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THE DARKEST SUNRISE (The Darkest Sunrise Duet, #1)

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.
“You’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy.”
“Your son needs a heart transplant.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.
Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.
“He’s gone.”
For ten years, the darkness consumed me.
In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

 

THE BRIGHTEST SUNSET (The Darkest Sunrise Duet, #2)

Coming July 27th

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

 

 

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Review

5 stunning stars!

Aly Martinez has done it again! She has created a dramatic, heartbreaking but ultimately heartfelt story that made me laugh, cry and fall in love. Featuring two characters who have been left emotionally damaged from the trauma of their pasts, but who find something together that starts to drag them out of the darkness of their lives. Sweet, fun, emotional, intense, and beautifully romantic, this beautifully written story held me absolutely captivated and I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down. I absolutely loved it!

Charlotte Mills’ world came crashing down around her the day she lost her baby boy. Ten years later and she is a shadow of her former self. She has achieved career success, but the face she puts on for the public is a fake one, and inside she is completely lost to the grief that consumes her.

Porter Reese is struggling with a different kind of trauma. As the single father to two young children, he lives with the ghost of his past and the trauma of his present, doing his best to create a good life for his family. But every day is a struggle.

One moment changed both Charlotte and Porter’s worlds. And their meeting creates a shift that neither of them sees coming.

How do you move forward when all you really want is to go back?

I don’t want to go into detail about this story, because you just need to dive in and experience it. It’s written in dual POV, so we get to know both Charlotte and Porter up close and personally – we see them struggling but surviving, and my heart ached for them both. But when they meet, there is an instant spark. The sense of ease and the comfortable familiarity takes them both by surprise. Porter recognises that Charlotte shares the darkness that exists within him, and the connection that they feel to each other encourages him to pursue her. Charlotte knows she has nothing to offer anybody, but Porter makes her feel something for the first time in a very long time and, desperate for that feeling to continue, she accepts.

“I assure you I have zero interest in commiserating with you. I wouldn’t understand your demons any more than you would understand my personal circle of hell.”
Her sad eyes flicked back to mine. “Then what do you want?”
I sucked in a deep breath that did nothing to calm the eternal storm brewing within me. “Just a little company in the darkness. No questions. No judgments. No faking it.”

OMG, I love these two together! The flirting and banter is absolutely sensational, their joking was hilarious, their text conversations had me grinning like an idiot, and my body was literally humming with a sense of anticipation of what was to come. The fact that Martinez was able to bring a sense of fun and lightness to a book that has such dramatic and emotional themes was so cleverly done, and I reveled in every moment with them together.

But there is that darkness there, and as funny and awkwardly charming as Porter is, he doesn’t shy away from getting deep and meaningful, and I love how supportive he is of Charlotte, and how understanding he is of where she is at and what she needs – and then effortlessly giving it to her.

“No one fucking understands. The whole world just keeps going on without him. And I can’t do it anymore. I can’t keep up. I try. And I try. But I can’t do it anymore. I need it to stop, Porter.”
Cupping the back of her neck, I tucked her face against my shoulder and murmured, “I’ll stop with you. I swear to God, Charlotte. I’ll stop with you.”

And so, their romance unfolds. It’s not easy and there are ups and downs, and some pretty significant hurdles for them to overcome, but it progresses in a way that is organic, real and meaningful, with heartbreaking moments where secrets are shared and beautifully romantic moments as they are there for each other and explore everything that they are feeling, and the pacing and build-up is perfect!.

Cupping her jaw, I tilted her head down to rest her forehead on mine. “I know who you are, Charlotte. And I know it doesn’t feel like the darkness when we’re together.” Sliding my hand from her jaw to around her neck, I leaned to the side and lowered her back to the loveseat. “Tell me you feel it too.”
Her breathing shuddered. “I feel it.”

And through it all, they both fight through their personal darkness. Struggling to move forward and find that happy place again, but this time learning to do it together.

“Are you done getting your head straight?”
“No,” I admitted.
He nodded. “You ready to let me help you do that yet?”
I closed my eyes and breathed, “Porter. I don’t–”
His deep and masculine voice became desperate. “Let me in, Charlotte. We’ll take it slow band start in the dark if that’s what you need. But I want you in the light, sweetheart. Whatever it takes to get you there, I’ll do it. I just need you to let me in so I can try.”

So. Much. Swooooooon! OMG, Porter rocked my world. He is the perfect combination of sweet, funny, caring, supportive, romantic, and so freaking sexy. I love the way he treated Charlotte – how he respected her boundaries, but also pushed her to keep moving forward. So gorgeous! And I loved Charlotte, I could understand and empathise with how she felt, and I really admired her resilience to keep going despite all that she is dealing with. Their stories broke my heart, but together they have something truly magical, and I loved watching it all come together for them.

The story ends with them in a good place, but OMG, that cliffy is going to kill me until I can get my hands on the next book! Surprising, but also not, it creates a wonderful jumping off point for The Brightest Sunset, and I cannot wait to see how the rest of their story is going to play out.

Absolutely stunning – 5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Darkest Sunrise Duet

 

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Author Bio

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

 

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