*..HEA Bookshelf..*: Blog Tour Stop + Giveaway: "Ignite" by Tessa Teevan

(#1, Explosive Series)

Synopsis:

After nearly a year and a half of grieving the loss of her husband, twenty-seven year old Alexa Sullivan Tate is headed back to her hometown after a decade of being away. She has no idea her high school crush, Jace McAllister, the guy who stole her heart the same night that he broke it, is more than ready to pick up the pieces. Jace has spent the last ten years in the Army defusing bomb after bomb, trying to forget the girl who ignited all his passions. Little does he know that the spark still exists. Ten years ago they had smoldering chemistry, but the spark between them now might light a fuse that leads to an explosion even Jace can't stop. Not that he wants to. If only Alexa can get past her guilt and trust her heart again. But how do you put it all on the line when you've already lost everything once before? *While this is a series, each book will be standalone with spinoff characters.

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Review:

5 Stars!

“So thankful that I’m getting a second chance, Alexa. So damned thankful.” - Jace

Every once in a while, there comes a book that reaches deep inside you and stays with you for days, weeks, even months. That’s what happened to me with Ignite. There aren't enough words to describe just how much I truly LOVED this book.

Trust me, it's fan-freaking-tastic!!!

“We stood there, wrapped up in each other, kissing like two people who’d been missing each other for their entire lives. It was as if we were trying to make up for all the lost time…”

Alexa and Jace had been those best friends in high school that were madly in love with each other, yet never did anything about it. Until the last moment – right before Jace left to join the Army. Then, life happened and Alexa never heard back from Jace.

Ten years later…. Heartache, happened. Alexa had spent the greater part of the year mourning the death of her husband after a tragic car accident. Luckily for her, fate disguised as Sierra, Alexa’s hilarious yet nosy sister, stepped in.

Sierra and her husband, Jeremy, convinced Alexa to go with them to their high school reunion as their daughter, Ava’s, babysitter. This stirred all kinds of emotions in Alexa. She knew she’d come face to face with the man she fell in love with all those years ago. The man, that whether she wanted to admit to herself or not, still occupied a huge part of her heart.

“He was just Jace. My confidant. My shoulder. My best friend. And the first guy I ever loved.”

Spending the weekend together awoken old feelings that never really left. My heart smiled seeing Alexa open up to Jace again, accept her feelings, and even trust him enough to talk to him about her husband… about the horrible day he was tragically taken from her. It was especially wonderful, seeing Jace open up to Alexa about his experience in the Army, about his deployments, and all the times he’d come home, yet a friend hadn’t.

“I’ve never been able to get over you. You were my best friend. The first girl, the only girl, I’ve loved.”

After an incredible time together at the reunion, they went back to reality. Jace returned to Afghanistan to finish his deployment and Alexa returned to her empty house. They kept in touch and basically took things slowly. You see, Alexa and Jace both loved each other and they each knew it, but Alexa was scared. I never once got irritated with her doubts, hesitations, or fears. I mean, she already buried a man she thought she’d spend eternity with and Jace’s job in the Army wasn’t exactly the safest one ever.

I 100% connected with this book. It’s written in dual POV so you’ll get the full picture. I was there every step of the way with both Jace and Alexa as they gave their love a second chance. I saw Jace fight to prove to Alexa that they are worth her overcoming her fears of burying yet another loved one, and I was there right along Alexa as she spent her days thinking Jace would never come back from his deployments. Yes, there were moments where I wanted to smack Alexa, moments where my heart just broke for Jace, but the way that Tessa wrote this book was very real. Being an Army wife myself, I completely understood all these feelings and situations.

“I’ll be back soon. Love you, beautiful,” he whispered, and with one last kiss, he turned and walked away.

I cried, laughed out loud - hard, and SWOONED while reading Ignite. To say I'm crazy, head-over-heals in love with Jace McAllister is THE understatement of the year! He's just so, so PERFECT. The secondary characters were phenomenal!!!!! Sierra, Jeremy, and Ava were HILARIOUS. Brady was THE best friend, ever and Knox… hmmm let’s just say I’m not-so-patiently awaiting his book.

On top of EVERYTHING else, this book had one of the most beautiful endings!!! I may or may not have finished reading with happy tears going down my face........ FINE, *sigh* I totally did!! Okay, seriously though, drop EVERYTHING and buy this book!!!!! Trust me, you’ll thank me. *wink* Phenomenal debut!!!

“I love you, beautiful girl.”

Purchase:

Kindle / Paperback / Nook / Kobo

About the Author:
Tessa Teevan

I'm a twenty six year old book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are my teams! I work for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and am married to a guy 15 inches taller than me. We're quite the pair! We currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with our two cats.

I've been reading since I was a kid. My mom was a librarian, so it was a given. Heck, she even made sure we watched Wishbone instead of the Smurfs. In 2011 when I graduated from college, my mom bought me a Nook, and then in the summer of 2012 I found this amazing site called Goodreads. I was introduced to so many amazing indie/self-published authors. After reading almost 400 books that year, my husband gave me the push to finally sit down and write my own. It was a rocky start, but over time the words started flowing and I couldn't get Jace and Lexi out of my head.

If I’m not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find me curled up with my Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. I love my sports almost as much as I love my books. My other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter.

I LOVE to hear from readers, so please feel free to contact via any social media site listed below.

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