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Wild Card (Elite Ops #1)

4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 · rating details · 7,524 ratings · 433 reviews

It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Colombia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong…and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.

Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three...more

Mass Market Paperback, 298 pages

Published August 26th 2008 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

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Jul 21, 2010 Buggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: shelf-09, deja-vu, rom-susp, extra-sexy-time, lit-boyfriend, tortured-hero, biker-boyz, men-in-uniform-af-spc-op, top, not-so-hea

Opening Line: "Nathan Malone stood in the clinical white office he had been brought to"

This one is a keeper. One of those books that you can't stop reading and then find yourself sad as you approach the end because you don't want it to be over. WILD CARD is a beautiful romance with scorching hot love scenes, plenty of action and a sexy alpha male hero that literally jumps off the pages at you. Bound in leather chaps and just daring you to get on the back of his Harley. What an escape, I loved it...more Opening Line: "Nathan Malone stood in the clinical white office he had been brought to"

This one is a keeper. One of those books that you can't stop reading and then find yourself sad as you approach the end because you don't want it to be over. WILD CARD is a beautiful romance with scorching hot love scenes, plenty of action and a sexy alpha male hero that literally jumps off the pages at you. Bound in leather chaps and just daring you to get on the back of his Harley. What an escape, I loved it.

Navy Seal Nathan Malone was happily married to his young wife Sabella. His last mission was supposed to be simple, infiltrate a Columbian drug cartel and rescue three young girls. But things went disastrously wrong and Nathan finds himself at the hands of Diego Fuentes the evil crime lord. He is held captive for 3 years, pumped full of experimental drugs, tortured and beaten beyond recognition. When he's finally rescued there isn't much left of the man he used to be. Scared inside and out, Nathan now feels that he's too damaged and violent to ever return to his wife and joins a team of covert ops. After several reconstructive surgeries Nathan Malone becomes Noah Blake aka "Wildcard." The man his wife loved is now gone forever.

Several years later a new mission (ironically enough) takes Noah back to his hometown and puts him undercover as a mechanic in Sabella's garage. He'd assumed that after 6 years his wife would have moved on with her life but she hasn't ever let Nathan go. After learning of Nathan's death Sabella didn't leave the house for 3 years, barely functioning, she dreams of him. There's is a love that will last forever, she tells herself. Only after almost losing their home and business does she manage to pull herself together enough to rejoin the world. Sabella initially has no idea that the sexy new Harley riding mechanic is her dead husband but something draws her to him and awakens feelings she had thought long buried. Nathan is stunned that Sabella isn't the agreeable little wallflower that he remembers as his wife anymore. Where did this tough, no nonsense woman come from?

This establishes the characters into their plotlines and that's when the story really gets going. The sex scenes are amazingly hot but they are also filled with such tenderness and longing that you will simply sigh. Lora Leigh pushes the boundaries further each time Noah and Bella are together and just when you think they couldn't possibly do anything else sexually, that it's just going to be another sex scene, she manages to make it different and even more exciting. The running internal dialogue is also well done here and heartbreaking as Noah struggles with the ghost of the man he used to be and Sabella tries to not let on that she knows who he really is. The endings full of suspense and I wasn't certain until the last few pages if our couple would truly get their HEA or if our testosterone filled hero would leave again.

For an erotic Romance this is a very involved story and surprisingly long at 415 pages. Lora Leigh however had me enamoured from beginning to end and I feel that this is some of her best work. The unconditional love between the main characters was beautifully written, the story interesting and suspenseful. My only complaint would be the few sloppy mistakes overlooked by her editor.

This is a story that I won't soon forget. Highly recommended.

It's now been a few days since I finished reading Wildcard and an interesting thing has happened. I can no longer remember the sex scenes but I still find myself thinking about the love story.
Go Siorai, Forever my soul. (less)

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Jan 20, 2009 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads

I'm not sure what it was about Lora Leigh's latest, "Wild Card", but something just didn't hit all my pleasure buttons with it. Maybe it was the hero's stubbornness that lasted just too long for me not to get irritated with it. Or maybe it was his push/pull tactics that drove me nuts...Either way, I just wasn't as thrilled with this book as I usually am with most everything Leigh writes.

Bella lost her soulmate three years ago when her SEAL husband didn't return from his last mission. Since then,...more I'm not sure what it was about Lora Leigh's latest, "Wild Card", but something just didn't hit all my pleasure buttons with it. Maybe it was the hero's stubbornness that lasted just too long for me not to get irritated with it. Or maybe it was his push/pull tactics that drove me nuts...Either way, I just wasn't as thrilled with this book as I usually am with most everything Leigh writes.

Bella lost her soulmate three years ago when her SEAL husband didn't return from his last mission. Since then, she's had horrible nightmares and has only recently returned to 'living'...only to battle to save what's left of their life together, their home and business. So why now, when she's finally trying to move on, does she meet another man who makes her blood sizzle and reminds her in so many ways of her dead love?

Nathan was held prisoner and pumped full of drugs for months on end. When he was finally rescued, he was more animal than man. Even though his dreams of his wife were all that kept him alive, he decides to remain 'dead'. Instead of returning to his 'other' life, he undergoes innumerable surgeries and comes out a new man with a new identity...and he refuses to 'taint' his wife with the dark creature he is now. But when his wife is unknowingly dragged into danger, he can't NOT help her. And once, he's near her, he can't NOT want her. But if he won't reveal his past, how can the two of them have anything?

As I said, this book is very intense. The connection between the hero and heroine is at times a bit mystical, and always red hot. The difference between their 'younger' lives and their current lives provides a harsh glimpse of the reality of some relationships. And it's not until each individual can reveal their true selves, and be accepted by the other, that a relationship can really become deep and solid. I appreciated this extra hint of realism on Leigh's part. But by golly, I spent an awful lot of this book wanting to kick Nate's ass! His actions and motives seem awfully selfish for a full 2/3 of the book and I hated that. Of course, I DID keep reading and I will continue to read Lora Leigh's stories. She manages to touch something in me and bring something to her tales that other author's can't quite touch. So, Alpha jerks or no, I'll keep looking for her titles...(less)

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Aug 24, 2008 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the series

Shelves: lora-leigh, erotic-romance, men-in-uniform, made_me_cry, tortured-hero

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Awesome. Suspenseful. Explicit. Romantic. And definitely erotic. Finally, the story of Navy SEAL Nathan Malone, the poor soul who was captured during a rescue mission early in the Tempting SEALs series by evil drug lord Diego Fuentes, and was tortured as a guinea pig to test a potent aphrodisiac known as "whore's dust", in order to break him to reveal government secrets. Nathan was held captive for nearly two years, and given up for dead, and was tortured and beaten and tempted with women while...more Awesome. Suspenseful. Explicit. Romantic. And definitely erotic. Finally, the story of Navy SEAL Nathan Malone, the poor soul who was captured during a rescue mission early in the Tempting SEALs series by evil drug lord Diego Fuentes, and was tortured as a guinea pig to test a potent aphrodisiac known as "whore's dust", in order to break him to reveal government secrets. Nathan was held captive for nearly two years, and given up for dead, and was tortured and beaten and tempted with women while high on "whore's dust", but was never broken. He managed to stay true to his beloved wife, Sabella, even though he was in an agonizing state of arousal every day. And when he was finally rescued, he was a shell of the man he once was. His wife already thought he was dead, and physically he nearly was. But after years and countless surgeries to repair broken bones throughout his body (including his face), he was finally in fighting shape physically, if not mentally. Six years had passed since he last saw his beloved wife, and Nathan thought it best that he remained dead to her. He was not the man he once was; he looked different, and he had a dark sexual side now, one he thought his wife would never be able to handle. (Boy was he ever wrong!) So he became a new man, named Noah Blake. Since he couldn't be a SEAL any more, he became the next best thing--a member of a secret quasi-government unit called the Elite Ops.

Well, coincidentally, the Elite Ops are needed on a mission in Nathan/Noah's hometown of Alpine, Texas. It seems that a white supremicist group called the Black Collar Militia have set up shop in town. The BCM like to "hunt" and kill what they believe are "undesirables", namely, illegal aliens (and a few FBI agents who were sent in to stop them, too). In order to fund their little militia, they need a good business to launder the money for their illegal activities. So they set their sights on acquiring the garage/gas station business the deceased Nathan left behind to his widow Sabella. Well, Nathan/Noah isn't about to let Sabella get caught in the middle of this militia's activities, so he goes undercover and gets himself hired to work at the garage with Sabella. What happens after that is one surprise after another for Nathan, as he finds out the sweet helpless little wife he thought he married is a lot stronger and not as helpless as he thought. Nathan/Noah and Sabella engage in a hot, hot, hot affair, and Noah actually becomes jealous of Sabella's dead husband (Nathan) figuring she's still in love with him and always will be. It doesn't take Sabella long to realize that Noah is really Nathan, but why won't he tell her?

Oh, this was a hot one! This was all about Nathan and Sabella, and their love story. We find out how they first met, their early, passionate married life, and how devastated Sabella was when Nathan was 'killed'. We find out that each of them held something back in their marriage--that neither spouse totally revealed their true self to the other. Later we see how each character has grown, and how each of them react to the changes they see in their spouse. The love scenes are many and explicit--probably the most erotic and numerous in the whole series so far. They have sex everywhere imaginable, including the table, the countertop, the stairs, and in Nathan's truck. But at times it got a little frustrating--I wanted Sabella to tell Noah she knew he was really Nathan, but her pride stood in the way. And I wanted Noah to tell Sabella he was really Nathan, but he was too chicken and thought Sabella would kick him to the curb for not telling her he was alive years ago. He thought since she had an affair with him (Noah), that she was finally over Nathan, and would be ready to move on with a more deserving man. Stupid alpha. He didn't realize that practically the whole time she was with him, she realized that he was her long deceased husband.

Anyway, it all comes to a suspenseful end when the Elite Ops team finds the "wild card" person who is providing the leaks to the militia so that they can stay one step ahead of the authorities. To say I was surprised is an understatement--I just didn't see this one coming until right before it was revealed. And we also see if Nathan/Noah will walk away from his beloved Bella one more time. What do you think?

This book was pretty fast paced, but would have been even better if about 50 pages were eliminated. I started to get a little bored with all the sex scenes, and that's not a good thing! Still, it picked up at the end, and thankfully Noah's secret was finally revealed, and there was still a few chapters left. All in all, I'd say it was the best of the series, although technically this is the first book in the new Elite Ops series, with more to follow. A solid 4 1/2 stars! (less)

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May 02, 2011 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense, erotica-romantica

Based on everything I'd heard about Lora Leigh's books, I started reading Wild Card with some caution. But I'd also heard that this book was very good and not too heavy on her usual "style", so I decided to give it a try. Well, I'm happy I did. :)

I loved the setting and the story. I was surprised by the identity of the villain who had been leaking all the info to the bad guys (I won't go into details here, for it would be a major spoiler) and I was literally sitting at the edge of my chair when...more

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Dec 14, 2008 Eyre rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who love sexy, romantic suspense and Navy SEALs

Shelves: read-in-2008-approx

Wow, what a book! Imagine being a young wife and losing your husband. Then, six years later, a dark, powerful man comes into the life you've been barely living. You're feeling scared a guilty. As your confusion begins to clear, you realize that this sexy stranger is your dead husband.

Wild Card is a great example of why I love Lora Leigh's writing. The plot is intriguing, the characters interesting, and the sex hot. I'm going to pick up Maverick right away because I want to stay in the Elite Ops...more

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Oct 05, 2008 Kathrynn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People that have read the Tempting SEALs series

Shelves: series-temptingseals_eliteops_leigh, own, 2008, hot, favorites, romance-suspense, theme-uniform, reviewed

What a ride! When I started this I was rolling my eyes: TWO prologues and several large leaps through time. But, I was riveted to the book from that point on. I had a lump in my throat at the PROLOGUE for crine out loud! The two main characters LOVED each other so deeply I felt it down to my toenails. They had a connection, a soul-deep connection that spanned miles and included shared dreams and horrors.

This is book #1 in a new series, but it is a spin-off from the Tempting SEALs series where Na...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic, romance-suspense, bdsm-mild, bad-boy, sexy-alpha, sexy-army-types, great-heroine

We start off this book with heartbreaking scenes of a couple madly in love and then ripped apart when a mission goes wrong; Bella is told that her husband, Nathan "wild card" Malone is dead.
Truthfully in the beginning this is what everyone believes until Nathan is rescued after 19 months of torture.
In the seedy hole where he was kept, drugged, abused, the only thing that kept Nathan from bowing down to the demands of his captors was his vows to his wife. But in the end, Nathan feels that he is n...more

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Sep 21, 2008 Isis FG rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Isis FG by: continuation of a series

Shelves: info-full, reviewed, genre-romance-suspense, 2008, z2008-july-dec, author-lora-leigh, series-tempting-seals-elite-ops, stars-4

I couldn't wait to read this book once I got started on Leigh's Tempting SEALS series...and it mostly lived up to my expectations.

I enjoyed the overall storyline...SEAL Nathan Malone spent 19 months tortured by a drug lord, and when he's finally free, he's so messed up he doesn't let his wife know that he's alive. Years pass, Nathan takes on the identity of Noah Blake and signs up with an private sector Elite Ops groups. Then he finds out his wife is in danger from a militia group and returns ho...more I couldn't wait to read this book once I got started on Leigh's Tempting SEALS series...and it mostly lived up to my expectations.

I enjoyed the overall storyline...SEAL Nathan Malone spent 19 months tortured by a drug lord, and when he's finally free, he's so messed up he doesn't let his wife know that he's alive. Years pass, Nathan takes on the identity of Noah Blake and signs up with an private sector Elite Ops groups. Then he finds out his wife is in danger from a militia group and returns home to protect her...only she has no idea that Noah is really Nathan. So it's a rather interesting dynamic.

Leigh really makes you feel for both characters. Nathan/Noah is so tortured. And poor Sabella can't get over the loss of her husband. I also liked how Leigh had both characters realizing that they'd held a lot back from each other in the first two years of their marriage.

I did at times get a little tired of the repetitiveness of everyone's thoughts/emotions...they always seemed to be thinking/feeling the same thing and it was described over and over again. It was a bit unnecessary.

And one thing that had me confused was Ian...at the end of Killer Secrets, and throughout the book, he knows he can never go back to being a SEAL. Not after what he'd done. And they talk about going back to Ian's hometown and settling in. But then in this book, it seems as though Ian is back with the SEALS (or maybe it was the Elite Ops...I was never quite sure of that). There was no explanation regarding his return to work, or what exactly Kira was doing, and that annoyed me to no end. I hate it when big details like that don't match up.

As for the sex in the book...well, it was definitely HOT and explicit, but honestly? It wasn't what I expected. There was all this talk about Nathan/Noah having really dark fantasies and whatnot, and personally, I thought the sex in the book was pretty basic. I mean, yeah, at times it was fast and a little rough, but there wasn't really anything all that extreme. I'm not saying the book wasn't hot, because it was. But because of what Nathan/Noah went through and the things he thinks, I thought Leigh would push the boundaries a little more.

But even though I had a few issues with the book, it was still good. The ending surprised me a little, and I enjoyed the characters. So it was a good edition to the series, and I'll be looking forward to reading more. (less)

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Jul 23, 2010 ElaineY rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: covert-ops-sekret-organizations, romantic-suspense

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had my heart stuck in my throat when I was reading the prologue and promptly choked on it when Sabella opened the front door to hear the dreaded news.

As far as romance novels using the rather tired 'back-from-the-dead' plot device, Wildcard is the better than most I've read. Compared to Gennita Low's Facing Fear which also has one of the protagonists (the heroine, in this case) return to her spouse (a CIA agent) as a different woman, Lora Leigh's Wildcard was much better-executed. I feel, thou...more I had my heart stuck in my throat when I was reading the prologue and promptly choked on it when Sabella opened the front door to hear the dreaded news.

As far as romance novels using the rather tired 'back-from-the-dead' plot device, Wildcard is the better than most I've read. Compared to Gennita Low's Facing Fear which also has one of the protagonists (the heroine, in this case) return to her spouse (a CIA agent) as a different woman, Lora Leigh's Wildcard was much better-executed. I feel, though, that Facing Fear has a more sophisticated feel (as with all GLow's books) despite this weakness in the plot.

Books with a protagonist returning from the dead are hard to make credible. You either have to go the paranormal route as Linda Howard did in Death Angel, or be skilled enough to handle this rather tired plot device.

In Death Angel's case, I felt it was a cop-out (and totally unnecessary) and not worthy of someone of LH's experience and skill. By contrast, Lora Leigh made Wildcard more believable by allowing Sabella to suspect Noah was Nathan long before the book ended. What I found unrealistic was Bell being able to play along and not confront Noah when LL had done a good job showing me how much Bella had suffered from Nathan's death. Sure, she gave him an earful when everything is over but up to then, there were too many implausibles to make this a good book. Why Nathan's superiors allowed his decision to overule their judgment is beyond me, especially when an idiot could have seen it was more dangerous for Bella to be kept in the dark than to be brought in into the plan, as Rory, Nathan's half-brother, was. Bella was a helluva lot more crucial than Rory was and Nathan's superiors should have known that.

The story behind Grant Malone wasn't a surprise for me but I was also glad LL kept him out of the way much of the time otherwise there would have been too much going on with too many people. The identity of the leak also isn't hard to figure out though I wish LL hadn't pulled punches here. I wish Noah had been the one to mete out the just desserts to this piece of shit who deserved to die very painfully.

Despite the glaring holes, Wildcard is one of my better reads of 2008 even though there was a little too much sex and I was dying to get moving with the mission. In this respect, I liked Killer Secrets more as I found the sex scenes more intense between Ian and Kira and they did not get repetitive as Wild Card did in some places.

I'm waiting to see who's the next Elite Ops hero. Nik, maybe? I'm a sucker for tall heroes. Speaking of which, there's this guy, Jed McNeil, in Gennita Low's Facing Fear and who's the hero of Virtually His (and Hers, Dec 2008) who is only 178cm tall. I still can't figure out why a romance author would make her hero so short. That's only 5' 9" and would have to be the shortest romance hero ever. The shortest I've come across is 5' 11" but these days, they average 6 feet. Just strange to me, that's all. Jed is still pretty cool, short as he may be.(less)

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Nov 06, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporaryromance, loraleigh

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a man who has hidden from his past and let his wife think he was dead, even if he felt that he couldn't give her what she needed. But Noah and his Bella were interesting, because while they both pined for their lost spouse, they both learned to grow and continue without each other. And coming back together really lead them to create some serious sparks. I loved Noah from before; his strength in the face of addiction was quite powerful. Bella's feistiness, and her...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Aquit rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Noone unless you're interest in women who have no backbone and men who think with their dicks

Recommended to Aquit by: Noone but somebody should had tied me up and warn me about how I

Shelves: books-i-reviewed, books-from-library, waste-of-time-and-tree, ick-factor, smut-smut-butt-smut, guy-has-dicks-for-brains, twit-tstl-argh, guy-needs-to-fall-off-a-cliff, erotic-romance, ending-tie-up-with-a-fake-bow, i-love-you-will-work-as-ending, selfishness-is-not-attractive, sex-used-as-tool-to-apologize, solution-to-problems-is-angry-sex, the-infamous-misunderstanding, trust-me-so-i-can-betray-you, twit-you-wanna-gag, heroine-couldve-done-better, twit-need-a-backbone-not-a-dick, twit-too-angry-to-be-like, twit-too-stubborn-need-to-be-hang, twit-you-wanna-smack-and-shake, guy-not-worth-redeeming, guy-is-walking-std, guy-is-rude-overboaring-ass, hea-is-a-cheated-thing, no-redemption-for-these-two, probably-got-a-divorce-afterwards

SPOILERS AHEAD

I wish I can say how much I loved this book and how much the characters made me root for them ... but...

I can't, plain and simple. I refuse to call Lora’s characters as the "Hero" and "Heroine" since they are anything but that.

"Wild Card" was one of the first books I read from Lora Leigh and I admitted that I was anticipating an actual love story between the characters since the back cover seemed so interesting. But no, all I got was a book that was 418 pages long and half of them...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, erotica, 2011

If you can't say anything else about Lora Leigh, you can at the very least acknowledge that she can write a hot and kinky scene as good as anyone. But be warned, she isn't into the vanilla and if you're looking for strait-laced 'nice' sex and love, don't even bother delving into her world. If you're okay with extreme, and I do really mean extreme, dirty talk and seriously hot sex, then you've found the right woman. There are also numerous elements of light (but incredibly hot) BDSM and mentions...more
If you can't say anything else about Lora Leigh, you can at the very least acknowledge that she can write a hot and kinky scene as good as anyone. But be warned, she isn't into the vanilla and if you're looking for strait-laced 'nice' sex and love, don't even bother delving into her world. If you're okay with extreme, and I do really mean extreme, dirty talk and seriously hot sex, then you've found the right woman. There are also numerous elements of light (but incredibly hot) BDSM and mentions of anal sex.

I can understand why Lora Leigh's tendency to go over the top with the dirty talk can be off-putting for some, there were many times when I thought "damn, I can't believe he just said that!" But I'm ridiculously open-minded so I let it slide, especially because the author managed to do a convincing show of dirty talk one minute and sweet nothings the next - can't believe it worked so well, but it did.

The story is about Nathan Malone, a navy SEAL, who gets captured and tortured. Anyone would come out of this a different person but Nathan's case is unique, whilst in captivity he was subjected to a horror of a drug trial. The drug, known as 'Whore's Dust' is like Viagra but times a thousand, leaving Nathan completely out of his mind with lust (painfully so) and tortured physically beyond recognition (of course, he was still made sexy-looking after some serious plastic surgery). This series of events creates Noah Blake, the dark, angry side of Nathan Malone that he never knew existed and was sure his pretty, good-natured wife would never accept back into her life and bed.

But Bella has a dark side of her own that was never tapped into with Nathan. When the oh so familiar Noah Blake strolls into town, she is swept up into one hell of a wild romance and an even wilder set of sexcapades. Noah Blake is both the old man she loved and the new man who helps her realise all her greatest fantasies... and let me tell you now, our Bella likes it rough and dangerous.

The story was fantastic and the love between them only made the sex scenes even hotter. At first I found that I wanted Nathan Malone back and I thought the story would eventually lead to him being re-awakened into his former self through Bella's help. This soon changed as Noah became more than just a shadow of Nathan, and at the end I was rooting for Noah all the way. I've always found it hard to get into romances where the lead couple are already happily married but this novel puts an entirely new twist on that tale. Absolutely fantastic!

I felt confident enough about Ms Leigh after finishing this book that I have already ordered 3 of her other novels. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us readers.(less)

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Mar 01, 2010 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rom-military, romance, rom-suspense, contemp-rom, alpha-hero

There are only two series the prolific Lora Leigh writes I continue to follow: that being the Breeds and her Tempting SEALs series.

By far the Breeds are my favs, but the latest- and I believe the last Tempting SEALs team entry as well as the first in a band new one called Elite Ops, - reminded me so much of the Breeds, I enjoyed it much more than the previous entries.

Sure, there wasn't fated mating heat or animal "instincts" popping up everywhere, but the hero is uber alpha and that coupled with...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. NOT A FAN.

This book had a great concept, hot sex scenes and a really attractive lead male character. But for me, it didn't all come together the way it probably should have.

Here are the reasons I did not love this book:

1. I could NOT get over the fact that Sabella was feeling such heartbreaking guilt the entire book, when really the dude she was banging was her husband all along. Could not get over it. It ruined the story for me and just made me so angry and so sad for her. Even after she knew,...more

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May 09, 2013 Liaden rated it 3 of 5 stars

Warning this review is not for young readers who have no business reading this book in the first place or for prudes. That being said let's get on with the review shall we?

Why is there no sexy term for the female genitalia? I mean pussy is such a vulgar word isn't it? Then we have cunt, I have never met a woman that wasn't offended by that word, of course some would say twat but it really doesn't get the job done either. Maybe something a two bit pimp hyped on heroine would say to his whore? Pos...more Warning this review is not for young readers who have no business reading this book in the first place or for prudes. That being said let's get on with the review shall we?

Why is there no sexy term for the female genitalia? I mean pussy is such a vulgar word isn't it? Then we have cunt, I have never met a woman that wasn't offended by that word, of course some would say twat but it really doesn't get the job done either. Maybe something a two bit pimp hyped on heroine would say to his whore? Possibly, but it certainly doesn't belong in a novel. What about vagina isn't that just such a lovely clinical term that gets you all hot and bothered? No you say? Of course not, who says fuck my vagina, it just doesn't have that heat that your looking for.

My main problem with this book was, and I can't believe that I'm saying this but there is entirely too much sex in it! I mean really where is the connection the love this author is desperately trying to convince me of? Am I supposed think that the character's are so unbelievably shallow that all it takes is a handsome face and few good fucks to forge an everlasting connection? Please! I'm not buying it, I mean where did this "love" come from? Their relationship even from the beginning seems like its purely based on sex. Was their chemistry? Sure it was there but what should be lying beneath the lust that "burns" them both so badly just wasn't there!

2nd biggest pet peeve of this book, repetition, repetition, repetition! If you read one sex scene and this book you have read them all with the exception of a few minor details, each was exactly like the other, adding a little anal to the mix doesn't really make much of a difference. You may ask yourself: How many different ways can there really be to write a sex scene aren't they mostly all the same anyway? You might think that but no they are not all the same, a beautiful steamy well written sex scene can make a book just as poorly written repetitious ones sprinkled with a vulgar word here or there can break one.

Another peeve I had with this book Noah/Nathan whoever the hell he wants to be at the time. It really doesn't matter. He just wasn't realistic to me, I mean yeah I get the whole whore dust concept but this asshole thinks about sex more than the male protagonist's in the demonica series do and they're sex demons! I mean seriously give me a break your horny, your cock is huge, its always hard, seriously we get it. Can you please stop running into the ground now?Sorry I had to get that off my chest I had a lot of eye roll moments when reading this.

"I bet you're so wet," he crooned roughly. "If I stroked my tongue through your pussy, your juices would cling to it. Caress my lips and make me high with the taste of your need."

Your need? Seriously? I don't know about you but I have never heard a man say that.

This is the first book I have come across that actually used the word vagina in a sex scene as well as womb. Now maybe this is just me but when I hear the word womb my mind automatically jumps to things like pregnancy, babies, and birth, it doesn't exactly stir my loins or so to speak. I felt the need to throw out something corny like loins because I think it goes with the theme of this book. Corny through and through.

I could probably go on forever, but in short, the writing was bland, the characters were unrealistic, the sex scenes were vulgar but boring, and there was way too much use of " Irish eyes". I got so tired of seeing that over and over again and it got to the point where I could predict when it would be said again. Basically if your looking for a a quick read with a few racy scenes with not much of a story line other than fact that the mains want to fuck each other's brains out in every scene then look no further. However if your looking for something with a little more depth, beautifully written, with a connection so strong that it practically jumps off the page at you, then I suggest you keep looking. I give this novel three stars and that's only because the idea was interesting no matter how poorly it was executed. (less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotica, military

Posted on Romancing the Books blog
Reviewed by Sarah L.
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

Wild Card was certainly unlike any book I have ever read. Nathan Malone was a Navy SEAL who was captured and severely injured on an away mission. So severely injured in fact that his wife Bella was informed of his death and he took on a whole new face, identity and future…without her. With the bad guys closing in on his “wife”, in order to keep her safe he must re-enter her life as someone else and keep hi...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story has an interesting and a somewhat humorous storyline. Nathan left his home and wife for a mission. Sadly, he got caught and was brutally beaten. When he was rescued, his corpse was so destroyed and had to go under surgery in order for him to have a functional body. A few months later (and after tons of physical training) he was back on the field. Instead of flying back to his wifes arms, he continued to work for the army. Bella, thinking Nathan is dead, morns him for three years. Nath...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nathan Malone is a Navy SEAL. He is leaving his new wife, Sabella. Nathan’s mission was to rescues three girls from a Colombian drug cartel, uncover the mole, and get out. Instead Nathan is captured and almost every bone in his body is broken. Nathan is lucky to be alive. Nathan has a new identity…Noah Blake. Nathan is fine with never seeing his wife again but when he learns that Sabella is in trouble with the Black Collar Militia, he can not just stand by and do nothing. Only how long with Nath...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, all-nighter, hott-spots, loved-it, special-ops-military-mercenary, ebook, app-google

Wow, so this was my first Lora Leigh book. It was a bit...raunchy. I was not prepared.

I really loved the story. It was gut wrenching at parts. There was a lot of emotional pain, and I felt it. There were parts that made my stomach clench and my chest tighten with the sadness Sabella felt. Regardless of Nathan/Noah's stubbornness he was pretty HOTT! I loved all that dark attitude and fierce protectiveness he felt for Sabella. Although I though some of the parts where he talked dirty to her had m...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Nina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, black-ops, first-love-round-two, series, tortured-hero

Let's sit down and talk about something for a minute. That one thing we all think about but don't really talk about. You know the one.

SEX.

I'm not going to get into the romance is porn for women discussion. Not gonna do it. But obviously, I'm a girl that likes a good romance. I love the snap and sizzle. The gutting heartbreaks. The push and pull between people falling and fighting. The eccentric families that always seem to surround them. In all its shapes and forms, I love a good love story. A...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, nook, 5-suspense

Nathan Malone was a Navy Seal, captured in a mission and tortured by 19 long month by his captures. He never broke for them. But 19 month in hell has a way of killing a man. When he was rescued Nathan Malone stopped existing and Noah Blake took his place. After long surgeries, painful recoveries and extensive training he became icy, deadly, a killing machine. Now the target were his wife and brother and he had to protect them, even if he had to kill to do so, no one was going to touch his family...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense, erotic-romance, seals

Before I give a full review, I just wanted to put something out there. I'm sure many readers here do this, but just to be clear. I try to review each novel in the context of its genre, not as compared to all written word. When I review a Lora Leigh book, I'm comparing it to romance novels/romantic suspense, not say, historical fiction or horror. That would be comparing apples to oranges. Do all reviewers do this? I'm not sure. I've seen scathing reviews of books that reviewers clearly state are...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bodice-rippers, good-to-go, personal-library, part-of-series

This is the first time reading a Lora Leigh book outside The Breed series for me and I wasn't sure what to expect. The writing and the plot were very LL, which is good. The characters felt a little bit deeper to me than I'm used to seeing, but this book was longer than a typical Breed book so that, I think, accounts for it.

Sabella was a wonderful heroine. She was smart, sassy, beautiful and self sufficient. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the glimpses of Nathan & Sabella's marriag...more

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Mar 20, 2010 Georgina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four stars because, once I started reading, I literally couldn't put it down, and despite whatever plot or character flaws occur in a book, if it can hold my attention from beginning to end, then it's doing it's job.

Having said that, I found the explicit (and numerous) sex scenes rather tedious after a while. Yes, they're definitely hot, and leave zero to the imagination, but I personally don't need it all laid out on a plate for me, so to speak. Also - although it was only used once - I'm not a...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Taria Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: black-ops-mercenary, romance

I really enjoyed this story. The characters were likeable and Noah was sexy as all hell. NO really, I mean wrap him up and duct tape him to my bed sexy. There was a lot of hot sex and dirty talk which I like but others may find it a bit much. I haven't listened to many Lora Leigh books before but she's definitely on my watch list. The story moved along alright enough, but there were times when all the angst was just way too much. There are only so many crying jags I can feel compassion for befor...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenges, romantic-suspense, publisher-provided

4.5 stars. It was a tough one, but very good.

After reading the last word of this book and closing it's cover, I can honestly say that Lora Leigh has found a new fan. While not an easy read, it was emotionally gut-wrenching and the storyline drew me right into the middle of he emotional tug of war between Nathan/Noah and Sabella.

Nathan Malone knew the moment he met his wife that she was the woman that held his soul, just like his grandfather told him. He loved his dainty, pixie of a wife but he...more 4.5 stars. It was a tough one, but very good.

After reading the last word of this book and closing it's cover, I can honestly say that Lora Leigh has found a new fan. While not an easy read, it was emotionally gut-wrenching and the storyline drew me right into the middle of he emotional tug of war between Nathan/Noah and Sabella.

Nathan Malone knew the moment he met his wife that she was the woman that held his soul, just like his grandfather told him. He loved his dainty, pixie of a wife but he also loved his job as a Navy SEAL. But his world shattered with his capture, torture and subsequent death. He now saw himself as a man who had no emotions, broken...a killer. Going back home on a mission proved that Noah wasn't who he thought he was. He purposefully pushed his emotions into a tiny container because he couldn't deal with what had been ripped from his life. But every interaction he had with his brother, Rory and Bella proved that despite what Noah thought, he was still, at his core, the man he always was. It took a lot for Noah to finally realize that, while definitely changed by what happened to him, he was still the man who loved his brother, his grandpop and most definitely his wife.

Bella had it rough. She was devastated by the loss of her husband and let life pass her by while she despaired. When she finally was dragged back to the land of the living, it was to find herself about to lose the things she holds near and dear to her (Nathan's business and their home). But in the six years since Nathan's been gone, she grown into a woman who is strong and unwilling/unbending when it comes to who she is and what she wants. She lets the real Bella show, rather than the one she thinks everyone wants to see. She doesn't hold back and she'll be in your face if she needs to be to prove a point. Noah's entrance into her life throws her for a loop, because she feels that instant connection to him that she only had with Nathan. But he also drives her insane because he tries to cram her into the pretty girl box she never really belonged in. Ultimately, Bella proved she a formidable foe to Noah's misconceptions about himself and her.

There was a terrific suspense storyline that played throughout Noah and Bella's story, but it took a backseat to the interactions between Noah and Bella. I wanted to know who was involved with the Militia and why they were doing what they were doing (and there was a HUGE shocker about who was involved) I was emotionally invested in Noah and Bella and would have gladly substituted other storyline for 428 pages of just them.

This was my first Lora Leigh book and I will definitely be looking for more with the members of the Elite Ops. (less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Quinky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have recently realized I like Odyssey’s type of story in my romance book. It’s the kind where the husband leaves the wife for a long period of time and comes back a different man. Another book, which I love, that goes by the same formula is The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James. Wild Card is supposed to be same. That’s why I'm surprised that I just can’t click with this book. It’s supposed to be perfect. Hell, I think it’s perfect. (view spoiler)...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nathan/Noah and Sabella are overly deserving of a happily ever after. Lora Leigh makes them work for it in this book. Just as Nathan and Sabella are finding a rhythm in their marriage, Nathan dies. Actually, Sabella is told that Nathan is dead because for all intents and purposes, the man she knew as Nathan is gone. A darker, harsher Nathan, now going by Noah, emerges from his trials and tribulations to help protect Sabella from the scourge that is taking over his hometown. Noah does everything...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, guys-with-guns, series

Six years ago, Navy SEAL Nathan Malone died in military hospital after being tortured and disfigured by drug lord Diego Fuentes. In his place, Elite Ops Agent Noah Blake was born. Nathan left behind a family, including his young wife Sabella, who were told he died in combat rather than the truth – he came back from Columbia a physical mess and pumped full of whore’s dust, a drug that creates a crippling need for sex. So Noah has a new face and a new job as a special security agent – in exchange...more Six years ago, Navy SEAL Nathan Malone died in military hospital after being tortured and disfigured by drug lord Diego Fuentes. In his place, Elite Ops Agent Noah Blake was born. Nathan left behind a family, including his young wife Sabella, who were told he died in combat rather than the truth – he came back from Columbia a physical mess and pumped full of whore’s dust, a drug that creates a crippling need for sex. So Noah has a new face and a new job as a special security agent – in exchange for creating a new identity for him, he’s signed his life over to the Elite Ops.

Noah’s back in Bella’s life when he learns that a militia group is in his hometown and targeting his garage for takeover and putting Bella in danger. He’s counting on his altered face and those six long years apart to keep Bella from knowing who he is, especially because he knows he can’t stay with her.

Bella’s spent six long years trying to get over Nathan’s death. When she was able to recover from the shock of it, she realized she was in danger of losing their house and his garage and she’s spent all of her time and energy trying to save it ever since. Half the town has been trying to buy her out or ruin her, including Nathan’s own father – only his half brother has stood by her. Now he’s showed up with some new employee, a dangerous-looking guy named Noah Blake who seems to think he can just take over.

Once he sees her again, Noah can’t resist going after her again. In spite of her lingering grief over Nathan, Bella can’t fight her attraction to him either – but he does seem familiar…

Noah is probably a little rougher than Leigh’s typical hero in some ways. He’s a man who’s suffered loss twice – first when he was being held captive for more than a year and lost his sense of self, then when he came back and made the choice not to go back to being Nathan Malone and lost his wife and family. There’s nothing smooth, sweet or particularly polite about him and he has friends because he’s loyal and steadfast, not because he makes nice and kicks back with a beer after work with them. Noah is rough with Bella in ways Nathan would never have been with Sabella.

A few of Leigh’s books get me to cry, but with this one, I just start out with the box of Kleenex in my lap and it’s because of Bella. While Noah’s had these six years thinking she was better off without him, she’s spent them struggling every single minute. As they’re dancing around each other, he’s mad at her for loving Nathan – and she can’t set his memory aside, for good reason.

The suspense plot is moderately interesting – more interesting were the town politics and the different people that turned on Bella after Nathan died. Some of the other Elite Ops agents are here that have their own books later, and some of those get spun off into different series’. This has some of the usual Leigh quirks that show up in all of her books – the hero has a tendency to say raunchy things to the heroine during sex and yep, he goes there. This was before the editing got bad though, so it’s easy to read.

Wild Card isn’t one of those books I pick up when I’m in the mood for something light. It’s a big emotional read, full of ups and downs, fighting and making up, some hot sexy times and a giant romantic ending. (less)

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Dec 12, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-ll-have-what-she-s-having, romantic-suspense, z-not-lendable, angsty-romance, men-in-uniform

This one was hard at first. I wasn't sure I was going to continue because right off the bat the H/h are separated and her husband is presumed dead...for three years! The author does not skirt over the heartbreak that she endures believing her soul mate is dead. Damn those Irish eyes! (if you've read this you know what I am talking about, if not read it and you will)

Nathan is a Navy SEAL and goes missing on a dangerous mission. He ran an auto shop in his local town and was the head mechanic ther...more

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About Lora Leigh

Lora Leigh lives in the rolling hills of Kentucky, often found absorbing the ambience of this peaceful setting. She dreams in bright, vivid images of the characters intent on taking over her writing life, and fights a constant battle to put them on the hard drive of her computer before they can disappear as fast as they appeared. Lora’s family, and her writing life co-exist, if not in harmony, in...more

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“I pray. I go to mass. I even remember to respect my elders and help little old ladies across the street. What the hell did I do to deserve this?” — 23 people liked it

“Oh, now my Erin, she'd smile down on me no matter where I walked." Grandpop smiled that little smile again. "But I'd be separated from her, and I'd feel that separation in my soul, you see?"
Nathan shook his head.
Grandpop sighed. "You have the Irish eyes, boy. One of these days, you'll see from eyes, not your own, feel with a heart outside your chest. Wild Irish eyes. Nathan. When you love, love well and love true, and take care, lad, because those Irish eyes are windows into not just your own soul, but the soul of the one you love." Grandpop looked out at his Erin's grave.
"And when you lose that heart, you can't leave the places where your memories are the best. And if I left her, I'd not be buried beside her.” — 6 people liked it

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Wild Card (Elite Ops #1)

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