After a mix-up at the fertility clinic, two couples are forever changed when their lives suddenly collide. “The Retrieval Duet is an emotionally-gripping, twisty ride punctuated by intense chemistry and the hottest alpha male I’ve read in ages!” -New York Times Bestselling Author Meghan March RETRIEVALOne date. That was all it took for me to know Elisabeth was my soul mate. Five years, countless … Elisabeth was my soul mate.
Five years, countless infertility treatments, and the loss of our only son.
That was what it took for me to lose her.
One phone call, a mix-up at the lab, and a little girl neither of us knew existed.
That was the hell it took to bring her back to me.
And this time, I wasn’t letting go.
This is the story of how I took back what had always been mine.
The retrieval of my wife and my family.
TRANSFER
I married a monster.
What started out as romance ended in hell.
My sole job in life was to protect our daughter.
Until a police officer informed me of a mix-up at the lab.
My little girl was the only thing keeping me alive.
And I didn’t even know if she was mine.
This is the story of how I escaped the man who thought he owned me.
The transfer of my life and my family.
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Audiobook Review: The Complete Retrieval Duet By: Aly Martinez (Author), Andi Arndt (Narrator), Maxine Mitchell (Narrator), Jason Carpenter (Narrator)
It starts with the unexpected, dives into the heartbreaking and finds it’s way to inspiring. Martinez brings the tale of two mothers, the mistake that connects them and the drama that shadows their heartbreak. The Retrieval Duet is the voice of a mother’s love and the sacrifices she’ll make to protect that most precious of gifts. Two women learn about themselves and what it means to love unconditionally. Even as the world around them is falling apart. I held my breath, lost my heart and hoped for a resolution. Unforgettably haunting, unconventional story of love.
This was a very original story that captivated me
I could not connect with any of these characters. This reads like two totally different books in one. I didn’t understand the combining of them as they seem unrelated and unrealistic. Last but not least is the constant, and I do mean constant foul language. It is overwhelming!
Kept me up late to finish
Great story line and characters, the steamy parts are frequent, boring and last incredibly long without adding to the story or character development. I gave up part way through the first book because it just wasn’t worth the work. The author is a good writer with a great imagination. The story without the sex or less sex would be outstanding. I fault the editor for poor direction and editing.
Not worthy of my time
Oh.My.Gawwwd…what a FANTABULOUS story. I’m floored..I’m enamored..I’m in awe of Aly and her story telling prowess.
Roman Leblanc I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
He’s the PERFECT HUSBAND. Just how I like my man. He’s authoritative, decisive, relentless in his pursuit of estranged wife Elisabeth.
Their love story is the BEST EVER
He proposed on the FIRST DATE
She ACCEPTED on the SECOND
I love it…I love it…i love it!!
But that’s not all. Aly embellished it with so many emotions, shiny, glittery like crystals all throughout.
Audio book is the BEST EVER.
5 stars…5 stars..5 stars
Omg, I’m so so so in love with Heath right now!!
Roman just stole my heart in Retrieval and now I find enough space in my heart for Heath too..(Alth, Roman still is number 1..shhh)
The story now focuses on Claire, the survivor and Heath/Luke her saviour
I think it’s one of THE BEST DUET I’ve read..EVER!!
So much stuff happens, fast paced, action oriented but still takes time to stop and let romance flourish in the violent climate.
I wish the climax scene had been a little more elaborate in details, like I needed to *grinds teeth* finish the villain myself, torture a bit more, crush his bones, ribbon his flesh…*pant**pant*
But all well that ends well
The narrators are awesome!!!
The only peeve to audio books is i cant highlight lines and paste them here, but I save time and the throaty voices of male narrators gets me moist
5 stars for Leanable alphas
I listened to The Retrieval Duet by Aly Martinez and was totally consumed with the story. It was emotional, angst-filled and captivating from the very first words to the last! I could not stop listening! The narrators, Andi Arndt, Maxine Mitchell and Jason Carpenter, were absolutely amazing! This audio contains the complete duet, which includes Retrieval and Transfer, and I loved having both books at one time!
First and foremost, I have to say you need to go in without any spoilers. This story just has to be experienced. We meet Roman and Elisabeth and see what it means to love strong and deeply, even amidst so much loss and pain. Then one phone call provides hope, if they are not afraid to reach out for it.
Then there is Clare fighting to protect the only thing that matters, her daughter. She may live with a monster, but she is determined to be free and may finally have someone to help her. But one phone call may devastate all that matters to her. I loved the characters and even when their journey broke my heart, I continued to devour this story.
I was not sure how much more my heart could take while listening to The Retrieval Duet by Aly Martinez. It was emotional, angst-fill, and full of twists and turns. It was such a gripping story and one I highly recommend.
Listened and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy listening!
This review is for the audiobook version of the book.
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.
*AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:This is a review based on the audio book*
This is the second audiobook from this author I’ve listened to and like the first it’s so great that I could have listened forever.
The writing style is easygoing and is filled with passion and feelings.
Main characters are strong and made realistic by their actions and dialogues.
I particularly liked that the author mixed 2 couples in this story.
The suspense is agonising, I always have a feeling something is going to happen and it’s drawn out until it’s finally happening.
There’s hot stuff in this story and it’s tasteful but not less steamy.
Narrators:
Fabulous narrators that reads with passion and has very good pronunciation.
This was a absolute 5 stars all around
The Complete Retrieval Duet
By: Aly Martinez
Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Maxine Mitchell, Jason Carpenter
When I loaded this book, I thought since it’s going to be a long one! But to my surprise, I was so taken in, the time flew by, and I couldn’t get enough. This story starts with Elisabeth and Roman with their journey to parenthood with infertility. Even divorced, this couple has intrinsic chemistry and with the revelation that their eggs may have been mixed up with someone else’s, they go to track down their possible child. Claire is married to a monster, but she survives every day to keep her daughter, Tessa, safe. With Heath by her side, she is protected, but will it be enough? Martinez has woven the lives of these two couples together, uncovering the hardest of truths, and sacrificing as only a parent’s love can. It’s full of emotion, fear, devastation and love. The secrets and lies that are unveiled are heart wrenching, but the outcome is beautiful. Once you start this, you will not put it down, it is that good.
With the several points of view, Martinez masterfully put together an incredible team to narrate Claire and Elisabeth’s story. Andi Arndt and Maxine Mitchell are seasoned narrators and easily pull you into the world of the characters. I love the way their voices can pull me in and keep me on the edge of my seat to find out what is happening next. Jason Carpenter gives voice to the men, and gave us the protectiveness and love needed to get through the emotional story. This team brought the story into my heart and left it there!
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This duet was a mind blowing experience!! Totally amazing!! There were twists you didn’t see coming, characters you can’t help but fall in love with, and stories that are so in depth and filled to the brim with emotions, you’ll want to read them again and again!! And I seriously suggest you do!!
Retrieval:
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked this book up. The blurb didn’t really give a clear idea of what to expect, so I pretty much went in blind. “One story. Two couples.” had me worried that the book would have a love triangle, I was really happy that wasn’t the case!
I really enjoyed Retrieval, it had a very different feel than the romance stories I usually read. There are multiple POVs but please don’t let that stop you from reading this book, because they were all essential POVs. Two of the POVs were of Elisabeth and Roman, who were married in less than a week. They have that one of a kind love that everyone is looking for and hoping to find. When they lose their son their relationship goes through a very rough patch. The third POV is that of Clare. I am not going into what she is going through, but let me say that my heart broke for her in this book.
Roman is a funny, sexy alpha male. He goes after what he wants and doesn’t take the weak no as an answer. Elisabeth is very strong and there was one scene in this book that made me appreciate her even more. The statement she made was so powerful, and made me admire her so much. Clare is also very strong but life has put her down and she is struggling to get up. But she puts others before her safety and that is something I can admire as well.
I figured out pretty soon what was going on, but there also was a plot twist that I didn’t see coming. That plot twist has me really excited to get my hands on the sequel Transfer, which is Clare’s story. I can’t wait to learn more about her. Overall this is a great contemporary romance with a little bit of suspense thrown into it. It worked out really well. I love Aly’s books and this one is another unique romance story.
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Transfer:
Transfer is a great conclusion to The Retrieval Duet. Right after I finished reading Retrieval, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Transfer. We start right were we left off and see what happens to Clare. We see her grow so much in this book and I was really proud of the developments she went through. Her love interest was such a great guy and very supportive of Clare. He helped her find herself again and made her realize that she is a strong woman. There is still danger and hurdles to overcome and if you want to see what happens you’ll have to pick up the book! (sorry for the vague review, I don’t want to spoil it!)
The Retrieval Duet is filled with suspense, action and romance. There were a couple of very emotional scenes, which I am used to getting from the author. What I also loved was how Clare and Elisabeth grew closer together as friends and how they understood each other. Especially Elisabeth was very understanding and supportive. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and was glad that Roman and Elisabeth played big roles in this book as well. I especially LOVED the epilogue and it brought a big smile to my face.
Retrieval was my first Aly Martinez book but it definitely won’t be my last. I knew from reading the blurb that this book would be filled with so many emotions and feels, but I wasn’t prepared for what I would experience while reading it. The initial feelings of loss, heartbreak and hopelessness consumed me just reading the prologue.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat, not only because of the storyline itself and what was unravelling before me on the pages, but because of the thoughts and feelings that Roman and Elisabeth reveal to us through alternating points of view. And then there is Clare, another pawn who has been thrown into this complex story, whose life hangs in the balance just as much as Roman and Elisabeth’s.
I was glued to this book, needing to know what was going to happen next, wondering how this story could come to a happy conclusion for everyone involved.
Holy wowza!! Transfer was just as amazeballs as Retrieval was, if not more!! So much happened in Retrieval that I wasn’t sure how Aly was going to bring this storyline to conclusion but she did, in a big way!!
All of the questions left unanswered in Retrieval are tied up in Transfer. So much information had been brought to light in that book, but there were still so many things that needed to play out and I was trying so hard to read slowly so that I didn’t miss anything but at the same time rushing through the pages because I had to know!!
Aly stuffed this book chock full of emotion from all four of the characters. While this was Heath and Clare’s story, Roman and Elisabeth are immersed right into the middle of the whole thing, because Walter Noir changed all of their lives irrevocably. Blood doesn’t always make you family and that is absolutely the case in this story. Family is who you make it, and these four people forge one of the closest family units there could be.
I loved, loved, loved the conclusion of this story!! Perfection, Aly!!
The Complete Retrieval Duet: Top Read of 2016
Retrieval:
As you know, this is part one of a duet. However, the word duet means something complete different than what it normally does. You see normally, this would mean the story that began in book one would continue to book two for a happy ending. Well, surprise LOL because what duet REALLY means is we have two separate stories connected by a very small degrees. But those degrees are EVERYTHING!
Retrieval is very much the story of Roman and Elisabeth getting their life back, but it is also the beginning of Clare’s story, intertwined and laced with their journey, which will continue in Transfer .. #phenomenal This world with these characters I just read is ALL THE THINGS!!
This book is ridiculously captivating. It warmed my heart as much as it broke my heart. It’s amazingly suspenseful but yet not mysterious. The Aly Martinez touch with characterization and voice sings true with every word. And the ending, or as some would say cliffhanger … WELL FUCKING PLAYED!! You got me! I will be holding my breath until I can get my hands on part two! #TRUST
Transfer:
When I got the email that Transfer had finally been sent to my kindle, I once again dropped everything I was doing and began to read…I don’t know any other words to use but BLOWN AWAY when it comes to this duet series. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone will LOVE Roman & Elisabeth to the point of distraction, but you guuuuuuuys ….Heath is just ALL THE THINGS <3 and Clare and little Tessa will absolutely steal your heart forever. The strength these characters all have and their determination is unparalleled. Aly Martinez wrote some pretty outstanding people here. And she wrote them with purpose and meaning. Every action had an endgame and every reaction had a consequence. The story was incredibly relatable and real and vivid. I felt like I was there. My heart was jack-hammering thru every suspensefully intense moment of Clare and Tessa's survival.
I want to take a few minutes and talk about the style of this story. Or should I say stories. Because there are two distinct stories here yet one cannot be told without the other. I am still blown away at the unfolding of the story. The thread of connection between Heath and Clare and Roman and Tessa was SO well thought out and SO well unfolded that it puts this book in one of my top reads for 2016. I said in my cryptic review (because I didn't want to give anything away) of Retrieval that I was captivated from page one and it still held true thru every page of Transfer. I cannot stress enough what an incredible piece of literary fiction this duet is. It should be experienced by everyone. #TRUST