Talk about starting with a bang! Oof! At First Light pulled no punches from the very opening scene and I was completely - 100% - hooked immediately.

I felt like this book was grittier than the ones that came before it. There's a lot going on in this one - and part of me feels like it may have been easier to invest in Sarah and Troy's relationship if there wasn't so much going on. But the other part of me appreciates how completely interesting all of the storylines were. Because while I may have sometimes had a hard time connecting to the romance, I was wholly invested in Troy's character arc, and completely swept up in the suspense surrounding Sarah's secondary storyline. So, though this may not have been my favorite romance of the series, I feel like Troy and Sarah are two of my favorite characters. They're complex and multi-layered and they broke my heart a few times before they got busy patching it all back up so they could leave it happy and fulfilled.

And they did do that eventually. There were moments where their love story tugged at my heartstrings and kicked my pulse up a notch or two. And the ending could not have made me happier. I appreciated that Ms. Madison treated the issues addressed in this book with respect - not rushing her characters through the healing process and not glossing over any of the ugly bits. Like I said, this one had more grit than the others and I loved it for that. I adored Troy - my heart ached for him and I cheered for him every step of the way - which made the sweet happily ever after in this book all the better.

The Exclusive Romance series has become one of my favorites, and At First Light is a little different than the ones that came before it, but it's a solid, engrossing, and completely rewarding addition. Hold on to your hearts and, maybe grab some tissues, because this ride is a bumpy one - but it's so completely worth it!

At First Light by Mari Madison is the 3rd book in her Exclusive Romance series. This series continues the backdrop of News 9 San Diego. Sarah Martin, our heroine, is the entertainment reporter for News 9; she is a movie buff and loves her job.

Troy Young, our hero, spent the last 5 years of his life reporting live in the Syria war zone. Troy was kidnapped while on the air, and he became a house hold name. He was finally freed after negotiations were met to allow him to come home, but he gets panic attacks on his time in captivity. Troy accepts a job with News 9, but after one of the panic attacks, he is taken off live on site reporting, and given a spot as an entertainment reporter for the new, He Said, She Said show. Troy is shocked when he meets his co-host Sarah; the woman he left behind 5 years before. Sarah has never forgotten, nor forgiven Troy for walking out on her. Now they have to work together.

Though both of them feel the chemistry between them is still sparkling, they do their best to keep their relationship as co-workers only. Soon Sarah begins to see Troy fighting his panic attacks, and tries to help him. This will lead them to become friends again, and eventually lead to a romantic relationship. Sarah is supportive of Troy, but he feels he is not worth her caring for him, since he still feels guilty leaving her.
What follows is an excellent story line, with a number of inner stories within. Troy refuses to get help with his panic attacks; Sarah besides trying to push Troy to get help, must also deal with her own issues from the past, which rears its ugly head. The romance between them was sexy and very well done, as their chemistry continues to scorch the pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching both Troy and Sarah rekindle their romance. Watching Troy suffer through those nightmares was written very well by Madison. Sarah’s perseverance to help Troy, both with his problem, and to help him with his career, made her such a great heroine. At First Light was a very good story, which I suggest you read. However, even if this reads very well as a standalone, I suggest you start with the first book in this series, in order to enjoy the News 9 TV background.

Troy Young and Sarah Martin were lovers 5 years ago. But Troy broke Sarah's trust, then left for a reporting gig in war-ravaged Syria. After being kidnapped and tortured, he is finally released. When he comes home, he suffers from PTSD. Sarah is working for a TV station as their entertainment reporter. When Troy is hired at the same station, they end up doing "fluffy" entertainment reviews together. The chemistry is still there, but can they overcome what happened in the past? Will Troy get help for his PTSD? And who is trying to harm Sarah?

I loved this book. I won't post any spoilers, but it was hard to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book to me. This is an honest review.

Okay, so I admit that I'm a sucker for romance novels about journalists. How's that for a weird genre?So knowing my previous affinity, At First Light had it all going for it: hot war reporter returning from months as a kidnap victim to end up in the same newsroom as his hot entertainment reporter ex. Yes, please. Obviously they end up working together and obviously sparks fly. These characters are fun, multidimensional, and there's an unexpected conflict that doesn't fit the usual tropes. The only thing that didn't work for me was the whole "save the whales" angle. It didn't jibe with the character's personalities at all to me. Regardless, this was a fun, sexy, read, I look forward to going back and reading the rest of the series by Mari Madison.

This book is just so great. Its a new author for me and #3 in a series but easily it stands alone. Make sure you have plenty of time because you will not be able to put it down.

It starts with a bang when our hero Troy gets kidnapped by terrorists. Troy is a reporter and gets attacked while actually on air. His old girlfriend Sarah is watching and she is still in love with hime eventhough he betrayed her 5 years before.

Troy gets rescued and ends up at the same tv station as Sarah and things are not so great for him. Troy betrayed Sarah horribly. Not with another woman but in a worse way. I would have liked to have seen Sarah punish him more but she really is just happy he survived.

This is their story about how they faced the betrayal, Troy's PTSD and a stalker after Sarah. It was a wonderful story that kept me enthralled. So much so that I am going to read the other books in the series.