Book Blurb:
48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right
Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes…even if it destroys her.
When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews’ life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.
The clock is ticking.
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Rating:
Review:
This book starts with a bang from the beginning, literally. And the action never stops. Action-packed, heart pounding, thrilling, those are not cliches when it comes to this book. These are accurate descriptions of what you will feel while reading this book. The writing is superb and I felt like I was in the moment every step of the way.
The rapid fire style of writing keeps you interested and doesn’t let up. Even the quieter moments have an underlying anticipation about them, that something is about to happen.
The chemistry between the lead characters, Maddox and Cole is intense. The emotions they invoke are rough and raw. These are two devastated characters that betrayed each other and may never fully heal from their past.
There’s that feeling when you are watching a really good drama or suspense movie and you don’t want to look away. That is the same feeling when reading this book. An anxious feeling on what is going to happen next. I really enjoyed it. I also like how the dialogue wasn’t dumbed down. But there were also light hearted moments that helped with the flow of the story. It brings you down slowly from the high excitement, calms you a bit, then builds that adrenal rush right back up again.
This is a suspense, thriller, and romance all wrapped in one. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. I am thoroughly invested in these characters and the continuing story line of who the mole is.
I look forward to more books in this series.
Favorite Scene: Chapter 11
“Working here, I’m surprised you don’t live in a fortress,” he said.
– Every Last Breath / Juno Rushdan
“Or perhaps a gilded tower fit for a princess?”
“Nope, You killed my fairy-tale illusions of you a long time ago.” Her gaze cut
to the doors, and he decided to finish his point. “Only took me twenty seconds
to break in”
“When did B&E become your hobby?”
“Since I started working as a consultant for Rubicon Security.”
She eyed him hard. “You used illegal off-market tech to get into my place,
didn’t you?”
He shrugged. “Are you going to dime me out? I know it’s not beneath you.”
“I never would’ve figured you for that kind of work,” she said casually,
ignoring the low blow. “Doesn’t sound like you.”
“Ditto, baby.”
She rolled her eyes. He loved getting under her skin, even if it wasn’t the way
he craved.
“After the auction, do you plan to pull a disappearing act? Go back to playing
dead?”
The doors opened, and she marched off.
Catching up to her, he said, “Let’s get something straight. You resurrected me,
to use me for your job. And after you roped me in, I got shot. I took a bullet.
Playing this game with the CIA-or whatever the hell you are now-isn’t on
my bucket list.”
She went straight as a lightning rod, picking up the pace. “The bullet grazed
you.”
“Grazed?” As if it’d been a scratch. A freaking bullet put a hole in his arm!
“It’s a flesh wound, ” she said with frigid nonchalance, but her eyes snapped
with fire. “Would you like me to kiss your boo-boo and help make it better?”
“Listen, you can kiss my-“
“Fine. You win the poor-me award. Should we have your trophy engraved?”
As infuriating as she was and as livid as he was, damn if this new ball-
breaker side to her didn’t turn him on like a floodlight. “Are you kidding-“
“Shit happens.”
Her teasing tone tickled and goaded him at the same time.
“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” she said. “And I’m not
talking about the playing possum kind, where you let your fiancee think
you’re dead. The only easy day was yesterday. So suck it up, baby.”
A nice guy would’ve let her have the win, but standing in super-spook
central, he wasn’t inclined to concede an inch. “You weren’t my fiancee. I
never proposed.”
She stopped so violently, it was as if she’d plowed into a wall. She whirled on
him. A thousand emotions flashed in her eyes, condensing to one that ripped
a hole in his gut.
They’d talked about marriage, made plans for a future. He’d had every
intention of hitching himself to her until death, the kind that’d actually put
him in a casket, but he’d never popped the question. Never gotten her a ring.
“Your’re right.” Her voice turned soft as cotton, an unearthly composure
falling over her. “I wasn’t as important as a wife or a fiancee. You would’ve
come back for one of those.”
ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review.
Fantastical Reads 