Love in Spades (Four Kings Security 1) by Charlie Cochet
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Military/Former Military / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 22-April-2019 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Military/Former Military / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 22-April-2019 |
When the cards are stacked against you, the Kings will even the odds.
Ex-Special Forces soldier Anston “Ace” Sharpe is fighting a different battle these days—one involving the world of private security across the state of Florida. As part owner of Four Kings Security, Ace and his fellow Kings tackle everything from armed transport and investigations to cyber intelligence and executive protection. Cocky, fearless, and brash, Ace isn’t afraid to take risks.
After years of working alongside his father, Colton Connolly is ready to take the helm at Connolly Maritime, but his father’s retirement is put on hold when Colton begins receiving death threats. If that isn’t bad enough, his father signs a contract with Four Kings Security to provide Colton with round-the-clock protection, despite his adamant refusal. Colton’s life has been turned upside down, the last thing he needs is a shadow, especially in the form of infuriating, sexy-as-sin Ace Sharpe, who seems to be on a mission to drive Colton mad.
Sparks fly the moment Colton and Ace meet on a sultry night club dance floor. But getting involved with a client, even one as fiery and beautiful as Colton Connolly, is a line Ace is unwilling to cross. Colton might be attracted to Ace, but he’d been burned before. He might be willing to put his life in Ace’s hands, but not his heart.
As the Florida nights heat up, so does their passion, and Ace and Colton are faced with a difficult choice—take the plunge and risk it all, or play it safe and walk away?
If Ace can keep a deadly threat from robbing Colton of a future….
Colton: “I’ve never met a man with the power to both infuriate and arouse me simultaneously. How do you do it?”
Ace: “A talent, I guess.”
There is something special about watching tough men who are more stubborn than should be legal face emotional challenges that make them as vulnerable and prone to mistakes as the rest of us. And this series promises to deliver that much-loved mix of former military security guys who can deal with anything except just the right man to tempt them into falling in love. The “four kings” of the security company by the same name used to serve in the same military unit, have now set up a private security service in Florida, and their reputation for excellent work precedes them. Ace is front and center in this first story of the series, and he more than meets his match in Colton, a businessman who has received death threats. Yep, this is pretty much as predictable as it sounds, but the snarky banter between Ace and Colton combined with the off-the-charts sexual tension between them makes for extremely entertaining reading.
Ace is a tough guy, remains professional at all times (or so he keeps telling himself), and scoping out threats so he can counter them to protect his clients is in his blood. He doesn’t expect this latest assignment to be any different despite being warned about how “difficult” Colton can be – after all, dealing with “difficult” is what Ace gets paid for. But while he has a healthy libido, he has always been able to put the job first – until now. Colton gets to him on more than a physical level and when Ace falls, he falls hard. Yes, he should have handed over Colton’s security to someone else in the team because he is now emotionally compromised, but between his pride and refusal to believe that this could happen to him, he doesn’t. And that, as far as I am concerned, just makes him human.
Colton has been groomed to take over the family-owned business since he was a kid, but not everyone in his family was supportive, and his grandfather’s manipulations have left deep scars on his psyche. Not being in control of his life is a major red flag for him. So when his father, with the best intentions, hires Four Kings Security to protect Colton 24/7, up-close and personal, Colton flips. He is so angry I thought he’d explode more than once and the fact that he is really attracted to Ace doesn’t help. Colton fights the added security tooth and nail, but his father (luckily) is relentless. Prolonged contact does its job though, and soon Colton is the one initiating a level of contact they should not be having, not while the threat is still out there. The real problem is that Colton does not take it seriously until it is almost too late… and that is when the story changes from mostly entertaining to nail-bitingly suspenseful.
As much as both of these men could have been stereotypes (and parts of them are), the author manages to infuse them with a lot of individual, unexpected quirks that had me laughing out loud more than once. Both men have secrets, neither is willing to give in, and the angrier they get as they spend time together while Ace’s colleagues try to find out who is out to kill Colton, the clearer it becomes that what they really want is to… well, let’s just say most people do it behind closed doors. Then there is a whole host of secondary characters who stole my heart: from Ace’s brothers in arms whose stories I can’t wait to read to family members and friends whom I hope to see again.
If you like stories about stubborn, tough men who fall in love despite their best intentions to remain independent and unattached, if former military guys with a strong protective streak are your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with lots of witty teasing, intense emotions, and scalding-hot physical attraction, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am happy there are three more for me to read in this series!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook and print |
Length | Novel, 402 pages |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 21-April-2018 |
Price | $3.74 ebook, $12.99 paperback |
Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/Love-Spades-Four-Kings-Security-ebook/dp/B07CKS7L44 |