Review: Seducing Ethan

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Sheila

Seducing Ethan (Knight Security, #6) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #6
Published by Carole Mortimer on May 26th 2017
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 302
Goodreads
three-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: Enjoyable end to the series, characters that I enjoyed reading about and enough sex and action to keep it interesting.

THE STORY: Ethan is hiding out from a murderous criminal father when a woman steps from the shadows. Talia and Ethan knew one another three years ago when his family’s business was hired to protect Talia. It was revealed, however, that Talia’s father was a corrupt Russian and the two went into hiding. Now Talia has returned seeking Ethan’s help. The two join forces as danger surrounds them.

OPINION: This is a short novella, but I enjoyed the interaction between Ethan and Talia. I was quite surprised how much story was packed into this little novel. The book has more dramatic action than I expected, but the story is hot as well. The book isn’t particularly deep and the relationship between the hero and heroine happens really quickly (picking up on their interactions three years ago). Therefore, reading it like a quick novella worked really well.

WORTH MENTIONING: I loved that there is a character reunion and updates for those of us who have followed the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SEDUCING ETHAN is the sixth and final book in the Knight Security series. This book can be read as a standalone although there are overlapping characters with the other books in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Review: Enticing Ian

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Sheila

Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #5
Published by Carole Mortimer on March 31st 2017
Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed this book a great deal. There was a lot of mystery about what happened between Eve and Ian three years ago. This was matched with a good plot about Eve wanting to help her brother. This is more novella length, but felt complete and well paced.

THE STORY: Three years ago, Ian Knight met, had a relationship with and left a woman he has never forgotten. When Eve Bishop walks into the casino nightclub where he is acting head of security, he knows that the librarian should not be there. Eve has come looking for Gregori Markovic, the head of the Russian mafia in London, in order to help her twin brother who has gotten deep into debt with Markovic. Ian is determined to keep Eve from venturing into dangerous territory while looking for her brother, even if it means confronting what send him running from her three years ago.

OPINION: I really enjoyed this one. I thought the pacing of the book was wonderful. Even with the shorter length, the story did not feel rushed and I felt there was a good balance between the romance and the plot.

The characters in this book were better developed than I expect in a shorter story. The characters already had a history which helped tremendously with the quick turnaround until these characters got serious. It was much easier to believe that these characters could be so comfortable with one another immediately.

This story just hit the right spot with me. It was very sexy and had some drama over the end of the couple’s relationship three years ago. The way that answer is slowly revealed to the readers worked really well to build tension in the story. I especially liked that the real focus of this story was the couple — even though the brother’s fate gives some motivation for the characters to interact with one another.

I also really liked Ian and Eve as characters and as a couple. They were just the right balance between really attracted to one another and fighting that attraction.

WORTH MENTIONING: Some significant appearances from characters from the ALPHA series were a nice addition.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ENTICING IAN is the fifth book in the Knight Security series but can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

Review: Tempting Zander

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Sheila

Tempting Zander (Knight Security, #4) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #4
Published by Smashwords Edition on January 27th 2017
Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads
three-stars

FINAL DECISION: A good story but nothing overly special. I enjoyed this as a one time read.

THE STORY: Zander Buchanan is brought in as head of security for Kate Stewart, a superstar singer. Kate has an ex-boyfriend who is stalking her and she has hired Knight Security to supplement her normal security. Zander has wanted Kate desperately even as he is exasperated by her. He knows he has to keep his distance to do his job. She’s hot for him, too.

OPINION: This is a perfectly adequate story if a bit predictable. Zander and Kate are fighting their attraction, there is danger from the ex and the ultimate resolution and happy ending. The characters were nice enough but a bit forgettable. The best part of the book for me was a scene between Zander and Kate in a store dressing room which was completely memorable. The book was in the category for me of a book that I enjoyed while reading but won’t be one that I think of returning to…except for maybe that dressing room scene.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short novella.

CONNECTED BOOKS: TEMPTING ZANDER is the fourth book in the Knight Security series. Although there are some overlapping characters, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

Review: Capturing Caleb

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Sheila

Capturing Caleb (Knight Security 3) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #3
on November 30th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 139
Goodreads
three-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: This novella had a great premise and beginning which ended up resolving too quickly in the end. For the length, however, I really enjoyed this story.

THE STORY: Caleb Knight has become obsessed with rescuing Magdelena “Lena” Roig who was kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. Caleb has been looking for Lena for three months and he is determined to find her because of his own time held as a prisoner in Afghanistan. He knows what being held hostage feels like and will not allow her to be forgotten. When he gets a lead on her location, Caleb comes in disguised as a Russian gangster who is offered Lena’s services for the night.

OPINION: This was a good story. A reader has to accept that the two characters would have sex with one another upon first meeting one another and somehow that would work even though the two are under surveillance. I liked the story because it was tense and tending toward romantic suspense.

Caleb and Lena have a hot connection from the start. The tension when their lives are in danger had this book totally engrossing and interesting. Because of the length, however, the story was resolved too quickly and these two never really get to know one another.

Therefore, I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and because of the length I thought that it was resolved too quickly. I accept that, however, in a novella. I would read the story again especially as an add on to the previous book in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short novella with an emphasis on the heated sexual events between the characters.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CAPTURING CALEB is the third book in the Knight Security series. It can be read as a standalone although it continues the story from the previous book in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Review: Challenging Gabriel

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Sheila

Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #2
Published by Smashwords Edition on September 23rd 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 151
Goodreads
three-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: Nice story that was a good one time read. I liked the characters and their story although the short format meant that it was a bit rushed.

THE STORY: Eight years ago, Gabriel Knight fell for a young beauty Angel. The two only had weeks together before he had to go to Afghanistan to save his brother. By the time he had returned, Angel was gone. Now she walks back into his life, married and with a seven year old son. She desperately wants Gabriel’s help in locating and rescuing her son who is being held by her estranged husband.

OPINION: This story was good. There was nothing terrible original about the story, but I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. For a short story, I thought that the character’s journey was handled well and I liked and was interested in them. Yes, things were resolved too quickly and too easily, but this is a novella and that is almost always the case with such a short story.

I thought that the romance between Gabriel and Angel was good. The two had chemistry and were able to handle the love lost, secrets revealed story with an interesting twist. I liked these two. When my biggest complaint is that I wish there story was longer, I give it a win.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a short novella. It also sets up the next book in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CHALLENGING GABRIEL is book 2 in the Knight Security series. It can be read as a standalone as you don’t need to know anything about

STAR RATING: I give this novella 3.5 stars.

Review: Royals & Rogues Anthology

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Sheila

Royals & Rogues by Heather Long, Carole Mortimer, Shelli Stevens, Susan Stephens, J.C. Makk
Series: Knight Security #0.5
on March 1st 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 500
Goodreads
four-stars

This is an anthology of 5 novellas from five different authors:

HER MARINE PRINCE by Heather Long

Princess Francesca Grace wants to join the military like her father. Her father does not want her to and arranges her to attend an exercise hosted by the Royal Marines. He gets retired Marine Hugh Dillon to agree to make Frankie’s life miserable to convince her to abandon her desires. I did not expect much of this story, but ended up enjoying it very much. The highlight was the great amount of respect that Hugh show Frankie as she demonstrates how determined and competent she is. Made me interested in reading more of the series. Rating: 4 stars.

ALEXANDRE by Carole Mortimer

Prince Alexandre of Androcco comes to England. Staying at an English hotel, he is determined to get Anastazia Carmichael who he took one look at and wanted. Stazzi doesn’t want anything to do with the annoying playboy especially because she is almost engaged to another man. Yet she can’t deny the intense attraction between Alexandre and herself. I enjoyed this story primarily because of Stazzi’s spunky personality and her interaction with Alexandre. There is also a mystery regarding Alexandre that I quickly figured out but which I thought moved the story forward very well. These two are hot together. Rating: 4 stars.

SEDUCING THE PRINCESS by Susan Stephens

Princess Angelika needs an heir. When she first met Gideon Black as a teenager, she hated him. And she had an immense crush on him. Now she needs protection and an heir to secure her throne. Gideon can provide both. This premise had much promise, but I never felt any real connection between the hero and heroine. The conflict felt forced and I was disappointed. Rating: 1.5 stars.

CORRUPTED BY THE PRINCE by Shelli Stevens

Prince Kostas of Mykorini is hiding out in the Hamptons after another scandal. When he sees a woman on the beach that interests him, he is intrigued as she argues with him and doesn’t fall for his practiced lines. Evelynn Fairchild is the sister who avoids scandal and that is why she is surprised to find herself attracted to the notorious bad boy. This is my favorite in the collection because I liked the relationship between Kostas and Eva best. They are funny and sweet and such a mismatch. I think the story tries to put in just one too many complications to their relationship for the length of the story, but the connection between the couple makes this worth reading. Rating: 4 stars.

HIS ROYAL REDEMPTION by J.C. Make

Sir Anthony Richarden and Princess Estelle of Dirksbee are competitors in the King’s Favor, a competition where the winner gets five million dollars. The two also happen to have been engaged to be married a year ago before Anthony left Estelle almost at the altar. This was my least favorite of the anthology. I didn’t buy into the reasons that the two were apart and the lack of communication between them just annoyed me. Rating: 1 star.

Review: Defying Asher

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Sheila

Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Knight Security #1
Published by Smashwords Edition on June 30th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 159
Goodreads
three-stars

FINAL DECISION: A straightforward contemporary category-type romance, this book was enjoyable because of the push and pull between the hero and heroine. I enjoyed this as a one time read.

THE STORY: A year ago Lissa Forsythe and Asher Knight had a one night stand. The two meet again when Lissa is in danger. A year hasn’t diminished the chemistry between them but it also hasn’t decreased Lissa’s hurt at what she saw as a betrayal by Asher. Despite his best intentions, Asher hasn’t been able to forget the prickly woman. Now he has to protect her with his life but he risks his heart in doing so.

OPINION: This story has two main parts: who is trying to kill Lissa’s mother and those around her and the relationship between Lissa and Asher. The connection between Lissa and Asher is evident from the beginning and the conflict in the relationship comes from their one night stand a year ago. Lissa believes that Asher was cheating on another woman when the two of them ended up in bed together. Lissa’s lack of trust in others dominates the story. Of course, once the truth is revealed, the two quickly resolve their relationship.

The story is good and the characters fun to read. For a one time read, this is pretty good. And just to clarify, I don’t mind reading books that I can get through and enjoy even if they aren’t ones I will want to re-read again and again.

WORTH MENTIONING: The Knight Security series is connected to the ALPHA series and the Knight sister gets her story in SAVAGE ALPHA.

CONNECTED BOOKS: DEFYING ASHER is book one of the Knight Security series. There is a prequel but this book can be read as a standalone.