Show of Force - Elle James (HI #1851 - May 2019)

Series: Declan's Defenders (Book 2)

A former Marine must help a Russian spy…

But can he trust her?

Force Recon Marine Mack Balkman would do anything for Declan's Defenders and the boss who gave him a second chance. But aiding a rogue Russian spy pushes his loyalty to the limits. Beautiful, cunning Riley Lansing loves her adopted country -- and her baby brother, who is being held for ransom. Can they work together to find the young boy before Riley's handler learns that she has gone rogue?

Good book with an excellent mix of action, suspense, and romance, with a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure. Riley and Mack were both introduced in the first book, Marine Force Recon. This book can stand alone, but it's better if you read the first book, too.

Mack is grateful to be reunited with his team members as they work for the new Declan's Defenders. Mack is tasked with protecting their boss and benefactor, Charlie, at a charity event. It isn't easy because Charlie is very independent and resistant to anything that hinders her activities. It's a pretty funny scene when she heads for the ladies room, but also one where Mack's presence plays a crucial role. Neither he nor Charlie expected her good friend, Riley, to attempt to kill her.

Riley played a big part in the resolution of the mystery in the first book. She is an aerospace engineer who also helped the FBI uncover corruption in her workplace. What no one knows is that she is also a Russian sleeper agent, thanks to the training of her Russian spy parents. Riley was raised as an American and loves her country. After the deaths of her parents, she believed she had been forgotten about until she was called on to assassinate Charlie. She doesn't want to do it, but her little brother was kidnapped and is held hostage to her following orders.

The tension was high from the very beginning. Mack had been introduced to Riley before this event, and though something about her didn't sit right with him, he didn't expect her to be an assassin. It took some hard convincing from Charlie for Mack to agree to help Riley find her brother while the rest of the team protected Charlie as she pretended to be at death's door. The suspense and action were almost nonstop as Mack and Riley raced against time to find Toby. Each lead got them closer, but they were constantly under attack from those who wanted to keep their secrets. There were multiple twists and turns that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen. The final confrontation at the end was intense and exciting. I loved seeing Mack's determination to save her and adored his reaction to her pretty much saving herself. Though this issue was resolved, another mystery has surfaced that may lead to answers in the overarching question of who killed Charlie's husband and why. I can't wait for the next book!

I liked the development of the relationship between Mack and Riley. The attraction is there from the beginning, but both of them have issues that cause them to resist. Mack still suffers from the events that happened in Afghanistan and ended his military career and other things that cause him to question his worth. He feels a deep need to prove himself. Riley is horrified by what she was forced to do and terrified for the safety of her brother. As they worked through the leads to finding her brother, Riley and Mack learned to trust each other, and with that trust, different feelings began to grow. I liked seeing them come together at the end after all the excitement is over, and want to spend more time together and get to know each other (like actually go on a date), instead of immediately declaring themselves in love. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in future books.

 

New Year's Resolution: Romance - Christie Ridgway, Leslie Kelly, Tanya Michaels (HQN - Jan 2015)

Say Yes by Christie Ridgway

Cabin Fever (Book 1.5)

Cautious florist Ashley Walker is excited to embark on her "Year of Yes" no matter what happens. But accepting a surprise job offer leads to an awkward discovery: she's hot for her millionaire boss, Chase Bradley!

After four years of grieving the death of her husband and being overly cautious about her life choices, Ashley was ready to start living again. Her New Year's resolution was to start saying "yes" to more opportunities. The first chance came on New Year's Eve when she was offered a job playing hostess at a week-long house party. The money was too good to resist, but the difficulty was her boss. Chase Bradley intimidates the heck out of her, with his good looks, charm, and wealth, to the point where she can barely talk around him.

The development of Chase and Ashley's relationship was very fast. Chase was intrigued and attracted from the moment he met her, and when he found himself in need of a hostess, he jumped on the idea of asking Ashley. His focus was on pursuing the attraction and getting her into bed. However, it wasn't long before he was equally interested in getting to know her. Ashley was attracted to Chase, but she was cautious about risking her heart. I liked seeing them work together to entertain their guests, while at the same time getting to know each other. Once Ashley got past her shyness they had some pretty great interactions. It was fun to see Chase fight his feelings for a while, especially after his conversation with his friend. Ashley fought hers even harder, especially when some of the things she learned about him triggered her fears. I ached for Chase, who wanted to see where a relationship might go when Ashley freaked out over the idea. It took an eye-opening experience for Ashley to realize that there are no guarantees in life and that she should seize her chance to live and love again. I loved their big moment at the end and the "theme" for that day.

No More Bad Girls by Leslie Kelly

Scorched by a string of nightmare ex-girlfriends, Lex Rollins resolves to date only nice women...then is lured by siren Lia before midnight. But Lia is really Amelia, a good girl playing naughty for a night. Can a blind date as their real selves uncover their true desires?

I really liked this story. Lex is a good looking man who was quite the player. The women he dated tended to be on the bad girl side of the scale, especially the last one, who cleaned out his apartment of anything not nailed down. Out with his buddies on New Year's Eve, he took their accusations of having really bad taste in women to heart and made giving up bad girls his New Year's resolution. Too bad he stumbled into an especially intriguing one on his way out of the bar. Amelia is a nice girl who is sick of being every guy's friend and nobody's girlfriend. She was ready to push the limits of her comfort zone and let the woman she wished she was out to play.

I loved the chemistry between Lex and Amelia that was evident from the start. The banter between them on NYE was fantastic. I felt bad for both of them when midnight came because the end of that steamy kiss meant the beginning of Lex's resolution. Lex wanted to stay but stuck to his guns, and Amelia was left bewildered by his exit. Neither one could forget the other. Lex didn't expect to run into "Lia" a couple of weeks later and found himself just as intrigued. The circumstances of that encounter were pretty ironically hilarious, with Lex having just had to cancel the blind date set up by his friend with his future sister-in-law, and (unknown to him) Amelia being that blind date. This is followed by a pretty wild text conversation between Amelia and "Alexander." I loved the snappy humor and comebacks between them then and over the next couple of weeks before their date happens. I loved their reactions when they "met."

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Lex and Amelia. I loved seeing Lex embrace the good side of himself. His planning of their first date was amazing, and he was off and running from there. He was always aware of the fact that Amelia wasn't like his former girlfriends, and treated her with tenderness and respect. I loved seeing him fall deeper under her spell and his surprise at the thoughts he had. At the same time, Amelia grew more and more frustrated. Her feelings for him also grew stronger, and her attraction even more so, but she couldn't get Lex to take that final step. Then a blast from the past reminded Lex of everything that screams that he isn't good enough for a nice girl like Amelia. I ached for the pain he felt and for Amelia when he pushed her away. Help came from an unexpected source, and I loved watching Amelia bring out her bad girl as she fought for her man. The ending was perfect for them.

Just a Fling by Tanya Michaels 

Shy, insecure Erin Cross makes two bold resolutions: (A) get on a plane, and (B) have a fling. In pursuit of Option A, she's mistaken for a key witness in a mob trial and whisked away by a sexy FBI agent Which just leaves Option B...

This was a quick, fast-paced romantic suspense. Erin has had some trouble getting back into the dating game, thanks to the hit her self-confidence took at the hands of her ex. She carried on a safe, long-distance phone flirtation with a coworker, until she was challenged by her best friend to do something about it. Erin made arrangements to meet him at a company convention in Mexico, requiring another resolution - getting on an airplane. She's been afraid of flying since a bad experience as a child, but took courage in hand and did it. All she had to do was meet the man at the pool bar and take it from there.

But not so fast. The man she thought was her date turned out to be an FBI agent there to meet up with a witness. Agent Foster thought that Erin was his witness - and so did the two thugs at the end of the bar. Thus began a somewhat madcap adventure as Foster and Erin do their best to escape and evade the men who want them both dead.

I liked the development of the relationship between Erin and Foster. This was his last case before leaving the FBI because of what he perceived as his failures. He was determined to keep her safe, and allowing himself to be distracted by his attraction wasn't in his game plan. She was just as attracted to him and quite willing to indulge in that attraction. I loved the scene at the gym when Foster was giving her self-defense lessons, and she couldn't remember why she was supposed to try to get away from him. I enjoyed how his admiration of her personally and in the way she handled herself gave her self-confidence such a boost. Foster also became more and more protective of Erin. It was great to see how her renewed confidence gave her the desire to help catch the bad guy. I was very impressed with her quick thinking when things didn't go according to plan, and her belief that Foster wouldn't let her down. But in the end, Foster's fears made him push Erin away in a heartwrenching scene. It was fun to watch him suffer for his stupidity, and I loved seeing his friend Morgan call him on it. I loved Foster's big moment at the end and the hint of vulnerability the peeked through his groveling speech to Erin.