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Rockfort Security #1
Bad Nights
You Only Get a Second Chance...
Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...
If You Stay Alive...
Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her--until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating--and undeniably compelling.
Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live--if they can survive.
Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...
If You Stay Alive...
Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her--until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating--and undeniably compelling.
Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live--if they can survive.
331 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
23 people are currently reading
861 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca York
319 books449 followersRuth Glick (born 1942) is a best-selling author of healthy cookbooks and has also written dozens of romantic suspense romance novels under the pen name Rebecca York.
Ruth earned a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from George Washington University and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Although she always wanted to become a writer, Glick was convinced that her lack of spelling skills meant that her goal was unattainable. As a stay-at-home mother, she took a community college course to help her choose a career. The course made it very clear that writing was her primary interest. Glick began writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but after several years decided to try writing fiction. Her first book, a kids' science fiction book, was finally purchased by Scholastic Inc..
Since then, Glick has become a highly successful author of over 50 romantic suspense and paranormal novels. Many of her novels are published under the Harlequin Intrigue line, and in June 2003, she became one of the first authors published under Berkley's new Sensation imprint. Before 1997, she often collaborated with Eileen Buckholtz and Kathryn Jenson.
Glick also is a highly regarded author of cookbooks focusing on healthy eating. She sometimes hires trained chefs to test the recipes that she creates, and makes sure that every recipe is tested at least three times before it appears in one of her cookbooks.
Glick is the head of the Columbia Writers Workshop. She and her husband, Norman Glick, live in Columbia, Maryland, where Ruth collects rocks, and enjoys cooking, walking, reading, gardening, travel, and Mozart operas. They have two grown children, Elissa and Ethan, and two grandsons (Jesse and Leo).
Ruth earned a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from George Washington University and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Although she always wanted to become a writer, Glick was convinced that her lack of spelling skills meant that her goal was unattainable. As a stay-at-home mother, she took a community college course to help her choose a career. The course made it very clear that writing was her primary interest. Glick began writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but after several years decided to try writing fiction. Her first book, a kids' science fiction book, was finally purchased by Scholastic Inc..
Since then, Glick has become a highly successful author of over 50 romantic suspense and paranormal novels. Many of her novels are published under the Harlequin Intrigue line, and in June 2003, she became one of the first authors published under Berkley's new Sensation imprint. Before 1997, she often collaborated with Eileen Buckholtz and Kathryn Jenson.
Glick also is a highly regarded author of cookbooks focusing on healthy eating. She sometimes hires trained chefs to test the recipes that she creates, and makes sure that every recipe is tested at least three times before it appears in one of her cookbooks.
Glick is the head of the Columbia Writers Workshop. She and her husband, Norman Glick, live in Columbia, Maryland, where Ruth collects rocks, and enjoys cooking, walking, reading, gardening, travel, and Mozart operas. They have two grown children, Elissa and Ethan, and two grandsons (Jesse and Leo).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 25, 2016
Bad Nights by Rebecca York
#1 in the Rockfort Security series
★★
Synopsis: When Professor Morgan Rains goes out to investigate a strange sound coming from her backyard, the last thing she expects to see is a naked man covered with burns and bruises. Jack Brandt is a former Navy SEAL on an undercover mission, and he's barely managed to escape from a terrorist militia's torture. When his torturers come back to claim him, he and Morgan are thrown into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, and they soon find themselves falling in love. When Morgan is captured, Jack must rescue the woman whose life now means more to him than his own.
My Thoughts: A book with a great premise that just didn't live up to it's potential.
What Worked: The set up for this book was really great. An ex-Navy SEAL who goes undercover to investigate a militia group is compromised and tortured, barely escaping with his life. How awesome does that sound? This really could have been touted as a thriller similar to the likes of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books yet it falls so very flat on every aspect that finishing it was a chore. Which leads me into.....
What Didn't Work: A series of unlikely events compromised the integrity of the book. We're to suspend our disbelief that a man tortured so severely he can barely see, walk or even maintain consciousness is able to rally after only a few hours of sleep to escape a burning cabin, traipse through the woods, take out an enemy soldier and fight off a mountain lion. We also have to believe that a professor of Psychology doesn't know the difference between a psychopath, a sociopath or someone with an antisocial personality. "Did that mean she was in the clutches of a psychopath? Or sociopath? Or someone with an antisocial personality? Whatever you wanted to call it." (straight from said professor's thoughts.) We also have to believe that a security firm made up of an ex-Navy SEAL, an ex-Army MP and an ex-cop would take a job without investigating their new client, after they all agree isn't telling them the full truth and know he didn't even tell them his real name. We also have to believe that the money man behind the militia is waging war on Washington DC and planning on killing hundreds if not thousands because he lost his son at war. And yes, we are also to believe that a woman still mourning her husband who died a year and a half earlier (yes we know she is because that is all she thinks about and is actually watching old video tapes of them together just prior to finding Naked Man outside her cabin) is no longer thinking of her dead husband but hoping to make a relationship work with said Naked Man a mere 48 hours after meeting him.
In addition to this we have inconsistencies with a ladies button down long sleeve shirt which Gail had to take off so Naked Man can inspect her forearm because her button down shirt didn't have buttons on her cuffs to which she could simply undo and roll up her sleeve. A situation where those crazy kids were soaked with rain yet their shirts were stiff with blood (wet blood does not get stiff), Gail's unusual forearm that happens to be above her elbow. "The animal had left teeth marks in her forearm, above her elbow." and her amazing ability to hypnotize someone by simply saying "Relax now. Relax now. We're going back to that beach." because she took a class once in college.
In a Nutshell: A series of unbelievable events, inept professionals and insta-love makes Bad Nights just, well, bad. I couldn't recommend this in good conscience to fans of Romantic Suspense which is a darn shame. I have read several of York's Harlequin Intrigue Rom/Susp books and I very much enjoyed them. Too bad this wasn't one of those. If it had been it would have been 100 pages shorter and less taxing to read.
#1 in the Rockfort Security series
★★
Synopsis: When Professor Morgan Rains goes out to investigate a strange sound coming from her backyard, the last thing she expects to see is a naked man covered with burns and bruises. Jack Brandt is a former Navy SEAL on an undercover mission, and he's barely managed to escape from a terrorist militia's torture. When his torturers come back to claim him, he and Morgan are thrown into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, and they soon find themselves falling in love. When Morgan is captured, Jack must rescue the woman whose life now means more to him than his own.
My Thoughts: A book with a great premise that just didn't live up to it's potential.
What Worked: The set up for this book was really great. An ex-Navy SEAL who goes undercover to investigate a militia group is compromised and tortured, barely escaping with his life. How awesome does that sound? This really could have been touted as a thriller similar to the likes of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books yet it falls so very flat on every aspect that finishing it was a chore. Which leads me into.....
What Didn't Work: A series of unlikely events compromised the integrity of the book. We're to suspend our disbelief that a man tortured so severely he can barely see, walk or even maintain consciousness is able to rally after only a few hours of sleep to escape a burning cabin, traipse through the woods, take out an enemy soldier and fight off a mountain lion. We also have to believe that a professor of Psychology doesn't know the difference between a psychopath, a sociopath or someone with an antisocial personality. "Did that mean she was in the clutches of a psychopath? Or sociopath? Or someone with an antisocial personality? Whatever you wanted to call it." (straight from said professor's thoughts.) We also have to believe that a security firm made up of an ex-Navy SEAL, an ex-Army MP and an ex-cop would take a job without investigating their new client, after they all agree isn't telling them the full truth and know he didn't even tell them his real name. We also have to believe that the money man behind the militia is waging war on Washington DC and planning on killing hundreds if not thousands because he lost his son at war. And yes, we are also to believe that a woman still mourning her husband who died a year and a half earlier (yes we know she is because that is all she thinks about and is actually watching old video tapes of them together just prior to finding Naked Man outside her cabin) is no longer thinking of her dead husband but hoping to make a relationship work with said Naked Man a mere 48 hours after meeting him.
In addition to this we have inconsistencies with a ladies button down long sleeve shirt which Gail had to take off so Naked Man can inspect her forearm because her button down shirt didn't have buttons on her cuffs to which she could simply undo and roll up her sleeve. A situation where those crazy kids were soaked with rain yet their shirts were stiff with blood (wet blood does not get stiff), Gail's unusual forearm that happens to be above her elbow. "The animal had left teeth marks in her forearm, above her elbow." and her amazing ability to hypnotize someone by simply saying "Relax now. Relax now. We're going back to that beach." because she took a class once in college.
In a Nutshell: A series of unbelievable events, inept professionals and insta-love makes Bad Nights just, well, bad. I couldn't recommend this in good conscience to fans of Romantic Suspense which is a darn shame. I have read several of York's Harlequin Intrigue Rom/Susp books and I very much enjoyed them. Too bad this wasn't one of those. If it had been it would have been 100 pages shorter and less taxing to read.
September 9, 2018
The book jumped into the plot too quickly. Usually you get a lil background and learn about the character, but not here. It showed Morgan watching tv right before she sees Jack outside her home.
I didn't like that sexual thoughts happened so soon, while he's injured. It was absolutely ridiculous to wonder if you'd have a relationship with the unconscious guy you're hauling to your house in a tarp, while he's black and blue all over, has a swollen eye and burn marks. Just because he has a big penis. Of course his penis had to be bigger than her husbands. On pg22 she's thinking of making love with him. That is ridiculously soon, and just because he has a big penis, why would you think of a relationship with him?
She applies salve to his burns, and afterwards he closed his eyes. She 'knows why.' Because they were strangers and she was touching him like a lover would. Not that his eyes would be closed because you're touching burn marks, and he's been tortured.
The language was downright stupid at times, like saying Jack went into 'Defender mode.'
And calling the bad guys 'Big kahuna' & 'Evil overlord.' One guy was known as Deep Throat, and another as Mr. Money.
The term 'Super-prick.'
It was very convenient the cabin happened to be part of the Underground Railroad, so they could escape through a tunnel. Of course her cell was dead, and the power went out so she couldn't charge it. It was also very convenient all this happened over the weekend while class wasn't in.
I love when he said "I'm dangerous, and you need to ditch me," like he was warning her away from him, and trying to save her.
I wondered what could have landed jack in jail, and it turned out to be a him and his two partners caught in a drug raid, which I really didn't like. This was in Shane& Max's POV. Jack didn't even explain it himself.
The cougar threat was overkill considering they were already on the run from bad guys. He's cleaning her bite wound from the cougar and when he starts undressing her, he noticed she was more alert. He thinks it's good from a medical POV but not for the awareness between them. Who thinks of this while someone's injured?
I didn't like being in the bad guys POV, especially for so long. It was laughable when he looked on google how hot a fire had to get. I don't wanna know how hot a crematorium is. That's just creepy.
Morgan told him she learned to shoot after her husband was shot by a burglar, but that didn't mean he was killed. For all Jack knew, he was still alive. So idk why he was thinking about her in a sexual way. He wonders where she'd met her husband and how long they'd been married. How did he know he's dead?
Every alternating chapter was Jack and Morgan, and then Wade. Having five+ pages in the bad guy's perspective is way too much. It just brought the book down. It's like the author thought we were too dumb to connect the dots so she had to write out every single thing the bad guys were doing, like how they found the tunnel. I like a wrap-up of what the bad guys have done at the end. I didn't care to be in their POV at all.
Jack says he should have made love to her,& he could have justified it as a 'bonding experience.' How is sex a bonding experience? What a joke.
The night after she woke up kissing him he spent it by himself. The next day Morgan sees the bad guys after them. He holds her close, thinking something changed between them, not just his feelings for her. They were working as a team. Yeah, what's changed is the bad guys are after you and your life is in danger. You were working as a team the whole time. Absolutely nothing changed about their 'relationship' just then.
A character would say something, and someone would ask a question even though the answer was obvious. Like when he said he's going to disable their transportation. She asks how,& he says by slashing their tires. It's obvious he was going to do that, or something similar. It doesn't really mind how.
The metaphors were weird too. After slashing the tires, Jack, Max, and Shane 'we're grinning like little boys who had just raided the neighbor's watermelon patch.' Just a weird metaphor.
Any time characters need clothing authors create such convenient reason to have women's clothes around for the heroine. There's a feminine room at their safe house, full of women's clothes, even underwear, toothbrushes, moisturizer and blush. Come on. Even though Jack and his friends are supposed to do covert government jobs, suddenly their house appears to be a safe house for women. Where did that come from?
It's absurd to wonder about a relationship and where things left you and Jack, when your lives are in danger, he's dangerous and working for a secret agency,& you're a professor. Go back to your life.
Morgan said the danger they were in had forged a bond that cut through months of an ordinary relationship. When they kissed the 'moment had been in the making for a long time" although they known each other for like 78 hours.
The dialogue during the sex scene was cringe-worthy: "That's so good."
"Oh yeah."
It's just weird when characters thank the other one after they have sex. Who says thank you for that?
I really didn't like that that scene was broken up and went back to Wade, only to return to them after as if no time happened. Why would you break up the scene like that?
I didn't like that he said one of the reasons he had sex with her was "we needed something from each other."
The dialogue in here just wasn't good. A lot of it was inane, with characters saying "yeah" and "okay" after someone said something.
The characters needed more distinct voices. Trainer says "the devil you say" and Jack says "the hell you say."
When she asks if he looked through the guy's computer, he said he's not sure, he thinks someone hit him over the head and he lost some of his memory. And she asks what piece, and he has to say what happened before he woke up in the interrogation room. Obviously we know what piece he's missing.
Idl when characters have too similar backgrounds, just so they can understand each other. She's a psychology teacher, and most are in clinical practice. When she was getting her internship, one of her patients tried to commit suicide. So she understands him feeling guilty that he survived and his friends didn't.
Because she's used to research, she can also help research Trainer's money man. She found the info way too easily.
She felt like Jack could walk away from her at any time. But knew they're stuck together while they solve the case, and then thought 'maybe that gave her an advantage--for him to deal with her.'
That was just pathetic and made her look psychotic. If I thought someone didn't want me around, or planned to leave me, I wouldn't force myself on them like that. Have a little self respect.
She all of a sudden can see a future with Jack, even though she doesn't even know him.
I think the author was trying to make a diabolical character out of Wade Trainor, but he wasn't very evil. He was a little too average,& his personality didn't go together.
He didn't like cussing in front of his recruits, he didn't like lying to Davenport,& yet he's reciting scripture and praying and acting like he's doing god's work on his mission on DC.
One of the reasons she wants to help him get his memories back is to help their relationship. Although you couldn't call what they had a relationship.
Morgan sounded so old-fashioned sometimes. "That was only an acceptable occupation among a small segment of the school population."
"You sound like you're anticipating an unpleasant medical procedure."
I didn't like the story of how Wade got the compound, from a boy's camp where the head lured young, good looking boys to his room.
Or how his mother cleaned houses of officers on the base,& also slept with some for extra cash.
Her sex scenes were the kind I don't like, with flowery speech. She referenced sex as a storm, saying 'when the storm passed.'
And 'he quickened the rhythm, taking Morgan with him to a high desert plateau where the air was almost too thin to breathe. She clung to him, her body trembling as she approached the summit.'
'She called his name as his own climax shook him, a giant whirlwind plowing through his body and soul.'
It made no sense why Cunningham would speak in front of Morgan like that. He didn't even question her presence at the safe house, as if it was completely normal to discuss their secret mission in front of a woman.
I couldn't believe how easily Trainor was able to ID his fingertips, find out his real name, Jack Brandt, not Jack Barnes. He also finds the names of both his friends, the name of their company, and the location.
Being in the bad guys POV ruined any surprise there could have been. Jack said they might discover the tunnel but we knew they already had. Max sees guys in SUVs at their compound, and suspects it's Trainer and his men with stolen license plates, and it was. The book doesn't give you a chance to wonder about anything, suspect anything, or simply have suspense because we're told absolutely everything.
They wonder how Trainer got his fingerprints, and Jack guessed he probably couldn't tap into law enforcement databases, that he must have a contact who ran his fingerprints, but we already knew that's exactly what happened.
Morgan didn't want Shane or Max commenting on her and jack's relationship, and didn't like her personal life on display, which begs the question of why you'd have sex with Jack in their safe house with his friends there.
It was very repetitive when Trainer would get a call from his moneyman, think about not answering and then say that was a bad idea. Just answer the freaking phone.
It was a little uncomfortable, because these weren't just bloodthirsty bad guys. They were guys who felt the government had treated them wrong. Like Jack, who'd lost friends in Afghanistan.
Jack said she was holding up under stress,& she said she wishes she was doing better. And that 'there were so many things she wanted to talk about, and she didn't know where to begin.' But she has been doing good. Too good. As in the only thing she's worried about is her relationship status to jack. Not calling her family and telling them she's ok. Not about her job after the weekend.
I've never heard of the joke about a B.S., M.S. And PhD being bullshit, more shit, and piled higher and deeper.
I knew the minute Cunningham showed up after jack and Shane left that he was the money man.
The line 'he loved her, and if he couldn't get her back, he saw no reason for continuing his miserable existence' would have been a lot better if they'd known each other and actually had a relationship.
It was weird when Jack threatened to cut off one guys balls and actually unzipped his pants and pushed his pants down. I feel like guys wouldn't really do that to other guys.
She said she had to seen many penises up close, making her sound inexperienced. Then she just happens to have dated a guy into bullwhips, making it very convenient when she's taken prisoner by a guy who's got torture devices on the wall. Very handy. So she cracks the bullwhip to get the gun out of Trainer's hand like she's an expert. It was ridiculous.
She didn't act like a regular person, a psychology professor, would act under that pressure. When Jack goes off after Trainer, she tells Shane to give her a gun so she can go with him. All while in her underwear.
Even the line "if something happens to you, Jack...He risked everything to come back here for you. Don't let it be for nothing" didn't have it's usual impact, because their relationship isn't believable.
Arthur Cunningham's son Humvee was hit, and he felt if congress had authorized the proper armor, his son would be alive. I wondered if this was how people felt in real life.
It didn't seem smart at all when Jack sent an email from Trainer's account saying his attack. And then took his phone and used it to call 911 pretending to be trainer. Couldn't they see the time of the calls and the time of Trainer's death didn't match up?
Idk why Jack and Arthur kept heir first names when they went by a fake name, either.
This was just wrong: 'he was sure that none of those Rockfort guys were still alive to finger him, either.'
I just felt sorry for Cunningham when he wet himself thinking he was breathing in the toxic chemicals and said he was attacking the Capitol because they killed his son. I found it ridiculous that Morgan came up with that plan, and got her revenge back on the guy who kidnapped her. Not that it wasn't scary, but she wasn't even tortured. Not that I wanted her tortured, but it would be believable if she had been. She was stripped to her underwear and tied to the table, and Trainer didn't do anything to her, although he kept coming in and out of the room. Which was stupid. Why did he keep going in there if he wasn't doing anything to her? Jack was worried before of what Trainer would do to her, then he sees her half naked at the compound, and it bugged me that he never asked if she was raped or tortured. Didn't he care? Didn't he want to know what happened to her?
Jack said he understood Cunningham, and I liked the line where he said about grief 'if you recognized what was happening, maybe you could stop it. especially if you had some help.'
I think a lot of authors don't wanna take the time to breakaway during the scene, but they never used a condom in here. You can give a quick mention to it, just so it's out there. As convenient as everything else was at the safe house, I'm sure they've got condoms lying around too. They had everything you could need there!
They got his memories back way too easily. That would take a lot of practice. And it sounded stupid when she'd say "relax now. relax now." Jack went into a hypnotic state so incredibly fast, & was easily able to envision the beach house, sailboats and dolphins. Very unbelievable.
After they had sex, she says thank you, and Jack says isn't that my line? And then one time she called him beautiful and he said isn't that my line? It was repetitive to use the exact same phrase twice in the book.
The romantic scenes were a lil weird sometimes. One time they swayed in each other's arms, making it sound like they were dancing, and another they were 'rocking in each other's arms' which just sounds weird.
Of course at the end, Jack transferred a million dollars from Crispin's account, because Crispin never paid them for their work. Half of it's Jacks, Shane and Max get the rest.
He asks if she just wants to live with him,& she wants commitment. He says he thought he could ease into it and she said "not a chance. I know you're the man I want." He says she moves fast,& she responds "when I have to," which I didn't understand. You don't have to move fast with him. She's already been thinking of where they should live,& how she's going to resign and go into clinical practice. Without ever mentioning to us readers that she was thinking about all that. It was really unlikable because she was forcing him to basically ask her to marry him.
Morgan was one of those girls that just scare guys away. He wants to slow things down, and take his time, and she's already dreaming of marriage, where they're gonna live, and mapping out the rest of their lives. She's the kind that send guys running for the hills. It was pathetic, desperate, and just psychotic to me. Certainly not romantic.
I liked when she said she wanted to live with him every day to the fullest he says "maybe you can teach me."
The ending was just ok. The last lines could have been better.
If I could describe this book in a couple words it would be convenient and ridiculous.
I didn't believe in there relationship because it happened way too quickly. I love a good relationship forged in the heat of the moment, on the run, fearing for your lives. But that was not this book. Maybe it would have been believable if they'd been together for several days and then the feelings happened. But they started when Jack was unconscious.
I've never read a book with alternating chapters with the bad guy. It was almost equal story time for both. I should have way more insight into the MC's than I do the bad guy, but it felt equal. For some reason, I couldn't quite connect to the characters. I felt like I needed more background on them, and they needed more fleshing out.
I was pretty engrossed in this. I didn't wanna put it down, but I can't say it was because it was good. Because it wasn't. It was just easy to get through the chapters because they were so short, and I kept wanting to see what would happen.
Scenes were broken up weirdly. POVS changed in the same scene. A scene would break up, only to pick up by the other character in the same moment.
I couldn't remember Jack's eye or hair color/length at the end. We needed more character description throughout so we don't forget.
I wondered if his friends Shane or Max would have their own stories, and it looks like Shane does.
This didn't make me wanna read more from this author, so idk if I would even read Shane's.
This wasn’t really funny like I like in books. There were some attempts at humor, but they were lame, and I didn't laugh.
The writing wasn't great, and the dialogue could have been a lot better. Like I said, a lot of it was inane, and just bad at times.
The title didn't even fit this book, and the cover didn't either. I don't think that character fits with Jack's descriptions. And it looks way cooler than this book actually is.
I bought this from a local bookshop, and I'm thinking I might be returning it. I wouldn't read this again.
I didn't like that sexual thoughts happened so soon, while he's injured. It was absolutely ridiculous to wonder if you'd have a relationship with the unconscious guy you're hauling to your house in a tarp, while he's black and blue all over, has a swollen eye and burn marks. Just because he has a big penis. Of course his penis had to be bigger than her husbands. On pg22 she's thinking of making love with him. That is ridiculously soon, and just because he has a big penis, why would you think of a relationship with him?
She applies salve to his burns, and afterwards he closed his eyes. She 'knows why.' Because they were strangers and she was touching him like a lover would. Not that his eyes would be closed because you're touching burn marks, and he's been tortured.
The language was downright stupid at times, like saying Jack went into 'Defender mode.'
And calling the bad guys 'Big kahuna' & 'Evil overlord.' One guy was known as Deep Throat, and another as Mr. Money.
The term 'Super-prick.'
It was very convenient the cabin happened to be part of the Underground Railroad, so they could escape through a tunnel. Of course her cell was dead, and the power went out so she couldn't charge it. It was also very convenient all this happened over the weekend while class wasn't in.
I love when he said "I'm dangerous, and you need to ditch me," like he was warning her away from him, and trying to save her.
I wondered what could have landed jack in jail, and it turned out to be a him and his two partners caught in a drug raid, which I really didn't like. This was in Shane& Max's POV. Jack didn't even explain it himself.
The cougar threat was overkill considering they were already on the run from bad guys. He's cleaning her bite wound from the cougar and when he starts undressing her, he noticed she was more alert. He thinks it's good from a medical POV but not for the awareness between them. Who thinks of this while someone's injured?
I didn't like being in the bad guys POV, especially for so long. It was laughable when he looked on google how hot a fire had to get. I don't wanna know how hot a crematorium is. That's just creepy.
Morgan told him she learned to shoot after her husband was shot by a burglar, but that didn't mean he was killed. For all Jack knew, he was still alive. So idk why he was thinking about her in a sexual way. He wonders where she'd met her husband and how long they'd been married. How did he know he's dead?
Every alternating chapter was Jack and Morgan, and then Wade. Having five+ pages in the bad guy's perspective is way too much. It just brought the book down. It's like the author thought we were too dumb to connect the dots so she had to write out every single thing the bad guys were doing, like how they found the tunnel. I like a wrap-up of what the bad guys have done at the end. I didn't care to be in their POV at all.
Jack says he should have made love to her,& he could have justified it as a 'bonding experience.' How is sex a bonding experience? What a joke.
The night after she woke up kissing him he spent it by himself. The next day Morgan sees the bad guys after them. He holds her close, thinking something changed between them, not just his feelings for her. They were working as a team. Yeah, what's changed is the bad guys are after you and your life is in danger. You were working as a team the whole time. Absolutely nothing changed about their 'relationship' just then.
A character would say something, and someone would ask a question even though the answer was obvious. Like when he said he's going to disable their transportation. She asks how,& he says by slashing their tires. It's obvious he was going to do that, or something similar. It doesn't really mind how.
The metaphors were weird too. After slashing the tires, Jack, Max, and Shane 'we're grinning like little boys who had just raided the neighbor's watermelon patch.' Just a weird metaphor.
Any time characters need clothing authors create such convenient reason to have women's clothes around for the heroine. There's a feminine room at their safe house, full of women's clothes, even underwear, toothbrushes, moisturizer and blush. Come on. Even though Jack and his friends are supposed to do covert government jobs, suddenly their house appears to be a safe house for women. Where did that come from?
It's absurd to wonder about a relationship and where things left you and Jack, when your lives are in danger, he's dangerous and working for a secret agency,& you're a professor. Go back to your life.
Morgan said the danger they were in had forged a bond that cut through months of an ordinary relationship. When they kissed the 'moment had been in the making for a long time" although they known each other for like 78 hours.
The dialogue during the sex scene was cringe-worthy: "That's so good."
"Oh yeah."
It's just weird when characters thank the other one after they have sex. Who says thank you for that?
I really didn't like that that scene was broken up and went back to Wade, only to return to them after as if no time happened. Why would you break up the scene like that?
I didn't like that he said one of the reasons he had sex with her was "we needed something from each other."
The dialogue in here just wasn't good. A lot of it was inane, with characters saying "yeah" and "okay" after someone said something.
The characters needed more distinct voices. Trainer says "the devil you say" and Jack says "the hell you say."
When she asks if he looked through the guy's computer, he said he's not sure, he thinks someone hit him over the head and he lost some of his memory. And she asks what piece, and he has to say what happened before he woke up in the interrogation room. Obviously we know what piece he's missing.
Idl when characters have too similar backgrounds, just so they can understand each other. She's a psychology teacher, and most are in clinical practice. When she was getting her internship, one of her patients tried to commit suicide. So she understands him feeling guilty that he survived and his friends didn't.
Because she's used to research, she can also help research Trainer's money man. She found the info way too easily.
She felt like Jack could walk away from her at any time. But knew they're stuck together while they solve the case, and then thought 'maybe that gave her an advantage--for him to deal with her.'
That was just pathetic and made her look psychotic. If I thought someone didn't want me around, or planned to leave me, I wouldn't force myself on them like that. Have a little self respect.
She all of a sudden can see a future with Jack, even though she doesn't even know him.
I think the author was trying to make a diabolical character out of Wade Trainor, but he wasn't very evil. He was a little too average,& his personality didn't go together.
He didn't like cussing in front of his recruits, he didn't like lying to Davenport,& yet he's reciting scripture and praying and acting like he's doing god's work on his mission on DC.
One of the reasons she wants to help him get his memories back is to help their relationship. Although you couldn't call what they had a relationship.
Morgan sounded so old-fashioned sometimes. "That was only an acceptable occupation among a small segment of the school population."
"You sound like you're anticipating an unpleasant medical procedure."
I didn't like the story of how Wade got the compound, from a boy's camp where the head lured young, good looking boys to his room.
Or how his mother cleaned houses of officers on the base,& also slept with some for extra cash.
Her sex scenes were the kind I don't like, with flowery speech. She referenced sex as a storm, saying 'when the storm passed.'
And 'he quickened the rhythm, taking Morgan with him to a high desert plateau where the air was almost too thin to breathe. She clung to him, her body trembling as she approached the summit.'
'She called his name as his own climax shook him, a giant whirlwind plowing through his body and soul.'
It made no sense why Cunningham would speak in front of Morgan like that. He didn't even question her presence at the safe house, as if it was completely normal to discuss their secret mission in front of a woman.
I couldn't believe how easily Trainor was able to ID his fingertips, find out his real name, Jack Brandt, not Jack Barnes. He also finds the names of both his friends, the name of their company, and the location.
Being in the bad guys POV ruined any surprise there could have been. Jack said they might discover the tunnel but we knew they already had. Max sees guys in SUVs at their compound, and suspects it's Trainer and his men with stolen license plates, and it was. The book doesn't give you a chance to wonder about anything, suspect anything, or simply have suspense because we're told absolutely everything.
They wonder how Trainer got his fingerprints, and Jack guessed he probably couldn't tap into law enforcement databases, that he must have a contact who ran his fingerprints, but we already knew that's exactly what happened.
Morgan didn't want Shane or Max commenting on her and jack's relationship, and didn't like her personal life on display, which begs the question of why you'd have sex with Jack in their safe house with his friends there.
It was very repetitive when Trainer would get a call from his moneyman, think about not answering and then say that was a bad idea. Just answer the freaking phone.
It was a little uncomfortable, because these weren't just bloodthirsty bad guys. They were guys who felt the government had treated them wrong. Like Jack, who'd lost friends in Afghanistan.
Jack said she was holding up under stress,& she said she wishes she was doing better. And that 'there were so many things she wanted to talk about, and she didn't know where to begin.' But she has been doing good. Too good. As in the only thing she's worried about is her relationship status to jack. Not calling her family and telling them she's ok. Not about her job after the weekend.
I've never heard of the joke about a B.S., M.S. And PhD being bullshit, more shit, and piled higher and deeper.
I knew the minute Cunningham showed up after jack and Shane left that he was the money man.
The line 'he loved her, and if he couldn't get her back, he saw no reason for continuing his miserable existence' would have been a lot better if they'd known each other and actually had a relationship.
It was weird when Jack threatened to cut off one guys balls and actually unzipped his pants and pushed his pants down. I feel like guys wouldn't really do that to other guys.
She said she had to seen many penises up close, making her sound inexperienced. Then she just happens to have dated a guy into bullwhips, making it very convenient when she's taken prisoner by a guy who's got torture devices on the wall. Very handy. So she cracks the bullwhip to get the gun out of Trainer's hand like she's an expert. It was ridiculous.
She didn't act like a regular person, a psychology professor, would act under that pressure. When Jack goes off after Trainer, she tells Shane to give her a gun so she can go with him. All while in her underwear.
Even the line "if something happens to you, Jack...He risked everything to come back here for you. Don't let it be for nothing" didn't have it's usual impact, because their relationship isn't believable.
Arthur Cunningham's son Humvee was hit, and he felt if congress had authorized the proper armor, his son would be alive. I wondered if this was how people felt in real life.
It didn't seem smart at all when Jack sent an email from Trainer's account saying his attack. And then took his phone and used it to call 911 pretending to be trainer. Couldn't they see the time of the calls and the time of Trainer's death didn't match up?
Idk why Jack and Arthur kept heir first names when they went by a fake name, either.
This was just wrong: 'he was sure that none of those Rockfort guys were still alive to finger him, either.'
I just felt sorry for Cunningham when he wet himself thinking he was breathing in the toxic chemicals and said he was attacking the Capitol because they killed his son. I found it ridiculous that Morgan came up with that plan, and got her revenge back on the guy who kidnapped her. Not that it wasn't scary, but she wasn't even tortured. Not that I wanted her tortured, but it would be believable if she had been. She was stripped to her underwear and tied to the table, and Trainer didn't do anything to her, although he kept coming in and out of the room. Which was stupid. Why did he keep going in there if he wasn't doing anything to her? Jack was worried before of what Trainer would do to her, then he sees her half naked at the compound, and it bugged me that he never asked if she was raped or tortured. Didn't he care? Didn't he want to know what happened to her?
Jack said he understood Cunningham, and I liked the line where he said about grief 'if you recognized what was happening, maybe you could stop it. especially if you had some help.'
I think a lot of authors don't wanna take the time to breakaway during the scene, but they never used a condom in here. You can give a quick mention to it, just so it's out there. As convenient as everything else was at the safe house, I'm sure they've got condoms lying around too. They had everything you could need there!
They got his memories back way too easily. That would take a lot of practice. And it sounded stupid when she'd say "relax now. relax now." Jack went into a hypnotic state so incredibly fast, & was easily able to envision the beach house, sailboats and dolphins. Very unbelievable.
After they had sex, she says thank you, and Jack says isn't that my line? And then one time she called him beautiful and he said isn't that my line? It was repetitive to use the exact same phrase twice in the book.
The romantic scenes were a lil weird sometimes. One time they swayed in each other's arms, making it sound like they were dancing, and another they were 'rocking in each other's arms' which just sounds weird.
Of course at the end, Jack transferred a million dollars from Crispin's account, because Crispin never paid them for their work. Half of it's Jacks, Shane and Max get the rest.
He asks if she just wants to live with him,& she wants commitment. He says he thought he could ease into it and she said "not a chance. I know you're the man I want." He says she moves fast,& she responds "when I have to," which I didn't understand. You don't have to move fast with him. She's already been thinking of where they should live,& how she's going to resign and go into clinical practice. Without ever mentioning to us readers that she was thinking about all that. It was really unlikable because she was forcing him to basically ask her to marry him.
Morgan was one of those girls that just scare guys away. He wants to slow things down, and take his time, and she's already dreaming of marriage, where they're gonna live, and mapping out the rest of their lives. She's the kind that send guys running for the hills. It was pathetic, desperate, and just psychotic to me. Certainly not romantic.
I liked when she said she wanted to live with him every day to the fullest he says "maybe you can teach me."
The ending was just ok. The last lines could have been better.
If I could describe this book in a couple words it would be convenient and ridiculous.
I didn't believe in there relationship because it happened way too quickly. I love a good relationship forged in the heat of the moment, on the run, fearing for your lives. But that was not this book. Maybe it would have been believable if they'd been together for several days and then the feelings happened. But they started when Jack was unconscious.
I've never read a book with alternating chapters with the bad guy. It was almost equal story time for both. I should have way more insight into the MC's than I do the bad guy, but it felt equal. For some reason, I couldn't quite connect to the characters. I felt like I needed more background on them, and they needed more fleshing out.
I was pretty engrossed in this. I didn't wanna put it down, but I can't say it was because it was good. Because it wasn't. It was just easy to get through the chapters because they were so short, and I kept wanting to see what would happen.
Scenes were broken up weirdly. POVS changed in the same scene. A scene would break up, only to pick up by the other character in the same moment.
I couldn't remember Jack's eye or hair color/length at the end. We needed more character description throughout so we don't forget.
I wondered if his friends Shane or Max would have their own stories, and it looks like Shane does.
This didn't make me wanna read more from this author, so idk if I would even read Shane's.
This wasn’t really funny like I like in books. There were some attempts at humor, but they were lame, and I didn't laugh.
The writing wasn't great, and the dialogue could have been a lot better. Like I said, a lot of it was inane, and just bad at times.
The title didn't even fit this book, and the cover didn't either. I don't think that character fits with Jack's descriptions. And it looks way cooler than this book actually is.
I bought this from a local bookshop, and I'm thinking I might be returning it. I wouldn't read this again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2015
This entire story, plot, romance, everything was lukewarm at best. There was so much that just didn’t mesh for me that I kept getting pulled out of the story with a “That would so never happen!” reaction and I struggled to get through the whole thing.
The romance part was totally unbelievable for me. Even with the supposed intensity level of the situation, which there just wasn’t enough to justify the level of connection the story expects the readers to go for, I just cannot fathom any realistic level of trust, let alone affection or love that could have come from that situation in the incredibly short amount of time this story takes place in. Morgan supposedly lost her husband a year and a half ago and is so broken by the loss that she is barely living, yet can absolutely and totally fall into love with a complete stranger in under 48 hours. Not buying it.
The plot that the romance is supposed to be based on, while is kind of intense, has very little actual interaction and conversation between the characters or really any kind of situations that would truly force two people to trust each other they way this story wants you to believe. There are a couple, but the very few that are there are also mostly counteracted with events that look untrustworthy. Morgan is supposed to be a PhD in psychology, but comes across as gullible and really kind of stupid as everything that she is presented with gets a “Sure, okay” reaction from her.
Jack is a former Navy Seal, yet is so far from an actual badass that is is kind of funny. The fact that he got caught, didn’t know he was being followed by people that end up looking like bumbling fools by the end of the book is ridiculous. He comes across as being pretty stupid for someone that is supposed to have had some seriously elite military training. You can’t just say someone is a Navy Seal in a book without backing that up with the actual talent and have the story work.
The author also committed a cardinal sin in my book with regards to a romance and allowed her characters to have unprotected sex (which I was kind of wondering why these parts were even in the story as they were far from steamy and really bland, more like filler). Again, the characters didn’t even know each other for barely over a day and it wasn’t even discussed? Hell, they weren’t even in the middle of crazy action and thinking they were going to die. They had made it to a safe and secure location, there was nothing currently going on, yet they so didn’t even think about it. Before or after. Multiple times. Another example of them both being incredibly stupid characters.
Everything in this book felt forced and that the thoughts for the plot and romance of the story were far from fleshed out. There was an awful lot of time spent with the bad guys and not much of that seemed all that relevant to the plot, again, filler. So yeah, I think that lukewarm is probably a compliment.
The romance part was totally unbelievable for me. Even with the supposed intensity level of the situation, which there just wasn’t enough to justify the level of connection the story expects the readers to go for, I just cannot fathom any realistic level of trust, let alone affection or love that could have come from that situation in the incredibly short amount of time this story takes place in. Morgan supposedly lost her husband a year and a half ago and is so broken by the loss that she is barely living, yet can absolutely and totally fall into love with a complete stranger in under 48 hours. Not buying it.
The plot that the romance is supposed to be based on, while is kind of intense, has very little actual interaction and conversation between the characters or really any kind of situations that would truly force two people to trust each other they way this story wants you to believe. There are a couple, but the very few that are there are also mostly counteracted with events that look untrustworthy. Morgan is supposed to be a PhD in psychology, but comes across as gullible and really kind of stupid as everything that she is presented with gets a “Sure, okay” reaction from her.
Jack is a former Navy Seal, yet is so far from an actual badass that is is kind of funny. The fact that he got caught, didn’t know he was being followed by people that end up looking like bumbling fools by the end of the book is ridiculous. He comes across as being pretty stupid for someone that is supposed to have had some seriously elite military training. You can’t just say someone is a Navy Seal in a book without backing that up with the actual talent and have the story work.
The author also committed a cardinal sin in my book with regards to a romance and allowed her characters to have unprotected sex (which I was kind of wondering why these parts were even in the story as they were far from steamy and really bland, more like filler). Again, the characters didn’t even know each other for barely over a day and it wasn’t even discussed? Hell, they weren’t even in the middle of crazy action and thinking they were going to die. They had made it to a safe and secure location, there was nothing currently going on, yet they so didn’t even think about it. Before or after. Multiple times. Another example of them both being incredibly stupid characters.
Everything in this book felt forced and that the thoughts for the plot and romance of the story were far from fleshed out. There was an awful lot of time spent with the bad guys and not much of that seemed all that relevant to the plot, again, filler. So yeah, I think that lukewarm is probably a compliment.
February 15, 2014
So disappointed with this book! And considering the fact that I only checked it out from the library because of the cover and wasn't expecting much, that's really bad. The premise is so incredibly good. It pulls you in. Like, the first 20-30 pages build up this really interesting story - and it's the only thing I can praise about this book. I haven't read romance in years and this was my first experience with 'military romance.' Don't think I'll be trying another.
SPOILERS AHEAD: The biggest problem this book has (and why I only gave it 1 star) is because there is NOT enough character development. 320 pages and I felt like I barely knew these people. We don't even get a specific description of Jack's sidekicks. All we're told is they're "dark" and "tough." We don't get to know commitment-phobe Jack and sad widow Morgan as individuals, but what we DO know that they instantly fell in love after surviving so many dramatic events together. Really? It didn't make sense. All we get is some insight into their backgrounds and their childhoods. Then three or four days later, they're getting a house together? What?
I also had many, many moments when the unrealistic parts were so distracting they took me out of the book completely. I didn't like the break neck pace of this. It was just one action scene after the other with three MEASLY love scenes, that were super short and loaded down with cliches (oh, speaking of cliches -- they are all over this book. I couldn't stand it). There were more pages given to the bad guys than there were to the love scenes. There were more pages given to describing the safe house than there was to describing the first time they made love. That's pathetic.
Some other bones I have to pick with this book: Skinny blonde dragging an unconscious 200+ lb Navy SEAL through the woods on a piece of plastic? No. All the character's dialogue sounded the same. Villains were weak. Ending was weak. Plot twist was weak. Omgosh, I was bored by the time I got halfway through the third act. Would not pick up another one by this author. I'm sure all of her books aren't like this, but I don't want to take that chance again just because the cover is hot.
SPOILERS AHEAD: The biggest problem this book has (and why I only gave it 1 star) is because there is NOT enough character development. 320 pages and I felt like I barely knew these people. We don't even get a specific description of Jack's sidekicks. All we're told is they're "dark" and "tough." We don't get to know commitment-phobe Jack and sad widow Morgan as individuals, but what we DO know that they instantly fell in love after surviving so many dramatic events together. Really? It didn't make sense. All we get is some insight into their backgrounds and their childhoods. Then three or four days later, they're getting a house together? What?
I also had many, many moments when the unrealistic parts were so distracting they took me out of the book completely. I didn't like the break neck pace of this. It was just one action scene after the other with three MEASLY love scenes, that were super short and loaded down with cliches (oh, speaking of cliches -- they are all over this book. I couldn't stand it). There were more pages given to the bad guys than there were to the love scenes. There were more pages given to describing the safe house than there was to describing the first time they made love. That's pathetic.
Some other bones I have to pick with this book: Skinny blonde dragging an unconscious 200+ lb Navy SEAL through the woods on a piece of plastic? No. All the character's dialogue sounded the same. Villains were weak. Ending was weak. Plot twist was weak. Omgosh, I was bored by the time I got halfway through the third act. Would not pick up another one by this author. I'm sure all of her books aren't like this, but I don't want to take that chance again just because the cover is hot.
June 25, 2013
For this review and more visit my blog
On paper Ban Nights looked like a great read but in reality this failed to hit the spot for me. The storyline sounded pretty good but it just lacked excitement when there should have been plenty.
The writing was alright and I had no trouble envisioning or understanding anything that was going on. It was incredibly unrealistic but I expect that from these types of book so that wasn’t a problem either. The issue for me was a general lack of depth and a feeling that this was trying a little too hard to be cool. I really struggled to connect with this on any level plenty of stuff happened but I struggled to care.
This was especially a problem where the characters were concerned; I found them both bland and uninteresting. Morgan and Jack have the same voice and lack character or personality I wanted to like them, wanted to care but found that fairly impossible due to their boringness. A few of the other characters had a little more personality so hopefully if there are more books in this series interesting characters will not be a problem.
The romance failed to grip me either, again it was bland and lacked chemistry. In certain aspects it moved to quickly, there attraction was instantaneous even though he was gravely injured and she was terrified. From there no matter how much danger they were in they always took a time out to appreciate and think about each other. It seemed unrealistic in its frequency given the circumstances.
Bad Nights had a lot of potential but for me it just didn’t work.
The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
On paper Ban Nights looked like a great read but in reality this failed to hit the spot for me. The storyline sounded pretty good but it just lacked excitement when there should have been plenty.
The writing was alright and I had no trouble envisioning or understanding anything that was going on. It was incredibly unrealistic but I expect that from these types of book so that wasn’t a problem either. The issue for me was a general lack of depth and a feeling that this was trying a little too hard to be cool. I really struggled to connect with this on any level plenty of stuff happened but I struggled to care.
This was especially a problem where the characters were concerned; I found them both bland and uninteresting. Morgan and Jack have the same voice and lack character or personality I wanted to like them, wanted to care but found that fairly impossible due to their boringness. A few of the other characters had a little more personality so hopefully if there are more books in this series interesting characters will not be a problem.
The romance failed to grip me either, again it was bland and lacked chemistry. In certain aspects it moved to quickly, there attraction was instantaneous even though he was gravely injured and she was terrified. From there no matter how much danger they were in they always took a time out to appreciate and think about each other. It seemed unrealistic in its frequency given the circumstances.
Bad Nights had a lot of potential but for me it just didn’t work.
The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
December 6, 2015
You owe me, Bethany.
Morgan is at her family’s cabin clearing out her dead husband’s belongings. Jack shows up on her doorstep naked and tortured. Jack’s been working undercover infiltrating a militia. His cover is blown and the militia is tracking him. Morgan gets sucked into the drama. They both end up on the run.
I enjoyed the action scenes, but really couldn’t suspend belief enough to really buy into the story. That’s sad because I always like a good survival in the woods story. So, that’s a minus for the suspense part.
The writing wasn’t so fantastic. The author has some issues using prepositions. (Just like you, Bethany!!) :-) It wasn’t horrendous, but it got a little annoying. Morgan and Jack were boring flat characters. They’re boring on their own and they’re boring as a couple. So, that’s a minus for the romance part.
Also, it really creeped me out that Morgan kept comparing Jack to her dead husband. I get that Morgan’s supposed to be coming to terms with her husband’s death, but the way York wrote it is creepy. Let’s just not play the compare-my-dead-husband’s-penis-to-the-new-guy’s-penis game. It’s in bad taste.
I have the second book in the series from the library. Unless my evil overlord sister says I have to read it, I’m returning it unread.
Morgan is at her family’s cabin clearing out her dead husband’s belongings. Jack shows up on her doorstep naked and tortured. Jack’s been working undercover infiltrating a militia. His cover is blown and the militia is tracking him. Morgan gets sucked into the drama. They both end up on the run.
I enjoyed the action scenes, but really couldn’t suspend belief enough to really buy into the story. That’s sad because I always like a good survival in the woods story. So, that’s a minus for the suspense part.
The writing wasn’t so fantastic. The author has some issues using prepositions. (Just like you, Bethany!!) :-) It wasn’t horrendous, but it got a little annoying. Morgan and Jack were boring flat characters. They’re boring on their own and they’re boring as a couple. So, that’s a minus for the romance part.
Also, it really creeped me out that Morgan kept comparing Jack to her dead husband. I get that Morgan’s supposed to be coming to terms with her husband’s death, but the way York wrote it is creepy. Let’s just not play the compare-my-dead-husband’s-penis-to-the-new-guy’s-penis game. It’s in bad taste.
I have the second book in the series from the library. Unless my evil overlord sister says I have to read it, I’m returning it unread.
July 14, 2017
Well, well, well. A prime example of what a couple of plot twists can do, hidden in plain sight - and yours truly reaaaally liked that!
In the first book of Rockfort Security, we see Jack Brandt, one of said Security's members, struggling to escape from an illegal military organization, where he was tortured when its leader found out he was a spy. Beaten bloody and naked, he ends up suffering from slight amnesia outside Morgan Rains's wood cabin. Morgan is a young widow who's been going through the motions of life ever since her husband died. By finding Jack and helping him, she becomes involved with the mess following him - and for once in her life after her dead husband passed away, starts living again, as they both fight to make it to safety and bring down the evil chasing them.
I enjoyed this story way too much. Not only was it carefully written, but its pace was fast and unforgiving, and the love scenes were scorching hot and well-placed! The suspense never left the story until the very last pages, and the emotional roller-coaster we had to go through because of Morgan and Jack was much appreciated.
Speaking of Morgan and jack, they were amazing. Jack was full of honor, so protective, always putting Morgan's well-being above everything else. He was so obviously in love with her it hurt to read, but didn't even realize it until she was taken from him - typical male, but still understandable. His concern for her being happy and safe even reached the point where he had convinced himself she would be better off without him, because he didn't wish to have her repeat the experience of losing a husband to a gun.
Morgan, on the other hand, was the epitome of wonderful female lead. While she was hurting and she was scared of all this sudden danger in her life, she had enough sense in her to realize she could move on and fall in love again, and the world wouldn't come to an end - she would not be betraying her husband by being happy. She was determined and clever, even if she knew she was weak and at many times helpless. She used her mind and her psychological knowledge to cover up for her mishaps, and she balanced emotional and logical like a pro.
I wish I get to read many more couples like those two, they were what I needed these days. I've read the next book and I'll be reviewing that one, too, sometime soon, but I have a feeling Morgan and Jack are my favorite couple in the series yet.
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com/
In the first book of Rockfort Security, we see Jack Brandt, one of said Security's members, struggling to escape from an illegal military organization, where he was tortured when its leader found out he was a spy. Beaten bloody and naked, he ends up suffering from slight amnesia outside Morgan Rains's wood cabin. Morgan is a young widow who's been going through the motions of life ever since her husband died. By finding Jack and helping him, she becomes involved with the mess following him - and for once in her life after her dead husband passed away, starts living again, as they both fight to make it to safety and bring down the evil chasing them.
I enjoyed this story way too much. Not only was it carefully written, but its pace was fast and unforgiving, and the love scenes were scorching hot and well-placed! The suspense never left the story until the very last pages, and the emotional roller-coaster we had to go through because of Morgan and Jack was much appreciated.
Speaking of Morgan and jack, they were amazing. Jack was full of honor, so protective, always putting Morgan's well-being above everything else. He was so obviously in love with her it hurt to read, but didn't even realize it until she was taken from him - typical male, but still understandable. His concern for her being happy and safe even reached the point where he had convinced himself she would be better off without him, because he didn't wish to have her repeat the experience of losing a husband to a gun.
Morgan, on the other hand, was the epitome of wonderful female lead. While she was hurting and she was scared of all this sudden danger in her life, she had enough sense in her to realize she could move on and fall in love again, and the world wouldn't come to an end - she would not be betraying her husband by being happy. She was determined and clever, even if she knew she was weak and at many times helpless. She used her mind and her psychological knowledge to cover up for her mishaps, and she balanced emotional and logical like a pro.
I wish I get to read many more couples like those two, they were what I needed these days. I've read the next book and I'll be reviewing that one, too, sometime soon, but I have a feeling Morgan and Jack are my favorite couple in the series yet.
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com/
September 20, 2013
An adrenaline pumping romantic suspense you won't want to miss! Taken from my review at RomanceJunkies.com where I rated it 4.5:
Glenn had been the love of Psychology Professor Morgan Raines’ life, but her husband had been killed by a burglar eighteen months ago. Deciding to sell their vacation cottage, which holds too many memories, Morgan is spending time there to get it ready for sale. Since the cottage is in an isolated area, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morgan has never ventured there alone, until now. Hearing a noise outside, Morgan goes to investigate and finds a naked, badly beaten man unconscious in her backyard. With a storm on the way, she drags him into the cottage and tries to tend to him.
Over a year ago, ex-Navy Seal Jack Brandt and his two best friends, former police detective Max, and Shane, whose background includes the Army Security Service, formed the Rockfort Security Agency. They have taken cases that others could not solve and made a success of their partnership. When they were approached by a man believed to be a CIA agent who wanted them to investigate a militia group known as RAM, two of the partners had been against it. But Jack was certain he could infiltrate the group, discover their target and get out. However, in the midst of the investigation, his cover is blown and he is tortured. Fortunately, he is able to make his escape, stealing an SUV, which he eventually drives into a ditch before wandering into the nearby woods. Awakening in a strange house, Jack sees a woman fast asleep in a chair. Trying to keep the danger from touching her, he makes preparations to be on his way, but before he can leave, he hears a knock at the door. Claiming to be government agents, two men try to gain entry. However, Jack recognizes them as two of the fanatical militia.
Although Morgan refuses to let them in, they break the door down. However, Jack and Morgan manage to subdue the two imposters. As Jack and Morgan rush to gather the things they need to help them survive while on the run, Wade, the militia leader, and his men set fire to the cottage. Managing to get out through a tunnel under the cottage, formerly used by the Underground Railroad, Jack and Morgan are able to escape. Morgan is not sure of this man she is forced to run with, despite her attraction to him, but one thing is for certain; life as she knows it will never be the same.
Jack hates that he had to drag Morgan into his dangerous situation, so he is determined to keep her safe and keep his hands to himself. The latter proves to be a losing battle as Jack and Morgan struggle to avoid capture and death at the hands of this vicious enemy and still uncover the madman’s target before thousands are killed.
A fast-paced saga, BAD NIGHTS, the first book in New York Times bestselling author Rebecca York’s ROCKFORT SECURITY series, is an action-packed, adrenaline pumping romantic suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Danger reaches a fever pitch in this exciting story about two strangers who quickly bond in their efforts to stay one step ahead of their pursuers and remain alive. Often not knowing who they can trust, these two learn to lean on each other and the sparks between them soon fly. As the story progresses, readers will find it nearly impossible to know who to trust.
With plenty of action, adventure, danger, passion and love, BAD NIGHTS will keep readers eagerly turning the pages to discover the outcome. I enjoyed it immensely! This is the first story I have read by this author, but I look forward to reading more of her works. If you are looking for a great story with loads of action and heat, check out BAD NIGHTS. This story is a definite keeper!
Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
Glenn had been the love of Psychology Professor Morgan Raines’ life, but her husband had been killed by a burglar eighteen months ago. Deciding to sell their vacation cottage, which holds too many memories, Morgan is spending time there to get it ready for sale. Since the cottage is in an isolated area, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morgan has never ventured there alone, until now. Hearing a noise outside, Morgan goes to investigate and finds a naked, badly beaten man unconscious in her backyard. With a storm on the way, she drags him into the cottage and tries to tend to him.
Over a year ago, ex-Navy Seal Jack Brandt and his two best friends, former police detective Max, and Shane, whose background includes the Army Security Service, formed the Rockfort Security Agency. They have taken cases that others could not solve and made a success of their partnership. When they were approached by a man believed to be a CIA agent who wanted them to investigate a militia group known as RAM, two of the partners had been against it. But Jack was certain he could infiltrate the group, discover their target and get out. However, in the midst of the investigation, his cover is blown and he is tortured. Fortunately, he is able to make his escape, stealing an SUV, which he eventually drives into a ditch before wandering into the nearby woods. Awakening in a strange house, Jack sees a woman fast asleep in a chair. Trying to keep the danger from touching her, he makes preparations to be on his way, but before he can leave, he hears a knock at the door. Claiming to be government agents, two men try to gain entry. However, Jack recognizes them as two of the fanatical militia.
Although Morgan refuses to let them in, they break the door down. However, Jack and Morgan manage to subdue the two imposters. As Jack and Morgan rush to gather the things they need to help them survive while on the run, Wade, the militia leader, and his men set fire to the cottage. Managing to get out through a tunnel under the cottage, formerly used by the Underground Railroad, Jack and Morgan are able to escape. Morgan is not sure of this man she is forced to run with, despite her attraction to him, but one thing is for certain; life as she knows it will never be the same.
Jack hates that he had to drag Morgan into his dangerous situation, so he is determined to keep her safe and keep his hands to himself. The latter proves to be a losing battle as Jack and Morgan struggle to avoid capture and death at the hands of this vicious enemy and still uncover the madman’s target before thousands are killed.
A fast-paced saga, BAD NIGHTS, the first book in New York Times bestselling author Rebecca York’s ROCKFORT SECURITY series, is an action-packed, adrenaline pumping romantic suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Danger reaches a fever pitch in this exciting story about two strangers who quickly bond in their efforts to stay one step ahead of their pursuers and remain alive. Often not knowing who they can trust, these two learn to lean on each other and the sparks between them soon fly. As the story progresses, readers will find it nearly impossible to know who to trust.
With plenty of action, adventure, danger, passion and love, BAD NIGHTS will keep readers eagerly turning the pages to discover the outcome. I enjoyed it immensely! This is the first story I have read by this author, but I look forward to reading more of her works. If you are looking for a great story with loads of action and heat, check out BAD NIGHTS. This story is a definite keeper!
Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
August 22, 2013
I love Romantic Suspense books that feature military or specially trained heroes involved in an intrigue with a worthy opponent and where the heroine is capable. This one looked like it fit the bill when I read the blurb so I grabbed it up. And, to a certain extent it met my expectations.
The story opens with Morgan Rains, psychology prof and widow, visiting the vacation mountain cabin she shared with her husband to clean it out and sell it. She still feels a big hole in her life that her husband used to fill and is just going through the motions until that stormy night when an injured and naked man stumbles into her yard.
Jack Brandt, former Navy SEAL and now partner in a security firm, has just escaped horrendous torture when his cover was blown when he infiltrated a home-grown militia group to gather info on them. He escaped the compound getting as far as the woods outside Morgan's cabin. He has now drawn her into the danger surrounding him when the militia men track him there.
Jack and Morgan have to work together to save their lives and later to stop the mission the militia group is set to do. As they are thrown together, they first deny and then explore the attraction they share. Jack knows he isn't relationship material and Morgan thinks she's still not ready to jump into one, but what they have together is too strong to be held back. First, they have to survive and stop those who plot against them and their country.
The plot of this one was a solid and exciting story. I enjoyed the pace of things unfolding and revealing what was going on. I got so suspicious that I was even looking askance at Jack's partners (yeah, I get the eensy bit too paranoid). I love the type of stories that make me suspect everyone. I enjoyed the personalities of the characters in the story and liked them for each other. Jack is the tenacious and capable hero with a heart. He thought he was too broken and undeserving of happiness. Morgan tried to guard her broken heart and the feeling of loss by letting herself go numb and just go through the motions. She may not be a trained warrior and she understandably balks over violence coming from her non-military/warrior background, but she isn't angsty and whiny.
But- yes there's a but. While I liked the couple together and I loved the story path, there was just something 'pat' about how neatly the romance happened and a little rote when it came to their lovemaking scenes. Yes, I get this is a romance in fiction and fictional romances take place scary fast, but it just felt like their barriers and hang-ups were swept aside rather quickly.
In the end, my issue was a dinky one and didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment. In fact, I'd love to get stories of Jack's partners and more adventures with the Rockport Security guys. I recommend this to those who enjoy their romantic suspense on the spicier side.
My thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read and review this book.
The story opens with Morgan Rains, psychology prof and widow, visiting the vacation mountain cabin she shared with her husband to clean it out and sell it. She still feels a big hole in her life that her husband used to fill and is just going through the motions until that stormy night when an injured and naked man stumbles into her yard.
Jack Brandt, former Navy SEAL and now partner in a security firm, has just escaped horrendous torture when his cover was blown when he infiltrated a home-grown militia group to gather info on them. He escaped the compound getting as far as the woods outside Morgan's cabin. He has now drawn her into the danger surrounding him when the militia men track him there.
Jack and Morgan have to work together to save their lives and later to stop the mission the militia group is set to do. As they are thrown together, they first deny and then explore the attraction they share. Jack knows he isn't relationship material and Morgan thinks she's still not ready to jump into one, but what they have together is too strong to be held back. First, they have to survive and stop those who plot against them and their country.
The plot of this one was a solid and exciting story. I enjoyed the pace of things unfolding and revealing what was going on. I got so suspicious that I was even looking askance at Jack's partners (yeah, I get the eensy bit too paranoid). I love the type of stories that make me suspect everyone. I enjoyed the personalities of the characters in the story and liked them for each other. Jack is the tenacious and capable hero with a heart. He thought he was too broken and undeserving of happiness. Morgan tried to guard her broken heart and the feeling of loss by letting herself go numb and just go through the motions. She may not be a trained warrior and she understandably balks over violence coming from her non-military/warrior background, but she isn't angsty and whiny.
But- yes there's a but. While I liked the couple together and I loved the story path, there was just something 'pat' about how neatly the romance happened and a little rote when it came to their lovemaking scenes. Yes, I get this is a romance in fiction and fictional romances take place scary fast, but it just felt like their barriers and hang-ups were swept aside rather quickly.
In the end, my issue was a dinky one and didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment. In fact, I'd love to get stories of Jack's partners and more adventures with the Rockport Security guys. I recommend this to those who enjoy their romantic suspense on the spicier side.
My thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read and review this book.
November 7, 2013
Bad Nights by Rebecca York is a contemporary suspense romance. Morgan Rains is a psychology professor that is just going through the motions of life since the loss of her husband. While alone in a cabin she is contemplating selling she hears a strange noise outside, only to discover a stranger that happens to be wounded and naked in her backyard. Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt has escaped torture after an assignment goes wrong. Morgan drags him into her cabin and does what she can to treat his wounds, only to discover that an act of kindness brings the people Jack has escaped from to her front door. Together they run and fight for survival and discover the danger is even larger than they expected. Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live, if they can survive.
Bad Nights is a suspense romance that offers plenty of action and tight spots to keep readers on the edge of their seats. However, I was sad that I could not connect more with the characters. Morgan is a widow, still going through the grieving process, and just happens to be a psychologist that is too afraid to practice and teaches instead. She is just going through the motions of life, and it seems like even after she 'falls in love' with Jack she is still not really completely invested in life. Jack is a better done, but I still do not fully connect with him, he is suffering for survivors guilt and just seems incomplete. The action was great, but readers that really enjoy character driven stories (like myself) rather than stories where they just seem reactive, might find themselves disappointed. I have liked many of York's past books, and I think that is more where my disappointment lies- because I have seen her do so much better than this.
Bad Nights is a book I would recommend to fans of the high action romance, rather than those that prefer to fully connect with the characters. High action, a bad guy with some serious issues, and wounded souls falling for each other might make many readers happy. I was not a bad book, but not up to that standards I have for the author.
Bad Nights is a suspense romance that offers plenty of action and tight spots to keep readers on the edge of their seats. However, I was sad that I could not connect more with the characters. Morgan is a widow, still going through the grieving process, and just happens to be a psychologist that is too afraid to practice and teaches instead. She is just going through the motions of life, and it seems like even after she 'falls in love' with Jack she is still not really completely invested in life. Jack is a better done, but I still do not fully connect with him, he is suffering for survivors guilt and just seems incomplete. The action was great, but readers that really enjoy character driven stories (like myself) rather than stories where they just seem reactive, might find themselves disappointed. I have liked many of York's past books, and I think that is more where my disappointment lies- because I have seen her do so much better than this.
Bad Nights is a book I would recommend to fans of the high action romance, rather than those that prefer to fully connect with the characters. High action, a bad guy with some serious issues, and wounded souls falling for each other might make many readers happy. I was not a bad book, but not up to that standards I have for the author.
October 31, 2013
Reviewed by Sarah L
Book provided by Netgalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Bad Nights was my first Rebecca York book however it will certainly not be the last. It started off with a bang when Morgan Rains found a naked, injured man in her yard. The edge of your seat action began on page one and continued throughout the entire story. The story was very well written with a bit of romance mixed in between conflicts.
Despite all she had been through, Morgan was well composed and seemed to take it all in stride. While I enjoyed the connection with both characters, it did seem a bit extreme that Jack kept going and going in light of all the mishaps and injuries that seemed to befall him.
As for the “bad guy”, I had my suspicions as to who it was however the author did a great job of not completing giving it away early on. Even though I had a hunch and strongly suspected who it was, I was left second guessing myself until the big reveal.
All in all, if you are looking for an edge of your seat, action packed novel with some romance thrown into the mix, look no further than Bad Nights. I know I look forward to reading more by this author.
Book provided by Netgalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Bad Nights was my first Rebecca York book however it will certainly not be the last. It started off with a bang when Morgan Rains found a naked, injured man in her yard. The edge of your seat action began on page one and continued throughout the entire story. The story was very well written with a bit of romance mixed in between conflicts.
Despite all she had been through, Morgan was well composed and seemed to take it all in stride. While I enjoyed the connection with both characters, it did seem a bit extreme that Jack kept going and going in light of all the mishaps and injuries that seemed to befall him.
As for the “bad guy”, I had my suspicions as to who it was however the author did a great job of not completing giving it away early on. Even though I had a hunch and strongly suspected who it was, I was left second guessing myself until the big reveal.
All in all, if you are looking for an edge of your seat, action packed novel with some romance thrown into the mix, look no further than Bad Nights. I know I look forward to reading more by this author.
November 27, 2025
Morgan Rains thought her trip to her family cabin would help her heal from the tragedy of her husband's brutal murder. When a naked, tortured, unconscious man shows up on her door step she never imagined the danger she would face.
Jack Brandt is has been working undercover for months, now he finds himself on the run for his life, his cover blown, no memory of what he discovered and at the mercy of a beautiful widower.
This is a guns blazing, fast paced, suspense filled story. The plot was engaging. The premise was outstanding but for some reason I did not connect to the characters plight. I most enjoyed the adrenaline packed action and the ignitable relationship between Jack and Morgan.
I received this ARC copy of Bad Nights from Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication September 3, 2013.
Jack Brandt is has been working undercover for months, now he finds himself on the run for his life, his cover blown, no memory of what he discovered and at the mercy of a beautiful widower.
This is a guns blazing, fast paced, suspense filled story. The plot was engaging. The premise was outstanding but for some reason I did not connect to the characters plight. I most enjoyed the adrenaline packed action and the ignitable relationship between Jack and Morgan.
I received this ARC copy of Bad Nights from Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication September 3, 2013.
June 22, 2015
I laughed out loud at several parts of this book -- which is unfortunate because this action/romance wasn't supposed to be funny. I found it not believable and not well edited. In one scene the hero is described as doing things with three hands at once. In another we find out this supposedly super secret high level security firm the hero works for has a website featuring the names and photos of its undercover operatives. As for the romance, the shallow characters go from strangers to (tepid) lovers to buying a house together, in a matter of days. This book was saved from one star because its macho silliness amused me.
July 2, 2013
I was really looking forward to this book the cover is gorgeous, the plot sounded interesting but unfortunately I was disappointed; I didn’t like the story at all. The writing is okay, it's well written but I just had a hard time getting into the whole scenario.
I guess this is one of those books that is DNF me
I received this book from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I guess this is one of those books that is DNF me
I received this book from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
July 5, 2014
Sorry, didn't like this one at all. Tried to finish it...but couldn't force myself to read the last 30 pages. I simply didn't care enough. There were just too many events I could not believe. There was very little I knew about the characters--and again, I didn't find myself caring about any of them.
February 17, 2015
honestly this had a good idea. i always love a good soldier/warrior wounded and stumbles across a woman who saves him story. but this one honestly didn't keep my interest.
February 29, 2016
3.5 Stars
Fast and easy read. Good story but less on emotions.
Fast and easy read. Good story but less on emotions.
August 3, 2017
Bad Nights (Rockfort Security #1) by Rebecca York Author: Rebecca York Title: Bad Nights Series: Rockfort Security Cover Rating: Book Rating: Buy This Book:
You Only Get a Second Chance...Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...If You Stay Alive...Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her--until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating--and undeniably compelling.Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live--if they can survive.
Excerpt
Above the muted sound of laughter coming from the television set, Morgan Rains heard a noise that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.
With a click of the remote, she turned off the DVD she'd been watching-of herself and Glenn in happier times-and sat very still in the darkened room, listening intently for sounds from outside.
The rustle of dry leaves came again, louder this time and closer to the little vacation retreat nestled in a hollow between two foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Morgan was sure that either a person or a large animal was out there.
In the years she had been coming to this cozy cottage, there had never been any problem with intruders, but modern life might have changed that, which was one of the reasons she was here-to start getting the place in shape to sell it. She didn't need a vacation home, especially one where so many memories lurked.
Even when she'd told herself the house was perfectly safe, Morgan hadn't been foolish about staying here alone. Quietly, she walked to the desk drawer and pulled out the automatic pistol she kept with her, feeling more secure with the weight of the weapon in her hand.
Not so long ago, owning anything more deadly than a water pistol would have been as foreign to her as going back for a second PhD in quantum physics. That was before her husband had been shot and killed by a burglar, and her world had shattered. Glenn Chandler. The love of her life.
She'd dragged herself through almost a year and a half without him, throwing herself into the psychology courses she was teaching. Although the joy had gone from the work, keeping up with research in her field, preparing lectures, giving tests, and grading term papers filled her time.
Now the semester was over, and she'd come back to the little house she'd inherited from her parents to finally pack up the clothing Glenn had left here and decide which of the furnishings should go to charity shops and which she'd move to her house in Falls Church. But when she'd come across the videos they'd made during the five years of their marriage, she'd sat down to watch. Starting with their wedding day, when they'd been smiling and happy, surrounded by family and friends.
She clicked off the gun's safety and held the weapon down by her right leg, wondering if she was going to end up like the heroine of a mystery novel who was too stupid to live. Confronting danger was usually a bad idea, yet she didn't see any option in her present situation. This vacation retreat was in the middle of nowhere. The closest neighbor was over a mile away, even if she knew who lived in the house on the other side of the woods. And calling 911 was hardly an option, since it would take the local cops forty minutes to get here. Too late if someone outside was getting ready to break in.
She couldn't simply sit here and wait for an intruder to pounce. Of course, she reminded herself, there had been sightings of mountain lions in the area. If a big cat was prowling around out there, staying inside and opening the blinds so the cat could see her were the best alternatives. That would probably make it run away. But if it wasn't an animal, that was exactly the wrong tactic.
With her heart thumping inside her chest, she settled on a compromise. Walking to the window, she eased the curtains aside with her free hand and scanned the woods beyond the house. At first she saw nothing in the fading light. Then a flash of something that wasn't part of the natural environment made her go very still.
She was seeing flesh. Not fur. Naked flesh. A man or a big woman. She kept her gaze trained on the figure, looking for details. It was definitely a man. He was in the woods fifty yards from the house, weaving his way through the trees on unsteady legs as though he was coming off a three-day bender. The breath froze in her lungs. Who the hell was out there in his birthday suit? Some pervert who knew a woman was staying alone in this isolated location? A nudist who'd wandered onto the wrong property? Or an escapee from an insane asylum? She'd seen him only briefly from the front-long enough to confirm that he was very male. But he'd turned away from the house. Which meant that he wasn't stalking her. Unless the maneuver was designed to make her drop her guard if she was watching. While that paranoid thought spun in her head, he wavered on his feet. His large fingers clawed at the trunk of a tree as he made a desperate attempt to stay upright. She watched him lose his grip on the bark and slide downward to his knees. Again he flailed out toward the tree, but his hands slipped away, and he fell onto the ground, lying on his side in a pile of dry leaves with his knees curled toward his chest. Unmoving.
She'd thought he might be stalking the house. Now it looked like he was a man in bad trouble, unless he was still pulling an elaborate scam.
But she couldn't simply leave him there. As she looked around, her gaze fell on a striped maroon and orange afghan, one of the many her mother had crocheted on long winter evenings. Snatching it off the couch, she threw it over her arm, concealing the gun as she hurried to the front door.
Outside, on the porch, she shivered in the evening chill. Not a night to be out naked, she thought as she looked around to make sure an accomplice wasn't lurking behind a tree. When she saw no one besides the guy on the ground, she crossed the patch of straggly weeds that had once been a lawn and stepped into the shade under the tulip poplars and maples. The man hadn't moved since she'd seen him claw at the tree trunk and go down.
As she approached, she took in his head full of close-cropped dark hair, broad shoulders, and narrow hips. What in the world had happened to him? Had some disease felled him?
When she got closer, she saw well-defined muscles, and more dark hair fanned across his chest, peeking out from behind the raised knees that hid his genitals.
But that wasn't what riveted her attention. Now that she was close to him, she gasped as she realized his condition. The side of his face she could see was dark with beard stubble that didn't hide the bruises on his cheek and jaw. Or the dried blood around his nose and mouth. There were more bruises on his back and shoulders and over his ribs. And something else made her draw in a quick breath-the small, angry red circles peppering his back, arms, and thighs. A rash? She didn't think so.
She'd seen something similar once when she'd been a teenager. She and a bunch of kids had been out in the woods smoking. Billy Anderson had dropped a cigarette on his hand, and the mark had looked like the ones on this man, only these were deeper, angrier.
He might have gotten the bruises in an auto accident or a tumble down one of the nearby mountains, but not a dozen cigarette burns on his skin. She shivered. Much as the idea alarmed her, the only thing she could figure was that he'd been tortured by someone. But who would do such a thing? She couldn't ask because he was unconscious, lying out in the open with the temperature falling, his breath shallow. Again her mind spun unwanted scenarios. There were people in these hills growing pot. Others with meth labs. Had he gotten into a dispute with one of his fellow criminals? Her gaze landed on his hip which was covered with a particularly nasty bruise. The rational part of her mind knew that taking him into her house was dangerous. The reckless part sent a different message. Does it matter what happens to you? You've been dead for over a year anyway. If he finished you off, it would be a kindness. She made an angry sound, dismissing that last self-destructive thought as she turned to the injured man and murmured, "We have to get you inside." At the sound of her voice, he stirred. "Don't worry," she said. "Everything's going to be okay." The words were automatic. She'd said them to Glenn when he'd lain dying on the hall floor, a pool of blood spreading around his head. Clenching her teeth, she shoved that unwanted image out of her mind. She didn't need it now. Or any time.
"Who are you? What happened?"
He had been lying absolutely still. Now he rolled to his back. As his head moved on the bed of leaves, she saw that one of his eyes was swollen closed. "We have to get you inside," she repeated, knowing she couldn't carry him. "Do you think you can walk?" As she was about to come down beside him, his good eye flew open. It was dark and unfocused, until it lit on her. A kind of wily intelligence seeped into his face, and she knew he was going to attack. "Don't," she gasped. But it was already too late. He lunged, and she jumped back. Even in his battered condition, his reflexes were good. He closed his hand around her ankle, his grip surprisingly strong for someone who'd been unconscious a few moments ago. She hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this. His voice was steely as he asked, "I don't remember you around the camp. Did they send a woman to work me over this time?" "No," she answered automatically. "Who are they?" He laughed. Not a pleasant sound in the gathering gloom of the forest. "What? Are you fucking Trainer? And he's having some fun letting you play with the prisoner." "No. I'm trying to help you. Who are you? Who did this to you?" "You know damn well." Even as he said the words, a look of confusion crossed his features.
"Please, I don't know anything about you-except that I found you in the woods outside my house. You're hurt. You need help."
The gun was still in her hand, but she didn't want to shoot him, unless there was no alternative. "What's your name? Is there someone looking for you?" "Looking for me? Get real."
He'd been lying unmoving on the ground, his large hand gripping her ankle. Still holding her in place, he surged up and grabbed at the afghan. As it slipped off her arm, he fell back, but the damage was already done. His gaze riveted to the gun in her hand, and she knew that a dangerous situation had just become a whole lot more deadly.
Ever want to find an author that can write stories so well that you'd think they were based on something real? Rebecca York is a fabulous author that knows how to pull you so deep into her story that you would swear you were right in it with her. Bad Nights is an explosive book rife with action and mystery. Her suspenseful action and build up will keep you on the edge of your seat. Morgan and Jack are great together, I couldn't keep myself from cheering for them. I envy Rebecca's talent to write such amazing work, once you read her books you won't be able to get enough. 5 stars for Bad Nights.
Until next time book lovers...
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
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You Only Get a Second Chance...Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...If You Stay Alive...Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her--until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating--and undeniably compelling.Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live--if they can survive.
Excerpt
Above the muted sound of laughter coming from the television set, Morgan Rains heard a noise that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.
With a click of the remote, she turned off the DVD she'd been watching-of herself and Glenn in happier times-and sat very still in the darkened room, listening intently for sounds from outside.
The rustle of dry leaves came again, louder this time and closer to the little vacation retreat nestled in a hollow between two foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Morgan was sure that either a person or a large animal was out there.
In the years she had been coming to this cozy cottage, there had never been any problem with intruders, but modern life might have changed that, which was one of the reasons she was here-to start getting the place in shape to sell it. She didn't need a vacation home, especially one where so many memories lurked.
Even when she'd told herself the house was perfectly safe, Morgan hadn't been foolish about staying here alone. Quietly, she walked to the desk drawer and pulled out the automatic pistol she kept with her, feeling more secure with the weight of the weapon in her hand.
Not so long ago, owning anything more deadly than a water pistol would have been as foreign to her as going back for a second PhD in quantum physics. That was before her husband had been shot and killed by a burglar, and her world had shattered. Glenn Chandler. The love of her life.
She'd dragged herself through almost a year and a half without him, throwing herself into the psychology courses she was teaching. Although the joy had gone from the work, keeping up with research in her field, preparing lectures, giving tests, and grading term papers filled her time.
Now the semester was over, and she'd come back to the little house she'd inherited from her parents to finally pack up the clothing Glenn had left here and decide which of the furnishings should go to charity shops and which she'd move to her house in Falls Church. But when she'd come across the videos they'd made during the five years of their marriage, she'd sat down to watch. Starting with their wedding day, when they'd been smiling and happy, surrounded by family and friends.
She clicked off the gun's safety and held the weapon down by her right leg, wondering if she was going to end up like the heroine of a mystery novel who was too stupid to live. Confronting danger was usually a bad idea, yet she didn't see any option in her present situation. This vacation retreat was in the middle of nowhere. The closest neighbor was over a mile away, even if she knew who lived in the house on the other side of the woods. And calling 911 was hardly an option, since it would take the local cops forty minutes to get here. Too late if someone outside was getting ready to break in.
She couldn't simply sit here and wait for an intruder to pounce. Of course, she reminded herself, there had been sightings of mountain lions in the area. If a big cat was prowling around out there, staying inside and opening the blinds so the cat could see her were the best alternatives. That would probably make it run away. But if it wasn't an animal, that was exactly the wrong tactic.
With her heart thumping inside her chest, she settled on a compromise. Walking to the window, she eased the curtains aside with her free hand and scanned the woods beyond the house. At first she saw nothing in the fading light. Then a flash of something that wasn't part of the natural environment made her go very still.
She was seeing flesh. Not fur. Naked flesh. A man or a big woman. She kept her gaze trained on the figure, looking for details. It was definitely a man. He was in the woods fifty yards from the house, weaving his way through the trees on unsteady legs as though he was coming off a three-day bender. The breath froze in her lungs. Who the hell was out there in his birthday suit? Some pervert who knew a woman was staying alone in this isolated location? A nudist who'd wandered onto the wrong property? Or an escapee from an insane asylum? She'd seen him only briefly from the front-long enough to confirm that he was very male. But he'd turned away from the house. Which meant that he wasn't stalking her. Unless the maneuver was designed to make her drop her guard if she was watching. While that paranoid thought spun in her head, he wavered on his feet. His large fingers clawed at the trunk of a tree as he made a desperate attempt to stay upright. She watched him lose his grip on the bark and slide downward to his knees. Again he flailed out toward the tree, but his hands slipped away, and he fell onto the ground, lying on his side in a pile of dry leaves with his knees curled toward his chest. Unmoving.
She'd thought he might be stalking the house. Now it looked like he was a man in bad trouble, unless he was still pulling an elaborate scam.
But she couldn't simply leave him there. As she looked around, her gaze fell on a striped maroon and orange afghan, one of the many her mother had crocheted on long winter evenings. Snatching it off the couch, she threw it over her arm, concealing the gun as she hurried to the front door.
Outside, on the porch, she shivered in the evening chill. Not a night to be out naked, she thought as she looked around to make sure an accomplice wasn't lurking behind a tree. When she saw no one besides the guy on the ground, she crossed the patch of straggly weeds that had once been a lawn and stepped into the shade under the tulip poplars and maples. The man hadn't moved since she'd seen him claw at the tree trunk and go down.
As she approached, she took in his head full of close-cropped dark hair, broad shoulders, and narrow hips. What in the world had happened to him? Had some disease felled him?
When she got closer, she saw well-defined muscles, and more dark hair fanned across his chest, peeking out from behind the raised knees that hid his genitals.
But that wasn't what riveted her attention. Now that she was close to him, she gasped as she realized his condition. The side of his face she could see was dark with beard stubble that didn't hide the bruises on his cheek and jaw. Or the dried blood around his nose and mouth. There were more bruises on his back and shoulders and over his ribs. And something else made her draw in a quick breath-the small, angry red circles peppering his back, arms, and thighs. A rash? She didn't think so.
She'd seen something similar once when she'd been a teenager. She and a bunch of kids had been out in the woods smoking. Billy Anderson had dropped a cigarette on his hand, and the mark had looked like the ones on this man, only these were deeper, angrier.
He might have gotten the bruises in an auto accident or a tumble down one of the nearby mountains, but not a dozen cigarette burns on his skin. She shivered. Much as the idea alarmed her, the only thing she could figure was that he'd been tortured by someone. But who would do such a thing? She couldn't ask because he was unconscious, lying out in the open with the temperature falling, his breath shallow. Again her mind spun unwanted scenarios. There were people in these hills growing pot. Others with meth labs. Had he gotten into a dispute with one of his fellow criminals? Her gaze landed on his hip which was covered with a particularly nasty bruise. The rational part of her mind knew that taking him into her house was dangerous. The reckless part sent a different message. Does it matter what happens to you? You've been dead for over a year anyway. If he finished you off, it would be a kindness. She made an angry sound, dismissing that last self-destructive thought as she turned to the injured man and murmured, "We have to get you inside." At the sound of her voice, he stirred. "Don't worry," she said. "Everything's going to be okay." The words were automatic. She'd said them to Glenn when he'd lain dying on the hall floor, a pool of blood spreading around his head. Clenching her teeth, she shoved that unwanted image out of her mind. She didn't need it now. Or any time.
"Who are you? What happened?"
He had been lying absolutely still. Now he rolled to his back. As his head moved on the bed of leaves, she saw that one of his eyes was swollen closed. "We have to get you inside," she repeated, knowing she couldn't carry him. "Do you think you can walk?" As she was about to come down beside him, his good eye flew open. It was dark and unfocused, until it lit on her. A kind of wily intelligence seeped into his face, and she knew he was going to attack. "Don't," she gasped. But it was already too late. He lunged, and she jumped back. Even in his battered condition, his reflexes were good. He closed his hand around her ankle, his grip surprisingly strong for someone who'd been unconscious a few moments ago. She hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this. His voice was steely as he asked, "I don't remember you around the camp. Did they send a woman to work me over this time?" "No," she answered automatically. "Who are they?" He laughed. Not a pleasant sound in the gathering gloom of the forest. "What? Are you fucking Trainer? And he's having some fun letting you play with the prisoner." "No. I'm trying to help you. Who are you? Who did this to you?" "You know damn well." Even as he said the words, a look of confusion crossed his features.
"Please, I don't know anything about you-except that I found you in the woods outside my house. You're hurt. You need help."
The gun was still in her hand, but she didn't want to shoot him, unless there was no alternative. "What's your name? Is there someone looking for you?" "Looking for me? Get real."
He'd been lying unmoving on the ground, his large hand gripping her ankle. Still holding her in place, he surged up and grabbed at the afghan. As it slipped off her arm, he fell back, but the damage was already done. His gaze riveted to the gun in her hand, and she knew that a dangerous situation had just become a whole lot more deadly.
Ever want to find an author that can write stories so well that you'd think they were based on something real? Rebecca York is a fabulous author that knows how to pull you so deep into her story that you would swear you were right in it with her. Bad Nights is an explosive book rife with action and mystery. Her suspenseful action and build up will keep you on the edge of your seat. Morgan and Jack are great together, I couldn't keep myself from cheering for them. I envy Rebecca's talent to write such amazing work, once you read her books you won't be able to get enough. 5 stars for Bad Nights.
Until next time book lovers...
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
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September 9, 2018
I can't to do it. It's not great. I don't want to. DF'ed at 59%.
Thoughts and Plot
So, it's a stormy, rainy night and you find a naked tortured dude outside your house in the pulling rain. So what do you do? Naturally you drag him into house house, make sure he's not dying, covering them in a blanket and ....not calling the authorities???
Hmmm...
Then some guys break into your house and this mystery man, with your help, subdue them. Then their friends come along and set your house on fire and you end up in a tunnel under your house, on the run with this guy...
You get attacked by more men, a wild animal, and end up in a cave setting...then whisked away to some random location where they tell you you are not allowed to leave until the figure all of THEIR shit out. So what do you do? Storm up to your bedroom like a child then when the mystery man comes up, beat on his chest a few times and then have sex with him? Make sense to me...only known the man for 2-3 days and you hop on him even though him and his buddies are holing you captive. And your biggest worry is blowing off your job at the university....
No thanks. I give up.
Thoughts and Plot
So, it's a stormy, rainy night and you find a naked tortured dude outside your house in the pulling rain. So what do you do? Naturally you drag him into house house, make sure he's not dying, covering them in a blanket and ....not calling the authorities???
Hmmm...
Then some guys break into your house and this mystery man, with your help, subdue them. Then their friends come along and set your house on fire and you end up in a tunnel under your house, on the run with this guy...
You get attacked by more men, a wild animal, and end up in a cave setting...then whisked away to some random location where they tell you you are not allowed to leave until the figure all of THEIR shit out. So what do you do? Storm up to your bedroom like a child then when the mystery man comes up, beat on his chest a few times and then have sex with him? Make sense to me...only known the man for 2-3 days and you hop on him even though him and his buddies are holing you captive. And your biggest worry is blowing off your job at the university....
No thanks. I give up.
November 9, 2022
Unfortunately, it got boring. It started off good - I was really into it. I liked where the story was going. Thing was the author added additional POVs nobody gives a sh*t about. Half the book is the POV of the bad guy - nobody gives a damn about him and what he's doing. That totally distracted from the book. Had the author focused on the relationship between the H/h then it would have been so much better. There wasn't even a lot of sex in the book. I did like that the heroine wasn't a complete idiot. She was smart (for the most part) and made reasonable, logical decisions. Which I've found to be lacking in a lot of books I've read lately. The fact she wasn't an idiot got a star all by itself. It was just too bad about that POV issue. Oh - the book is a guy is undercover in a militia and is discovered, he escapes and is rescued by a widow, then the militia comes after them and the rest is history....
October 14, 2018
Bad Nights by Rebecca York
Somehow I ended up with an unedited proof of this book. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot was amazing. I fell for all of these characters. I personally am not a huge fan of erotic, especially in this case, where it just wasn't needed. The love story was so sweet and well deserved HEA.
Somehow I ended up with an unedited proof of this book. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot was amazing. I fell for all of these characters. I personally am not a huge fan of erotic, especially in this case, where it just wasn't needed. The love story was so sweet and well deserved HEA.
October 4, 2017
1st half of book was pretty good, but last half lost me completely. Liked characters at first but they fell apart as did plot.
February 7, 2018
I"ve read better
October 14, 2020
I'm a fan of seal books so i picked this one too read. it was predictable but decent.
February 21, 2021
It's bit boring....i felt about nothing.
October 14, 2022
The twists were predictable and at several points, I laughed out loud at how ridiculous the dialogue was.
October 30, 2022
3.5 stars
August 30, 2023
My 1st book by this author and I will try another. This was OK; 3 stars because it is suspenseful and action-packed; not very hot insta-love. Characters needed more development.
September 24, 2013
Title: Bad Nights (Rockford Security)
Author: Rebecca York
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: 9-3-2013
ISBN: 9781402280009
ASIN: B00D2XA1BK
Pages: 348
Genre: Romance
Tags: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Men In Uniform
Book Blurb:
You Only Get a Second Chance...
Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...
If You Stay Alive...
Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her—until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating—and undeniably compelling.
Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live—if they can survive.
Review:
As Morgan Rains sits in the Cabin in the woods she and her late husband used as a retreat she hears something rustling the leaves outside. She had been contemplating how she could go on without the love of her life. last 18 months she had felt nothing and did not care if she lived or died. At least in death she could be with her husband again. The worry and slight fear due to the noise outside is the first emotions to escape the deep freeze she has been living in.
Venturing outside she finds Jack Brandt, naked, injured and nearly unconscious. When Jack sees the gun beneath te afghan he is sure his captors have found him once more. With the last of his strength he lunges toward Morgan and the gun goes off. Thinking she has shot him at first she tries to think how to get him inside. Going back to get a tarp she drags him inside the cabin and erases all traces of evidence showing Jack was there and her saving him. Once inside she can see the proof of the torture Jack as endured multiple deep bruises and cuts and several severe cigarette burns. She wonders who this man is and what she has got herself into. Then Jack's tormentor finds them and they do the only thing they can, they run.
From the moment you open this book you will be held fast. Rebecca York is a Master of Suspense and with Bad Nights she proves she has not lost her touch. If you enjoy a novel that is high with adrenalin rushes and keeps you guessing what will happen next then you will be thrilled with the intense drama woven into the story. You will watch as Morgan begins to come back to life as romance between her and Jack develops slowly. Even though they acknowledge the attraction neither is willing to accept anything more. As the plot thickens you will avidly be turning the pages to see how they will escape from and ultimately overcome the evil that is chasing them. If you have not read Rebecca York for a while then you will fall in love again with her style all over again. I must say it as been a while for me and now I have a reason to pull out all her other novels and a few I have yet to pull out of my TBR pile and read them again while I await Ms. York's next intriguing novel.
Bad Nights is a novel not to be missed.
Author: Rebecca York
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: 9-3-2013
ISBN: 9781402280009
ASIN: B00D2XA1BK
Pages: 348
Genre: Romance
Tags: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Men In Uniform
Book Blurb:
You Only Get a Second Chance...
Private operative and former Navy SEAL Jack Brandt barely escaped a disastrous undercover assignment, thanks to the most intriguing woman he's ever met. When his enemies track him to her doorstep, he'll do anything to protect Morgan from the danger closing in on them both...
If You Stay Alive...
Since her husband's death, Morgan Rains has only been going through the motions. She didn't think anything could shock her—until she finds a gorgeous man stumbling naked and injured through the woods behind her house. He's mysterious, intimidating—and undeniably compelling.
Thrown together into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, Jack and Morgan are finding in each other a reason to live—if they can survive.
Review:
As Morgan Rains sits in the Cabin in the woods she and her late husband used as a retreat she hears something rustling the leaves outside. She had been contemplating how she could go on without the love of her life. last 18 months she had felt nothing and did not care if she lived or died. At least in death she could be with her husband again. The worry and slight fear due to the noise outside is the first emotions to escape the deep freeze she has been living in.
Venturing outside she finds Jack Brandt, naked, injured and nearly unconscious. When Jack sees the gun beneath te afghan he is sure his captors have found him once more. With the last of his strength he lunges toward Morgan and the gun goes off. Thinking she has shot him at first she tries to think how to get him inside. Going back to get a tarp she drags him inside the cabin and erases all traces of evidence showing Jack was there and her saving him. Once inside she can see the proof of the torture Jack as endured multiple deep bruises and cuts and several severe cigarette burns. She wonders who this man is and what she has got herself into. Then Jack's tormentor finds them and they do the only thing they can, they run.
From the moment you open this book you will be held fast. Rebecca York is a Master of Suspense and with Bad Nights she proves she has not lost her touch. If you enjoy a novel that is high with adrenalin rushes and keeps you guessing what will happen next then you will be thrilled with the intense drama woven into the story. You will watch as Morgan begins to come back to life as romance between her and Jack develops slowly. Even though they acknowledge the attraction neither is willing to accept anything more. As the plot thickens you will avidly be turning the pages to see how they will escape from and ultimately overcome the evil that is chasing them. If you have not read Rebecca York for a while then you will fall in love again with her style all over again. I must say it as been a while for me and now I have a reason to pull out all her other novels and a few I have yet to pull out of my TBR pile and read them again while I await Ms. York's next intriguing novel.
Bad Nights is a novel not to be missed.
September 14, 2013
Bad Nights by Rebecca York drew me in with its synopsis and promise of fast-paced suspense. I enjoy romantic suspense and when you throw in a former Navy Seal as the hero I begin to drool. This was my first experience with the author and I found it to be entertaining. Three word review: suspenseful, and action-packed, with some hot insta-love.
Morgan Rains is at her cabin in the woods, cleaning it out to sell since it holds too many memories after the loss of her husband. Awakened by a noise, she grabs her firearm and carefully listens. What she discovers is a beat-up,and utterly naked, drop dead gorgeous man! The two are thrust together as Jack Brandt’s cover in a militia group is exposed and they want him dead. Together they must fight to survive and stop a plan to attack the US. The tale that unfolds was action-packed and filled with smexy moments as they learn to depend on each other.
I liked Morgan and Jack they are both noble characters, confident, strong, and work well together. While I eventually connected with them as a couple and was gung-ho for them finding their happily-ever-after, I did struggle a little with how quickly they connected. Jack’s reaction was more believable but Morgan’s came off as a little needy to me. Despite this she was totally kick-ass and didn’t fall to pieces under stress. I honestly cannot say whether it was just how it was written, or if they needed to be fleshed out more in the beginning. I enjoyed their banter and definitely felt the chemistry once I decided to just go with the flow but over-all this kept the book from being a clear winner for me. The villain had a strong voice, and the author did an excellent job with his POV. Getting inside his head was creepy and added to the overall tension.
Bad Nights‘ suspenseful plot with the militia and their plans to attack a US target was good, and held me captive. York created some twists that felt genuine and impressed me as they intensified the action. I wish Jack’s partners were a little more fleshed out, and would have liked more background on all of the characters. The plot moved rather quickly with intense action and then we would catch our breath with some heated scenes. The romantic scenes were steamy but left a lot of the detail to the reader’s imagination. Overall this was a great escape, and I easily consumed it in a single sitting.
Fans of suspense and action with a side dish of romance should check out Bad Nights. The insta-love was a little rough, and I wanted more depth and deets but overall this was a nice escape.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Morgan Rains is at her cabin in the woods, cleaning it out to sell since it holds too many memories after the loss of her husband. Awakened by a noise, she grabs her firearm and carefully listens. What she discovers is a beat-up,and utterly naked, drop dead gorgeous man! The two are thrust together as Jack Brandt’s cover in a militia group is exposed and they want him dead. Together they must fight to survive and stop a plan to attack the US. The tale that unfolds was action-packed and filled with smexy moments as they learn to depend on each other.
I liked Morgan and Jack they are both noble characters, confident, strong, and work well together. While I eventually connected with them as a couple and was gung-ho for them finding their happily-ever-after, I did struggle a little with how quickly they connected. Jack’s reaction was more believable but Morgan’s came off as a little needy to me. Despite this she was totally kick-ass and didn’t fall to pieces under stress. I honestly cannot say whether it was just how it was written, or if they needed to be fleshed out more in the beginning. I enjoyed their banter and definitely felt the chemistry once I decided to just go with the flow but over-all this kept the book from being a clear winner for me. The villain had a strong voice, and the author did an excellent job with his POV. Getting inside his head was creepy and added to the overall tension.
Bad Nights‘ suspenseful plot with the militia and their plans to attack a US target was good, and held me captive. York created some twists that felt genuine and impressed me as they intensified the action. I wish Jack’s partners were a little more fleshed out, and would have liked more background on all of the characters. The plot moved rather quickly with intense action and then we would catch our breath with some heated scenes. The romantic scenes were steamy but left a lot of the detail to the reader’s imagination. Overall this was a great escape, and I easily consumed it in a single sitting.
Fans of suspense and action with a side dish of romance should check out Bad Nights. The insta-love was a little rough, and I wanted more depth and deets but overall this was a nice escape.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
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