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Smithson Group Companion #2
Maximum Exposure
Set in Miami's sultry South Beach, a savvy spy finds a woman who can melt his ice-cool exterior with one look, and a case that could land them both in hot water.
(Note: MAXIMUM EXPOSURE is technically not part of the SG-5 series, but a "companion novel with related characters" per author's website.)
(Note: MAXIMUM EXPOSURE is technically not part of the SG-5 series, but a "companion novel with related characters" per author's website.)
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
19 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Alison Kent
129 books644 followersI often read of or hear about authors who knew they were meant to tell stories from the time they left the crib. Me? I didn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty years old - and then sold my first book at thirty-four. Still, it was obvious that I always knew I was going places.
Like so many other authors, I was a voracious reader from day one, devouring everything from Nancy Drew to My Friend Flicka, which I remember sitting hovered over the heater vent in the kitchen floor to read while my father made his coffee.
I moved on to my mother's Phyllis Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Mary Stewart gothics before discovering my first true romances written by Lucy Walker and set in the Australian Outback. And then, at last, when I was 18 I found 'The Flame and the Flower'. (My son almost spent his life as Brandon because of that, but I spared him and named him Casey instead!)
Why write romance? Because love stories have always been a major part of the books I've loved. Father Ralph and Meggie Cleary. (I did name my daughter Megan after reading The Thorn Birds! Do you see a trend here?) The aforementioned Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons. Wolf Mackenzie and Mary Potter.
Even more so, it's because I love writing romance heroes. The men who sweep both heroines and readers off their feet - not to mention their authors, too!
I've spent several years happily writing action adventure romance for Kensington Brava along with hot and sexy series romances for Harlequin Blaze. Now I'm thrilled to be a launch author for Vows.
Like so many other authors, I was a voracious reader from day one, devouring everything from Nancy Drew to My Friend Flicka, which I remember sitting hovered over the heater vent in the kitchen floor to read while my father made his coffee.
I moved on to my mother's Phyllis Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Mary Stewart gothics before discovering my first true romances written by Lucy Walker and set in the Australian Outback. And then, at last, when I was 18 I found 'The Flame and the Flower'. (My son almost spent his life as Brandon because of that, but I spared him and named him Casey instead!)
Why write romance? Because love stories have always been a major part of the books I've loved. Father Ralph and Meggie Cleary. (I did name my daughter Megan after reading The Thorn Birds! Do you see a trend here?) The aforementioned Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons. Wolf Mackenzie and Mary Potter.
Even more so, it's because I love writing romance heroes. The men who sweep both heroines and readers off their feet - not to mention their authors, too!
I've spent several years happily writing action adventure romance for Kensington Brava along with hot and sexy series romances for Harlequin Blaze. Now I'm thrilled to be a launch author for Vows.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 23, 2016
3.5 stars
“Who hurt you?”Finn asked, his voice pitched low and coming from just behind her.
She kicked at a cloud of bubbly foam. “A friend of my father’s. He said I invited his advances. Told me I’d asked for it with the way I flounced around half undressed.”
“You know you didn’t. No woman asks for a sexual assault.”
She tried to shrug off his words. “He didn’t really hurt me—”
“Of course, he did. If not physically, then emotionally. How old were you?”
“Fourteen. Old enough to know better.”
“Olivia—”
“He was right. About that much, anyway. I’d seen him looking at me. I knew what he was thinking.”She lifted her face, letting the breeze cool her. “But he wasn’t going to have any say in what I wore. I had the right to wear anything I wanted to, damn him, to expose as much of my body as society said was decent. I’d show him. And I did. Until he showed me.”She didn’t move when she sensed Finn coming closer. She didn’t freeze or flinch. She wanted him there. Wanted the comfort he offered when he stood behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She closed hers on top of his and held him there, sinking into him, needing the support of his body, but needing even more the emotional rock he offered.
Ladies and gentleman, this is a hero. There were so many little but immensely powerful moments from this hero Finn in regards to healing the heroine. Swoon.
This one started off pretty slow with Finn doing some P.I. work and Olivia purposefully crossing paths with him. Then about 20% in, we get a second couple of Judi and Roland/Roman (he is undercover DEA) that share equal time, trading off, with Finn and Olivia. About 40% in this becomes erotica and what a steamy sexy read it is. Both of our couples are far from shy and burn up of the pages with their chemistry. Then about 60% in the story starts to hit some deep emotional tones delving into our characters' childhood issues and how they affect them today and finally the last bit plays out the suspense storyline. This story is a hard one to pinpoint because of all its different components and while it made it different, it also made it uneven. However, the hot sex and little devastating emotional moments more than makeup for the other grouses.
“Who hurt you?”Finn asked, his voice pitched low and coming from just behind her.
She kicked at a cloud of bubbly foam. “A friend of my father’s. He said I invited his advances. Told me I’d asked for it with the way I flounced around half undressed.”
“You know you didn’t. No woman asks for a sexual assault.”
She tried to shrug off his words. “He didn’t really hurt me—”
“Of course, he did. If not physically, then emotionally. How old were you?”
“Fourteen. Old enough to know better.”
“Olivia—”
“He was right. About that much, anyway. I’d seen him looking at me. I knew what he was thinking.”She lifted her face, letting the breeze cool her. “But he wasn’t going to have any say in what I wore. I had the right to wear anything I wanted to, damn him, to expose as much of my body as society said was decent. I’d show him. And I did. Until he showed me.”She didn’t move when she sensed Finn coming closer. She didn’t freeze or flinch. She wanted him there. Wanted the comfort he offered when he stood behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She closed hers on top of his and held him there, sinking into him, needing the support of his body, but needing even more the emotional rock he offered.
Ladies and gentleman, this is a hero. There were so many little but immensely powerful moments from this hero Finn in regards to healing the heroine. Swoon.
This one started off pretty slow with Finn doing some P.I. work and Olivia purposefully crossing paths with him. Then about 20% in, we get a second couple of Judi and Roland/Roman (he is undercover DEA) that share equal time, trading off, with Finn and Olivia. About 40% in this becomes erotica and what a steamy sexy read it is. Both of our couples are far from shy and burn up of the pages with their chemistry. Then about 60% in the story starts to hit some deep emotional tones delving into our characters' childhood issues and how they affect them today and finally the last bit plays out the suspense storyline. This story is a hard one to pinpoint because of all its different components and while it made it different, it also made it uneven. However, the hot sex and little devastating emotional moments more than makeup for the other grouses.
May 14, 2014
I've repeated this book too many times. And it doesn't seem to get dull even after the fifth read. It's still one of the most interesting romances I have ever read. And this is the book that will make me repeat the entire SG-5 series to see what else I might have missed.
It's not a romantic suspense novel per se. In fact I would rate it as more erotica, and to be honest I don't know why it's part of the SG-5 series. Maybe Alison wrote it and the publisher did not want to publish it as a stand-alone.
Anyway, I liked Olivia and Finn's story. She's an exhibitionist and he's the photographer caught up in some kind of artistic/sexual spell. He wants to figure her out, she's guarded and they want to sleep together. I get that. And the love scenes were oh so hot. I mean, it is an Alison Kent novel.
On the other hand, there was this "filler" plot involving a DEA agent and personal assistant. That story served up some good sexual chemistry but I could live without it. In fact the first time I read this book I completely skipped over the chapters with these characters. They were that irrelevant. But I've since re-read the book and this story is well, a filler plot, what else is there to say?
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting erotica with some suspense thrown in. In fact, it won't even be necessary for this person to read the rest of the books in the SG-5 series.
It's not a romantic suspense novel per se. In fact I would rate it as more erotica, and to be honest I don't know why it's part of the SG-5 series. Maybe Alison wrote it and the publisher did not want to publish it as a stand-alone.
Anyway, I liked Olivia and Finn's story. She's an exhibitionist and he's the photographer caught up in some kind of artistic/sexual spell. He wants to figure her out, she's guarded and they want to sleep together. I get that. And the love scenes were oh so hot. I mean, it is an Alison Kent novel.
On the other hand, there was this "filler" plot involving a DEA agent and personal assistant. That story served up some good sexual chemistry but I could live without it. In fact the first time I read this book I completely skipped over the chapters with these characters. They were that irrelevant. But I've since re-read the book and this story is well, a filler plot, what else is there to say?
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting erotica with some suspense thrown in. In fact, it won't even be necessary for this person to read the rest of the books in the SG-5 series.
November 29, 2014
My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2008/11...
Private Investigator Finn McLain has handled his share of odd assignments, so when lovesick gallery owner Dustin Parks hires him to go to Miami and dig up information on Roland Green, the manager of a small boutique, Finn thinks nothing of it. But this assignment turns out to be more complicated than Finn could have imagined when he meets the boutique’s sexy owner, Olivia Hammond.
From the moment they meet, Olivia knocks Finn’s socks off with an unusual business proposal. She needs a photographer to take pictures of her for an erotic art exhibit, and she thinks Finn’s just the man for the job. Finn can’t help but be intrigued by the proposal, nor by the stunning woman who claims she likes to “let people look.”
Finn knows there’s far more to Olivia than she’s letting on and he takes her up on the offer, eager to discover what mysteries lie beneath Olivia’s exhibitionist façade. With each photograph, each erotic encounter, Olivia and Finn get closer and closer, the pull between them undeniable. But even as desire burns hot between the lovers, Finn’s simple investigation assignment uncovers dangerous information people are willing to kill to keep hidden.
The clock is ticking, and both Finn and Olivia have to decide if it’s worth taking a chance and revealing all their secrets for a love more wild and passionate then either could ever have dreamed.
Better have those oven mitts ready because Maximum Exposure is hot enough to burn! Alison Kent has penned an explosively hot romance filled with, action, intrigue, and sizzling sensuality.
Finn is a hero who just comes alive on the page. He has that slightly rumpled sexiness that hits strong and hard because you don’t expect if from such a seemingly laid-back male. Olivia, for her part, was an interesting heroine. She’s completely open and comfortable with her sexuality, which I admire, but she also uses exhibitionism as armor. As Finn starts to get under her skin, there are chinks in that armor, and the vulnerability hidden beneath and the reasons for it are heartbreaking, serving only to make her a more endearing character. Ms. Kent made me care about Finn and Olivia’s romance, not just for the story’s sake, but because I cared about the two of them and wanted nothing more than for them to find happiness with one another.
In addition to Olivia and Finn’s story, there’s a strong subplot involving Roland Green, who is actually undercover DEA agent Roman Greyle. Without giving away plot spoilers, I will say that Roman has an equally steamy romance with Jodi Fontaine whose boss, Dustin, is in love with the supposedly gay “Roland.” Roman and Jodi’s storyline was every bit as engaging as Finn and Olivia’s and I enjoyed seeing how the two plots converged.
Maximum Exposure releases November 25, 2008. It is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Kent and it definitely won’t be my last. A captivating blend of sex and danger, Maximum Exposure is not to be missed!
Private Investigator Finn McLain has handled his share of odd assignments, so when lovesick gallery owner Dustin Parks hires him to go to Miami and dig up information on Roland Green, the manager of a small boutique, Finn thinks nothing of it. But this assignment turns out to be more complicated than Finn could have imagined when he meets the boutique’s sexy owner, Olivia Hammond.
From the moment they meet, Olivia knocks Finn’s socks off with an unusual business proposal. She needs a photographer to take pictures of her for an erotic art exhibit, and she thinks Finn’s just the man for the job. Finn can’t help but be intrigued by the proposal, nor by the stunning woman who claims she likes to “let people look.”
Finn knows there’s far more to Olivia than she’s letting on and he takes her up on the offer, eager to discover what mysteries lie beneath Olivia’s exhibitionist façade. With each photograph, each erotic encounter, Olivia and Finn get closer and closer, the pull between them undeniable. But even as desire burns hot between the lovers, Finn’s simple investigation assignment uncovers dangerous information people are willing to kill to keep hidden.
The clock is ticking, and both Finn and Olivia have to decide if it’s worth taking a chance and revealing all their secrets for a love more wild and passionate then either could ever have dreamed.
Better have those oven mitts ready because Maximum Exposure is hot enough to burn! Alison Kent has penned an explosively hot romance filled with, action, intrigue, and sizzling sensuality.
Finn is a hero who just comes alive on the page. He has that slightly rumpled sexiness that hits strong and hard because you don’t expect if from such a seemingly laid-back male. Olivia, for her part, was an interesting heroine. She’s completely open and comfortable with her sexuality, which I admire, but she also uses exhibitionism as armor. As Finn starts to get under her skin, there are chinks in that armor, and the vulnerability hidden beneath and the reasons for it are heartbreaking, serving only to make her a more endearing character. Ms. Kent made me care about Finn and Olivia’s romance, not just for the story’s sake, but because I cared about the two of them and wanted nothing more than for them to find happiness with one another.
In addition to Olivia and Finn’s story, there’s a strong subplot involving Roland Green, who is actually undercover DEA agent Roman Greyle. Without giving away plot spoilers, I will say that Roman has an equally steamy romance with Jodi Fontaine whose boss, Dustin, is in love with the supposedly gay “Roland.” Roman and Jodi’s storyline was every bit as engaging as Finn and Olivia’s and I enjoyed seeing how the two plots converged.
Maximum Exposure releases November 25, 2008. It is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Kent and it definitely won’t be my last. A captivating blend of sex and danger, Maximum Exposure is not to be missed!
September 12, 2017
Double the romance
Enjoying this series very much. This book is a little different from the others because it doesn't contain any of the SG-5 members, but still a wonderful read. Full of memorable characters, twists and turns, and two couples to watch fall in love.
Enjoying this series very much. This book is a little different from the others because it doesn't contain any of the SG-5 members, but still a wonderful read. Full of memorable characters, twists and turns, and two couples to watch fall in love.
June 27, 2018
For me this story was very confusing and missing the suspense. It was just okay. Going back and forth between to love stories was a little to much for me. In my opinion Alison Kent missed the mark on this book.
August 21, 2017
I loved this story. I'm a sucker for an intense romance with danger and intrigue and an HEA!
May 4, 2018
Give 4 stars
Story is pretty good, just need little bit more interaction with the characters more action or something overall it good
Story is pretty good, just need little bit more interaction with the characters more action or something overall it good
April 29, 2011
Review by Jen:
I was lucky to receive an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from Alison Kent with the understanding that I would review it before it's December release. So, I read it this past week and here are my thoughts...
Finn is in Miami on a PI assignment-- to dig into the personal life of Roland for a potential suitor. But when Olivia, Roland's boss, spots Finn staking out her boutique, she approaches him about a photographic project that she wants to undertake.
That is the blurb condensed down to two sentences. Problem is, that's only half the story. The other half of the story deals with Roland and his life and love interest, Jodi.
I rather wish Finn and Olivia's romance was explored a little more. Roland and Jodi got a lot more time than I felt a sub-plot (and one that wasn't even mentioned in the blurb) deserved. Characters, relationship and plot probably could have been developed more if they were given more time and both stories would have excelled if they were given their own books.
All that said, I did like the book. It's the first full length Alison Kent novel that I've read and I'm intrigued and want to read more by her. Word of warning, this a pretty spicy book, so if you don't like to read about bedroom play, you'll probably want to pass on by.
I was lucky to receive an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from Alison Kent with the understanding that I would review it before it's December release. So, I read it this past week and here are my thoughts...
Finn is in Miami on a PI assignment-- to dig into the personal life of Roland for a potential suitor. But when Olivia, Roland's boss, spots Finn staking out her boutique, she approaches him about a photographic project that she wants to undertake.
That is the blurb condensed down to two sentences. Problem is, that's only half the story. The other half of the story deals with Roland and his life and love interest, Jodi.
I rather wish Finn and Olivia's romance was explored a little more. Roland and Jodi got a lot more time than I felt a sub-plot (and one that wasn't even mentioned in the blurb) deserved. Characters, relationship and plot probably could have been developed more if they were given more time and both stories would have excelled if they were given their own books.
All that said, I did like the book. It's the first full length Alison Kent novel that I've read and I'm intrigued and want to read more by her. Word of warning, this a pretty spicy book, so if you don't like to read about bedroom play, you'll probably want to pass on by.
November 24, 2008
Alison Kent had 19 ARC of her Kensington December release
Maximum Exposure
that she was giving out to readers who would review them before December so other readers could read the reviews before the book comes out. I was one of those lucky readers who received a copy to read and review before it was released. I was very intrigued with the blurb of the book when I first heard about the ARC giveaway so I was really excited about reading the book. When I started reading the novel it wasn't exactly what I was expecting because the heroine, Olivia Hammond, isn't the kind of character that I was expecting and she is someone I really had trouble understand as I continued to read the novel. I loved the hero, Finn MacLaine, though very much and he seemed like a very understandable charcter that was sexy and very into the heroine Olivia.
Read rest of the review...
Read rest of the review...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2011
This book had two love stories in the one story but the second one is not mentioned in the blurb on the back cover.
Finn McLain, a PI was on assignment when Olivia Hammond came up to him and asked him why he was watching her shop. He was actually there to watch one of her managers, Roland Green, for a client but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Olivia thought he was a photographer, they had an immediate connection, and she asked him if he would take some photos of her for a friend.
In the mean time Roland Green was really an undercover DEA agent whose real name was Roman Greyle, he has been undercover for 12 months as the gay manager of “Flambe” the male half of a boutique called Splash & Flambe, the store that is owned by Olivia Hammond. He is undone by Jodi Fontaine when he falls in lust with her.
The story was okay, I have read better – the relationships between Finn and Olivia and Roman and Jodi were both hot!
Finn McLain, a PI was on assignment when Olivia Hammond came up to him and asked him why he was watching her shop. He was actually there to watch one of her managers, Roland Green, for a client but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Olivia thought he was a photographer, they had an immediate connection, and she asked him if he would take some photos of her for a friend.
In the mean time Roland Green was really an undercover DEA agent whose real name was Roman Greyle, he has been undercover for 12 months as the gay manager of “Flambe” the male half of a boutique called Splash & Flambe, the store that is owned by Olivia Hammond. He is undone by Jodi Fontaine when he falls in lust with her.
The story was okay, I have read better – the relationships between Finn and Olivia and Roman and Jodi were both hot!
May 10, 2010
Ok, so this book wasn't that bad. But I disliked the heroine, her actions and motivations didn't really gel with me and well the subject was just plain un-comfortable. Finn was the only good thing in the book. I read it because this one is loosely connected to the SG-5 series.
And what the hell was up with the heroine's selfishness?I am talking about when her shop burns down and she basically attacks Finn instead of asking whether he is hurt or not and I get she saw the loss of everything she has built in front of her but to turn on Finn like that had me thinking even lower of her.
She was a plain dislikeable heroine.
And what the hell was up with the heroine's selfishness?I am talking about when her shop burns down and she basically attacks Finn instead of asking whether he is hurt or not and I get she saw the loss of everything she has built in front of her but to turn on Finn like that had me thinking even lower of her.
She was a plain dislikeable heroine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2015
this book started off very interesting; then when it developed into two love stories i was even more excited. then it got real slow. then it got confusing going back and forth between the two stories. i sort of understood "i let people look" and i sort of didn't. no condoms in this story so everyone was "maximally exposed" to std's and pregnancy. too much concern over the fire at the store because a business of this calibre would have adequate insurance. even if part of the stock was consignment, the original designers would have had adequate insurance (that's my background). i saw plenty of sex development, but not much in the way of love development.
January 6, 2011
A sexy contemporary erotic romance novel that was both fun and serious. The plot revolved around several individuals whose lives were connected in different and interesting ways... and the reader actually got two love stories for the price of one, which I thought was very cool. I enjoyed the novel very much.
January 17, 2009
I was expecting a romantic suspense. I got confused because Olivia started off more like she was the heroine of an erotic romance. I just didn't "get" her character and found it out of place in a romantic suspense that's supposed to be part of the SG-5 series.
July 3, 2009
I chose this one in a hurry...it was on the new release shelf at the local library. It's not like anything I would typically read-trashy and graphic!! There is a plot but I have to admit I was a little embarrassed to read this one in public :)
July 8, 2009
Good read. Marginally related to the SG5 series - one of the heroes [the book has two storylines, each with their own hero and heroine:] is Finn, the brother of Georgia, the heroine of Deep Breath.
February 19, 2010
This book was just bad. It was slow moving and I found it hard to like either of the main characters. I could have cared less if they got together by the end or not.
January 23, 2024
Read my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 14, 2017
DNF 20%
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews