Release: 1 (The Release Series)

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Release flits from 'Past to Present' seamlessly, allowing us a broader connection with these two characters. Eleven year Ramsey and his younger sister Nora were the newcomers to Clovert, moving just doors down from Thea after being evicted from their home. The poor heroine puts him on a pedestal for 12 years, thinking her boyfriend killed the guy who raped her because he loved her so much. She also feels very guilty about it. My reading experience with this one was a lot like watching a man plays video games and his whole body is moving left and right with the controller in his hand, swearing that’s helping him do better in the game. I was like, "No there’s not enough room in his book to hash the rest of this out - oh my gosh - what am I gonna do - holy cow - someone help her -someone help him - someone help ME!!" Aly Martinez writes the best friends to lovers stories. They always have so much heart and give me so many feels. Some of her older books (Fighting Silence especially) are some of my favorite romances of all time. It's been a while since she wrote a book that gave me those same kind of feels, but Release did just that.

Ramsay was perfect for Thea. He hid his awful family life and abandonment issues behind a perma-smile, took care of everyone and everything who needed him. And he paid for it. The weeks following his release from prison, his adjustment to life outside his cell was heartbreaking to watch but the author managed to infuse some humor (cue Siri) that lightened the mood and helped to handle the emotional roller coaster. And this is what Aly excels at - her stories are perfectly balanced and never drift into the trap of too much angst.There are several elements I enjoyed about this story. Namely, how Thea and Ramsey connected at such a crucial time in their lives and experienced so many firsts together. Ramsey is such a noble character with a big heart, and while sometimes it is to his detriment, it makes him endearing. As for Thea, she is strong character, though some point she needs to realize she isn’t the only one suffering. However, Thea knows the value of friends and family.

It was such a bubble, though, that we barely see them interact with other people. Even Nora, Ramsey’s sister, is more a function than a character. The past is a collection of important moments, the various steps in their relationship–the first meeting, the move from friendship to relationship, etc. Their life outside is barely mentioned. Of course, that means we focus on Thea and Ramsey, and it makes their story more powerful.

Aly Martinez is the queen of feels and plot twists. The woman will tug at every heart string you have and then turn your world upside down with a twist you never see coming. And Release brings both of those things in spades. MAN. My heart. My whole heart. Overall, this novel was not just another amazing story by this author, but a powerful portrayal of a couple who came out on the other side after years of painful and tumultous heartbreak. Ramsey and Thea found a safe haven in one another throughout their whole lives and Martinez portrayed that beautifully. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula ❤ So, yeah. Aly Martinez had me all up in my feelings again with this one. WAY up. But the two most prevalent ones had me laughing at one point and smiling from ear to ear the next - hilarious anecdotes and deep discussions of the past providing a serious emotional barricade. But that certainly doesn't negate the fact that a twist thrown in there didn't just make me gasp like, "no biggie!" They get ripped apart for Twelve years, eight months, three weeks, four days, twelve hours, and forty-three minutes When Ramsey Stewart moved to a small town in Georgia, he had hoped to make a new life at only eleven years old. Befriending Thea seemed like his prayers were answered, but Ramsey’s path wasn’t meant to be straightforward and he’ll do what he can to protect Thea.

On top of all the ways I loved the romance between Thea and Ramsey, I also loved the family dynamic. I loved how Ms. Martinez gave us the arc of the entire family unit. I loved this broken little family something fierce and I'm not sure i loved anyone more than I loved Joe Hull. Good gravy, I'm still in my feels over this dad of the year. So amazing. So heartwarming. So rewarding. I cannot gush about this loudly - or enthusiastically - enough.

Publication Order of Wrecked and Ruined Books

Let’s talk about this story for just a second. This is not a breezy read. There are no unicorns and gumdrops anywhere to be seen. There is heartache. There is loss. There are gut-wrenching circumstances. There are choices with profound consequences. There is love. There is friendship. There is growth and a whole lot of hope. It is inspiring, emotional, and incredibly touching. Unlike many readers, I liked the heroine. I didn’t think she was a doormat, she just knew they belonged to each other and she never stopped believing it. Years ago, they promised each other to never let go and she didn’t let go although he tried hard for her to let him go. There are two things in this world that Ramsey cares about. His little sister and a girl who stole his start from the moment he fell out of a tree. But when he goes to prison at the age of seventeen for doing something he felt was right at the moment, little did Ramsey know that he was going to spend the next twelve years without the love of his life and that one moment will change his loved ones.

Furthermore, the ending was hurried and I think things could have been more cleared up between the main characters. And also, Thea's father was a hypocrite. I felt like he was more concerned with Nora and Ramsey than his own child who he didn't much fight for after she'd gone through a horrible thing. I really disliked him. Nevertheless, these were all subjective opinions. It was still worth a try.

Publication Order of On the Ropes Books

And what a massive stinking lie. She didn't deserve this conniving duo in her life because no matter how we try to explain it away, they deliberately led her to believe that she was the reason he was in prison. No matter how you spin it, Nora fed off her pain because she felt guilty and to assuage her guilt, she encouraged Thea's unhealthy fixation with Ramsey Book Genre: Abuse, Adult, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Dark, High School, New Adult, Romance, Sociology, Young Adult Throughout the entire book, understanding was in the eye of the beholder. Perception was in the all knowing mind of a child. Turnabout was fair play. Given all the happenings in the book that we were privy to, and some that we weren't, it allowed for the emotions to consistently affect me mentally and emotionally. I wanted to MOM these kids, but I wanted to read as they came through on their own volition and made the world theirs. I loved their journey. From USA Today Bestselling Author Aly Martinez comes an emotional new standalone. Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal. At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend. At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss. By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon. Love never fails, right? But for Ramsey, it did. Love failed him. I failed him. The entire world failed him. At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me. Move on, he wrote in his first and only letter from prison. Start a new life, he urged. I don’t love you anymore, he lied. There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine–then, now, and forever. So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don’t even know to emerge from between the chain link gates. Release (Release #1) by Aly Martinez – eBook Details Oh my Lord. I can't even come up from air from this story without tearing up thinking about Ramsey and Thea and the love between them. I especially loved Thea's compassionate nature and the unfallible strength in her convictions. The amount of heartbreak and injustice she suffered was mindboggling but the sheer determination and drive to heal and reunite her family was the rainbow after such a terrible and tragic storm.