Author: Lexi BlakeSeries: Masters and Mercenaries #14
Audience: +18
Genre: BDSM, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: August 22nd 2017
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
A man born to protect
After a major loss, Brody Carter found a home with the London office of McKay-Taggart. A former soldier, he believes his job is to take the bullets and follow orders. He’s happy to take on the job of protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson while the team uses her clinic in Sierra Leone to bring down an international criminal. What he never expected was that the young doctor would prove to be the woman of his dreams. She’s beautiful, smart, and reckless. Over and over he watches her risk her life to save others. One night of pure passion leads him to realize that he can’t risk his heart again. When the mission ends, Brody walks away, unwilling to lose another person he loves.
A woman driven to heal
Stephanie’s tragic past taught her to live for today. Everything she’s done in the last fifteen years has been to make up for her mistakes. Offering medical care in war-torn regions gives her the purpose she needs to carry on. When she meets her gorgeous Aussie protector, she knows she’s in too deep, but nothing can stop her from falling head over heels in love. But after one amazing night together, Brody walks away and never looks back. Stephanie is left behind…but not alone.
A secret that will change both their lives
A year later, Stephanie runs afoul of an evil mercenary who vows to kill her for failing to save his son. She runs to the only people she trusts, Liam and Avery O’Donnell. She hasn’t come alone and her secret will bring her former lover across the world to protect her. From Liberia to Dallas to Australia’s outback, Brody will do whatever it takes to protect Stephanie from the man who wants to kill her, but it might be her own personal demons that could destroy them both.
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
There's something amazing about this series and every time Blake delivers a great story, great characters and, even better, awesome little inside jokes.
I've been waiting for Stephanie's book for a while now. I love Avery, and I was very happy to read her story, but I was always wondering about the other person whose life was changed by that accident. It isn't often that I see books tackling those stories, so I was very excited to see how Stephanie's story would go. We get to see what that accident did to Steph and how she tried to cope with what happened. Most importantly, we see how she didn't cope with it, how she decided to punish herself and how her guilt ate at her every single day, and even during the present time. I love that Stephanie's issues doesn't necessarily disappear once her son was born. I always hate reading that in novels, or seeing that in movies. I don't think that's really how things go, so for Steph's brand of self-torture to simply disappear would have been really unrealistic. I also love how talking to one of the so-called Lost Boys, Tucker, made her realize how wrong her attitude towards herself was, and how harmful it could be for her and for her child.
Brody was a challenge. I felt like a lot was missing from his backstory, but I'm also behind with reading some of the earlier books in this series, so maybe that's where his backstory is. But I felt like although he was the hero, he wasn't so much the focal point of this book. His struggles are more with his belief that he isn't enough and that he has to stay away with Steph. I feel like his acceptance of how much he loves her was a big turning point for his character development. I don't think it was the fact that he's a father and he missed some important moments that makes him realize it though, I think it's the thought that Steph might actually have moved on with someone else that makes him have his "ah-hah" moment, which I'll admit that it made me roll my eyes just a tiny little bit, but it was still great to see him admit that and try to win her back. The fact that he kept admitting he was an idiot made the thing even more entertaining. I liked the moment of truth he had with Ian and Charlotte towards the end of the book. I feel like this series has a lot of these mind-blowing moments, which is why they get stuck in my mind. But this was an important scene about the whole "love can cure anything" discussion and it was a great point of view, one that I actually agree with.
Yay for more Ian! You guys already know I love him, right? His appreciation for Guns N' Roses makes him even more adorable to me. I am very curious to see how he'd react to his little girls all grown up and dating. That will be a fun moment! I also loved Adam's gift for Brody. It was the most heartbreaking moment of the entire book for me, and I nearly sobbed reading that entire scene.
I liked the reveals in this book. I'm curious to see if anything will come out of them, especially because I am so hoping we'll find out who the men tortured by the crazy doctor are. The book was pretty easy to read, it was very well paced. As usual, the book also ends with a hint toward the next book in the series, and I'm very, very excited about this story, guys! I have a feeling it will be epic.
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The door slammed and she suddenly found herself with her back against it. Brody crowded in, taking up all the space and staring down at her. His body brushed hers and she found both her wrists captured in one of his. He dragged them over her head, forcing her chest to come out, breasts skimming along his body. “I shouldn’t do this.”
Tough chick was winning. Steph let her take over. It was surely better than the desperate girl who lived inside her. She kept asking for love and affection and getting swatted away. This was the next best thing, possibly the only thing she would ever get. “Then don’t. Let me go and I won’t bother you again.”
“No, you’ll go find Ezra Fain and bother him,” Brody said on a growl.
“Somehow, I don’t think he’ll find me a bother.” She’d barely spoken two words to the man, but she wasn’t going to admit it. It was better to let Brody think she wasn’t a love-starved girl.
“He won’t fucking find you anything at all. If you’re determined to not sleep alone tonight, you can damn well do it with me.” His mouth came down on hers and every inch of her skin came alive. His kiss was overwhelming, hungry. There was no slow meshing of mouths. He took her, his tongue surging inside and dominating her own. He let go of her hands and started to explore her body. His hands were on her hips when he came up for air. “I’m leaving in the morning. I’m going back to London and I can’t come back.”
She’d known that would probably be his answer. She’d known he wouldn’t want to stay and she couldn’t leave.
“One night. That’s all I want.” It was all she could have. It had been foolish to think it could be any different.
His mouth came down on hers again and she let herself get swept away. One night and her life would go back to normal. One night and then she would be alone again. His hands started to roam over her and she tried to forget all the reasons why this was a bad idea.
He stepped back, his entire body set in hard lines. He strode over to the bed and sat down. “Take off the gown. It’s pretty, but I want to see you.”
She hesitated, all her insecurities coming to the forefront. Somehow, she’d thought he would simply take her. “Let me get the lights.”
He was back in her space again, his hand wrapping around her wrist. “I didn’t say turn off the lights. I said take off the gown. How am I going to see you if you turn off the lights?”
“Brody,” she began.
He was having none of it. “You got on your knees in front of me and you said you knew what you were offering me. The first thing you were offering me was obedience. The second was your body. You’re giving me neither right now.”
His voice had gone midnight dark and something about the tone made her soften. He was right. She did know what she’d offered him and now she was trying to have it all her way.
There was nothing wrong with her body. It was feminine and she was healthy. What was she afraid of? “All right.”
He let go of her wrist and sat back down, looking like a damn king waiting on his concubine’s performance. For all his “I’m nothing but a grunt” talk, the man could be incredibly arrogant, and damn if she didn’t find it sexy as hell.
Something about that voice let her know that everything was going to be fine. He was past the point of rejection. He was in and that meant he would play her Dom for the night. He would take care of her. She was as safe with him in the bedroom as she’d been in the field.
At least she was safe for the night. In the morning she would be in a world of hurt, but she wasn’t thinking past tonight.
