I could not wait to read Hero when I first heard that Samantha Young was writing this standalone story, and I was not disappointed at all! This book was everything that I have loved from Samantha Young in the past, and was also so much more. It was captivating and interesting, and I absolutely couldn't put it down. This book sucked me in right from the start, and ended with me staying up way past my bed time because I had to finish. 
 After finding out some awful things about her father, Alexa Holland has worked hard to turn her life into one that she can be proud of. She works hard and is determined to be nothing like her father. When she meets Caine Carraway, she knows that she needs to apologize for the horrible things that her father did to his family. But Caine wants nothing to do with her, and doesn't care that she is trying to find some redemption. But when Alexa gets fired from her job due to Caine, he offers her a job working for him. Caine decides to make things as hard as possible for Alexa in the hopes that he will push her too far and she will walk away for good. But Alexa isn't going anywhere easily and is determined to show Caine that she is nothing like her father. The more time they spend together, the more the tension between them increases until it finally explodes. Alexa wants Caine and is convinced that they can find happiness together, but Caine knows that he is not the white knight that Alexa wants him to be. 
 I really liked Caine. He was sexy and confident, to the point of being cocky and arrogant at times. He had his moments where he was a jerk and tended to say some horrible things, but I found myself loving him anyways. He had so much pain from his past, that it was clear to see he had never really dealt with anything. As soon as he would say something awful, he seemed to genuinely feel bad about it which made me think that he wasn't as horrible as he tried to come off as. He and Alexa brought out so many emotions and feelings from one another, that things were very intense between them. It was clear to see that the passion between them would explode one way or another, and sometimes they ended up hurting one another when they didn't mean to. Alexa had just as many issues as Caine did, and I think that she really understood him. She was strong and relentless, and I loved that she never gave up on Caine. She was so dedicated to showing him what they could have, and I really liked that about her. No matter how many times he hurt her or pushed her away, she saw it for what it really was. Though sometimes a character like hers can come off as weak or a doormat, Alexa didn't to me. She wasn't weak, but rather stronger than anyone knew. She was exactly what Caine needed and I loved seeing her help him grow and heal. These two had so much chemistry between them, and they were super hot together. But I really enjoyed seeing them get to know one another and form an emotional bond as well. 
 Overall, this book was so good and I really cannot recommend it enough. I loved the characters and how complex they were. Caine had so much beneath his surface and it was clear that we didn't know everything through most of the story. He had battled through so many hard times, and I knew that when his past was finally revealed that he felt awful about how he had become the man he was. He did what he had to do to survive and make something of himself, and I really felt for him because he wasn't proud of how he had achieved that. But I was glad that Alexa was able to show him that none of that mattered to her and that she loved him for the man he was and not what had been his past. If you are a fan of Samantha Young's you will really enjoy this book, and if you are new to her this is a great place to start. I really loved Caine and Alexa's story, and I cannot wait to read more from Samantha Young in the future. 
 **ARC Provided by Penguin Group NAL/Signet Eclipse**