Reading is like breathing...

4 being-mature-is-sexy stars.****Review completed January 16, 2014



Alex’s own hand shook slightly as he reached up to cradle her cheek in his palm. She flinched at the contact but didn’t shove him back as he’d feared. He stroked his thumb gently across the silken curve of her cheek, dying inside because he needed so much more. “It was me,” he whispered back. “Whatever I did and didn’t tell you back then, it was still me.” He wrapped the fingers of his other hand around her palm, pressed it to his chest over his pounding heart. “I’m still the man you knew, no matter what else has happened.” 



Instead he leaned in closer and put one hand on the door, caging her between it and his body. “I don’t want you to think, I want you to feel. Feel me, Grace. Feel this.” He grabbed her hand again, pressed it tight to his chest. “Feel that? The connection? It’s still there, you know it is, because it’s real. Whatever else I lied to you about, I never lied about this.” 



Sorry.
Sorry means you feel the pulse of other people's pain as well as your own, and saying it means you take a share of it. And so it binds us together, makes us trodden and sodden as one another. Sorry is a lot of things. It's a hole refilled. A debt repaid. Sorry is the wake of misdeed. It's the crippling ripple of consequence. Sorry is sadness, just as knowing is sadness. Sorry is sometimes self-pity. But Sorry, really, is not about you. It's theirs to take or leave.

Sorry means you leave yourself open, to embrace or to ridicule or to revenge. Sorry is a question that begs forgiveness, because the metronome of a good heart won't settle until things are set right and true. Sorry doesn't take things back, but it pushes things forward. It bridges the gap. Sorry is a sacrament. It's an offering. A gift.
-- by Craig Silvey





"Then I guess I'll have to keep showing you how I feel about you until you actually believe it."
For a moment he thought he'd gone too far, that she'd shut down and retreat from him emotionally, but instead she studied him with an almost wistful expression.
"How do you feel about me?"
(…)
"You're the only woman I want, and I'd do anything for you." 

Except for the prologue, Rekindled picks right up where Extinguished left off. Still, you could read Rekindled as a standalone if you don’t mind to read out of order. Keep in mind that all the secondary characters have been introduced in the previous books, though.

Alex met Grace four years ago while working another high-risk job in the Middle East for the NSA (National Security Agency) and fell hard and fast for her. However, due to an incident they separated 'involuntarily'. Now Alex is back in Islamabad, Pakistan. A terrorist and his minions are keeping him and the Titanium Security team on the go. As chance would have it, Alex spotted Grace a few days ago on a market in Peshawar and can't stop thinking about her. His source confirmed that she's residing in Islamabad for the next few days. Grace's professional background is very interesting. She's got a PhD in chemistry and is a chemical weapons inspector for the UN. Of course her stay in Pakistan is work-related; she has no intention whatsoever to get involved with Alex once more. Regardless, Alex is very determined to make amends and win her heart all over again. Although before that will happen, Alex and Grace have a few barriers and dangerous situations to overcome.

Rekindling old but not forgotten feelings…

"Alex. Quit stripping Grace with your eyes and get in here."

Since I read and loved Absolution and the fifty-year-old main characters Luke and Em, I was asking Kaylea to write more stories about mature H/h. So when I started to read her Titanium Security series and set my eyes on Alex for the first time, I found myself in the same position again. Asking Kaylea to please, please give Alex his own story. I gotta tell you I was on pins and needles to get my hands on Alex and Grace's book. Come to think of it, I’m pretty much game to put my mouth and hands all over Alex’s delectable body and I wouldn’t mind to enjoy his expertise, sharing some out-of-breath moments with that gorgeous man myself. I make no bones about the fact that I'm a sucker for older, mature main characters, especially when it comes to my heroes. Alex fits the bill but the same can be said about Grace as well. Alex is 51 and Grace is 46. Come on, who wants to read more stories that feature main protagonists in their 40s and 50s? Newsflash, publishers, I’m not the only one! We’re all getting older and I believe that reading tastes change which, in fact, is very positive. Despite all the big sales of YA/NA books, I believe there is a market out there for my kind of book. My kind of hero. A very sexy and mature man in his early fifties who craves a second chance at love. And he's ready to give anything and everything to get his Grace back.



Alex does it right…


Besides, let's not forget that sex gets better with age--comparable to good wine. Believe me, Alex gives fabulous head, and I’d volunteer any day. Rekindled is an action-packed, fast-paced and emotional read with some angst that ends on a very beautiful note. The sex scenes are steamy and enticingly written by Kaylea Cross. It goes without saying that Grace and Alex share some intense chemistry and their longing and passion for each other is very palpable. Although Grace doesn’t make it too easy for Alex to win her back, and he was quite ready to beg to enfold her in his arms again. I loved the beautiful final chapter in which Alex showed his best side; he was charming and teasing as all get out. And the epilogue was the icing on the cake. No, scratch that. The icing on the cake was the final chapter and then the author decided to add some chocolate sprinkles on top of the icing when she wrote the epilogue. Fair enough.

"Breathe"…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79mVAx...



What I especially loved about Alex is the fact that while he clearly holds the reins in the bedroom, he’s not ashamed of making himself vulnerable when he interacts with Grace. Of course he’s the expected tough alpha male on the job, though. Near the end is an angsty and very dramatic scene that proved how much these two love each other. I know this scene was very “apt”, yet the author accomplished to surprise me and left me rather shocked. Also, all the MCs of the previous books made several cameos and got a chance to do something good. Gage…you know I love you, you sexy beast! As I see it, Kaylea writes some of the BEST mature heroes. Luke, anyone? And with Alex she added another gorgeous specimen to her collection.

Alex couldn’t take back what happened four years ago, but he could offer an apology to bridge the gap and push things forward. Like the citation states, sorry is an offering and a gift all at the same time and Grace accepted it, washing away the pain and sadness, refilling the hole in her heart for a well deserved second chance at love.

"I XXXX with you that night, and every day since." Maybe not physically, but his heart hadn't known the difference. "I've missed you so goddamn much," he said hoarsely.
He caught the flash of surprise and tenderness in her eyes, then she put her free hand over his, pressing it against her cheek. Holding him there. "I missed you too. But I'm here now."

Recommended read. 

My ranking
Singed (Gage)
Rekindled (Alex)
Ignited (Hunter)
Extinguished (Blake)
Burned (Sean)



All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy

**ARC courtesy of Kaylea Cross in exchange for an honest review**