Reed

Allen Securities #1

by Madison Stevens

Olivia Cross left behind her abusive alcoholic mother to move on to a better life, a new job at a library and a chance to actually get ahead. All of that is threatened when her brother drags her back into the seedy world of greed, violence and corruption she’s tried desperately to flee.

Private security contractor Reed Allen isn’t about to let a burning attraction rope him in again. He’s already felt the sting of letting his heart rather than his head lead him. He’s just there to do the job and get paid, even if a certain spunky beautiful librarian has him feeling things he thought long since buried.

Keeping Olivia safe is the easy part. Resisting their passionate urges could prove to be much harder.

They’ll have to mend their broken hearts and move on from their painful pasts for a chance at a future.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Amazon, Chick Lit

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2013

About the author

Madison currently lives with her husband and two children in the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, Arizona. After leaving the frozen tundra of the north, Madison was more surprised than anyone with how much she has enjoyed living in the desert. Seeing as she had stated on more than one occasion how much she hated the heat, it was an odd move. But it seemed her hatred for sub-zero temps and ice, or really the things that ice could do, won out in the end.
When she’s not writing, she’s enjoying time with her family. Madison and her family frequent festivals in the area, as well as local cultural events, and spend time with family in the area. In the summer she is most likely to be found in the pool with the family and in the winter by the fireplace. Since both her children are autistic, days can be a little chaotic but with her husband beside her, there’s nothing she can’t handle. Luckily he is also an author and able to share in all the activities (and chores) special needs kids require.
Madison has a full schedule of releases planned for 2014 listed and updated on her blog:
http://madisonstevens.blogspot.com/
Newsletter Sign-up:
http://eepurl.com/OX9r5

Reviews

[Yesenia Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the plot, I thought Olivia was going to be a whinny person but she ended up being a strong girl fighting for her brother and her man Reed. Even when Reed pushed her away she pushed back and stayed strong. Reed was protective hero it was cute can't wait for the brothers book and the Kelly clan

[Cheesecake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Olivia and Reed.. cannot even comment on their characters because they didn't stay in character.
I liked this starting out. It's kinda clunky, but I liked the MCs... at first.
Olivia is on her first day working at a library on the shady side of town when the juvenile machinations of her brother bring the Russian mob to her work. Honestly I would try to explain the plot to you... but I can't. It was nonsensical. Something about illegal pedaling of everything from flesh to weapons to drugs... basically the whole kit and caboodle of evil. Reed and his extended family have some kind of company... Pi's? bodyguards? I have no clue really.
He is instantly head over ass for Olivia, but is resisting because the usual; old flame done him wrong cr*p. He tries to keep her at arms length and it was cute. But then the author decided to add a plot and it all got confusing. Mostly I think it was confusing because there really was no plot.
The last quarter she almost has the MCs in reversal roles and I honestly can't remember it even though I read it last night. She alludes to intrigue which doesn't exist or is so shallow it is insulting to the reader. Then there's all the contradictions that drove me up the wall. One minute she has a twisted ankle that's so bad it is black and blue and the next she is stomping to the car in anger because he is pushing her away again. Well make up your mind author!
Anyways, enough words wasted. Won't be continuing this series.

[Sweet Daisey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok but it was short. The security firm premise is always good one and a favorite of mine. But the characters needed more development with more background information and depth. Everything felt very rushed.

[Ansu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book and it looks to be a good series to follow. I did not want to kill the heroine and the hero was hot hot hot !!!!!!!!!!!!!

So why not a 5 star?.

There seemed to be "holes" in the story. The details where missing, e.g. Who is Jett and Heather????? What is the connection. There also seemed to miss a few details in a scene and just move on to the next one.Slight editing issues but no biggie. Also the falling in love within 2-3days was OTT.

This was a good book with good strong, likable characters including the secondary characters. I just wish Madison spent a little more time introducing them to us. I felt like I just "fell"into the same with no background info. I would of loved to have a little bit more romance going -but that is just me.

All this being said read the book, I enjoyed it and I look forward to Kace's story, cannot wait to read Meg and Liam.

[Coco.V]

🎁 Books 1 - 3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (3/14/2020)! 🎁

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Olivia had potential to be a strong heroine who didn't let anyone push her around but she relented in letting Reed call the shots and following his every demand without putting her foot down. Her outburst about her juvenile record was a little overdramatic and slightly unrealistic. I doubt that they would have brushed her claims of almost rape as easily as they did and label her a killer pretty much. They also moved way too fast when they didn't even know each other. The scene where they got each other off was very trashy and not in good taste. It was too fast and easy to be believable. My image of her didn't match up either. She starts off like a mature, responsible, meek librarian but then later on behaves like an out of control, party girl, who had no trouble dipping her toes in a criminal world but still showed traits she had in the beginning. It didn't work for me, I wanted her to be one or the other and stick with it, it was too confusing for me with her trying to be two different people when the situation called for it. I couldn't figure her out, by the end of the book I still didn't know what type of person she was.

Reed was very lame to me. He was cowardly and weak, a tad bit humiliatingly inexperienced considering he runs a security business and managed to get taken twice by an enemy. He doesn't come across as very likable. He went from trying to keep her away from him to completely hot for her like nothing. He couldn't make up his mind and didn't even trust his own instincts in whether or not she was a good or bad person and if she was worth risking his heart for. This is the same guy who's supposed to make all the decisions, when he can't even figure out his own problems? He didn't feel like a grown man to me, he felt like a teenager still trying to learn who he was in the world. He was confident at times but then got easily scared and backed off when it got to be too much for him to take in.

I also had a hard time believing all but one of his brothers and his sister would want to all work together. I get they're a close family but they seem like the type of men that like to choose different paths career-wise. I'd think that they'd want to make their own way in life without working under their brother their whole life and keep their job separate from their family. I don't think three brothers, a sister, and five cousins would choose to work together if they had other options. It's too close and they'd butt heads too often.

The characters were a little too sure of themselves in seeing something between Reed and Olivia. She got involved by accident because of her idiot brother and the genius security family that thought it was a great idea to do business inside of a library right at closing time and with an innocent civilian that could get caught up in their crap. She wanted to find her brother and they were her best bet, she wasn't stupid she knew she was in trouble when they had her identification, and she was a good person with compassion for a person's life. What else was she supposed to do other than take the protection they offered since it's partly their fault she got mixed up in the situation. How does that make her interested in him just because she agrees to stay with him for her own safety and to make sure her brother is ok. I also hate when characters give a warning to a girl or guy they don't know well enough to judge. Just because their last girlfriend or boyfriend did them wrong doesn't mean that everyone is going to be the same way. It's unfair to punish the new potential girlfriend/boyfriend when they haven't done anything wrong. It's not her fault that their brother was screwed over by the last girl and Olivia didn't deserve being treated like she was the wrongdoer regardless of if she had a criminal record or not. She barely knew him and his siblings for one thing and at that point hadn't given them any reason to doubt that she was just like Niki.

I didn't care for this book or the main characters but I will be reading the others because a couple of the supporting characters caught my interest. I won't be rewind this one again though. It was just too frustrating, to read through this again, I wouldn't gain anything new other than a headache.

[Amy Burch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

So much potential to be a great book. The characters were there, the drama, the storyline, everything you could possibly need, but unfortunately it was all so underdeveloped that it fell short.

The characters were all great but definitely need more depth and whilst the premise of the story was engaging it too required a lot more development.

Stevens laid a lot of ground work for her secondary characters in this book and I am hoping that she has kicked it up a notch and really tightened her story and characters up in the next book, as I just know if she progresses with her plot and character developments this series will be an absolute winner!

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. By the 34% mark I wasn’t invested in either the characters or the story enough to read the rest of the bk.

[Ashley Schoen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia Cross leaves behind her abusive alcoholic mother to start fresh and live a better life. When her brother brings the dirt and grime to her front door she is once again threatened. Private security contractor Reed Allen isn't about to let his attraction to Olivia get in his way of finishing a job. Once bitten and all that. He just needs to keep her safe and finish his job, but he doesn't think it will be that easy.

Holy Sexy Alpha Male! Allen Securities series is gonna be a good one. I have a feeling. Of course who wouldn't love a strong alpha who is hell bent on protecting you and falls for you? It kinda reminds me a bit of some of Kristen Ashley's books (Hawk and Lee). I will be continuing this series, most definitely.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*s
This is a good read but would have been so much better if there was more depth to both the characters and the storyline. Everything is there for a great book - good set up with the security firm, great cast of characters, a good amount of characters that promise more books, romance/sexytime potential etc. but it needed to be filled out because everything was happening too fast. I read this because it was supposed to be like KA's Rock Chick series and whilst yes it has the potential to be like that, without the filler & depth it just fell flat when it could have been awesome. Still worth a read though if you're after a quickie ;)

[Micheale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible editing!!! Spelling mistakes, incorrect words, etc... Thank goodness this was not an expensive reed (get that ;o).

The story started out good, but then became comical after that.

It was not worst story line I have ever read, but reading this first book does not make me want to ready anymore in the series.

[Sheryl C. Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!! Can't wait for the rest of series!!!

[Deb Dee (autumn delaney)]

DNF @50%

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this one, so I'll split the difference - 3 stars. I liked it, but nothing really spectacular.

In general, this was a book of potential that wasn't really realized. The characters, the plot, the suspense, even the romance... somehow it never really seemed to take hold and become a really memorable romantic suspense.

There was quite a lot that fell into the "seriouslysuspend disbelief" realm. The big armed blackmail pay-off happening right at closing time in a public building with civilians about? What criminal plans that, all that potential for witnesses and collateral damage? And yet these same criminal masterminds seem to be involved in everything from human trafficking, to drugs and weapons, including corrupting politicians? Then there's Olivia (overdramatically) explaining her past, and everyone nodding and moving along like it's nothing? How about the vague nature of Reed's security business - are they security, bodyguards, PIs, undercover police contractors, what?? Who's paying their bills? Heck, even the company itself - unless it was a multigenerational Family Business, I can't imagine that many siblings and cousins (especially when they lean to the alpha male end of the spectrum) all wanting to work together, especially that closely and in that stressful an environment. And the big climax? Olivia - the straight-laced one -contacts her mother and (now) stepfather, whom she hasn't talked to in ages, for fraudulent/illegal purposes, and no one blinks an eye? She's calling in favors from a hard-boiled mob boss she's met, what once, twice? Yeah, lots of questions that you eventually just need to give up, settle in, and not think too hard.

Even with all that, my biggest issue was the personality shift that seemed to happen between the leads. For already flat and vaguely defined characters, they seemed to change through the course of the book, and not in a "character development" sort of way. Reed seemed to get even weaker. And Olivia, the librarian, is now organizing rescue missions and organizing drug dealers to cooperate? Yes, they tried to make the point that she'd come from a 'more colorful' background, but that seemed extreme. It didn't feel like the same controlled woman at the beginning of the book, worrying about her brother.

Alternating 3rd person POV. Overall felt like a generic action movie - plenty of heavy buzzwords ("the Russians"), attraction and accelerated relationship between leads with Troubled Pasts, plenty of action, and yet nothing really memorable. Still, it was fairly well written, no major editing errors. No cheating or love triangle nonsense. Mindless escapism with an (albeit rather rushed) HEA and no cliffhanger.

Will I read more in the series? Actually yeah. There's some groundwork laid, threads started for the next few books that look like they have potential. And this copy of Reed was actually part of a (free!) bundle of the first few books in the series, so I've already got the next two books in the series.

[Sarah Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an all right book. It’s not my favorite type of writing. I prefer where each chapter is designated to a POV rather then jumping back and forth in paragraphs and sometimes mer sentences. Also not enough of character development. Not enough secondary character development to make me want to learn more about them in other books, I don’t think I’ll be reading the other books but it is something I might come back to at some point.

[Alisa Lawry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book sounded great - started off with potential but I soon took note the author just wanted to add really poorly written sex scenes when they ruined the book. I'm all for great sex reads but wow that first office scene nope nope nope. Book went downhill from there. The plot was like a maze just kept taking strange turns lol

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author and I would consider reading more. It was an engaging story about the Allen family and their security business.

The characters were interesting, but I would have liked some more development via their backstories.

Overall, good stories that although short, are very engaging.

[Radd Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll come back with a more detailed review, but just off the top I found it to be severely lacking in character development and plot. It was way to insta-love for my liking ( I think it was about three days and the “I love you’s” happened), and I honestly didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between Reed and Olivia.

I’m going to give the second book a chance, so we’ll see if things improve

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I enjoyed reading this book. Full of action, drama and suspense. Hot sexy Alphas included with not a small amount of intrigue. Can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[Avid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Standard alpha male protecting female from mob kind of novel. The female protagonist is a bit tougher than most but the plot and romance are both run of the mill. After knowing each other less than a week, the I Love Yous are exchanged and a HEA with kids is implied. Yawn.

[Dean Runte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed but tough to keep up with.

Steamy enough and still entertaining. It's a good story line but difficult to follow the transition between characters happens rapidly. I enjoyed it but it left between characters.

[Margarette Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what you expect

Reed and Olivia’s story from the get go made you want them to end up together. From the first touch between them, you knew they were meant to be. A stubborn man but a more determined female made for a great story.

[Amanda BikiBookworm Vermaak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow

Exquisite read. I loved it. Enough drama, mayhem, kidnapping and thugs to keep you on the edge. But the HEA is what will make you read this series. I'm diving into the next one

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this so boring. I skimmed most of the second half.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

I loved this book! I am already ordering another one in the series. Hot action, hot lovin! What more do you need?!

[Tye H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two thumbs up

This was a great book. The storyline was awesome. Russians and the Irish. There is action, drama, heartbreak, and so much more.

[Breanna pasha pearl kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me crying at the end cause she had to say goodbye to her brother😭😭. I was mad it had a cliffhanger but oh well! I have a lot of favorite books but this is in the top #10

[karn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

Well, what an intense, seat of your pants book...wow! But yet, somehow we find time for great sex! Yea, baby!!! Sopranos here we come!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It was kind of weird reading in first person again. But Reed and Olivia were worth it. I'm really interested in meeting the rest of the family.

[Mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars