel to it. But totally Aly Martinez… her writing is amazing and her characters are so real. And I just swooned so hard.

Kim: Retrieval completed snapped me out of my book funk. So well written and very unique. I’ve enjoyed several books this year but this is the 1st legitimate, didn’t have to think about the rating, 5 star read.

Trudy: It was amazing!!! Aly outdid herself with this duet. Just wait until you read Transfer!!!! OMG — heart palpitations!

Melanie: Just read it last night! Book 2 can’t get here soon enough

Brooke: I finished the whole book in less than 12 hours. So good! Can’t wait for the 2nd book.

Holly: Really enjoyed it. Relatively short book and looking forward to the sequel! Xx

Samantha: Just finished Retrieval, loved it! Book 2 cannot come fast enough! Roman is a new book boyfriend!

I had a good idea of the “ride” I was in for, ya know? But it double-whammied me with something I wasn’t even expecting. And at first I was confused… backtracked. Read it again. And then it clicked.

Yep!!! That surprise I was telling you about. So what is it? My lips are sealed.

Gah!! I don’t even know how to review this book, without giving anymore away than what’s already in that blurb. I can tell you what it’s about, but it’s so much more gripping when you go into it blind (even though I can acknowledge that if you KNEW what it was about, more than the blurb, that is, you’d still want to read it). But… you’ll have more fun getting that shot of *oomph* directly. 😉

So what’s it about?

Well… in part? A beautiful whirlwind romance. Roman and Elizabeth met and fell in love HARD. Right on their very first date, and were married soon after. Living in love and happiness, the only thing more that they wanted was a child, but conceiving naturally, wasn’t meant to be. And so they went through the whole IVF process and finally… a baby. But the baby died, and caught in the throes of depression and grief,

I’d always been amazed by how much punishment a heart could take. I was broken, battered, and destroyed. And yet, much to my dismay, as I watched the front door close behind her, my heart kept beating.

they lost each other along the way.

We merely existed on the same plane. Living under the same roof, eating meals at the same table, sleeping in the same bed. But we were far from sharing our lives together.

And now… this is their story.

“I’m checking back in.”

She shook her head. “This isn’t a hotel. You can’t just check back in.”

I battled the urge to kiss her.

To claim her.

To take back the woman who had always been mine.

Okay sure, you might appreciate the depth of the bittersweet journey you’re about to be taken on. You might be thinking you already know where this is going. You don’t. 😉 And when everyone tells you that they need book #2 NOW, I get it.

BUT!!! While this one ends on a sort of cliffhanger, it’s one of those that feels like book #1 is mostly complete (at least a part of the story) and #2 is leading us into a whole other level. And I have a feeling THAT is the one I’m going to love the most.

Amazing, exciting, emotional, absorbing read, and it’s the kind of “duet” that makes me want to read book #2 (Transfer), immediately.

In fact, I will. Right now 😉

4.5 stars!

P.S. Thank you to the author for sending me the the “duet” review copies. Your love stories are right up my alley, Aly. 😉

➔➔➔  Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. 😀

➔➔➔  Love this author? Browse more Aly Martinez features and reviews on my blog. 😀