Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
Review
4.5 stars!
Wow, this was a great read!!! It’s a fast paced romantic/suspense, the highlight of which is definitely the chemistry-filled, hot as hell romance between two stubborn alpha badasses. Full of fantastic banter, laugh out loud humour and a swoony, sexy romance, I absolutely loved it!
This is the fifth book in the Salvation series. It follows on from the Beloved Duet and the Consolation Duet, and features Mark ‘Twilight” Dixon. Mark has appeared in all previous books as an ex-SEAL, current badass working at Cole Security, and he is absolutely brilliant! Totally inappropriate and so, so funny, he is a total smartass, but has a huge heart and cares deeply for his friends and family.
Mark met Charlie on a mission in Afghanistan. Charlie was the undercover CIA agent who assisted Mark and the boys in rescuing a member of their team, and he was instantly attracted to her. Beautiful, brave and just as badass as he is, she showed no interest in him, but she still completely rocked his world.
We slink through the dirty hallway and come face to face with another guard.
I don’t have a moment to take the sight. Charlie doesn’t hesitate. No more than a breath passes before she raises the nine and shoots him in the head.
I’m in love. It’s official. I’m going to blow my fucking load right here.
This woman is going to be mine.
A year later and the Cole Security boys are closing on the person they suspect of targeting them and sabotaging their missions, and Mark has just the person in mind to help them with their investigation.
Charlie’s whole life is a secret. Only those closest to her know what does for a living, and she has learned to keep everything about herself private and is untrusting of those who aren’t in her (small) inner circle. Charlie has been working on a longstanding investigation that she is personally connected to, and is devastated when she’s pulled off the case. But then Mark comes along, claiming a link to her investigation and offering to work with her in order for both of them to get what they want. And here comes the fun times!!!
OMG, I love these two together! The chemistry between them is evident from the very beginning, and the banter and smutty flirting flies from the very start. They both want each other, but Charlie’s inability to trust and her determination to remain focussed on her investigation keeps her closed off. But as hard as she tries to push Mark away, he fights back ever harder, and the battle between them was epic! I laughed so hard at their back and forth.
“You know you can’t resist me.”
“Is that so?”
“I rev your engine, baby. I speak your language. I’m your weapon of choice.”
“Oh, Jesus. You need a shrink.”
Mark is determined to have her, and his persistent flirting and not-so-innocent touches push the UST to epic levels before Charlie finally caves in, and it’s all kinds of awesome.
“Take it, Mark.”
“There’s no going back, Charlie. Be warned, I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll never think of another man. I’m going to take everything and you’re going to give it to me.”
“What makes you think I’m not taking something?”
“Oh, I don’t doubt you’re taking something.” He rises up on his knees and unbuckles his belt. I watch as he unbuttons his pants with a gleam in his eyes … “You’re going to take it all. Every inch of you will be filled. I’m going to ruin you, princess.”
The sexy time is super-steamy and intense, and their emotional connection deepens the longer they are together, but still with that playfulness that I love about these two.
“I don’t know what the hell I see in you.”
“Humor, good looks, sex appeal, the fact that I have a big dick probably helps. I mean, really, the choices are endless.”
My eyes widen as I listen to his self-proclaimed attributes. “Perhaps the big dick helps.”
“Yeah.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against him. “Feel free to tell me how much you love my ginormous dick anytime…”
It’s a great fall from ‘just sex’ to something more. It’s natural and well-paced, and I could feel it right along with them. And who knew Mark could bring the swoon?! The perfect blend of romantic, sweet, sexy, and funny as all hell, I loved him as a romantic hero
“Love me, Mark. Love me for tonight”…
“I’ll love you for much longer than that.”
And running alongside the romantic storyline is their ongoing investigation. The suspense is woven nicely into the love story (which is definitely the focus) and it all builds towards a fantastically exciting ending which is action packed and had me glued to my kindle. And, of course, it’s gorgeously romantic as Mark and Charlie literally fight to claim their HEA.
“You barrelled your way into my world and forced me to love you against my will.”
… “Don’t think this wasn’t hard for me, baby. Don’t think you weren’t the only one who didn’t want to love. Because you aren’t. I knew the risks, but you’re worth the reward” … “I’ll fight to the end of the earth for you.”
I really like how this whole series has been put together. Individual stories that all link together with an overarching storyline. It’s been really well done. And while I wasn’t a huge fan of the first two books in the series (Beloved and Beholden – The Beloved Duet), Consolation and Conviction rocked my world, and this one was just as good. It has a very different feel to it than the first books, with Mark and Charlie having a unique, and highly entertaining dynamic, and though it finishes off the series, it could still be read as a standalone – although with the characters of the previous books playing a big part in the story, and having their own story progression, I think it would be more enjoyable having read the previous books first.
This was such a great read! I was hooked from start to finish and loved the action, the suspense and the feisty, chemistry-filled romance between these two fantastic characters.
4.5 stars.
This standalone is a part of the Salvation series.
Check out our Series Info page to see how the books all fit together.