Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Here's the thing. I don't mind these type of heroes...these alpha jerks. I don't. However, in this case, he never got over his jerk-iness. They tried to play it off, but he came across as a domineering a$$ the entire time. Yes, he was trying to help her the entire time...but it wasn't for her benefit. It was because he was so obsessed with her that all he could think about was how to make her his. And she was just willing (though she did try to put up a bit of a fight at the beginning) because of his magic...wand. Don't even get me started on the dub-con that happens where she's clearly not able to consent.

The writing was good and there were moments where I found myself enjoying the story and I would be willing to give this author another try...especially if we get a hero who's a little less...this.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Thrust. I no longer read the erotica genre of romance and decided to not download this title before it was archived in January 2017. I did not read nor plan to read this title.

I had every intention of reading this book and writing an honest review but it expired before I had the chance. My apologies, If you like to resend it to me I would be happy to get it reviewed,

This book was just OK for me. I always recommend going ahead and reading a book, if it sounds interesting to you because I am just one person and just because I might not care too much for something, doesn't mean someone else might not love it.

I found the idea of the hero being a male escort to be totally new and refreshing. Personally, it was the first time I read a romance with this premise and the reason I bought it, in the first place. I was NOT disappointed. Alex’s story is a roller-coaster of emotions, toe-curling sex scenes, and non-stop action. I literally couldn’t put my Kindle down because every time I was about to do it, a new development in the story line reeled me in and I had to keep reading. I’m a sucker for multiple POVs, when well executed, and Sybil does a brilliant job. She uses first person alternating POVs for Olivia and Alex, which puts the reader inside their minds and that’s just perfect for this kind of fast-paced story. Giving the main characters their own voices is one of the safest ways to assure readers won’t miss on anything.

What an amazing read!! Yeah this book had some steamy! scenes but it offered so much more. Alex helped Olivia become a stronger, whole person & I loved watching her transition. Awesome book

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This book is very entertaining if you enjoy sexual explicit types of books. Overall it was an enjoyable book never the less. Would definitely recommend it.

Alex Vega is a male escort and gets paid good money to take care of his female clients. This book opens with him doing just that and ending the contract of one as well. Olivia is working at wanting to raise money for training service dogs to help with veterans with PTSD. When Alex shows up at her fund raiser with one of his clients another one of his is there also and the two of them begin to fight. Thinking it funny and seeing Olivia he does everything in his arrogance to annoy her, he thinks he is flirting but to her he is being a jerk. Once everything settles down and of his clients leaves whiles the other stays he is still wanting Olivia. Turns out that the women who stayed was the one who was sponsoring the affair so when she decided to leave she also took all of the bids, so nothing sold. He still wanting her thought it was endearing of her getting upset and throwing bottles at him. This is where the sex gets hotter than it was when the book opened up. As much as she wants to say no to him, she has never been kissed liked that or later satisfied and now she is pissed at her body. His one saving point is he does buy the paintings when he realizes what he did. The second half of the book it becomes you as the reader finding out more about the two of them and seeing if they can even have something together. He is becoming more attached to her and is ready to leave his business and make her his one. Their stories are what really make this book. A lot of sex but also a story about two people trying to find their way. A good book.

This is the first book I have read from Sybil Bartel and am very pleased I did. I loved the characters and how they all seem to come together for 1 girl. I hope there will be another book based on Jesse. I want to know more of his story

Bio:

Alex

I know the game. I know the angle. I know how to make you beg.

My hands on your body, my mouth hovering over yours―I’ll tell you everything you want to hear. Ten inches of real estate never felt so good.

But don’t take my word for it. My client list is long and my motto is short―one single thrust and you’re mine. I’m not good at what I do, I’m fantastic. But satisfaction doesn’t come cheap. So open your wallet and prepare to forget your name. I’m about to ruin you for any other man.

One single thrust and you’re mine.

Review:

The chemistry and sexual tension between Liv and Alex was OFF the charts. Every single argument and banter between them drew me in like no other book ever has.

Fifty shades, step aside because you have nothing on Thrust.

Liv is this sheltered girl who holds secrets inside. She's reserved and quiet and all she wants is to get her charity for veterans off the ground. That is... until Alex Vega walks into her life with all his suave sweet talking panty dropping lines and attitude.

I couldn't put this book down. I couldn't stop reading. The will they won't they was intense. The secrets they both kept inside threatening to spill over was intense... and every moment of passion between them was intense.

*I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Can I give this one 100 stars? Because it truly deserves it.

This is one of my new favorite series. These men are so hot and intriguing, Alex no exception. He is so dirty, but I love that Olivia throws him for a loop. Their chemistry is sizzling. The angst had me flipping through the pages so fast. I couldn't wait to find out what happened. And the sex...good gracious is was smoking hot! I loved how possessive Alex was of her. That he couldn't understand why he was. It was natural and that made it all the better. I want the next book in this series now!

A fun read. The synopsis has such a heavy tone but the actual book isn't that intense. It's amusing how the male protagonist can be a sex worker but also still the classic 'rich man of your dream who will make everything ok with his money' scenario. Still, most erotica raises a lot of red flags with me in terms of questionable gender politics but this one didn't give me any major eye rolls. My favourite bit of the book? The intro where the author begs her father never to read it. Made me chuckle.

“I was unravelling and she was the thread.”

This author was new to me and, god, I absolutely loved this story!

“I gave her me. Then shit went sideways. Whiskey, purity and sweet fucking innocence reared up and punched me in the gut.”

Alex Vega is a male escort who’s dedicated to pleasing his female clients, but gets the most satisfaction from making some serious bank for his endeavours, as he has a five-year plan. It’s been a long time since he had sex with a woman for free. From the moment he spies Oliva’s shapely butt, and then her gorgeous face, and then was the target of her sassy mouth, he’s pursues her mercilessly.

“My lips tingling, my skin feverish from his touch, I wasn’t nervous. I was falling so hard I was terrified.”

Olivia Toussaint has spent the last two years living with guilt. A tragedy bore fruit to her plan of starting a new charity. She’s pretty much sacrificed everything she owns to pull off a fundraising event for it. However, when a cocky, hot-as-hell hunk ends up being the cause of her event to bomb, she ends up doing something she regrets. However, he won’t let her be.

“I’m not going to date you…I’m going to own you.”

Gosh! This story was a blur of words and I clung to each and every one of them! Alex is cheeky, charming, arrogant, and a real alpha – forceful and domineering. Olivia is a spirited, mouthy little firecracker, and really pushes all his buttons.

This story was fast-paced, hot and raw, and I loved how Olivia got under Alex’s skin, making him behave out of character, and really not give a damn about his plans and his current lifestyle. I loved how passionate he was about her, how she took him totally by surprise with the way she made him feel. He broke all his rules for her. I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s writing style and thought this was a fabulous story!

This book was totally not what I expected. Based on the name, description and first few pages, this looked like it was going to be another erotic fiction book with no substance. But that's not at all what you get. Yes, there is A LOT of sex, but at least it's hot and not worth skipping ;-) It doesn't define this book though in my opinion - there was so much more going on.

Alex Vega is a former Marine and current male escort. He's been doing this for the last 3 years and has made a ton of money in the process. He grew up poor and after the Marines, this was his way to still get the 'high' of combat.

Olivia is trying to start a charity that will train dogs to assist vets with PTSD. Her brother was a Marine, suffered from PTSD and committed suicide once he returned. She's blamed herself for years and this is her way of trying to do something to help now. She sets up an art auction charity event to raise money to get the kennel and training program off the ground. Unfortunately for her, Alex shows up with his client and things go downhill from there with the event. Alex immediately sets his sites on Olivia, his client forgotten, and does his best to charm her. He ends up ruining the event though and his chances with Olivia, or so it seems.

From there it's a whirlwind of flirting, crying, angry rants, hot sex, jerkiness, jealously, dogs, etc.

I honestly hated Alex at first. He was way too arrogant for his own good. Yes, he was hot and we all knew it, but that didn't give him the right to think he owned everyone and could get away with anything. He won me over in the end though. He was pretty thoughtful and showed Olivia he cared in his own unique ways. His interactions with the dogs helped as well :-)

Olivia wasn't my favorite heroine. She seemed insecure and always blamed herself for her brother's actions. I also didn't like the relationship she had with Jesse. She was way too dependent on him, was in love with him, yet he didn't always treat her with the same respect. In the end I felt as though their friendship was still up in the air and I didn't like having that unresolved.

My biggest complaint was that the book was pretty rushed. It took place over the course of just a couple weeks, with most of it taking place in just 2 days. So this is kind of an 'insta-love' type book. But again, the content made the book worth reading, so I can't complain too much.

I'm looking forward to reading Dane's book, more so than Jared's. I loved his mysterious persona shown in this book.

This shouldn't work. It really shouldn't. He is arrogant, rude and generally easy to dislike. She is fickle and alternates between strong and weak character traits. And I found it difficult to understand why she did what she did after the art show. On the face of it, therefore - I ought to have struggled with making a connection with the story as a whole.

And yet ... despite what ought to be some major flaws/issues with this book, I loved it. I loved the friction between these two. I enjoyed the back and forth. Basically, the author made it work for me.

I'm glad she did. I look forward to reading more from her.

I voluntarily reviewed a reviewer copy of this book.

Wow! This had one of my least favorite type of Heros and I loved him! How did that happen???

In the first chapter, I was disgusted by Alex and just knew I was not gonna like this book. He was way too arrogant and every move he made was deliberate and well practiced. He's a male escort and completely played the part. Despite my prediction, the words flowed so easily and I was rivited to what was unfolding.

By the end, Alex was still arrogant, but I loved what I saw beneath all that arrogance. It helped that Olivia was feisty and made Alex work for her. She fought every step and he dominated. I wasn't expecting him needing to heal her and not the other way around. And how this author showed two men, one you should lean on and one you should run away from only to find out that the opposite was true. Brilliant! I couldn't stop reading!

I'm in awe that this author put some of my pet peeves in a book and made me love it. This was way more than I was expecting and I'm salvitating for the next in the series.

Sybil Bartel's Thrust follows high end male escort Alex and charity worker Olivia into an angry, bickering, lust fuelled relationship. Olivia is the first woman Alex has wanted for himself since he came out of the armed forces, and Olivia has been putting her own life on hold since her brother's PTSD-related suicide. This shared understanding of military life, trauma, and sacrifice is an excellent bedrock to the romance beneath the sex, but ultimately, it was a relationship I couldn't connect with. To get my one major criticism out of the way: for me, Alex Vegas strayed too often from 'sexy' into 'creepy'. I won't dwell too much on this point as I think this is a line every reader has to draw for themselves, but for me, him cupping Olivia's pussy and saying "this is mine" was completely unerotic, and if anything had the effect of a cold shower! This happened more than once. The level of jealousy/possessiveness was just a bit too much for me to feel okay with. I was also unconvinced by the Jesse storyline-- it was set up really well, with the best friend versus the bad boy dynamic, but it derailed somewhere along the way and ended rather abruptly with Olivia telling Jesse he was forgiven over the phone as if that was an end to it. There were interesting avenues in that relationship that just weren't explored as Jesse came to be used as nothing more than a foil to show Alex in a better light, and I thought that was a shame. While this book wasn't to my personal taste, I can absolutely see an audience for it. It is fast paced, steamy, and does have a story in there, so if this sounds like a book that you'd like, don't listen to me, and enjoy!

I Liked this story, even tough I hated the name (Alex Vega... I mean... no comments) and the pace which was too fast for me. Soulmates in a few days.

Despite that the story is well constructed and the characters are entertaining. I just could not put it down.

The best part for me was that the story had a beginning and an end with no cliffhanger and no need to wait for a forthcoming book to see the rest of their story. Big, big plus.

In light of recent events in our country, drawing characters like the main male character as this book does just rubs me the wrong way. I didn't find one thing appealing about the "hero." And to see a woman fall so quickly to her knees for him disturbed me.