franie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sgarrett27's review
5.0
Thrilling Romantic Suspense
Aly Martinez is an amazing author! This duet kept me up way too late and on the edge of my seat all the way through.
The first part is the second chance story of Elisabeth and Roman Leblanc. After a tragic event happened, their marriage ended and have been divorced for two years. Now, after a phone call from a detective they find themselves together again and Roman has his heart set on winning back his Lissy.
The second part of the duet is the story of Clare and Heath Light. Their love and story is gorgeous from start to finish but hits some speed bumps along the way.
I loved that this was written from multiple points of view and you hear from nearly every character. It’s simply awesome!
I highly recommend this duet!
Aly Martinez is an amazing author! This duet kept me up way too late and on the edge of my seat all the way through.
The first part is the second chance story of Elisabeth and Roman Leblanc. After a tragic event happened, their marriage ended and have been divorced for two years. Now, after a phone call from a detective they find themselves together again and Roman has his heart set on winning back his Lissy.
The second part of the duet is the story of Clare and Heath Light. Their love and story is gorgeous from start to finish but hits some speed bumps along the way.
I loved that this was written from multiple points of view and you hear from nearly every character. It’s simply awesome!
I highly recommend this duet!
novelgossip's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
elylibrarysec's review against another edition
5.0
I have not had the pleasure to read any works by Ms. Martinez. After I started listening to this duet I was mentally hitting my head against a wall. Now that I’ve listened to her books, and having had such great narrators, I don’t know how I’ll ever pick up a book.
One great thing about having someone read to you is that they can put in emotions that the characters need to get across to the reader. I don’t know about you but I tend to read in monotone – one good reason I’m not the one telling the story. And that’s one thing you can expect here, plenty of emotion. There’s both happiness and sadness. There’s also plenty of suspense for you too. You may even find yourself holding your breath a time or two. We have both good guys and a really nasty bad guy. Stuck in the middle are two innocent women. There’s another innocent that we meet in the first book that may even steal your heart.
Some people change the speed when listening to a story but there was no way that I was going to even touch that. One reason I love having someone read to me is so that I have no choice but to relax and just enjoy what’s being spoken. I didn’t want the end to come any sooner than it was going to. It was very hard to hit the stop button because I wanted to know that the women were going to be safe, the good guys were going to charge in to save those they love, and that the bad guy is going to get everything he deserves.
If you haven’t started this duet yet, than getting both Retrieval and Transfer in a complete set is perfect. That’s because you’ll find that once you start reading about Roman and Elisabeth, you’ll find that you’ll want to see what happens with Clare and her daughter. These stories are intertwined and you can’t have one without the other. They sound so believable that it’s not hard to think of the story as real. It’s one way of knowing how creative the author is. I can’t wait to listen to more.
I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.
One great thing about having someone read to you is that they can put in emotions that the characters need to get across to the reader. I don’t know about you but I tend to read in monotone – one good reason I’m not the one telling the story. And that’s one thing you can expect here, plenty of emotion. There’s both happiness and sadness. There’s also plenty of suspense for you too. You may even find yourself holding your breath a time or two. We have both good guys and a really nasty bad guy. Stuck in the middle are two innocent women. There’s another innocent that we meet in the first book that may even steal your heart.
Some people change the speed when listening to a story but there was no way that I was going to even touch that. One reason I love having someone read to me is so that I have no choice but to relax and just enjoy what’s being spoken. I didn’t want the end to come any sooner than it was going to. It was very hard to hit the stop button because I wanted to know that the women were going to be safe, the good guys were going to charge in to save those they love, and that the bad guy is going to get everything he deserves.
If you haven’t started this duet yet, than getting both Retrieval and Transfer in a complete set is perfect. That’s because you’ll find that once you start reading about Roman and Elisabeth, you’ll find that you’ll want to see what happens with Clare and her daughter. These stories are intertwined and you can’t have one without the other. They sound so believable that it’s not hard to think of the story as real. It’s one way of knowing how creative the author is. I can’t wait to listen to more.
I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.
astridthebookishsweettooth's review against another edition
5.0
TITLE: The Retrieval Duet
AUTHOR: Aly Martinez
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
FORMAT: Audiobook
NARRATORS: Andi Arndt, Jason Carpenter, Maxine Mitchell
LENGTH: 12 hrs and 50 mins
STAR RATING: ★★★★★
READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG
She does it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. With every book Aly Martinez gives us she brings something new to the table. The Retrieval Duet is no different.
I had the chance to listen to the audiobook of THE RETRIEVAL DUET - the narration was amazing in the first book. I love Andi Arndt and Jason Carpenter, who I know from Aly Martinez's Guardian Protection series. Unfortunately, Maxine Mitchell didn't work as well for me. She had a bit of a whiny narration style with drawn out syllables that got a little annoying after a while. It wasn't horrible, just not as fabulous as the other two. With that out of the way, let's get to the heart of it.
In RETRIEVAL a couple, whose marriage broke apart after the son, who lived only for a couple of minutes, passed away, is at the center of attention. When both Roman and Elisabeth are getting a call from the police and are being informed that Elisabeth's eggs were switched at the fertility clinic and she probably has a daughter the secret glimmer of hope that couldn't be quenched even after their divorce, flares up again.
Roman's single-minded pursuit of Elisabeth, his wooing and slow seduction was beautiful and showed his dedication and determination and I loved him so much for letting Elisabeth feel that she would come first this time. Both of them were so inside their heads when they separated that they just couldn't express what they needed from one another but time apart has blunted the edge and finally they talk. It was sweet to see how Elisabeth opened up to Roman again and started to trust him. Retrieval switches between present and past in which we see memories of both Roman and Elisabeth and those explain the strong connection they had and why both of them couldn't let go. They were soul mates, a once-in-a-lifetime-love, their connection palpable. I loved them so much.
TRANSFER continues the story, this time primarily from Clare and Heath's point of view. What Clare went through until she got away from her druglord husband was horrific. Physical, emotional and mental abuse was on her schedule on a daily basis but she endured it to keep her daughter safe. She was strong and learned Walt's MO inside out, knew what he would do and how she could manipulate him which in the showdown helped her a great deal. Heath was wonderful, protective, smart and didn't play around for long to go after the woman he'd fallen in love with. The way he treated Clare's little girl was adorable.
Out of the two couples I loved Roman and Elisabeth's POVs the most. Their banter was just hilarious, typical Aly Martinez. We get come Guardian cameos which were awesome!
I went blind into this book, that's how much I trust this author. You can't do it better. THE RETRIEVAL DUET is a phenomenal roller coaster that has it all - tension and a little suspense, blindsiding twists, a little heartbreak and humor, a huge dose of romance and steam. The female leads of this second chance and a friends-to-lovers romance are smart and strong, and the guys swoonworthy, romantic, a little bossy and overly protective and not afraid to show their love for their women. This story is so unique and so uniquely Aly Martinez - if you enjoy any of the above and always wanted to try Ms. Martinez you can't go wrong.
majod99b1's review against another edition
3.0
*3,5 stars*
I really liked this story! This book was addicting AF. I loved the main couple in this book, Elisabeth and Roman. Their story, their break up and now their come back. It was entertaining enough. But even though they were my favorite couple in this book, I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT CLAIRE AND LUKE.
I really liked this story! This book was addicting AF. I loved the main couple in this book, Elisabeth and Roman. Their story, their break up and now their come back. It was entertaining enough. But even though they were my favorite couple in this book, I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT CLAIRE AND LUKE.
readingislife's review against another edition
5.0
Audible version
Wow. This was a very quick listen and seriously pulled me in right out of the gate. I'm not much for getting into the nitty gritty of what happens in a book, but more how it made me feel. And I felt everything - love, hate, fear, desperation. The whole story seriously broke my heart. Elisabeth, Roman and Clare - two of them with a history and one a part of their future. I felt their pain - and oh Clare. She seemed so meek but when offered an out, one that would hurt her and possibly destroy her, she took it. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up in Transfer. I need more of Luke/Heath, and of course Walt won't go down without a fight. I'm pretty sure things are about to get really messy.
Narration: I've heard Andi Arndt before but Maxine Mitchell and Jason Carpenter were new to me. They did not disappoint. Maxine pulled off exactly how I pictured Clare in my mind to a T. And Jason - wow - he can talk to me anytime! Andi did a bang up job - I even love her male voice - sexy as all get out.
Wow. This was a very quick listen and seriously pulled me in right out of the gate. I'm not much for getting into the nitty gritty of what happens in a book, but more how it made me feel. And I felt everything - love, hate, fear, desperation. The whole story seriously broke my heart. Elisabeth, Roman and Clare - two of them with a history and one a part of their future. I felt their pain - and oh Clare. She seemed so meek but when offered an out, one that would hurt her and possibly destroy her, she took it. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up in Transfer. I need more of Luke/Heath, and of course Walt won't go down without a fight. I'm pretty sure things are about to get really messy.
Narration: I've heard Andi Arndt before but Maxine Mitchell and Jason Carpenter were new to me. They did not disappoint. Maxine pulled off exactly how I pictured Clare in my mind to a T. And Jason - wow - he can talk to me anytime! Andi did a bang up job - I even love her male voice - sexy as all get out.
dylanisreviewing's review against another edition
4.0
I don't really have much thoughts on this book but sidenote...why does it have a cover that makes it seem like a porno? theres like one sex scene in the entire book...
UPDATE:
Not sure why but it never added this book to my goodreads challenge so I just set it that I read it today since I'm not sure of the actual date I read it
UPDATE:
Not sure why but it never added this book to my goodreads challenge so I just set it that I read it today since I'm not sure of the actual date I read it
jlinhart's review against another edition
5.0
This book! 5 stars are not enough to describe how good this was. I loved every little part of it. From beginning to end. Maybe one of my favorites of the year. Definitely hits my unicorn list.
I need to gather my thoughts on this book before I do a full review. But one thing I know for sure is that if you've been contemplating reading it, stop thinking about it and get to it.
Ok I'm back. I still don't know what I want to say about this book. The characters were perfect. I loved Roman and Elisabeth. This book starts out so unique. You see the end of their marriage, but you also get to see how they fell in love and fell in love quickly they did. I loved their love story.
But we’d fallen in love in less than a day. Not even utter devastation and two years apart could erase that. A love like ours wasn’t measured in years, distance, or time apart. It was never-ending.
They were so happy until they weren't and I hated their heartbreak.
We merely existed on the same plane. Living under the same roof, eating meals at the same table, sleeping in the same bed. But we were far from sharing our lives together.
I loved their journey back together. I'm a witty banter loving kind of girl and both characters were full of banter so when Roman decided he was going to fix their marriage he told Elisabeth that he was checking back in. Elizabeth's response:
This isn’t a hotel. You can’t just check back in.
I am really doing an absolute horrible job reviewing this book. I feel like I just can't quite convey why and how much I loved every single tiny thing about this book. So I have to stop here before I confuse you more. Just trust me. Very few books have knocked my socks off this year, but this one did. It's a unicorn I tell you.
I need to gather my thoughts on this book before I do a full review. But one thing I know for sure is that if you've been contemplating reading it, stop thinking about it and get to it.
Ok I'm back. I still don't know what I want to say about this book. The characters were perfect. I loved Roman and Elisabeth. This book starts out so unique. You see the end of their marriage, but you also get to see how they fell in love and fell in love quickly they did. I loved their love story.
But we’d fallen in love in less than a day. Not even utter devastation and two years apart could erase that. A love like ours wasn’t measured in years, distance, or time apart. It was never-ending.
They were so happy until they weren't and I hated their heartbreak.
We merely existed on the same plane. Living under the same roof, eating meals at the same table, sleeping in the same bed. But we were far from sharing our lives together.
I loved their journey back together. I'm a witty banter loving kind of girl and both characters were full of banter so when Roman decided he was going to fix their marriage he told Elisabeth that he was checking back in. Elizabeth's response:
This isn’t a hotel. You can’t just check back in.
I am really doing an absolute horrible job reviewing this book. I feel like I just can't quite convey why and how much I loved every single tiny thing about this book. So I have to stop here before I confuse you more. Just trust me. Very few books have knocked my socks off this year, but this one did. It's a unicorn I tell you.