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Review

4.5 stars!

I loved this book! A sweet, fun, chemistry-filled, emotional second-chance-romance with a mystery/suspense storyline, I was completely swept up in the love story and could not put it down.

Jax and Megan met five years ago at a baseball match. When the kisscam spotlighted her and her douchey boyfriend, he ignored her as usual and refused to look up from his phone long enough to kiss her, so the random stranger sitting on her other side laid one on her that sent the stadium into cheers, and changed the course of both of their lives. For four glorious days they never left each other’s sides – she needed fun and adventure in her life, he needed some order, and they gave each other that, falling for each other in a big way before Jax was deployed overseas and they made a clean break.

Jax has been honourably discharged from the Marines following a deadly ambush that left most of his team dead and him medically unfit for duty, and he now runs a security business with his best friend. When he sees Megan’s face on the news he learns that she is now a hugely successful pop star, and she’s just been the victim of a terrifying break-in. Not even thinking about it, he drops everything to run to her side.

“Hey you, remember me?”

Megan’s life has completely changed in the last five years. She is a passionate and hard-working singer, and she is living the life she never knew that she wanted. But the downside of that is the celebrity, and she has become the target of a stalker. After being terrified in her home, the last person she expected to see is Jax, but she is instantly calmed by him and clings to him for security. And with one look at Megan, Jax wants nothing more than to keep her safe, and he knows he is the one who makes her so.

“It’s gotta be me. I keep her safe.” He felt the vibration from his voice from deep in his chest. His decision was final. He wasn’t going to let anyone protect his woman. And yes, he might not ever admit it out loud, but she was his. She’d always been his, and after they parted ways, she would still be his. And there was no way in fucking hell he’d let anyone hurt what was his.

Jax and Megan have never forgotten about each other. In the four days they had together they made a huge impact on each other’s lives, and they both recognise this second chance for what it is. The chemistry between them is absolutely electric, and neither of them hide the way they are feeling, and from that very first moment, I was right there with them. The UST is fantastic, and the sense of anticipation creates a level of intensity that had me madly flipping pages.

If she thought he’d forgotten about the chemistry they had…she was out of her ever-loving mind. It wasn’t just a spark. It was a fire.

But Jax has demons from his past, and he still suffers guilt and loss over the fact that he wasn’t able to protect those he loved. He refuses to risk Megan, so he holds back knowing that his first priority has to be to protect her, and that means no distractions. But she is not one to be deterred.

“All these years, I’ve thought about the fun, free-spirited guy who showed me how to loosen up and live wild, and made me feel sexy and valued … Thinking about you took me back to the best time of my life. I understand you’re trying to protect me, but damn it, this isn’t you. Where’s the guy that turned my world upside down and caused me to forget all my worries with one kiss?”

“Things have changed, but not that much and not where it counts.”

I loved these two together! Absolutely loved them! They are great characters individually, their chemistry is amazing, and I could feel everything that they were feeling. But what I loved best was their openness and ease with each other. It’s been five years and they have things that they need to learn about each other, but they slip into a familiar intimacy from the very beginning. The story of their past is revealed in snippets throughout the book, and in the present the pacing is perfect as they reconnect. It’s not a wham-bam, straight into bed situation, they talk, they flirt, they laugh, and the sense of anticipation builds wonderfully as they move closer and closer to the inevitable. They don’t hold back on talking about what they’re feeling, and it creates a wonderful dynamic that I could not get enough of.

“This feels as good as I remember,” she said, pressing her cheek to his back.
“You like it before? You never said anything.”
“Are you kidding me? I’d just met you. What kinda girl says lovey-dovey shit like that on a first date? You would’ve run for the hills.”
He squeezed her knee and tilted his head back. “The same kind of girl who agrees to have lunch with a stranger and stays for four days and rocks my world so deeply I’ve done nothing but think about her for five years.”

The romance is definitely the focus of the book but Megan is still in danger, and with the threats increasing in frequency and intensity, Jax needs to figure out how to balance his need to protect with his need for the woman he’s falling so quickly for – before it’s too late.

This is such a great read! It’s fast moving, keeping the story interesting while still giving us lots of detail. I love that we got to see so much of Jax and Megan together – flirting and having fun, talking about their pasts and opening up to each other, falling for each other, and of course the sexy time is sizzling ! I could feel everything, and I fell in love right alongside them *dreamy sigh*.

The mystery/suspense storyline adds a nice intensity, and it’s handled really well. It blends really nicely with the romance and there are twists and turns that keep you guessing. It’s not hard to figure out what’s going on, but there were still some surprises and I liked the way it all played out

There’s a great bunch of side characters that add a lot of the story, and given that this is the first in the Iron Clad Security series, there’s some great set ups for future books. It’s a really strong start, and I’m really excited to continue on with the series.

I loved it – 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Iron Clad Security series