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Mercenary Love #3

Teasing Jonathan

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Mercenary men. Sexy, muscled men with weapons. What happens when hard men fall in love with other men? When another person becomes more important to them than their own lives? Hard, ruthless, men who will put everything on the line for love and honour are the focus of this series. With unexpected love comes grave responsibility, and the rocky path to a happy ending can sometimes leave bodies along the way. The heart may love where it may, but sometimes, to protect it, you need a big weapon and a lot of attitude…

Teasing Jonathan by Amber Kell

Book Three in the Mercenary Love series.

If you loved Until Forever Comes (The Mates Series) by Cardeno C. and Soldier of Fortune's Downfall by Charlie Richards, then you will not be able to put down this absolute treat!


After spending years defending his country, will Jonathan lose the battle over his heart?


When Jonathan Stevens meets Kai Stromwell, it’s attraction at first sight, but can a brief sizzle turn into a lasting fire? A series of events leads Jonathan to believe someone is trying to kill Kai. The question is who? With no obvious motives the most he can do is stick close to the handsome man and stay alert. Keeping Kai safe becomes the focus of his life while he fights his own personal demons.

Kai Stromwell has worked hard to build up his fortune. Upon meeting Jonathan he wonders if maybe there is more to life than long hours at the office. When attempts on his life become more and more aggressive, he turns to his new love for answers. Depending on someone had never been easy but he would give up his millions if he could spend the rest of his life teasing Jonathan.

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 20, 2013

5 people are currently reading
140 people want to read

About the author

Amber Kell

175 books1,282 followers
Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.

When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.

During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.

Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.

She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..

She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books771 followers
December 17, 2015
Just like the first two volumes of the series, this story is about two men desperately looking for love. Kai has been disappointed by men who are after his money, and Jonathan is fighting PTSD after years in the military. Neither of them is ready for the sizzling attraction between them, but that doesn't mean they have it easy. Mysterious attempts on Kai's life keep them busy, Kai's sister is in boyfriend trouble, and any plans for dates they make are interrupted by impending disaster.

Jonathan has a hard time dealing with his nightmares, and the only thing going well for him since he has returned to civilian life is his job with Sinclair (from book one) and Patrick (from book 2). I remember him well from the first book, where he gave Sinclair's lover Callum a really hard time. His personal issues explain that to some degree, but he has also mellowed out a lot since then. Needless to say, he is now good friends with both men, is ding well at work, and the only thing missing is a lover. To say that he is "hit by lightning" when he runs into Kai is putting it mildly. I enjoyed seeing him bitten by the "love bug" so thoroughly!

Kai is a successful businessman who may have been barely tolerated by his father, but his determination to be financially independent has served him well. He, like Jonathan, ids successful professionally but is still looking for someone to share his life with. Jonathan enters his life just in time not only to save his life – several times – but also to show him that life is worth living and enjoying. The attraction is immediate and white-hot, and Kai is determined to make this relationship work - after they deal with the assassins and other idiots who seem to want to make Kai's life hell.

If you like stories about men who are professionally secure but are lacking love and a personal life, if you enjoy reading about a strong bodyguard taking care of all of his client's needs, and if you're looking for mystery with quite a few twists as well as some creepy stalkers and weirdoes in unexpected places, then you will probably like this novella.



NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for multitaskingmomma.
1,359 reviews44 followers
May 29, 2013
I have a huge grin on my face. Hating Jonathan in Tempting Sin, I find him a really likable fellow who was misjudged by all, including myself.

We were all introduced to Jonathan as that a$$ of a newbie bodyguard to Callum in Tempting Sin, Book One of the Mercenary Love Series. I never imagined that Amber Kell would make a turncoat of all of her readers by making us love this guy.

In Teasing Jonathan, we see that he had spent all those years defending his country. Faced with PTSD, will Jonathan lose the battle over his heart?

When Jonathan Stevens meets Kai Stromwell, it’s attraction at first sight, but can a brief sizzle turn into a lasting fire? A series of events leads Jonathan to believe someone is trying to kill Kai. The question is who? With no obvious motives the most he can do is stick close to the handsome man and stay alert. Keeping Kai safe becomes the focus of his life while he fights his own personal demons.

Kai Stromwell has worked hard to build up his fortune. Upon meeting Jonathan he wonders if maybe there is more to life than long hours at the office. When attempts on his life become more and more aggressive, he turns to his new love for answers. Depending on someone had never been easy but he would give up his millions if he could spend the rest of his life teasing Jonathan.

This was no way in the league of Tempting Sin which I absolutely loved and have read no less than 5 times. It's my go-to book when I want to forget that the kitchen is my domain and my kids are wrecking havoc creating their own - thingies.

Not being in the league of that first book though does not mean that it is anything less. It is a fitting installment and I really liked having Sin and Patrick getting some action here. I was a bit disappointed that although Callum whipped up a fantastic omelette, that was the last of him. Sigh..... I wish, too, that the author had written a scene where Kai and Callum were in it together. And how about Arthur? Where was he?

One thing that prevented me from rating this any higher was the ending - sorrowfully, it was a bit abrupt. Truly, I just really wanted this to be longer. I found myself not wanting to let go and I just wanted to read more and get more goofy at one a.m.

At the end, I knew it had to end. Now I just wish the author would clue us in if this is the end? or will there be more of this wonderfully entertaining series?

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Profile Image for Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews.
1,206 reviews43 followers
May 11, 2013
3 1/2 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

This story is part of a series and is best read in order. Jonathon is just trying to get to the office when he rescues Kai from a ‘hit and run’, the man is hot and Jonathan wants to get to know him better. When more attempts on Kai’s life happen Jonathan decides that there is only one person who can protect him and that’s himself. Kai is instantly attracted to the man who saved him from a car and has plans to get to know him better, but someone is out to kill him and he has no idea who, having Jonathan guard his body is a major perk but discovering who wants him dead is harder than they thought.

This is a great addition to the Mercenary Lovers series, Jonathan finds a man to love and the mystery of who the would be killer is was great. Jonathon is feeling lonely, spending time with his bosses and their partners has him feeling jealous and he wants to find a man to love. But, Jonathon feels like he has baggage, he still has nightmares of when he was in the military, but when he meets Kai he has hopes that he might have found the man for him. Kai has concentrated on building up his company and hasn’t had much time to build a relationship, he is blown away when he meets Jonathon and hopes to get to know him better. When there is a blatant attempt on Kai’s life he is left completely confused as to who wants him dead and Jonathon jumps to protect him, together they find love and are both shocked and surprised by the would be killer.

So another mercenary bites the love bug and does it in spectacular fashion. Jonathon is a great character and even now still feels a little guilt over how he first treated Callum (Tempting Sin), Jonathon is still struggling with life out of the military and I think Amber Kell put it across well and I loved that there was that slight heart to heart between Jonathon and Sin. Kai is a businessman and really does seem the perfect match for Jonathon, even with his money he is down to earth, although he does try to impress Jonathon at first. The mystery of who wants Kai dead is intriguing because everything points to Kai’s sister but it just doesn’t feel right, and when we do discover who it is holy moly we are smacked with a twist.

I recommend this to those who love private security bodyguards, hot shot businessmen, steamy sex, a mysterious killer, a great twist and a very happy loving ending.
Profile Image for Phaney.
1,248 reviews22 followers
May 30, 2015
To my bountiful relief this was nowhere near as bad as the second volume in the series. Not as cute as the first one either, though.

Things start off well enough, however turn a little flimsy soon (for example Jonathan’s PTSD is introduced as a big deal at first, yet merely glossed over later on).

What’s more disorienting, however, are the unstable opinions and feelings presented. Within a few paragraphs a character will alternate between opposing responses (without this being on purpose, as far as I can tell).
Thus Kai has no idea why anyone would try to kill him and does not believe it, but he does have a few theories on who it could be. Ping pong. Or later on he does not believe his sister would try to kill him, but he also thinks that apparently he was a bad brother since she is trying to kill him. Ping pong again, back and forth on this.
If this were described as him waffling between belief and disbelief, that would be perfectly fine but to my understanding of the text it isn’t. Instead I have no idea which interpretation of his opinion I’m supposed to take as the correct one.

And then things just turn silly and hasty and… it’s only okay anymore.
Profile Image for Becky Condit.
2,377 reviews66 followers
June 19, 2013
In Teasing Jonathan, Amber Kell has written a hot spicy story with instant attraction, hunky men, dangerous circumstances, and enough hot sex to almost melt the page! Continuing her winning tradition of weaving the most unlikely couples together into a loving, passionate whole, this plot driven tale literally starts with a nightmare, continues with attempted murder, and ends with a HEA ending with a surprise twist that you'll never see coming. The smoothly flowing plot grabs you from the first page, takes you on a wild ride full of danger and passion, and doesn't let you go until the last page is done. I loved reading this fantastic story, and would definitely recommend it to everyone.

Trish's 4 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....
Profile Image for Cee Brown.
1,310 reviews38 followers
May 5, 2013
I love Callum and Syn, but in less than 3 hours, Jonathan and Kai have wormed their way inside.
Easy to fall in love with, easy to love.
I enjoyed their relationship and the way they interacted as if they had been together forever.
Only thing that kept haunting me was, Amber, how old is Kai? Did you ever mention it? He kept mentioning how much older he was than Jonathan...it's got me a bit OCD in knowing.
Loved it, await the other stories.
Hint, hint...Chad? He needs to be taken down a few notches. Maybe with the once mentioned Chris?
Now There's a story ready to be told.
Profile Image for ~SexyBookWorm~.
1,083 reviews32 followers
June 26, 2013
I liked this one much better than the second book. Its nice when we get to read abt ex military who are struggling with their pasts. Its good to remind us abt what they go through when they come home. Jonathan struggled finding a job and was dealing with PTSD. He meets successful business man Kai and falls madly in love.
Story was great and it took me awhile to figure out who the villain was so that's great writing for you!
one thing is I don't really get the Title of the book. Teasing? I don't remember any mention of teasing so I'm lost on the relevancy.
Profile Image for My Dichotomy Life .
327 reviews
August 9, 2013
Having read the two previous books in this series, my favourite being Sin and Callum, I immediately bought this copy...

Not as good as the two previous books in this series. The holes in the plot and wavering storyline detract too much for me to enjoy this book. It's really unusual for me as I usually love Amber Kell's books. You know what you're getting with this author but this feels as though it needs editing properly.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,481 reviews382 followers
May 5, 2013
I thought this was better than the last few books I have read from this author...it didn't feel quite as rushed as the others did. I thought the mystery of who was after Kai was nicely done too. Hot couple and pretty good story...3.5 for me!
Profile Image for Tina.
988 reviews17 followers
May 6, 2013
A light sweet quick romance fill with some adventure.

While Amber books are HEA they don't often have an epilogue with that warm feeling of closure us romance lovers enjoy. This one does!!

Thanks, Amber.
Profile Image for Katy Beth Mckee.
4,739 reviews66 followers
May 21, 2013
Jonathan bumps into Kai and feels something right away but before he or Kai can figure out what is going on it becomes apparent someone is out to kill Kai. They both have to figure out to separate feelings from the job of protection. Another great addition to this series.
Profile Image for Rummage.
74 reviews2 followers
September 3, 2016
Kai is a lot book and business smart and a lot or practical street smart-stupid! Jonathan...love that character! Book was a bit to 'mystery she wrote' for my liking but overall and easy read to pass the time.
Profile Image for Gen.
487 reviews
January 3, 2015
Michelle was a freaking nut case. How can you get mad because a GAY man doesn't want a WOMAN?! Lord, some women are just nuts.
277 reviews8 followers
July 14, 2013
Not quite as exciting as the first two books. A few holes in the plot whereas the other two villains were far more developed. Just a bit disappointing, but still a sweet romance.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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