Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Love Another Day by Lexi Blake - Release Day Review and Excerpt

      

 

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Author: Lexi Blake
Publication Date:  22 August, 2017
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment
Series:  Masters and Mercenaries
Genre:  Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Age Recommendation: 18 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

A man born to protect After a major loss, Brody Carter found a home with the London office of McKay-Taggart. A former soldier, he believes his job is to take the bullets and follow orders. He’s happy to take on the job of protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson while the team uses her clinic in Sierra Leone to bring down an international criminal. What he never expected was that the young doctor would prove to be the woman of his dreams. She’s beautiful, smart, and reckless. Over and over he watches her risk her life to save others. One night of pure passion leads him to realize that he can’t risk his heart again. When the mission ends, Brody walks away, unwilling to lose another person he loves. A woman driven to heal Stephanie’s tragic past taught her to live for today. Everything she’s done in the last fifteen years has been to make up for her mistakes. Offering medical care in war-torn regions gives her the purpose she needs to carry on. When she meets her gorgeous Aussie protector, she knows she’s in too deep, but nothing can stop her from falling head over heels in love. But after one amazing night together, Brody walks away and never looks back. Stephanie is left behind…but not alone. A secret that will change both their lives A year later, Stephanie runs afoul of an evil mercenary who vows to kill her for failing to save his son. She runs to the only people she trusts, Liam and Avery O’Donnell. She hasn’t come alone and her secret will bring her former lover across the world to protect her. From Liberia to Dallas to Australia’s outback, Brody will do whatever it takes to protect Stephanie from the man who wants to kill her, but it might be her own personal demons that could destroy them both.      





My Review:

Okay, I am just going to rip the bandaid off, get right to the hard truth so that then we can get to the good stuff.  This cover, this cover is awful.  Man it hurts me to be so blunt and to say that, but honestly if I hadn't read this authors work before and hadn't been invested in the lives of the characters I would have seen this on the shelf and just kept on walking.  This is a throwback romance novel cover.  I am all well and good for living your glory days but we all know there are some trends that should never come back, overly large shoulder pads, trucker hats, Uggs....and Fabio style romance covers.  The bigger issue is that this doesn't even suit the book, the main character does not look like this cover model, the main character is said to have kept his hair cut "too short, maybe...maybe if they had cropped this guys hair I could have gone with it but this cover makes me think I am going to be reading a historical romance (which I am all for) not a Lexi Blake Master's and Mercenaries tale.
Ayyyy, I unfortunately for you and me could go on and on about my loathing of this cover but I suppose that is not what we are here for and luckily for everyone involved the image created in between the front and back cover is so classically Masters and Mercenaries (M&M) that you will want to shout for joy when you are done.

We've had a rough go M&M and I.  The first few books I hated Ian Taggert enough that I almost walked away a number of times, but then some where along the way I saw his smile and his humor and I fell in deep.  I began to get to know all of these characters more intimately, I wanted them to find the happiness they deserved after the horrors they had seen, I wanted to be a part of their inner circle and Lexi gave me all of that, then things started to slide again.  I don't know how authors do it honestly, these long series, how they keep them fresh and relatable.  How they hook us and have us coming back for more and then even more.  Sadly there was a lull for me with this series recently, story lines started to run together, there began to be so many characters it was getting hard to keep up with the who is who, the main corps seemed to take a back seat and I missed them terribly, it just started to feel bogged down in it's own history.  So you might be asking well why continue, well, because 1. I can't quit these books, lol, I have invested too much of my heart into them and they call to me.  2. Even a not so great Lexi Blake book is still a pretty great book.  3. Because I had faith that Lexi knew what she was doing, that maybe for a little bit she just got bogged down in it all too but would come back to the roots if I just hung on a bit longer and I can tell you I am not disappointed I did.

Love Another Day has the feel of the original books, the books before Tex's, (who I loved but where it all seemed to go wrong) Liam has a strong presence in the book as well as Charlotte and Ian.  The simple feel of a straight forward romance with BDSM themes and a side of action were all there.  We weren't transported into a confusing world of who, what, why, when.  We know if all, (with a bit of suspense added in) we know Brody was an ass, we know Stephanie is an amazing woman with a little bit of an over the top martyr complex (but we know why), we know their history, it is simple, clear, and relatable.  Not only do we get a lovely romance story about two characters we have been watching over the last several books we also get more of the 'Lost Boys', a group I am particularly interested in, we get a whole lot of Tucker who's story is going to be brutal both in reading it and in waiting for it.  

I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, I loved that both stayed celibate for the year that they were apart, that though they may have thought about being with someone else, about trying to move on, that they simply couldn't.  It was clear that there could be no one else and I really appreciated the fact that they didn't even try to fill that void.  I loved that we got back into The Garden, I seriously want to see this place in real life.  I want to live there just because it sounds so gorgeous and peaceful, also I think I would never be able to get enough people watching, hahaha. I loved that Brody, once he got his head out of his backside never faltered, never gave up, even when Stephanie couldn't seem to get her head out of her backside.  He was contrite, as he should be, he was loving, he was devoted, he was patient.  I loved that the witty banter was back, Tucker's guileless-ness gave for some wonderfully light moments but also some rather heartbreaking touches.  I know that this was Brody and Stephanie story, but Tucker was the star in this one.  Sadly we have a few books to come before we get to his and like I mentioned earlier it's I think going to be quite the doozy!  

If you have been on the fence with the series, if like me you started to feel a little bogged down and stagnant, don't stop. Love Another Day will bring you back into the fold and have you wanting more and more from the M&M series.  If you haven't read this series before, 1. don't let what I have said turn you away, this series is wonderful.  The stories are written well, the romances are steamy, the wit is perfection, the suspense and action engaging...it's all in there.  2. Don't start here.  This is a series, in my opinion, that you need to read from book one.  The main characters stick around through each book so you want to take the time to get to know them all, to see how they influence the stories and to see where their lives have had them.  I am really excited about where M&M is headed and I will be sticking around for a good long while, I just hope the books keep coming because I am not sure I will ever be ready to say goodbye to this crew.


~ HAPPY READING ~ 






Excerpt:

The door slammed and she suddenly found herself with her back against it. Brody crowded in, taking up all the space and staring down at her. His body brushed hers and she found both her wrists captured in one of his. He dragged them over her head, forcing her chest to come out, breasts skimming along his body. “I shouldn’t do this.” Tough chick was winning. Steph let her take over. It was surely better than the desperate girl who lived inside her. She kept asking for love and affection and getting swatted away. This was the next best thing, possibly the only thing she would ever get. “Then don’t. Let me go and I won’t bother you again.” “No, you’ll go find Ezra Fain and bother him,” Brody said on a growl. “Somehow, I don’t think he’ll find me a bother.” She’d barely spoken two words to the man, but she wasn’t going to admit it. It was better to let Brody think she wasn’t a love-starved girl. “He won’t fucking find you anything at all. If you’re determined to not sleep alone tonight, you can damn well do it with me.” His mouth came down on hers and every inch of her skin came alive. His kiss was overwhelming, hungry. There was no slow meshing of mouths. He took her, his tongue surging inside and dominating her own. He let go of her hands and started to explore her body. His hands were on her hips when he came up for air. “I’m leaving in the morning. I’m going back to London and I can’t come back.” She’d known that would probably be his answer. She’d known he wouldn’t want to stay and she couldn’t leave. “One night. That’s all I want.” It was all she could have. It had been foolish to think it could be any different. His mouth came down on hers again and she let herself get swept away. One night and her life would go back to normal. One night and then she would be alone again. His hands started to roam over her and she tried to forget all the reasons why this was a bad idea. He stepped back, his entire body set in hard lines. He strode over to the bed and sat down. “Take off the gown. It’s pretty, but I want to see you.” She hesitated, all her insecurities coming to the forefront. Somehow, she’d thought he would simply take her. “Let me get the lights.” He was back in her space again, his hand wrapping around her wrist. “I didn’t say turn off the lights. I said take off the gown. How am I going to see you if you turn off the lights?” “Brody,” she began. He was having none of it. “You got on your knees in front of me and you said you knew what you were offering me. The first thing you were offering me was obedience. The second was your body. You’re giving me neither right now.” His voice had gone midnight dark and something about the tone made her soften. He was right. She did know what she’d offered him and now she was trying to have it all her way. There was nothing wrong with her body. It was feminine and she was healthy. What was she afraid of? “All right.” He let go of her wrist and sat back down, looking like a damn king waiting on his concubine’s performance. For all his “I’m nothing but a grunt” talk, the man could be incredibly arrogant, and damn if she didn’t find it sexy as hell. Something about that voice let her know that everything was going to be fine. He was past the point of rejection. He was in and that meant he would play her Dom for the night. He would take care of her. She was as safe with him in the bedroom as she’d been in the field. At least she was safe for the night. In the morning she would be in a world of hurt, but she wasn’t thinking past tonight.     




    

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.


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