Blog Tour: Alana Albertson's "Invincible."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Alana Albertson's "Invincible."

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1gbQbri

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ioqwuq

Synopsis:

I’ll be honest with you—I'm no hero. Sure, the media tries to brand every Navy SEAL as some kind of Batman dressed in cammies. There’s even a line in one of our cadences: “Superman is the man of steel, he ain’t no match for Navy SEAL.” You've seen the movies—we’re indestructible, invincible. But that night, the one you read about in the papers … all I really wanted to do was get laid. 

One harmless fuck with a Curaçao whore, no strings attached. I picked her out of a lineup—wild, dark hair, long legs and a crooked smile. After she sucked me off, I relaxed back onto the creaky, cum-stained cot, thankful for the blissful moments she gave me when I actually forgot for a second the faces of my buddies who died because I made the wrong call, the tears of the children I couldn't save, and the eyes of the enemies I slaughtered during their last seconds of life. 

But before I left, her hazel eyes peered into my soul. She whispered in a distinct Californian accent, “My name is Annie Hamilton. I'm an American citizen. I was kidnapped from a cruise ship five years ago. You're my last hope. Please save me.” 

One desperate plea. This wasn’t a Hollywood blockbuster or a New York Times best-selling thriller. I knew that this time there was no room for excuses, no margin for errors. I had one chance to put the cape on and be her hero.

Blog Tour Review: Surj Harvey

"Invincible" was a fast paced, quick read that left me with mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like the book, I did but I craved more... so much more and that's what would have pushed it up to 5 hearts for sure. 

So let's talk about what blew me away first of all? Well, without a shadow of a doubt the synopsis had me sucked in from the minute I clapped eyes on it.. and the first few chapters... I mean whoa... WTF!!! Patrick Walsh definitely wasn't expecting to find an all American sweet heart (who had been kidnapped into the sex slave industry) when he walked into a whore house and had the best blow job of his life. Hell no!!!  The first 20% or so of this book focused on this very hot Navy Seal discovering Annie Hamilton and the turmoil he went through with the knowledge he'd gained. It was definitely gripping stuff because this man also had a lot to lose (believe it or not). Yup, in his line of work whore houses were a massive no no and such, Patrick Walsh found himself in quite the predicament... save her or leave her? Thank god he had a heart and a conscience and thank god he lived by the Navy Seal Code!!! 

My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to 

my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. 

I loved Patrick Walsh's character... he was a little rough around the edges, had commitment issues but he was 100% all man... just the way we like them. "Invincible" was told solely from his POV so I was really able to see inside his head, see the internal struggles he faced and understand his thought processes. 

Her vulnerability was like a sword in the chest and a shot to my dick. I wanted to both

protect her and fuck her and it was a combination that could get both of us killed. 

However because of this, there were quite a few big time gaps in the story and I couldn't help but wonder whether a dual POV might have been better suited. I wanted to see what life was truly like for Annie, her hopes, her fears, her nightmares.. what was going on in this woman's head!!! I knew it wasn't going to be pretty...after all, she was a sex slave and a heroine addict. The little insight I did get into her world made me sick to my stomach. It was horrific but it was realistic. I just needed more because I felt I lacked a connection with her and I desperately wanted that.  

Because this book was quite short (I read it in a couple of hours), I felt it really did cram too much in and as such, it lacked depth in some parts of the story. There were certain aspects I wish had been explored more, particularly the relationship between Annie and Patrick...which just felt too rushed. I wanted to feel the connection between this couple, feel the angst, the heart break, the turmoil but blink and the relationship had progressed more than what felt realistic. I needed nitty gritty from this couple and I didn't get it.  

“I wasn't ready to call it more than lust or an attraction born out of our circumstances. 

All I knew was that I wasn't ready to let her go.”

I absolutely loved the twist Alana Albertson through in towards the end of this book... I could sense something wasn't right but was gob smacked when the revelations came to light. Holy smokes I'd have never guessed and I was left full of rage. Thank god for the ending though because that was my balm (although again, a little too rushed). 

All in all, a good book but had it been longer and from dual POV, I feel I would have enjoyed it so much more. I rated "Invincible" 3 Hearts