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.

Jace and Alexa have been best friends since they meet in high school, his sophomore year, her freshman. They spent three years as best friend, each harboring secret feelings towards the other, until Jace announces that he has stronger feelings for her, and he's leaving for the army the next morning. Through a series of mishaps, 10 years pass before they see each other again. In the meantime, Jace has seen four deployments as an explosive ordinance disposal team member, and Alexa has been married and widowed. 

Alexa is healing from the loss of her husband. She is still living in the house they shared, with his photos and mementos surrounding her. After Jace comes back into her life, I was fascinated by her process of letting her husband go for good. She has a lot to come to terms with as far as what it means that he is gone and what that means for her future. She never came off as overdramatic or needy, rather she was so determined to not lean on anyone with her grief at that point that she had stalled in the healing process.

Jace shocked everyone when he left for the Army after graduation. When he returns from Basic Training to find Alexa’s family has moved and she has apparently moved on from him as well, it sends him reeling as he has to return for his first duty assignment. His ability to push Alexa towards healing while also respecting that she had to move on her own time showed amazing patience. He continually amazed me that he would be so willing to wait and sit in a state of limbo about their status for so long. 

Ignite started off great. This is a second chance romance with chemistry that picks up right where the characters left off in high school. There were a couple parts where things slowed down for me, but for the most part I was engrossed while reading this. 

As a second chance romance, it had the potential to lean too heavily on the memories of the couple, but Ignite had the perfect mix of memories to add to the present day story. One of the best aspects of the past parts of the story is that they were often included as the characters reminiscing with each other or filling those around them on what happened. It was a natural blending of the two time periods and situations. 

Alexa’s sister Sierra serves as the comedic relief throughout the story, and between her, her husband, Jace’s high school best friend, and the rest of their families, there were plenty of laughs to break up the serious moments.

I loved the cast of characters throughout this book. Both characters are well established within their own circles, and blending their locations, friends, and lives was a great show to watch. We are briefly introduced to Knox, about whom the next book will focus, and from the brief bits we learned about him here, I am very much looking forward to his story. 

Thanks to Tessa Teevan for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review. 

"I told you once and I'll tell you again. I'll always come back to you."

They had a connection and friendship that meant everything. One night changed it all and left them reeling. And a series of circumstances kept them apart for ten years. A reunion and a little sisterly manipulation brings them back together. And ten years of longing, regret and wondering come to the surface. 

Jace...what a sweetheart. He knew what he had lost and had no doubt he wanted her back. Now, Lexi had doubts. She has already lost her two loves of her her life, so getting another chance with the first one was frightening and worrisome. But she and Jace still felt right. 

When Knox Wellington opens the door to Charlie Davenport, he's not expecting the fiery brunette with whiskey colored eyes and a feisty personality. Sparks fly immediately, even though their initial meeting is nothing but hostile. Their chemistry is undeniable, but the chip on Knox's shoulder threatens to destroy any hope of him wooing the sweet, southern volunteer sent to help with his rehabilitation.

Little does he know she's no Southern Belle, as she gives as good as she can take. As unexpected circumstances push them closer together, heads butt, patience is tested, and flames ignite as they dance around their mutual attraction, both of them jaded from broken pasts. 

They've both been burned before, so when their feelings of lust, desire, and wanting are inflamed in the heat of the moment, will they finally be able to get over the pain of the past or will their relationship be reduced to ashes before it can ever really begin?

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.