Reed

Hell Squad #4

by Anna Hackett

As part of Hell Squad, former Coalition Navy SEAL Reed MacKinnon fights for humanity’s freedom from the alien invaders. He also fights for his brown-eyed girl—the woman he rescued from the aliens’ secret laboratory. He admires her quiet strength and will to survive, not to mention her elfin looks and curvy body…but he knows he has to keep his distance. She’s nowhere near ready for what he has to offer and he’ll protect her from everything, even his own powerful desires.

Energy scientist Natalya Vasin has lived through hell. Still struggling after her captivity, scarred by the aliens’ experimentation, all she wants is to be normal again...and she wants Reed MacKinnon. But the rugged soldier is holding back, treating her like glass, and she won’t accept that from anybody.

As Reed and Natalya wage a sensual battle of desires, they also work together to decipher a mysterious alien energy cube. Hell Squad needs Natalya’s expertise and they need her to go back into alien territory to use it. But on a mission to destroy an alien outpost, secrets are uncovered—of what the raptors really did to Natalya. Secrets that mean the future she wants with Reed is just an impossible dream.

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Aliens, Science Fiction Romance, Military Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia

204 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2015

About the author

I’m a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled romantic suspense and science-fiction romance. I love writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.

I love hearing from readers and you can find me on Facebook, Instagram and my website: www.annahackett.com

Reviews

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was sweet. Natalya tried to be brave. Considering what she went through that was admirable. I am not sure I could handle her circumstances.

Reed was a doll. Very sweet and good to her.

Nice edition to the series.

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5* rounded up

Spoilers






Unfortunately this one didn't work for me at all
Natalya had been through something very traumatic and I could understand her wanting to be in control and not feeling like the aliens broke her BUT she was too sexually aggressive. She basically gave Reed an ultimatum that if he didn't want her she'd do xyz. Come on! He was trying to look out for her.
The heart that crossed language barriers was just a bit too much so it tipped a plot that was interesting in previous books into being ridiculous.
Reed was about 25% alpha lol, he was very patient with Natalya but because she was so aggressive he wasn't painted in the best light imo
The dirty talk? Ummmm no just no!
All in all my first fail but I'm plodding ahead because the other books were good so I'm hopeful for more winners in this series.



*eta* the nickname "brown eyed girl" annoyed the ever living crap out of me! Seriously,why not plain ole brown eyes? Ugggh

[Chappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reed and Natalya are a great couple. Natalya is a survivor and doesn't want Reed's protective nature to take over. Thankfully, their desire is unstoppable...very hot...love Reed's dirty, dirty mouth.

As always, this installment is action-packed and full of scary-ass aliens.

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

RATING: 2 "brown-eyed girl" Hearts

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books seem to follow a formula with romance but I like the world and world-building, plus they are short enjoyable reads.

[Севдалина · Rating 5 out of 5]

Рийд МакКиниън и Наталия Васер

📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣

Рийд МакКинън е бивш тюлен от морската пехота. Специалист в поставянето на експлозиви и капани, той е вербуван и става част от Hell Squat след като един от мъжете в екипа бива убит. Още на първата му мисия с екипа, Рийд помага да бъдат спасени група хора от лабораторията на Рапторите. И там за пръв път вижда д-р Наталия Васер.

Наталия е учен занимаващ се с енергийни източници. Когато е пленена от Рапторите, извънземните провеждат редица експерименти с нея, и тя вярва, че до края на живота си, ще изживява кошмара да експериментират с тялото й. Когато обаче бива спасена от екипите на базата Блу Маутън, тя се заклева да направи всичко по силите си да помага на малката оцеляла част от човечеството. Когато Рийд, войника от който е силно привлечена и който според нея не би я погледнал в друга светила, освен като жертва, й носи малък извънземен куб, който е странен източник на енергия, Наталия смята, че е открила начин да навреди на извънземните, като унищожи източниците им на енергия, но за целта, трябва да работи с Рийд и да успее да се пребори със страховете и кошмарите си. Особено, когато на яве излиза ужасяваща тайна, която заплашва да унищожи разсъдъка й ... Рапторите са заменили сърцето й с извънземно рапторско сърце.

Обожавам Рийд. Още от предишните книги, той беше изключително интересен герой. Тук беше адски сладък, загрижен, държеше се като перфектния джентълмен, дори когато ситуацията не му предоставяше възможност да е такъв. Винаги загрижен за Наталия, той често я изкарваше извън нерви, защото, в неговата загриженост, тя виждаше неща, които не съществуваха. Авторката отново ни завъртя главата с куп нови неща, нови разкрития и нови герои, за чийто книги тепърва ще четем. Вече в тази 4 книга забелязвам и модела по който ще се движи тази поредица. Явно ще се върти главно около героините. В първата книга Ел отговаряше за комуникациите, и там, отряда вия сметката на комуникациите на рапторите. Във втората, Санта търсеше отмъщение за сестра си, и откриха и сестра й, и виновниците за залавянето й. В третата Емерсън беше лекарка, и при нея унищожихме генетична лаборатория в която извънземните превръщаха хора в раптори, а тук специалистката по електроенергия унищожи част от енергийните източници на рапторите. Тъй че смело мога да очаквам действието да се върти около главните героини и техните професии. Следват Рот и Ейвъри.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 4 in the series was Reed and Natalya's story.

Reed joined the squad after Zeke's death. He is a former seal and loves the water. He is the one to pull Natalya out of the alien tank and feels protective of her. He stays away from Natalya because he knows she need time after her captivity.
Natalya doesn't need to be protected, she needs to feel. At the same time Natalya is helping the base get more energy and work with the alien crystals. Eventually Reed gives in to his attraction and claims his woman.

So, both characters follow more or less the steps that the previous couples followed. Reed is tough hell squad member who falls for the sexy heroine. And as i said about the previous book there is not much added here.
The story follows the couple and their struggles and there is enough action to make the plot interesting. The length and not enough plot build around qualify the book to 3 stars.
There is so much potential to it.

Moving on to next story,

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series up to this point, but this entry was flat. Many of us have commented that they wished a shorter story was longer. This story seemed like a longer book that someone cut down from 300pp to 200pp. Many of the scenes were truncated. The battle scenes, the deep conversations, the sex, everything seemed rushed or compressed. Given that the premise of the series limits the options for the plot, details and descriptions are quite important.

I will read the next book in hopes that this was just an anomaly.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

Because I read these in one lovely distracting bunch, I’m going to review them the same way. If you like either science fiction romance or post-apocalyptic romance (or both), Anna Hackett’s Hell Squad series is a wonderful way to spend some time in a setting where you absolutely would not want to live. No matter how much fun it is to peek over the characters’ shoulders and see their lives!

One of the fun things about this series is that the ending of each story gives readers a sneak preview of who the main couple will be in the next book. So at the end of GabeGabe we all knew Reed was next. Likewise, Reed foreshadows Roth a bit, and Roth foreshadows Noah. And for those of us who are awaiting the next book with the proverbial bated breath, events at the end of Noah tell us that the next hero is Shaw, who looks like he is finally about to get his head out of his ass – if it doesn’t get handed to him first.

Back to our current three installments, Reed, Roth and Noah. This series so far has shown us two different romantic patterns. In Reed and Noah, just like in Gabe and Marcus we have a couple where the romantic leads are in an opposites attract mode – or at least surface opposites. In these stories, one party is a soldier, and the other is what passes for a civilian in this brave new world. Marcus’ Elle is a former society child turned communications officer, Gabe’s Emerson is the Base’s Chief Medical Officer. With Reed, the woman of his dreams is a scientist and former POW – one that he rescued from the alien’s experimental labs. The couple in Noah still maintains the pattern, but refreshingly reversed. Noah is Blue Mountain Base’s Chief Technologist, and his would-be lady is the Head of Security.

In all of these stories, we have two people who are absolutely certain that they must be wrong for each other, only to discover that they are absolutely right. Who they would have been before the invasion no longer matters. With the remnants of humanity barely holding their own against the reptilian Gizzida, the strength to survive and the need to find joy in the midst of insanity pretty much conquer all superficial differences. Eventually.

Watching these couples who would probably never even have met before the world ended find out they belong together is marvelous.

The story in Roth is similar to the romance in Cruz. Both of the people in the couple are warriors of one stripe or another. In Cruz, Santha is a warrior and a scout. In the case of Roth, the woman who haunts his dreams (in more ways than one) is Avery, who is not just a soldier but was also a member of the team that first negotiated with the Gizzida. As Avery finally recovers from her time as an alien test subject, her newly awakened memories reveal that it wasn’t just the Gizzida who were negotiating in bad faith – the humans were too. Or at least one human – the head honcho of the Human Coalition. The pressure is on Avery to remember everything she can about the traitor and his plans, because Blue Mountain Base is closely threatened by the aliens, and they need a Plan B – a safe place to retreat with all their people, both military and civilian. When Roth and Avery investigate potential bolt holes, they find one hell of a surprise, and a whole lot of hope.

Escape Rating A-: The deeper I get into this series, the more I see it as a science fiction romance/post-apocalyptic crossover. This is a near future Earth, but it is definitely a future. Before everything went to hell in the alien invasion handbasket, this was an Earth where we had finally created a peaceful world Coalition government. That’s an achievement that seems pretty far from where we sit today, on the heels of the terrorist attacks on Paris, Baghdad and Beirut last week.

Hell Squad is also post-apocalyptic without being ‘prepper’ fiction. No one expected an alien invasion. This isn’t about some group that finally had their paranoia justified. Blue Mountain Base was a military base that a lot of Coalition military knew existed. Once the squads start getting together, they go out to rescue other survivors. And of course there is a lot of word of mouth about a safe place that spreads virally among the remaining human population. People still trickle in, and survivors still get found, but fewer and fewer all the time. While I don’t generally like prepper fiction, I like Hell Squad because it focuses on the survival and not the paranoia.

The romances in this series drive the characters, and yet they don’t drive the story. The story is the different things that individuals do (and don’t do) in order to keep humanity alive. We keep learning more and more about the alien invasion, the aliens’ motivations, and finally, what went wrong. The chief characters in each book, the ones who find love amidst the chaos, do some things differently because they have found their own personal reason to live life to the fullest, but the story is about them all fighting the good and necessary fight against terrible odds.

One of the things in this part of the series that is now driving the action forward is that Plan B and the reason it exists in the first place. There has not been much in the series until now of humans acting evilly for evil’s sake or for self-aggrandizing, or even self-preservation, purposes. We finally get a glimpse of the dark side of humanity in Roth, as the Blue Mountain Base discovers that humanity was betrayed in return for a safe haven for a select few. Unlike the betrayal of the human race to the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, our evildoer in the Hell Squad series knows exactly what he’s doing when he sells out 99% of the human race to save himself and his selected elite.

We’ve seen the remnant of humanity at Blue Mountain Base survive. Now that they know what they are doing and why they are doing it, they know they have to do more to throw the Gizzida off our planet. As Emily St. John Mandel repeated in the awesome Station Eleven, quoting the Star Trek Voyager episode Survival Instinct, “Because survival is insufficient.”

It looks like that sentiment is going to drive the rest of the series. And I can’t wait.

[Bubbles The Book Pimp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 in the hell squad series.

Reed is a ex navy seal, bomb expert...natalya is a renowned energy scientist recently rescued and recovering from abuduction by the invading aliens. This is their story.

And oh wow what a Great story, action packed and emotive from the get go...as per Anna hackett's writing style. Steamy with bursts of frenetic action and fighting.
I'm really enjoying how the series is evolving, developing and expanding with each book and looking forward to reading more of the series.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sería feliz si Hackett se saltara algún romance en los siguientes episodios, no le da tiempo a desarrollarlos y lastran lo verdaderamente importante, la muy bien construida trama de resistencia a la invasión alíenígnea.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Another enjoyable read. Just wished they'd stick with just one narrator. The female narrator is a lot slower than the male and when listening at 1x5, the male narration is a bit too fast.

[MsRomanticReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former UC Navy SEAL, Reed MacKinnon was on vacation in Australia when the aliens invaded. Before long, he found himself at Blue Mountain Base and became one of the squads explosives expert. He eventually took Zeke's place on Hell Squad and was a part of the rescue mission (Book Two) to save the human guinea pigs from the raptors. Genius energy scientist, Dr. Natalya Vasin was one of those survivors. Four months after her ordeal, Natalya was back to work and ready to move forward in her personal life. Though Reed was the one she clung to in the early stages of her recovery, I didn't get the feeling that her attraction to him was a case of hero worship. The attraction was mutual, but Reed's honorable side, and a tragedy involving a former friend and female SEAL wouldn't let him rush his desires. Despite Natalya's multiple attempts to tempt him, he was convinced that providing her with emotional support was the right thing to do, and not act on the multiple wicked fantasies playing in his head.

That was just one of the things I loved about Reed. He was a rather easygoing fellow, had surprisingly good (romantic) advice for his fellow squad members over the course of the last two books, but he wasn't saintly. He didn't have a problem telling Natalya exactly what he wanted or how he wanted her—writhing beneath him—but I appreciated his restraint.

Natalya walked a fine line between being pushy and confident or bold with her sexual desires. I was slightly turned off during the one instance she turned petulant and threatened to find some other guy to give her what she wanted if Reed wouldn't cave. Every rebuff, no matter how gently delivered got a knee-jerk reaction out of her with her accusing Reed of seeing her as broken, fragile or damaged. Since she was easily placated by his promises that they would "get there", her mini tantrums and mind games made her seem somewhat childish. As the story went on, she luckily had a chance to shine i other areas related to her professional capabilities. That's not to say the push and pull between them wasn't loaded with sparks and helped build up to the actual sexual release. The sex scenes were hot, but I felt more from him than from her.

The suspense was, as usual with this series, the real draw for me. The repercussions of the raptor experiments on humans didn't leave Natalya untouched, something I found horrifying and fascinating as to if and how it will affect her in the future. She discovered a way to land a blow to the raptor's power source, which led to a risky missions that she, of course, had to be a part of. I can't wait for Roth and Devlin's stories. I'm officially Hell Squad obsessed.

There was only one minor but noticeable error this time, so whoever is proofing them did a better job this time.

“If…if the worst happens—” he stopped with a curse and heaved in a breath. His gold eyes bored into hers. “If they get you, I’ll come for you. Understand?”

She trembled. “Okay.”

“You don’t do anything stupid, or risk yourself, you wait until I come.”

Natalya could barely stand the thought of being strapped down on a bed again, bright lights in her face, pain sawing through her. Panic fluttered in her chest. “Reed—”

He gave her a little shake. “Promise me, sweetheart, or I won’t let you get on that Hawk.”

☆ ☆ ☆

“You owe me a shirt,” she grumbled.

He grabbed her hand and led her into the trees. “You bet. I look forward to seeing you lying back on my bunk, wearing my shirt, with my come drying on your thighs.”

Her lips parted. “Stop that. God, you drive me crazy.”

“I have another fantasy.” He lowered his voice. “I want to fuck you on your desk in the comp lab while you’re wearing one of those tight skirts of yours rucked up around your hips."

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Hell Squad #4
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

After spending months being abused and tortured by the aliens, Natalya Vasin is struggling to overcome the anxiety and fear. Reed MacKinnon hasn’t been able to forget about Natalya since they rescued her from the alien lab. He refuses to make a move though because he knows she is still healing and he won’t take advantage of her. While fighting their feelings they work together to strike another blow to the alien invaders.

“Whether it’s a physical or emotional scar, it doesn’t matter, Natalya. We’ll always carry something with us. It’s what we choose to do to move forward that counts.”

Natalya is a smart, strong and determined woman. She has had terrible things happen to her but she is determined to fight back, even if it means going back into alien territory. It was very emotional watching her struggle to deal with all the things the aliens had done to her. Reed is protective and charming. He truly appreciates life and helps Natalya see the brighter side of things again. I just love how supportive he was of her decisions, even when he didn’t like them.

“We can’t go back, sweetheart. Only forward. I want you to move forward with me.”

There were some great developments in the human vs aliens war. The humans have dealt some major blows to the aliens and they are finally starting to see them as a threat. Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to jump into the next one, which is the first book featuring a different team.

Trigger Warnings: human experimentation, PTSD, suicide of a friend discussed, torture discussed

This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are short and easy to get through, which I think is the only reason I keep reading, honestly. This one was, once again, fine. The big secret (Natalya had stuff done to her by the raptors!) was not all that surprising (seriously, they're letting former raptor prisoners come to their top-secret base and just be all like "no, I don't want a doctor to examine me, it will be too traumatic"? seriously?) and the romance felt more tacked on than some of the previous books - I think in part because it felt very high-sex-scene-count contemporary romance, complete with dirty-talking hero and heroine in pencil skirts, and that really didn't fit in well with the tone of the series thus far.

[Vinita Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell squad readers r u ready. Hell yeah the devil needs...... If u read any of this series u know what comes next. If not ur missing out. Once again, Anna captures ur imagination n plunges u into a world where humans r fighting against alien raptors bent on annihilating mankind. Reed(ex navy seal) member of Hell Squad, has an attraction for Dr. Natalya. Neither know how to express this n still do their jobs. There's one other problem Natalya needs to analyze alien crystals, Reed doesn't want her to go out of the complex into "the field". Can the domineering Alpha male stop her. Read on to find out.

[Eleni Konstantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed post apocalyptic romance with heart. With issues of self confidence and post traumatic syndrome, our heroine struggles with the thought of being a victim. Sexy soldier Reed helps Natalya through this. Like the rest of the series it has action, aliens, humour, desire and hot sex, and romance. There’s more information about the aliens and we see more of others on the base.

Disclaimer: While I know the author personally, this doesn’t affect the star rating.

[Just Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another dangerously addictive read! I absolutely loved their story and the added action, I have yet to find another author who rival Anna H and her action packed romances!! And Reed, sweet Batman, can I please have one?

5 well deserved stars!!

Read: 12/01/2017
Will I recommend?: yes!

[Trisha Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, great story, loved it. A must read series. Gets better and better.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: 4 Stars. I enjoyed REED more than the previous book. It’s among my favorite in this series so far (as explained below). Although I have read other Hackett novels, this is my first time reading this series

1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/cute; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I LIKED THIS ONE A LOT; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).

REED continues immediately after the previous book, GABE, #3 The Hell Squad team is whittling away at the alien presence in Sydney with undercover attacks on the alien bases and raptor forces. REED features FMC energy specialist Dr. Natalya Vasin and Hell Squad member and former Coalition Navy SEAL MMC Reed MacKinnon. With the assistance of other technology personnel residing at Blue Mountain enclave, Dr Natalya discovers a method to disable certain alien technology. And so Hell Squad infiltrates. Although in the big picture the war for survival seems insurmountable, the survivors at Blue Mountain’s enclave (Hell Squad’s former varied Coalition forces; fighting Squads 3, 9 and others; plus technology and medical experts) are determined to face and fight each battle valiantly.

Comments ~
1) REED is a book which you need to let go of reality, logical thinking, common sense and just settle in for the ride and simply enjoy the mind-blurring escape (because there are several scenes that absolutely couldn’t occur as written without probable deadly repercussions). ;)
2) REED contains more plot than intimacy scenes (IMO, a nice break from the previous book). As a devoted reader of immersive Action Adventure novels (and movies) which entirely pull the reader into another place and time, I really appreciated the action scenes and detailed settings. Romance is great, but I prefer a balance of more action/adventure and less detailed intimacy. So, yay!
3) The Hell Squad books are very fast reading, great for a few hours of escape or to decompress after work.
4) REED can be read and enjoyed as a Standalone title (with no cliffhangers and its own HFN/HEA) but the connections between secondary characters previous introduced (in earlier books) and the series overall story arc would then be missed. I prefer beginning with book one and continuing through the series in order.
5) POSSIBLE SPOILER: Why didn’t Hell Squad utterly destroy the large spaceship when they had the opportunity? This didn’t make sense to me (unless the reasoning ties in with future plot lines).
6) Recommended to readers who enjoy:
*Action/Adventure novels (and are okay with steamy romance scenes).
*Dystopian Romance novels (see above).
*Escape fiction, such as Fantasy and Space Opera (see above).
*Quick reading romance novels to insert between other genres and tropes (and are okay with light dystopian settings and steamy scenes).

READER CAUTION ~ Not recommended to YA readers or to those who prefer Clean fiction.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - Yes. Detailed intimacy scenes occur between the 2 MCs beginning around the mid point )2 or 3).
VIOLENCE - PG. Involves military and aliens. Think Godzilla or Aliens. Not particularly dark or graphic.

[Linda Whitacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

The HELL SQUAD SERIES is an amazing sci-fi romance. Earth has been invaded by horrible ALIEN creatures called the Gizzida intent on making a “destroyed” Earth theirs. There are pockets of resistance across the planet, humans willing to fight to the death to save mankind, to save Earth. Hell Square takes place in Australia, starting in Sydney. Luckily this hidden base has a group of survivors from many walks of life and a lot of these wonderful characters will have their own story in this 20-book series. I AM RE-READING THE ENTIRE SERIES and it’s even better the second time around.
REED -Book 4-- Before the world blew up Reed was a Navy SEAL. Reed loves the outdoors and the water he was on a scuba diving vacation when the Alien attack came…and the world was pretty much destroyed. Somehow Reed makes it to the Blue Mountain base where he can use his warrior skills to help in the fight. On one of his early missions with Hell Squad, Reed helps in the rescue of humans who have been tortured in a Gizzida lab. One poor brutalized lady captures his attention. Doctor Natalya Vasin was “surgically” worked on. Reed gives her comfort but steps back from anything more until she heals, and then he wants more, he wants her.
Natalya’s specialty is energy and tech, and the base needs her help. Turns out the aliens messing with Natalya have given her special powers beyond her naturally smart brain. This is a beautiful love story for Natalya and Reed amidst all the chaos of war. Great story. Linda

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm back with the Hell Squad soldiers and their fight against the Gizzida. They're fighting the good fight as the try to do as much damage to the alien jerks who invaded as possible.

Natalya, as a former prisoner of the aliens, is determined to do her part for their survival. Her imprisonment left her with more than a few scars and she has plenty of healing to do before she can shake the past. She keeps her feelings for Reed hidden, never thinking he sees her as more than the damaged woman he pulled out of the alien tank.

As it turns out, Reed sees a whole lot more than that. He's just determined to take things slow so he doesn't spook Natalya. Which is sweet and everything, but Natalya isn't looking for slow. Once the truth comes out about how they both feel, she's ready to dive in.

Naturally, THINGS HAPPEN to throw a momentary wrench into their HEA, but Natalya's smart and Reed's determined and they make things work. Eventually.

Fun, fast-paced, and simmering with sexual tension (Claudia and Shaw, I'm looking at you!), the Hell Squad doesn't give up. No matter the obstacle.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Daryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5* This was ok. I really expected more from Reed's book. There wasn't nearly enough sexiness in this book, like at all. Which was disappointing considering that Reed was supposed to be a sexy former Navy Seal ladies man. Without giving any spoilers, I will say the direction Hackett went in with Natalia was...interesting. I wish she went a little more in depth with it though. Actually, that is the perfect way to summarize how I feel about ALL of the books in this series- I wish they went a little deeper, gave more. Since they're shorter books I understand why going deeper might be difficult. However, I think you need to decide, shorter books with the steaminess the audience is there for OR skim the surface in plot and steaminess. The latter leaves me wanting in multiple ways. I also felt the relationship between Reed and Natalia was a little forced and insta-lovey. I can't say I'd recommend this book, but if you hate skipping books in a series, luckily this was short. I'm hanging in there with this series for Shaw, Noah, and Finn's books. If I still feel lukewarm towards after those, I'm out.

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself comfort reading the first chapter of Reed last week when the world seemed rather insane, and it dawned on me why I love Anna Hackett's books quite so much - straightforward stories where there is a clear bad guy, the good guys always win and true love is always quickly recognised and resolved. There's something so reassuring about this, given the complexities of the world we live in now.

Anyway, enough ruminations from 3am, on to Reed itself (himself?). Once again, I find myself loving the world, Reed and Natalya were a bit forgettable but I'm still happy for them and I still can't believe I have to read two more books before getting to Shaw and Claudia. I want to skip, but I will no doubt miss more of the torturous legwork, so I'll be good. I suspect Roth will be a bit of a Reed, but Noah might be fun.

[Valerie Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! what a read!! It just gets better!!

The relationship between Natalya and Reed is so special - as are all the relationships in the Hell Squad series. However, Natalya is not only a victim but she has a constant reminder of her incarceration with the raptors. Reed is obsessed with her but d he to some misguided sense of chivalry, will not make a move. We are all touched by her strength and courage returning twice to raptor territory to sabotage their system. She can also speak raptor. But through all the mistrust, hurt and betrayal, it is clear that they love each other. This is another wonderful read from the creative pen and imagination of Anna Hackett. Thank you once again Anne!

[Alison Motherwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense and gripping

A good book to me is something that I can visualise playing out in my mind and these books certainly do that. The attention to detail allows the readers to to go on the journey with Hell Squad and its an exhilarating ride. These men are alpha to the core and the women are the one thing that can bring them to their knees, it's empowering.

Natalya has been through some terrible ordeals since the raptors invaded but her one shining star is Reed Mackinnon. There relationship is full of trouble and turmoil but definately worth it in the end. All Anna's characters have flaws but it's the power to overcome them that makes them inspiring. Another great book and battle against the invading aliens.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Seguimos conociendo mas de los sobrevivientes que se encuentran en las instalaciones Australianas y en este caso le toca a Reed junto con la científica Natalya, conoceremos mas a fondo su historia y la recuperación de Natalya al ser rescatada por el escuadrón del infierno de las manos de los Aliens. La relacion me pareció bonita y me gusto mucho la interacción que tienen ambos con el resto del equipo, esa mezcla de cariño y compañerismo es genial. La trama sigue avanzando por mas que vayan cambiando los personajes principales, la historia de fondo va avanzando y cobrando sentido, nuevos aliens, nuevos dispositivos, nuevas misiones y eso hace que uno quiera seguir leyendo, me gusto mucho y recomiendo bastante la serie.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raptor captive for four months, energy scientist Natalya Vasin was tired of feeling ‘less’. Natalya wanted Reed McKinnon to stop treating her like she was fragile, she wanted his kisses, his sex, a real romance. Natalya was as surprised as anyone when she was able to track a hybrid in the facility that eluded their soldiers. Finding out what the raptors did to her when others did, almost broke her! But with help from resident IT genius, Noah, the team is able to strike hard at the invaders.
Rating: 4stars

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reed...

Hell Squad book 4. Reed and Dr. Natasha story will keep you guessing. They are passionate and heartfelt. They go back and forth. The two battle her trauma from being a captive of the aliens and his issues as well. However when they discover what really happened to those captives, all hell breaks loose. Raptor aliens, missing body parts and changing tanks on my! Angsty, hella dramatic, twisty and WTF craziness.

[Carol McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series

This is an action packed thriller filled with hot guys and spunky, independent women. Hell Squad and their supporting teams work hard to reclaim their world from the alien invaders who attacked planet earth. Their determination mixed with innovation brings not only small victories, but with big ones, too. Facing seemingly insurmountable odds Hell Squad never quits!