Book Review-Renegade

Renegade
Elite Ops (5)
Lora Leigh
St Martins
Paperback
404 Pages
Published September 2010
Romantic Suspense
ISBN 978-0-312-94583-1

Synopsis 
One Elite Ops agent is on assignment involving a beautiful woman. But his involvement is about to go beyond the call of duty -- and into the real m of dangerous desire...

A HIGH-RISK MISSION
As a bridal shop owner, Mikayla Martin helps make women’s wedding dreams come true. Her own life, however, has become a nightmare since she witnessed a murder -- and got an up-close-and-personal look at the killer. What’s worse: She knows she knows him. But the police, after doing an alibi check, don’t believe her. It’s up to Mikayla to prove them wrong…and do whatever it takes to solve the murder by herself.

A TO-DIE-FOR PASSION
Elite Ops agent Nikolai Steele, code name Renegade, is asked to pay an old comrade a favor. This friend swears he’s no killer -- and Nik believes him -- even though he’s been mistaken as one by Mikayla. So Nik goes to set her straight…but the moment he lays eyes on the fiery and determined beauty, he knows he’s in too deep. A woman this irresistible can only mean trouble and, sure enough, after sticking her nose in one too many places, someone wants Mikayla dead. Now Nik must find a way to keep her safe, clear his friend’s name, and find the real killer, who remains on the loose…

Summary:
Mikayla Martin, is a bridal shop owner and works with her closest friend. When she is witness to a murder, her life just starts to spiral downward, with no end in sight. No one but her family believes what she saw, and Mikayla knows that it is up to her to make sure justice is served. Nikolai Steele, a agent for the Elite Ops has returned because he owes a favor, and his job is to get his friend proven innocent of being accused of murdering someone, and so he goes to the accuser planning on finding out what her motive is in lying, but the moment he sees her and hears her voice he knows that things will just start to get worse for him. Nikolai has a heart of steel and ice, until he starts to work with her, and each day he is full of emotions where he thought he had buried them deep, and Mikayla reaches places so deeply hidden in himself, that he can't stop himself from falling in love with her, despite his refusal to do so. But sometimes fate has a way of turning our world upside down with true love...

The Hero (Nikolai Steele)
Nikolai is known as a mercenary, but he has been a Elite Ops agent for many years, and he once lost a wife and daughter, and has never forgiven himself since and has buried his feelings since then. Now he is on a job, a job which he thinks will only last a few days, but the longer he is around Mikayla the longer he stays, and as a murder mystery starts to unravel, he starts to feel a powerful love for this small woman, who is innocent and carefree, and before he realizes it she starts to break down his every defense and wonders if he could ever find the will to leave her...


The Heroine (Mikayla Martin)
Mikayla, is the only daughter and is very close to her parents and her brothers, but they are so overprotective, despite her independence. Mikayla has never found true passion or someone she would want to share her life with, and then she falls for the worst bad boy, Nikolai Steele, who stirs up every hidden passion within her. Even though she wants him badly, she also knows that he could very well break her heart...

My Thoughts 
Renegade is the fifth in the Elite Ops Series, and by far my favorite of the series yet. I just loved how it had the perfect mix of romance, danger and mystery. In some of the other books of the series, they were too much on the edge of erotica, and not of the romance-the relationship side of it. Renegade although it had some very steamy scenes, it also had the emotional side that I have seen in her breed series, and I am so glad that it finally shown through in this one. I loved both characters, and how much we could see their love grow throughout the story, it was purely magical and I just loved it!! I found Mikayla touchingly sweet and endearing, although an innocent, also has a passionate nature. Nikolai although has a tough exterior, has a softer side too that comes out once he meets Mikayla. I found Renegade intoxicating, and satisfying with every page!!! A TREASURE!!

My Grade On This Book 
4 Blossoms

Other Books In The Series 
Wild Card
Maverick
Heat Seeker
Black Jack
Live Wire

Book Review-Heat Seeker

Heat Seeker
Elite Ops and Tempting Seals
Lora Leigh
St Martins,
334 Pages
Published Sep 2009
Mystery Suspense Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:
A former Elite Ops captain with a dark past meets his match in a female ex-CIA agent who’s dead-set on revenge. And this time, the action—and the attraction—is more adrenaline-pumping than ever…

DARE TO DESIRE
John Vincent has always led a life of danger, and now he has every reason to want to remain as dead as the obituary in the Australian papers had proclaimed him to be. He’d left nothing behind in the life he had once led—except for one woman, and one night of unforgettable passion. Now, both will return to haunt him…

SEDUCE TO DESTROY
Bailey Serborne is still tormented by a past she can’t change and a man she hasn’t been able to forget. A man who was supposed to dead.. But now, a stroke of fate has revealed that sometimes, a woman is given a second chance to heal her heart—and exact the sweetest revenge…

My Review:
John Vincent has been proclaimed dead by all those who knew him. Now he has a new life, as a member of a elite ops, where all members on the team are dead to the world and new people. In John's previous life he met the beautiful and sensual Bailey Serborne, who mixed up his emotions, and was the one thing he truly regretted hurting as a effect of his previous "fake" death. Bailey Serborne, is our for revenge for the death of her family, then she meets John Vincent who is so alike to a man she once knew and cared deeply for. As events progress where danger and intrigue escalate so does the desire and passion they have for each other, to the point of explosive heat.  What John or Bailey never realized was the love and passion they once shared still exists strongly between them, and if they embrace it they will only be stronger as a team.

Heat Seeker is a book that was written as a part of two series, which I thought was fascinating and somewhat unique. Heat Seeker is part of the Elite Ops series and the Tempting Seals series, although these two series are very alike. Heat Seeker is probably the most explosively erotically book that I have read from Lora Leigh. I have enjoyed reading her Breeds series, but this Elite Ops series seems to focus more on the sexual desires between the two characters than the plot or the romantic and emotional relationship between Bailey and John. It does have a intriguing plot though, where the hero "John" is another person and looks different than who he was before, yet Bailey is able to see through the exterior and find the inner man that once was claimed dead. Although it did have some exciting intrigue and danger elements to the book, it is far from my favorite from this author. Since I enjoy more of the emotional side of the love story, this however just seemed to emulate Lust full blown. Although it was enjoyable, throughout the whole of it, I just kept feeling like there wasn't much connection except sexual, and I was expecting more from this one.  Lora Leigh always has a highly sexual side to her books, but it seems to me in this series it overlaps too much and there isn't much of a plot left. But if you like Lora Leigh's other series than you will enjoy this one, it still had some good elements about it, that did keep me on edge at time and there was a certain edge of mystery that leaves you breathless with questions of what Really will happen between the two, but it just wasn't as consistent in flow as some of her other books have been in the past.

My Grade On The Book
3 Blossoms

Other Books In The Serie(s)
Elite Ops 
Wild Card
Maverick
Blackjack
Tempting Seals
Reno's Chance
Dangerous Game
For Maggie's Sake
Hidden Agenda's
Killer Secrets
Atlanta Heat
Wild Card
Maverick
Heat Seeker
Black Jack   

Book Review:Wild Card

Wild Card 
Lora Leigh
St Martins,
418 Pages
Published September 2008
Contemporary Suspense
ISBN: 978-0-312-94579-4

 Synospsi
It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Colombia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong…and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.

Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three long years. But she has no idea he’s still alive. Forced to assume a new identity, the man Nathan was is now dead. If he can get back to his wife, can he keep the secret of who he really is…even as desire threatens to consume them? And as danger threatens to tear Bella from Nathan’s arms once more?

My Review:
When Nathan goes on a mission as a SEAL, and ends up scarred and presumed dead, he has to give up his life including his wife Bella, who grieves deeply for his death. Nathan is then put into black ops and his looks and his very identity is very different from the man he once was. When he is told that his wife Bella is in danger, he is told to go on a mission that may put not only himself but his very heart at risk of being so close to his wife whom has no idea who he is. After losing her husband, Bella still grieves for him deeply. For Bella, he was her very heart and soul, and even though its been years since his death, a part of her believes he still lives on. When a stranger comes into town, insisting on working at her body car shop, she is very reluctant, but as time goes on, there are certain aspects about Noah that draws her to him, aspects that remind her of her husband. But she knows its impossible right? Didn't he died years ago?But will she discover the truth in time before danger comes that she never expects?

As far as a good Lora Leigh book, this was definitely well written in her style. However, as I was reading this one, it did have suspense and a mysterious plot, that definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. However the romance in it was to me not the kind of romance I like to read. It seemed like more lust than romance, and yes there should be passion and sensuality in every good romance, but it seemed to be overflowing with it, that I couldn't sense much love between the two, just sex, it just had a more erotic side of things. It definitely is filled with heat that will blister you with captivation.  I certainly did devour this one, and I could hardly put it down, but I just felt throughout the whole of it, that there was something missing in their relationship that wasn't portrayed well enough to satisfy this reader. For the most part it was a intense ride and I did enjoy reading it.

My Grade On This Book
3.5 Blossoms

This book is part of two series:
Elite Ops:
Maverick
Heat Seeker
Black Jack

Tempting Seals
Reno's Chance
Dangerous Games
For Maggie's Sake
Hidden Agenda's
Killer Secrets
Atlanta Heat
Maverick
Heat Seeker
Black Jack