Nightfire (Protectors, #3)

Mar 18, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hea, kidnapped, protect-me, sexy-bad-boy, suspense

Mike

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Chloe

photo d35a7150312ef6722902e56d19a5206e_zps3b491a2a.jpg

I must say Mike's story was the story I was looking forward too the most, after being introduced to him in the first book. I'm not exactly sure why, just some reason I was excited about his story.
He didn't disappoint, lol.

This story starts out with Mike being a man-whore. Actually the first word of the book is "Harder". He's gone out to drown his sorrows. Sam and Harry has the perfect lives in his eyes. They both have beautiful wiv...more

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Feb 11, 2012 BamaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Romantic Suspense and LMR fans

Shelves: romantic-suspense

As I read this new Protectors novel, I got a sense of déjà vu. This particular book of the series took a number of elements from the 'Midnight' series, but updated them with a whole new kind of hero. There were bits about both Mike and Chloe that were cherry-picked from the three Midnight books. It worked out in the end; the elements used were changed and updated enough that the reader didn't feel cheated by a repeat story. All LMR's heroes are variations on the same theme, anyway.

Mike, I don't...more As I read this new Protectors novel, I got a sense of déjà vu. This particular book of the series took a number of elements from the 'Midnight' series, but updated them with a whole new kind of hero. There were bits about both Mike and Chloe that were cherry-picked from the three Midnight books. It worked out in the end; the elements used were changed and updated enough that the reader didn't feel cheated by a repeat story. All LMR's heroes are variations on the same theme, anyway.

Mike, I don't know what to say about him. He was every bit as alpha as Rice's other heroes, but Mike was also a man-ho. He was the most flawed hero LMR has written since Drake Drakovich. From the first scene in the book of him having rough sex with a coke-head maybe prostitute, to the description of him as a man who had sex with hundreds of women; I knew he was going to be a hard sell as a romantic hero. Rice pulled it off, though; it was the tried-and-true trope of finding love with the right woman, a good woman. As bad as all this sounds, Rice really did manage it well. Early in the book, Mike did a 180 on his character flaws when he fell in love with Chloe, and the reader was rooting for the couple. While I liked the side story of the young girls headed for the slave/prostitution auction, and Consueala's story; I felt the book spent too much time in the main villain's head.

Good story, with richly drawn characters and a layered, suspenseful plot; these were more like real people than in some of her earlier books. It was good to visit with Harry, Nicole, Sam, and Ellen again. I'm so happy Harry was able to find the sister he thought was dead. I may not have liked Mike much at first, he was definitely a flawed hero, but reading his turn-around to true hero was a great read. Chloe was LMR's standard ethereal, delicate h; she really needs to work on her h's. Rice still has a habit of using old school villains, but her writing has changed over the years, and improved. Much as I loved the erotic writing she is known for, I really think I like her more Romantic Suspense writing better. Her latest books are more like the stories she writes as Elizabeth Jennings. This was my favorite of the three books of the series.(less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Lyndi rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW HAS BEEN RATED PG-13 FOR LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL REFERENCES. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, KIDDIES.

I was pleased that this book didn't employ many of the overused plot devices I've seen in romantic suspense recently. There wasn't a ton of fighting in lieu of getting to know one another; there was no "I'm the alpha and you're my bitch" moment; there wasn't any of that attempting to deny true love nonsense; and the heroine didn't do anything mortally stupid. So refreshing!

The Characters
I'm...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Kathrynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-suspense, nook, own, 2012, reviewed, theme-abused_heroine, theme-former_military, theme-hero_hard_to_like

I read the Nook version and there were a lot of mistakes that took the "umph" out of this book. Not sure if sections were edited out, left off in the Nook version, or not there altogether, but some scenes changed so abruptly--without warning--and I had to back up and see if it was me or the book.

It was the book.

Thought this was very poorly edited and there was a great deal or "recapping." I don't need to read a scene, then read it again as it was retold by another character. Also, a lot of repe...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, thriller

I loved this book. I didn't realize it until I started but this is the 3rd book in the series. (On a side note I really wish amazon would put the number in the series next to the book title, that way you would know when you ordered a book if it was in a series and what number in the series you were on.)

Not having knowledge of the other two books did not hamper my ability to read this book.

The characters in this book were definitely round. It had all my favorite aspects:
1. Romance
2. Conflict (se...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Marian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lisa-marie-rice

I liked Nightfire (Protectors #3). This was my first time reading a book by Lisa Marie Rice, and now I want to read the first 2 in the series.

Mike is a former Marine Recon Sniper and SWAT team member. He now works for RBK Security and can handle any situation. But Mike has tragedy in his past that has seriously scarred him and he deals with his pain by drinking and losing himself in about any warm body he can find. The story starts out with Mike disgusted with himself by getting drunk and findi...more I liked Nightfire (Protectors #3). This was my first time reading a book by Lisa Marie Rice, and now I want to read the first 2 in the series.

Mike is a former Marine Recon Sniper and SWAT team member. He now works for RBK Security and can handle any situation. But Mike has tragedy in his past that has seriously scarred him and he deals with his pain by drinking and losing himself in about any warm body he can find. The story starts out with Mike disgusted with himself by getting drunk and finding himself in deplorable situation with a the woman who wants him to hurt her during sex. Mike cannot hurt a woman, that just won't ever happen. It's his business to PROTECT women. He's so ashamed, he is literally amost sick, and runs out of there. He doesn't want his friends and business partners to see the dark depths he's sunk to.

Chloe had a horrific start in life. At a young age, she suffered several broken bones and spent much of her time in hospitals having surgery after surgery. As a result, physically she is weak and unable to walk very well, even though she tries to hide it. She comes to RBK security hoping to piece together the missing pieces of her past. It is here that she sees Mike for the first time and both are blown away by the feelings that come over them.

Chloe is going to be staying with Harry (one of the RBK partners) and his family for a while. Mike wants nothing more than to spend time with her and she seems to feel the same. But an unexpected detour related to his last evening with the questionable lady wanting him to rough her up during sex comes back to haunt him in a big way. As a result, Harry makes Mike promise to stay away from Chloe. Which about kills both of them.

Meanwhile, Chloe begins doing some volunteer work within the RBK organization that has some unexpected complications resulting in her being threatened by the Russian Mob. Mike can't stay away any longer when Chloe's life is in danger.

It all comes together in an explosive, satisfying conclusion. There are steamy sexual encounters, torture, intrugue, violence, and mind blowing action that kept me reading clear to the end. Even though I had trouble reading some of the torture scenes, I was still not able to stop reading. Highly recommend if you are a fan of something way beyond your typical romance.(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Aznbrain rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just finished reading this book today, and I thought it was an okay read. It was a very quick read and I thought the description of Mike’s character in the book did not match the cover. They described him as an average height, bodybuilder type of guy. Anyways, since it was a quick read, I thought the relationship between the main characters Mike and Chloe went way too fast. They literally fell in lust and love with one another from the beginning. Chloe has been in the hospital most of her life s...more

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May 26, 2012 Ailsa rated it 1 of 5 stars

My thoughts: It's taken me a while to start writing this review because there were bits that really bothered me in the book. There were other bits that I quite liked. At first, we meet Chloe as she's in the waiting room of a mysterious company, waiting very nervously to speak to someone. She's had a hard childhood, and been a victim of abuse, which is clear early on. She reveals through a tearful conversation that Harry is her brother. Aaannd here it started losing me with the lack of realism. T...more My thoughts: It's taken me a while to start writing this review because there were bits that really bothered me in the book. There were other bits that I quite liked. At first, we meet Chloe as she's in the waiting room of a mysterious company, waiting very nervously to speak to someone. She's had a hard childhood, and been a victim of abuse, which is clear early on. She reveals through a tearful conversation that Harry is her brother. Aaannd here it started losing me with the lack of realism. The family that are there at the office immediately welcome her as a sister, and they go home (where the three families involved in the series have apartments almost nextdoor to each other) and have a big family lunch. They've literally just met each other, and they go to have this cosy meal. Mike helps Chloe collect her stuff from the hotel she was staying in, because of course the family want her to stay with them, and while in the hotel room, the insta-lust between them bubbles over. Abused, virginal Chloe makes out with him against a wall, and lets him touch her intimately. It just seemed so unbelievable to me that a woman who's been through what Chloe has, and is still a virgin, would suddenly be so happy with physical contact when she's shied away from it with anyone so far in the book, and then would suddenly let herself be intimate with a man she's just met.

Moving on from that, there were bits that were very well written and I hoped it would turn out ok. There were a couple of other things along the lines of Chloe's intimacy issues that bothered me, but mostly it was the torture and the treatment of the prostitutes that also are tied in to the story. Perhaps stronger-stomached readers would have faired better, but I just didn't feel comfortable reading it. Readers here how secure Mike has made his apartment, and then someone finds a way to get in anyway - I really found it hard to accept that he would have thought of all these other ways to stop things and miss this one rather obvious one.

There is good writing in there, but I just didn't feel like it was very believable in a lot of places, and I was very uncomfortable with some scenes. I think this book has to get 4 out of 10 from me. I might read something else by this author if it had good recommendations, but it's something I'll be quite wary of.

~Ailsa
[Originally posted by me at The Book Bundle.](less)

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May 09, 2012 Ann has a dirty mouth rated it 2 of 5 stars

So, this is easily my least favorite of the series. The entire first portion of the novel where Mike was falsely accused of rape was icky to me, and I wasn't able to switch gears for the romance portion. Also, the other brothers acted like assholes to Mike, which seemed out of character for them.

Chloe and Mike had a sweet if typical for LMR romance, but they didn't get together until late in the book, and there were way too many gross and creepy occurrences. I think that a waterboarding scene w...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Anja rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oh well, that book felt flat after der 6 months jump.

I was really curious after the end of the second and had hope for a good read. It started, I really liked Mike and his very screwed up sex life and I like Chloe as the absolutely complete opposite of him. I thought they would make a great couple and I was excited to see their journey of getting together, but than the time jump happened again.

I didn't like it in the book before, but it didn't bother me as much as it did with this book. I'll ad...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, book-reviews, erotic, fiction, hope, murder, romance, mystery, romantic-suspense

Article first published as Book Review:Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice on Blogcritics.

The burn and heat of a passionate love is the stuff romance novels are famous for. An escape into the ecstasy of a racy relationship keeps the fires burning on the pages as well as in the hearts of the fan.
In Nightfire, Lisa Marie Rice has delivered with a flaming love and romance as well as a suspenseful mystery. Chloe Manson can only remember bits and parts of her life from when she was a child; most of her yout...more Article first published as Book Review:Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice on Blogcritics.

The burn and heat of a passionate love is the stuff romance novels are famous for. An escape into the ecstasy of a racy relationship keeps the fires burning on the pages as well as in the hearts of the fan.
In Nightfire, Lisa Marie Rice has delivered with a flaming love and romance as well as a suspenseful mystery. Chloe Manson can only remember bits and parts of her life from when she was a child; most of her youth was spent in endless hospital rounds, trying to correct damage done to her through abuse. When her Step parents die, she is left with a great deal of money and a secret that is almost unimaginable. When she decides to follow the leads she is given, she is unprepared for what she finds.

One of the men she encounters in her quest is a former Marine sniper and Swat officer. He is now part of a trio of men who own RBK Security, inc. They are instrumental in removing women from abusive situations, but none of them are prepared for the information Chloe brings them. Mike is instantly smitten with her, but then he is generally smitten with most anyone of the fair sex. Yet she is different, she brings out his protective tendencies. Time stands still when she is around and he is prepared to do what it takes to make her his own. When her path crosses that of the Russian mob, her life becomes forfeit. It will take everything and more for Mike to save her. What could such a kind young woman have done to draw the attention of the mob? How can Mike save her when she has no knowledge of why they are after her? Can they find the answers before their deadly attention spills over on to Mikes family and friends?

Rice has written a novel of powerful characters, and tender feelings. The danger is brutal, and she builds the tempo in a smooth and insightful fashion. Each of her characters is full of depth and understanding, but also very dangerous in their own right. The story is well written and quite believable. What really keeps you in tune is the heat that sears the very pages of the book. The tension is so thick at times you can feel the vibration. Passion and longing fill each page as Mike tries to fight his feelings and do the right thing. He is well known for his sexual activities and he does not want to besmirch her in anyway. She is beginning to become far more to him than he is comfortable with.

Danger stalks Chloe in a frightening fashion. Even with her background she is not one to step back when others are in danger. Because of her bravado, she only further earns the anger of the Russians. The damage that occurred in her youth was extreme and took years of surgery and therapy to make her whole again. She is willing to risk it all to rescue those in need.

If you enjoy hot and passionate romance novels you will enjoy this work. Throw in some suspense and danger to round out the mushy stuff and you have a more serious form of heat, one that drenches the senses. This is a great novel for taking you away from your daily grind, the suspense is good and the romance sizzles. Due to the nature of the novel there is some graffic language, not overwhelmingly so, but enough that if you are easily offended you may be bothered. The language is not overdone but there nonetheless. I look forward to reading more of Rice's work.

This book was received a s a free copy from the authors publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material. (less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Joyfully Reviewed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: joyfully-reviewed-nannette, swat, series, military, erotic, contemporary

Mike Keillor, the K in RBK Security Inc., can handle any situation. As a former Marine Force Recon sniper and SWAT team officer he’s seen and done just about anything. But Chloe Mason blows him away. When she shows up at RBK looking for answers to her painful past, Mike takes one look at her and his life changes forever.

Chloe was hoping to find some peace with her past. She gets so much more when she comes face to face with the men of RBK, especially Harry and Mike. When Chloe’s good heart gets...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Maldivianbookreviewer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lisa-marie-rice, abused-heroine, against-the-wall-smexing, beautiful-epilogues, brooding-hero, commitment-phobic-hero, contemporary-romance, controlled-hero, controlled-heroine, dangerous-hero, emotional-wrangler, endearing-hero, endearing-heroine, erotica, ex-military-hero, ex-law-enforcement-hero, explosive-passion, fabulous-cover, favorite-alpha-heroes, favorite-endings, favorite-heroes, favorite-heroines, grieving-hero, haunted-by-the-past-hero, haunted-by-the-past-heroine, hot-as-sin-hero, hottest-first-kiss, hottest-sex-scenes-ever, intense-connection-between-hh, larger-than-life-hero, loner-heroine, opposites-attract, balcony-smexing, part-of-a-series, possessive-hero, protective-hero, romantic-suspense, scarred-heroine, shower-smexing, sizzling-sexual-tension, some-violence, stalker-villian, sweet-heroines, tortured-hero, unforgettable-hero, well-off-heroine

It seems like I have been waiting forever for the release of the 3rd book in the Protector series. If you like myself have read the 2nd book Hotter than Wildfire, you would know why. Hotter than Wildfire ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader in a serious state of anticipation for this book to come out. And though Nightfire didn’t live up to all my expectations, it still managed to deliver the sort of sensually charged read that only Lisa Marie Rice can deliver.

35 year old Michael Patrick Ke...more It seems like I have been waiting forever for the release of the 3rd book in the Protector series. If you like myself have read the 2nd book Hotter than Wildfire, you would know why. Hotter than Wildfire ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader in a serious state of anticipation for this book to come out. And though Nightfire didn’t live up to all my expectations, it still managed to deliver the sort of sensually charged read that only Lisa Marie Rice can deliver.

35 year old Michael Patrick Keillor (Mike) is one of the 3 partners of the RBK Security Inc., one of the most successful security companies in the country. While his two brothers and best friends Harry and Sam had found their happily ever afters with wonderful women, Mike remains single, wandering as the restless soul that hides a wealth of pain deep inside of him. His home while stark, antiseptic and empty are a contrast to Mike’s emotions remain chaotic though he manages to hide it well.

28 year old Chloe Mason makes her way towards the building that houses RBK Security not for the usual reasons women seek them out. She comes to find out whether Harry could be her long-lost brother, hopeful and a bit apprehensive at the same time. Chloe is beyond ecstatic when Harry welcomes her with open arms, his fragile younger sister who had suffered and gone through so much in her life already.

The attraction between Mike and Chloe is an immediate and an all encompassing one that flares to life right from the very minute the two of them lay eyes on each other. Chloe though fragile and delicate with zero experience when it comes to the opposite sex knows instinctively that Mike would never hurt her. However, after one very explosive kiss that burns hotter and brighter than any usual kiss, Mike’s less than stellar activities the previous night proves to be the reason why Mike takes a step back, though he doesn’t completely step away from Chloe’s life.

Story continues six months later, at the point where Mike is ready to bring and end to a promise that has kept him from completely claiming Chloe as he would have liked to do from day one of their “relationship”. And when Chloe’s life is suddenly under threat from ex-Russian military personnel, nothing and absolutely no force on this Earth is going to prevent Mike from claiming Chloe as his, and protecting her from any sort of harm that may come to her.

Nightfire combines all the elements that makes a Lisa Marie Rice book so memorable. Mike is alpha hero personified and Chloe is the delicate, beautiful and serene heroine who just makes you think of flowers and sunshine right from the very minute that you meet her. And the fireworks that bursts forth right from the very start is trademark Lisa Marie Rice, the heat and the off the charts sensuality always a reason to keep coming back for more of her stories.

There is none who can make a reader sweat right along with the hero and heroine as they dance around the heat that is between them, succumbing to the deep pull that is a constant throughout the story. Every single sliver of desire between Mike and Chloe was one I felt to my very bones, the reason why I loved this story so much. There were certain aspects of the story I didn’t like overly much, like the constant re-telling of emotions that seems to grip both Chloe and Mike until towards the latter part of the story. Yes, Mike has a story to tell, an immensely sad one at that too, but I wanted more action on the suspense side as well as the relationship that was fostering between Mike and Chloe to be the center of the story.

Even with all those little things that didn’t work for me, I still enjoyed the story of how Chloe and Mike find that special something with each other, the epilogue at the end that put a smile on my face the reason why I would rate this as a great read, recommended for any fan of Lisa Marie Rice.

Rating=4/5

Quotes included below.(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Lady Lioness rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Maya Banks's KGI series.

Shelves: genre-romantic-suspense, read-february-2012, subgenre-warriors-fighters

Everyone who reads Lisa Marie Rice knows her books follow a certain formula. Big, he-man, alpha warrior sees a dainty, mostly likely fragile, female and falls head over heels almost instantly. There is a Big Bad after the heroine and the hero goes nuts, desperately trying to protect her and take down the threat. The hero is also usually experiencing some kind of psychological and/or physical wound, which is healed in some capacity by the heroine, despite her lack of medical or therapeutic traini...more Everyone who reads Lisa Marie Rice knows her books follow a certain formula. Big, he-man, alpha warrior sees a dainty, mostly likely fragile, female and falls head over heels almost instantly. There is a Big Bad after the heroine and the hero goes nuts, desperately trying to protect her and take down the threat. The hero is also usually experiencing some kind of psychological and/or physical wound, which is healed in some capacity by the heroine, despite her lack of medical or therapeutic training. The emotional connection happens at hyper-speed and all of 'em are wealthy. Despite Rice's attempts at injecting grittiness by focusing on real world issues, these books have only a passing relationship with reality.

I love 'em. These books, for me, are pure fantasy and while I wouldn't want to be in the heroines' shoes for a moment, the idea of not having to be afraid all the time, of having someone capable of protecting me from all threats, is positively intoxicating. As a result, after I read Hot Secrets, I hunted up the majority of Rice's backlist. After finishing Midnight Man, I noted that I could tell it was an early book, but the potential was clearly there.

In my opinion, Nightfire is a major step forward. You need to read Hotter than Wildfire first, but Rice sidesteps most of her usual pitfalls in Nightfire. While Mike is instantly attracted to Chloe and there's some immediate fooling around, Rice does a (admittedly awkward) time jump of six months. The reader learns later that Mike and Chloe became friends during that time, getting to know each other, free from emotional stress or entanglements. In addition, Mike guides Chloe through a weightlifting and exercise program. She doesn't magically turn into She-Hulk and when she gets attacked later in the book, Chloe manages to defend herself long enough for Mike to get to her. In addition, Rice has really improved in making the Big Bad a credible threat. I mean, he never had a chance (of course) against Harry and Mike, but he wasn't stupid. He was smart, he made logical plans, and he was scary to think about. Finally, Mike comes off more like a man driven to his limits rather than a naturally controlling or domineering male. You get less of a 'stalker' sense off him, compared to some of her other heroes.

As far as content goes, there is an attempted rape scene, a not really consensual sex scene, violence towards women (including a torture scene), and murder in self defense. If any of this squicks you or if you have a problem with a very alpha warrior male, stay away. If you are a fan of Rice's work, I definitely recommend this book and hope Rice will continue to grow as an author. (less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Paula Legate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-romance

I almost stopped reading this book before the 1st chapter, and I'm glad I didn't. The 1st chapter is about what Mike did one night, drank too much, ended up in the wrong part of town with someone and he didn't even ask her name. The second chapter he met Chloe. I fell in love with Chloe, she was so sweet, and giving, always wanting to help. She had gone through so much in her lifetime. I loved how much Mike cared for Chloe. The relationship between Mike and Chloe kept me reading. If it wasn't f...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Starry rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Chloe Mason's childhood memories consist of seemingly endless hospital stays. Now all grown up and healthy, her determination to fill the gaping holes in her past leads her to her long-lost brother, Harry . . . which brings Harry's friend and business partner, Mike Keillor, crashing into her life and her heart.

Former Marine Force Recon sniper and SWAT officer--a martial arts expert and owner of a successful security company--Mike can deal coolly and efficiently with any threat . . . until he's...more Chloe Mason's childhood memories consist of seemingly endless hospital stays. Now all grown up and healthy, her determination to fill the gaping holes in her past leads her to her long-lost brother, Harry . . . which brings Harry's friend and business partner, Mike Keillor, crashing into her life and her heart.

Former Marine Force Recon sniper and SWAT officer--a martial arts expert and owner of a successful security company--Mike can deal coolly and efficiently with any threat . . . until he's blindsided by something he never expected: fierce, fiery passion . . . and love.

But when Chloe inadvertently crosses the Russian mob, Mike realizes that evil is darkening his world once again. He has already lost his family; he will not lose the woman who enflames him, who makes him whole. Failure is not an option.
_______________________________________________
Chloe gives it a shot and goes to harry, who might be her long lost brother, and turns out he is! harry was so surprised, and introduced ther to his family members, including grace(harry's daughter), and merry(nichole's daughter).Mike sleeps with woman from place to place, but when hje saw chloe it was like Bam! instint attractions. problems happen that lead people to think that mike abused a woman during sex, but with the help of his family and chloe, they have evidence to prove that he didnt do it. As for harry, he's the protective brother, and warns mike to stay away from chloe, who he doesnt think can handle mike and his abusiveness.
Russian people attacked chloe because chloe has been talking to these girls, who she doesnt know are working for the russian people as sex slaves(the girls are good guys though, not bad).

Ellen is pregnant again! yay for them!
Nicole has another baby named laura!
harry and Mike saved chloe and killed the russian leader, and saved the little girls that were ganna b sold off to older men. Chloe's money (20 million)!!! was sent off to london to help the little girls for education, and chloe couldnt have kids at first but now she can because she went to london to try out these new testes! and its twin boys!(less)

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Feb 20, 2012 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, guys-with-guns, series

I have this long-standing relationship with Lisa Marie Rice’s books. As a trade-off for not minding what’s generally the same plot and type of hero and heroine over and over again, I get an over the top cracktastical love story with bad guys out of a Bond movie and a lot of weaponry all around. I liked this one quite a bit, even if it did seem to be more familiar (and more of a fantasy) than usual.

The trio of books that have been released so far center around the men who own RBK, a security comp...more I have this long-standing relationship with Lisa Marie Rice’s books. As a trade-off for not minding what’s generally the same plot and type of hero and heroine over and over again, I get an over the top cracktastical love story with bad guys out of a Bond movie and a lot of weaponry all around. I liked this one quite a bit, even if it did seem to be more familiar (and more of a fantasy) than usual.

The trio of books that have been released so far center around the men who own RBK, a security company that also has a mission to give abused women new, safe lives. This is the “K” guy’s book, Mike Keillor – weapons guy, former Marine, ex-SWAT and man-‘ho. If it’s the right gender, approaches him and is willing, he’ll do it. As in do it, including his latest, a crackhead who likes to be hurt. Then he comes across a woman in the waiting room of RBK and all of his instincts start screaming, “Mine!”

The last book was for the “B” in RBK, Harry Bolt, and the traumatic murder of his baby sister and subsequent events played a large role in his story. She didn’t die though, she was horribly injured, adopted and now Chloe has shown up at RBK to see her brother. As with all of LMR’s heroines that I can think of, she’s uncommonly lovely, tasteful, has suffered greatly but overcome it bravely and could probably cure cancer if you gave her a week. Maybe two days. She’s all aflutter over Mike (oh, and her newly found family who love her like crazy, including the children who are on her like ants on honey).

That night with the crackhead ‘ho comes back to haunt Mike though and keeps him away from Chloe romantically for six months. For a “let’s just skip ahead and have the author tell us what happened in a ridiculous conversation,” way six months. Enter Evil Foreign Bad Dude – because they’re nearly all foreign, most of them from Russia. Something Chloe is doing is threatening a deal the Russian is working on, so Bozos 'R Us are sent to threaten her, sending Mike into super alpha protector mode and jump-starting their relationship.

If anyone’s read LMR’s Midnight series 2004-2006, this was reminiscent of it, especially the last book, Midnight Angel. Now I happened to love that one (and I think I’m going to re-read it soon) even though it’s got a million clichés, isn’t very realistic and was the first time I noticed the recycled plot/characters. She’s addicting if you like that kind of thing once in a while and oh, I like. So I didn’t mind all that much that this seemed a little…familiar.

LMR also writes under the name Elizabeth Jennings (for more traditional romantic suspense) and she’s tending to spend a lot of time in the villains’ heads in both sides lately. I don’t mind so much in the Jennings books because it makes sense in the different format but it can get annoying here. I also was irritated by how much time and space was devoted to reminding me how happy Harry and Sam were with their wives and children. Well, duh. I know they are, they’re taking up a lot of space in scenes with Mike and Chloe.

There was a lot less sex here than in the usual LMR, mostly because of the time jumping around and getting to watch the villain twirl his moustache and be all menacing. What sexy times there were seemed less explicit or at least more emotionally driven. Hey, the alphas are evolving!

This delivered exactly what I expected, which is actually a relief for me since I’ve had mixed luck with LMR’s books lately. Mike was complex with some interesting issues, his insecurities and fears layers deep. Chloe was more of a pothole-deep puddle, but I still liked her, mostly because of the way Mike saw her. I don’t know if this is the end of the series or not – while there’s a secondary guard named Barney who appears a lot, I sort of hope he doesn’t get his own book. Anyway, this has been the best of LMR’s series’ in its entirety since Midnight, in my opinion and if you’re up for some wild, unrealistic and potentially addicting reading, then this is it.

My Rating: B+(less)

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Feb 20, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for_review, rom-suspense

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: 4.5/5

Mike pulled me into this book right from the first page. He’s in a bad place emotionally and on the night we start his story he’s drunk and having sex with a woman he doesn’t know. He gets with it enough to realize that not only is she demanding he hurt her to along with the sex, but she’s a drug addict and he’s in the middle of a rundown, trashy apartment. He leaves before they finish and things get any worse but it’s a moment that feel...more Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: 4.5/5

Mike pulled me into this book right from the first page. He’s in a bad place emotionally and on the night we start his story he’s drunk and having sex with a woman he doesn’t know. He gets with it enough to realize that not only is she demanding he hurt her to along with the sex, but she’s a drug addict and he’s in the middle of a rundown, trashy apartment. He leaves before they finish and things get any worse but it’s a moment that feels rock bottom for him and one that as readers, we just know it’s going to come back and bite him in the ass. He depends on his best friends Sam and Harry and their wives and daughters as his main focus in life. They’re his family and the only people who’ve kept him from losing himself completely in the tragedy of his past. All the men have tragic pasts and Mike’s best friend and really his brother by choice, Harry, has a visitor from his past in the form of Chloe.

Chloe is terrified when she walks into her brother’s office, meeting him for the first time in years. He believes she’s dead, she never remembered he even existed and I could not WAIT for their reunion scene. These are the book moments that I go crazy for and this one didn’t disappoint. Chloe not only meets her brother, but Mike as well and the calm he feels around her is shocking and welcome and he knows right then that he needs to be around her; she fills up the empty spaces in his life that have been there since his close family was murdered when he was a young boy.

There’s a time jump in the book, 6 months after Chloe meets her family and Mike, we’re reconnected with them and find out that in those 6 months after Harry warned Mike to not touch Chloe because of his drunk, sex crazed ways, he hasn’t touched her. But he has been around her, helping her with strength training she badly needs from all the surgeries and injuries she’s had to deal with over the years. He’s just there for her, and for the first time in his life, he’s with a woman and not just in her bed. I didn’t mind the time jump. It was a little odd coming about a third of the way through the book, but I like time passage in romances – it adds a bit more depth to the relationship for me. I always have a hard time having the hero and heroine declare their love for one another after they’ve known each other for 5 days. While we don’t see Chloe and Mike become friends during these 6 months, we get a complete sense of what he’s done for her and how he’s helped her in every way possible. It just added a great layer to their relationship and I loved thinking of them going from friends to lovers over the course of 6+ months.

Mike was barely paying attention to them, to Sam and Harry. He moved closer. He couldn’t help it. Chloe was light itself and he was helplessly drawn to it, to her. There was some kind of aura there, something he’d never seen in anyone else before, something that drew him in without any volition on his part. His legs moved without him willing it, his entire body moving toward the light, moving toward something it had never seen before and instantly recognized as something it craved.

The suspense plot revolves around a men’s club that’s really a high end brothel (saying that a brothel is high end seems so wrong) but the women are all there and for a high price they’re rented out for the night. The American running the club has joined forces with a Russian group and their new venture is bringing in really young girls who will get them an even higher price. Chloe is unknowingly tossed into the middle of this mess when a current prostitute at the club seeks counsel and help at a shelter that Chloe volunteers at. The Russians hear about Chloe and a couple men are sent to “warn” her away. With Chloe now in danger, Mike takes over and they all try to figure out who the Russians are and try to stop them from bringing the young girls in to be sold.

I really got into the suspense plot and the lead Russian boss, Nikitin was horrible. It wasn’t hard to hate him and in fact some of his unemotional, torture scenes were a bit too much for me. That’s the only thing that knocked my rating down just a little, one waterboard torture scene was hard to read and I ended up reading through it really quickly and peeked through my fingers as I did so. Ok, not really with the peeking, but it was disturbing and I was glad to move past that scene and get on with things. That aside, the story was fast paced and well balanced between getting the bad guys POV and the main characters. There’s quite a bit of Sam, Harry and their families, but I loved seeing them in the story for Chloe. She’d been alone and unloved her whole live and I liked seeing her surrounded by her new family.

Those fuckers had hurt her physically but Mike, man, he was a real champ because he wasn’t hurting her body, which would heal, he was hurting her heart, which wouldn’t. At the very moment she needed him, he was turning his back on her.

And even realizing this, even knowing Chloe was heading back to his bedroom to deal with her fear and trauma on her own, as she always had, he hesitated, frozen like a statue. Unable to move forward, unable to move at all.

Because this was a huge moment for him and his life was going to divide into two, right here, right now.

She was disappearing into his room, and in a second it would be too late. He’d stay forever on this side of the divide, alone and hurting.

“Chloe,” he said quietly. “Stop.”

She stopped, back to him, head low.

And then Mike said three words he had never said to any human being before. Three words he never thought he could say, three words he’d worked his whole life not to have to say.

“Chloe.” His voice was hoarse, the words painful to get out. “I need you.”

Now Mike. Oh my, how I love an alpha hero that’s so vulnerable and dealing with an incredibly tragic past. He’s a true protector and will do anything to keep Chloe safe, but she protects him too. For the first time, he’s able to fully open up to someone about what he went through the day his family died and it’s a great, emotional scene and I just love how Mike was written. He’s tough on the outside, but a total softy when it came to Chloe. And of course their insanely hot sex scenes just added that much more. They’re a couple whose relationship was easy to believe in and they felt well matched. A scene between them would end and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen with them next.

This is book three in Lisa Marie Rice’s Protectors series and I will be going back and reading the first two books. This was actually the first full length book of LMR’s I’ve read (I know, for shame!) and if going by this book is any indication, she writes the type of hero that I always fall in love with so easily. A great, gripping read and one I highly recommend.(less)

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Feb 11, 2012 CrazyPenguinLady rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not at all what I expected.
Lisa Marie Rice's books are all, in my opinion, slightly different versions of the same book. Sometimes I even thought that surely she copied and pasted some descriptive sentences because come on, they were so similar (I'm serious.)

Dainty/feminine/fragile heroine being protected by huge/macho/alpha male hero from the evil/woman-and-child-abusing/mostly-foreign villain set in a harsh-primitive-male atmosphere. This book had these elements. It lacked, however, the page...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Lauren rated it 1 of 5 stars

I can't believe the high ratings for this book on here. I was very disappointed with this book. I wanted to read two other books by Lisa Marie Rice, but I couldn't find them at my local bookstore, so I bought this one instead. The synopsis of this book seemed interesting, but I thought it was far from it.

At times I was bored by this book, and found myself skipping ahead, which is something I rarely (if ever) do. It was just too wordy for my taste. It took 25 pages for Mike and Chole to even meet...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Isis FG rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Isis FG by: continuation of a series

Shelves: bought-barnesnoble, condition-new, format-trade-pb, series-protectors-lmr, published-2012, genre-romance-erotic, 2012, info-full, reviewed, stars-4

I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but it was still a story that sucked me and kept me coming back for more until I finished.

Series Note:
Third book in LMR's “Protector's” series about a trio of Alpha males who've overcome bad childhoods to become top security experts.

Summary:
Unlike his two best friends – brothers – Mike Keillor wasn't born into a terrible family. His life was changed the day his family was slaughtered and he's never been able to get over the...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

3.5 stars
I liked the romance. I liked how the relationship took several months to develop and how Chloe and Mike helped each other become stronger and happier people. I wish there had been more time spent with them and less time on the suspense side of the story.

Granted, I'm not a huge suspense fan, but even I found that part of the story kind of weak. Disturbing, yes. Human trafficking is horrifying and I'll probably be making a donation to the Somaly Mam Foundation in the near future. But the...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, fun-but-forgettable

It's almost sacrilege to me to rate an LMR 3-stars. I love her alpha heroes. Her heroines are almost uniformly too-good-to-be-true gorgeous on the outside and even more beautiful inside. The conflicts are almost all external, a psychotic and/or sociopathic bad guy, sometimes a slightly-sympathetic sociopath bad-guy.

Nightfire features an alpha male (Mike) and too-good-to-be-true heroine (Chloe). Chloe is Harry's sister from Protectors#2, long-thought to have died at age 5. Chloe is reunited with...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Tyraa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read the first two books in this series a while ago but Nightfire can be read easily as a standalone. Lisa is an expert at writing suspenseful stories with sexy protective alpha males and their strong willed women. Her writing is superb and her couples always manage to steam up the pages.

Chloe has had a tragic childhood and when she confronts her long lost brother, Harry, the reunion is everything she could have hoped for plus more. Mike’s business partner is instantly attracted to her and th...more I read the first two books in this series a while ago but Nightfire can be read easily as a standalone. Lisa is an expert at writing suspenseful stories with sexy protective alpha males and their strong willed women. Her writing is superb and her couples always manage to steam up the pages.

Chloe has had a tragic childhood and when she confronts her long lost brother, Harry, the reunion is everything she could have hoped for plus more. Mike’s business partner is instantly attracted to her and they share a short moment of pleasure. But when Harry warns Mike off his sister, Mike grudgingly keeps his distant whilst still watching over. When Chole unknowingly steps into a dangerous situation with the Russian mob after her, it’s up to Mike to protect her before it’s too late.

The attraction between Mike and Chloe is almost instant. They have something and they both know it. Their first encounter is explosive and when they finally get together after the 6 month stand off, its hot. I really did enjoy these two. Although things progressed quickly, Chole was a great match for Mike. Serene, beautiful and kind-hearted she balances out and matches Mike perfectly. I love how protective and insanely attracted Mike is to Chloe. At one point unconsciously drawing closer to her because of her natural bright aura. So cute.

Mike definitely had a way of words. I usually like being in the male’s POV, I find it much more interesting than in a female’s. But his inner thoughts were at times total nonsense – like for example:

The truth was he was scared shitless. There was nothing here he even remotely recognized as familiar, except his hard-on. And even that somehow felt different. It wasn’t a normal hard-on, the kind he had when an available women was around. No, it was a Chloe woodie, through and through.

Seriously. A Chloe woodie? Oh boy.

But despite this I really got into the suspenseful part of the story. I was impressed with the extensive knowledge of the terms and names for the weaponry. Lisa surely did her homework there. The villain is pure evil, waterboarding a woman for information and she doesn’t shy away from making the story believable.

The ending resolved things quite fast but it was full of suspense I was holding my breath at times. I highly recommend to all.

Rating: 4/5 (less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Amanda P rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, own-as-an-ebook

This hot and steamy title was available on Amazon for $0.99 for the month of December or maybe it was January, and when I saw that cover I had to have it! Let’s face it that is a pretty smoke’n cover! I didn’t really have any expectations from this book. I’ve never read this author before, so I didn’t have anything to base it on. I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Is it the best book I’ve ever read, no, but it was an enjoyable read.

This is a hot and steamy read; the passion ignites between Mike...more This hot and steamy title was available on Amazon for $0.99 for the month of December or maybe it was January, and when I saw that cover I had to have it! Let’s face it that is a pretty smoke’n cover! I didn’t really have any expectations from this book. I’ve never read this author before, so I didn’t have anything to base it on. I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Is it the best book I’ve ever read, no, but it was an enjoyable read.

This is a hot and steamy read; the passion ignites between Mike and Chloe. When this book first starts Mike is what they would call a “rake” back in the day. He goes through woman like Kleenex. He has pretty much hit rock bottom at the beginning of this book. He doesn’t know what in the hell he is doing with his life anymore. He is a former Marine and a protector by nature. But the deaths of his family when he was a young boy have really messed with him. He’s been trying to fill a void with woman and it isn’t working anymore. Even tho Mike is kinda a hoe, you still kind of feel for him. He’s still a good guy, je just deals with his inner demons in a F’ed up way. When he meets Chloe he knows his life has irrevocably been changed. But when he comes up on charges of assault and rape of someone he barely touched he knows what little chance he had with Chloe is now gone. Six months pass and Mike cleans up his life, but Chloe is still out of his grasp. He contents himself with just being near her and helping her with anything she needs. All that changes and every protective instinct comes out when Chloe’s life is threatened. Now he is desperate to keep her safe, even against the Russian Mafia.

When we first meet Chloe she is so fragile, breakable like glass. She spent the bulk of her childhood in hospitals. Almost every bone in her body had been broken and she had to go through surgery after surgery. She was neglected by her “parents” and it isn’t until after they die that she finds out that her parents are not her parents and that she has a brother. This is what brings her to California and to Mike’s offices. We watch Chloe go from timid fragile to, to a confident woman that even faces down an Russian hit man. But it is Mike that she really has to tackle. Ever since that first day he has been keeping her close but at the same time at an arms distance and it is driving her mad. It is not until her life is threatened that the barriers that Mike has built start crumbling. She takes all that Mike has to give and gives him so much more. I really enjoyed Chloe’s transformation. She really grows as a character.

The story is pretty exciting. Anytime you are dealing with the Russian mafia you are going to have danger and excitement. Mike gets to kick some serious a$$ and really put his skills to work. On top of the danger Mike and Chloe steam up the pages. Their passion unfurls amazingly once the barrier that was keeping Mike from Chloe is gone there is nothing that can keep him from her. I’m so glad I picked up this title. If it’s still $0.99 I’d grab it too if I were you!
(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Melissa Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bah! The first couple chapters in this book broke my heart...in a good way. I really loved the characters of Chloe and Mike. They were the perfect combo. Quiet lonely girl and sensitive sexpot hero - just want I needed! This story was an emotional roller-coaster for me. I was happy, I was sad, I was enthralled.
I'm not sure I would have liked this book as much as I did if I hadn't read the previous books in the series (you have to know Chole's brother Harry's story to really feel the emotional...more

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May 03, 2012 Cindy McDonald rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mike Kieller is a damaged hero. His life was ripped apart at the age of ten by the tragic murder of his family. He drinks too much, picks up raw women, and like Charlie Sheen is a sex addict-not your usual hero, that's for sure. Well, that's when Chloe Mason's comes into his life, and her childhood wasn't exactly a bed of roses. She spent most of it in the hospital having surgery after surgery to fix what an abusive step father broke-55 bones in her body to be exact.

Chloe has come looking for he...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Jane Litte rated it 4 of 5 stars

What can I say? This is my kind of book. The 4 star rating is because it delivers what I wanted it to deliver. A classic LMR hero, some action, some good lovin' (although I'm not sure how I feel with LMR's transition to using the word vagina constantly as that is such an unsexy word). There were some other elements that I really liked (LMR's hero, Mike, coming to a realization that being a man slut was something to be embarrassed about and that it might ruin his chances with a woman he really ca...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chloe Mason hasn't had an easy life. She was gravely injured as a child by her mother's partner, and then adopted by her rich aunt. She spent the next 10 years in hospital, undergoing operation after operation for her injuries. It was a lonely life, as her aunt's sense of obligation extended only to paying for treatment, not to affection, or even visits. When she was well enough to go home with her aunt, it soon became clear the woman's husband was a pervert, so off she went to boarding school.

N...more Chloe Mason hasn't had an easy life. She was gravely injured as a child by her mother's partner, and then adopted by her rich aunt. She spent the next 10 years in hospital, undergoing operation after operation for her injuries. It was a lonely life, as her aunt's sense of obligation extended only to paying for treatment, not to affection, or even visits. When she was well enough to go home with her aunt, it soon became clear the woman's husband was a pervert, so off she went to boarding school.

Now both aunt and uncle have died, and Chloe has inherited their estate. Amongst their papers, she discovers evidence that she has a brother, one who her aunt refused to adopt with her. As the book starts, she's waiting to see him at the business he owns with two partners.

That brother is Harry Bolt, hero of the first book in the series, Into The Crossfire. Harry is ecstatic to discover his beloved little sister is still alive, and welcomes her into the family with open arms. But it's one of his partners, Mike, who's happiest to meet her. Mike has been a bit of a hound dog (well, a total hound dog, actually) with women, but as soon as he meets Chloe, that's it for him. Unfortunately for Mike, his previous behaviour means that Harry is especially protective of Chloe where Mike is concerned.

And then all hell breaks lose, when Chloe's innocent actions put the Russian mafia on her trail, and Mike has no choice but to brush aside Harry's objections.

Things start out with a chemistry between Chloe and Mike that is intense, even for LMR. I was fanning myself, and then things come to a head. Mike's particularly sleazy actions the night before come back to bit him in the ass, and Harry puts a stop to his rapidly budding relationship with his sister.

I was very conflicted about this. On one hand, these two are patriarchal idiots. Who the hell does Harry think he is, forbidding Mike to go after his sister? And why does Mike just accept that, not even taking into account what Chloe might want? But on the other hand, I was a bit queasy myself, as I read the book and saw Mike going so strongly after Chloe in such a sexual way, when the aftereffects of the sleazy night before were still being felt. I was even feeling he should back off, that it all felt, well, yes, a bit sleazy. And also, I'm glad that for once, the hero's promiscuity and the sordidness of his sex life is presented as something bad, rather than a mark of manhood, and that he suffers some adverse consequences on him.

A few months of nothing (really nothing, Mike is now "disgusted" by other women *rolls eyes*), and then Chloe is in danger, and everything moves ridiculously fast. It was hot, but I kind of wanted a bit more of the falling in love process. Most of it seems to happen kind of off the page, in the months we gloss over. I quite enjoyed the romance, in the end (in spite of myself, as usual), but it could have been better.

The secondary characters were a mixed bag. The couples from the previous two books were nauseating. I actually liked them in their own books, but here, the overwhelming smugness made me want to puke. My favourite character was Consuelo, the prostitute Chloe tries to help. Some of her scenes made me tear up (especially when, after years of being exploited, she's finally treated with respect by someone), and I loved the hint at a possible romance for her. I loved that she wasn't portrayed as a pitiful victim, but as someone who basically rescues herself, taking a massive risk. I would love to read more about her, especially that romance!

MY GRADE: A B-. (less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dhasg, romantic-suspense

This one was just off. I skimmed the first half because the beginning just turned me off and I hoped it would get better. The Mike from the first two books, whom I liked so well, didn't really show up until later. I have been looking forward to his book since he showed up at Nicole's door all polite decked out in his SWAT uniform.
The plot with the Russian Mafia and human trafficing had so much unrealized potential which is a shame as the plot was alot more beleivable than Into the Crossfire's an...more

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Nightfire (Protectors #3)

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