New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan returns to The Hunted series
Ben Knight has spent his life protecting those in need and helping abused women escape their terrible circumstances. He’ll stop at nothing to save the lives of his clients, especially the hauntingly beautiful Kate Morrison, a woman threatened by a man whose wealth allows him to get away with everything—including murder.
Kate’s days spent as a social worker, fighting for those unable to help themselves, means she’s spent her fair share of time in a court room. She and Ben have crossed paths, but never that professional line. When he agrees to aid her in putting Evan Faraday behind bars where he belongs, she must trust the sexy lawyer with her life and that of a precious baby.
Will Kate learn to trust Ben in time to save herself, and will they have a chance to explore the love blossoming between them before it’s too late?
Jennifer Ryan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted and McBrides Series, writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Please visit her website at www.jennifer-ryan.com for information about upcoming releases.
Woo! Yall. Ben was yummy! A little suspense, some fated romance, heartbreak and mending of shattered lives. It was an entertaining read that pulled me in completely.
The Gist: At a family dinner Ben's friend has a vision. A woman is going to re-enter his life and if he wants any future with her he better hold on tight and not let her go like he did in the past. He's like okay, yeah...sure. But then he runs into Kate. A woman he shared a kiss with a year prior and who's life is in danger. And, previously skeptical homeboy is like oh damn. I'm on it.
I really liked both Ben and Kate. Despite hard upbringings they've made something of themselves and spend their time helping people who have been beaten down by life-- she's a social worker and he owns a safe house for abused women. Seeking justice and writing the wrongs they can. Ben's super sweet and one of those guys you can't help but adore. And Kate's got an amazing strength to her. So, really, nothing not to like there, right?
Their romance moved real dang quick and had a fated quality to it. But they knew it was crazy and somehow that made it okay for me. They had great chemistry and support between them.
While you do know right from the start who the bad guys are it was still entertaining watching it all piece together. Though, these two were real slow on the uptake sometimes. I did not shake my book at them. I swear.
All in all, Everything She Wanted was a pretty good. I seriously flew through this one and couldn't stop myself from picking it up whenever I could for just a little more. So a good time was had. Light suspense, a little romance, some great characters. Not a bad time at all. I'll be going back for the previous books for sure.
Get this. In my previous review, I literally said I shouldn't read anymore Jennifer Ryan for a while. So what do I do? I immediately try to read another Jennifer Ryan novel.
In my own defense, it was pointed out to me that there was only one more book I had any intention of reading, so I might as well do it now and get it over with. And I honestly don't know if that was the right thing to do because now I've DNF'd it. But I kinda think the reason I DNF'd it would be the same even if I read this a year from now and wasn't currently overly familiar with Jennifer Ryan's writing style.
I previously mentioned the predictability and oddly obvious foreshadowing in her other books. This one suffers from the same problem. One single line gave away the whole plot. I skipped through the book to check that my theorized plot-points were all being met and then the big surprise at the end?! Fuckin' knew it. *sigh* It was incredibly obvious how this was all going to play out before the mystery of it even began. Every single plot point.
It's either predictable or I'm psychic. Which is more likely?
Now. Listen. Sit down and listen to me. I like Jennifer Ryan. I like her overly violent external conflicts and sappy, glossed over or fade-to-black fated mates sex scenes. I like her cookie cutter alpha males and her never-wimpy heroines. I like that the phrase "head exploded in a violent red spray of blood and brain" can be found in this particular book more than once and often in others. But if I attempt to read another Jennifer Ryan book in the next 3 months, I want one of you to take the book away and beat me with it. It will be for my own good, I promise.
Ben Knight has been itching to find his own happily ever after as he watches his friends succumb to love, marriage, and babies. When a dear friend tells him his soul mate is coming and he’s already met her before, he’s shocked when he is called to the scene of a crime and runs into Kate Morrison; a social worker he had an interlude with a few years ago.
Kate Morrison is reeling from the sudden deaths of her sister, Margo and Margo’s fiance, Donald. Made to look like a suicide/murder, Kate is convinced there was foul play involved and she knows exactly who it was. Now the sole guardian of their young son, Alex, Kate vows to not stop until their murderer(s) are brought to justice.
To make matters worse, Donald’s ex-wife and son are not only contesting the will, but trying to get custody of Alex and his trust. Kate and Ben will have to learn to trust one if they want a chance to explore their mutual attraction before the killer strikes again.
Everything She Wanted in the fifth installment in Jennifer Ryan’s Hunted series. Easily read as part of the series or as a standalone, this installment centers around Ben Knight whom we met in Saved by the Rancher. Ryan begins her story in a rather unusual fashion, choosing to negate the mystery by showing us the crime, the identity of the killer, and the reasons behind the murders right off the bat. Rather than use the mystery as a separate entity, Ryan instead chooses to essentially spoil that aspect and focus instead on the romance and lets the police investigate off scene; giving our protagonists ample time to build a relationship.
Heavily character driven, Ryan sets the scene and immediately introduces us to our protagonists-Ben Knight and Kate Morrison. Steady pacing keeps us firmly moving along as Ryan slowly combines some action and drama with a steamy chemistry drenched romance. As we already know the where, when, why, and how…we now watch as the hero and heroine (along with some friends) do everything possible to bring the killer to justice.
Ben and Kate are perfectly matched. Both are intelligent, proactive, protective warriors who champion the underdog and their jobs reflect this- Ben’s an attorney who helps battered women and children and Kate is a social worker who works with disadvantaged children. I loved the fierceness in this couple both in their personal and professional lives. Kate steals the show though with her strength and independence. This is no mary sue waiting for a white knight to save her. She is more than able to save herself and proves it repeatedly. Having rose above her own traumatic childhood, she now does everything possible to make sure other children aren’t ‘tossed’ away like she was.
The romance reveals slowly but firmly with the right amount of sexual and emotional tension. I appreciated that Ryan doesn’t make this an ‘insta love’ connection. Though the chemistry is well established from their first time seeing each other again, she uses Ben and Kate’s past to push past the awkward meeting stage, giving them a base on which to deepen their acquaintance and move into something deeper and more meaningful.
A cast of familiar and new faces dot the landscape; facilitating subplots and helping to see justice served. Characters from previous books all step in to offer advice and guidance; giving Ben and Kate the family they both desperately crave. A plethora of children are present, used as strong plot devices to not only draw out Ben and Kate’s maternal instincts but to also help cement the growing relationship between them.
Some twists and turns keeps you engaged though I found my attention waning at times because I knew what the end result would be even if I wasn’t sure how it would all go down. The villain(s) of the piece weren’t developed enough to hold my attention on their own, especially since I already knew what they had done. The anticipation and suspense were missing for me so the overall appeal remained low-key.
Everything She Wanted is a nice escape from the everyday world with a little bit of everything to appeal to the masses but if you’re looking for a high impact romantic suspense that will keep you guessing till the end, this isn’t it.
Oh man what a great ending to this series, the plot drew me right in. Ben finally is going to get what the rest of his family has. Kate has been wanting a family ever since her sister had a baby and she seen her happy. The story was great Kate is a social worker and a bad-ass who loves to help she met Ben before but they shared a kiss and she ran for the hills. When they meet each other once again Ben knows he would do anything for her including adding a kid to the mix. Ben wanted a family of his own so it was great to see him getting the built in family including Kate. They were great together glad we go to see the other couples sad to see the series ending.
Fantastic read. Full of suspense, action, and of course a fantastic romance. Glad Ben finally got his HEA. He definitely deserved it! Kate was a great match for him too. Spunky, determined, and able to overcome not only her unbelievably tough childhood but the loss of the only people she ever called family. This was definitely a great addition to the series and a book I would recommend to everyone. Can absolutely be read stand alone but I recommend the entire series.
I hated how lonely Ben and Kate seemed, how they felt like outsiders among those they considered family. It was nice that during this crazy situation that Kate found herself in she also found Ben, that right away they had a connection. They needed the support of each other as they got to the bottom of things. The ending was perfect for the couple, filled with lots of friends and family.
Kate and Ben have met before. They had a blip of chemistry before she ran off for parts unknown to him. Here they are and time has closed the gap between that time and now. Kate and Ben still have that same chemistry. Only this time there is so much more at stake than her heart. Soon her life will depend on this man in more ways than one.
This is the first book I have read in this series by Ryan and I really liked how different it was and enjoyed the drama that brought these two people together.
Ben and Kate met months ago at a wedding but after a kiss she took off. They have worked and seen each other since but nothing romantic has come from it. Now Kate needs Bens help and he will do anything and everything to help her.
I really enjoyed the plot and how fast paced it was. Ryan did an excellent job on having everything come together and throwing in some twists and turns along the way. One minute I was so sure it would go one way but then I was surprised it went a different way.
Ben and Kate had some cute moments and great chemistry. I think with everything going they became closer and I liked how Ben was willing to do anything to keep her safe and happy.
I liked the characters from the previous books and now I want to go back and read there stories. Hopefully this won't be the end of this series because I definitely want more of these characters in the future!
I read the entire series, and this one is a 5 star just like the previous ones. When you meet Ben in book 1, he sure doesn't seem like the Ben in this book, I had him pictured all different, but glad he was able to get his HEA. This book moves a little faster than the previous ones but it all comes together just fine. As the final book, I sure don't want the series to end, but hope that JR starts another series. Its easy to figure out the bad buys in the murder but the interaction of all the characters is wonderful. Please read the entire series, you won't be able to put them down.
Jennifer Ryan's stories are fast paced and always surprise me. For more of my review, stop by my blog ARC provided by Edelweiss and Avon Impulsehttp://themanyfacesofromance.blogspot...
OMG!!!! I just love anything that Jennifer Ryan writes. I'm so happy that Ben was able to get his own story. For more of my thoughts on Everything She Wanted go to: http://romancingthereaders.blogspot.c...
Another one bits the dust, today we are taking a look at Jennifer Ryan's Everything She Wanted. Let me say that I prefer, Jennifer's Montana Men, but I'm willing to try another book in this series. It wasn't a bad read, but I kind of struggle with the heroine. Don't get me wrong, Kate Morrison is pretty awesome, yet there were times I'm like are you serious you have a baby to watch. It's not a sexiest thing, it's more like: Yes, you have been mainly on your own, but your nephew's mother just died don't go all vigilante and get yourself killed kind of thought. However, she can seriously kick butt, and she wants justice for her sister.
As I said, we are taking a look at Everything She Wanted. I mentioned a little about Kate. Now Ben Knight is pretty awesome. Oh my gosh talk about a dreamy lawyer, who is willing to help Kate in all things. However, Kate is a little stubborn and can't believe anyone would want to be with her and make a life with her. Kate brings out Ben's protective side out in full force.
Honestly, I felt the story drag a good portion of the read. There were times I was kind of bored. It wasn't until the end where it got interesting and little crazy. However, crazy will do crazy. Seriously, the person was crazy. From the get go you knew who did it and why, but I think what help was when they got a little too greedy push the story. I personally think the Montana Men books had a little more suspense, and held me more captive. However, I will try another one of The Hunted books to see if I still feel that way. That's all I got today.
Copy provided by Avon via Edelweiss (later purchase the book because it was on sale).
This is the last in Jennifer Ryan's Hunted series and it is wonderful. I ordinarily don't read romance novels for the simple fact that most of them are a cookie cutter read. Jennifer Ryan is a fresh face in the romance genre. Her heroine comes from a foster care background and she has used that to become a social worker. When her sister of the heart and her fiance are murdered Kate has to step up to the bat and take charge of Alex the son of her sister. Ben Knight,an attorney, who we met in the first of this series offers to help Kate because the man that murdered her sister also killed a friend of his. The story line is realistic and is definitely a page turner. Characters from the previous stories in the Hunted series make an appearance and we get to see how they have came along. That is one of the reasons that I love the writings of Jennifer Ryan. She brings her previous characters into a story but doesn't make the story so that you have to have read the previous. It is a great standalone but is even better having read the other four books in this series.
I found this series to be very hit or miss in terms of quality, For each book that I actually enjoyed, there was another that left me swearing at the characters for their stupidity. This was another story of that type. The dead man has two sons, but the DNA test could only belong to one of them? Are you flipping kidding me? For a group of people who are supposed to be so intelligent, so skilled in investigative thinking, to completely miss that glaringly obvious clue, bothered the crap out of me, And while I mostly enjoyed the rest of the story, that portrayal ruined my warm fuzzy feelings. I liked Ben. He’s written in the alpha protector image of just about all of the author’s heroes. I liked Kate’s strength, but her independence came at the cost of that likeability. I saw that as one of her biggest character flaws, not an asset. This is another of the author’s series where I’m grateful it’s finally over.
Ben Knight has spent his life protecting those in need and helping abused women escape their terrible circumstances. He’ll stop at nothing to save the lives of his clients, especially the hauntingly beautiful Kate Morrison, a woman threatened by a man whose wealth allows him to get away with everything—including murder.
Kate’s days spent as a social worker, fighting for those unable to help themselves, means she’s spent her fair share of time in a court room. She and Ben have crossed paths, but never that professional line. When he agrees to aid her in putting Evan Faraday behind bars where he belongs, she must trust the sexy lawyer with her life and that of a precious baby.
Will Kate learn to trust Ben in time to save herself, and will they have a chance to explore the love blossoming between them before it’s too late
Love the series. Does it take a whole chapter to describe sex. The book would be three chapters less if you took these out. Nothing left to the imagination.
Love the series. Too much sex. Takes a whole chapter to describe it in detail. Enough is enough.It would be three chapters less if some details were left out.
This is what happens when a crazy person gets used to having her cake and eating it too. Christina was stone cold crazy. She even used her son to kill her husband and his soon to be wife.
Another outstanding book, in an amazing series! Ben and Kate were so perfect for each other and Alex was such a sweet baby. Such a senseless tragedy but an awesome journey to prove who was the killer. Tangled web of pure enjoyment.
Having discovered Jennifer Ryan several books ago has been a blessing. Everything She Wanted was fast paced and led me on a path that constantly surprised me. Loved the sassy main character, Kate. Highly recommend this book for hours of enjoyment.
I have read all five books in this series. The plots are good, the characters are likable, and the endings happy. This author is obsessed with women being beaten, tortured, and shot. Also a very wordy author. She uses too many descriptions.
I read this in a day! I got nothing else done, but it was fantastic. This story twisted me up in so many knots. I felt every ounce of pain. Then, slip in some swooning and heart melting and this story was perfect.