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Protectors #2
Hotter Than Wildfire
The world knows her only as Eve . . .
Though her songs have sold millions, she is an enigma, a bewitching mystery. But to former Delta Force operator Harry Bolt, she is an angel whose sultry, smoky voice brought him back to life after the nightmare of Afghanistan. Nothing else matters.
And now a scared, helpless beauty has walked through the door of his San Diego private security firm, running from something secret, something deadly . . . and Harry knows immediately that this is the woman who saved him. He is the last hope for this intoxicating siren without a past. But though she burns to lose herself in Harry's powerful arms, Eve is wary of trusting this tough, haunted ex-soldier who promises to protect her. Surrender could mean sweet ecstasy or certain doom. Can she open her heart, even if it means risking her life?
Though her songs have sold millions, she is an enigma, a bewitching mystery. But to former Delta Force operator Harry Bolt, she is an angel whose sultry, smoky voice brought him back to life after the nightmare of Afghanistan. Nothing else matters.
And now a scared, helpless beauty has walked through the door of his San Diego private security firm, running from something secret, something deadly . . . and Harry knows immediately that this is the woman who saved him. He is the last hope for this intoxicating siren without a past. But though she burns to lose herself in Harry's powerful arms, Eve is wary of trusting this tough, haunted ex-soldier who promises to protect her. Surrender could mean sweet ecstasy or certain doom. Can she open her heart, even if it means risking her life?
Audible Audio
First published April 5, 2011
60 people are currently reading
1418 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Marie Rice
61 books1,610 followersLisa Marie Rice is eternally 30 years old and will never age. She is tall and willowy and beautiful. Men drop at her feet like ripe pears. She has won every major book prize in the world. She is a black belt with advanced degrees in archaeology, nuclear physics, and Tibetan literature. She is a concert pianist. Did I mention her Nobel Prize? Of course, Lisa Marie Rice is a virtual woman and exists only at the keyboard when writing erotic romance. She disappears when the monitor winks off.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
April 16, 2011
Despite some holes in the logic of this book, and despite the heroine's TSTL moment near the end of the story...I loved this book, because I was "just wild about Harry" Bolt, our to-die-for hero!
This is the second in Lisa Marie Rice's Protectors series, and even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I'd advise anyone to read this series in order. The characters are recurring, and you are first introduced to the hero of this book, 34-year-old former Delta Force operator and now a partner in San Diego's RBK Security-- tall, sexy, dark blond, shoulders-out-to-there Harry Bolt-- in Into the Crossfire.
Harry, who was gravely injured in Afghanistan a year or so ago with not much will to live upon arrival back in the States, is finally back in top shape after months and months of therapy, the support of his two "brothers" (Sam Reston and Mike Keillor), and the music of a mysterious jazz/pop singer known only as "Eve". Listening to Eve's music helped pull Harry out of his depression, and gave him the strength to fight just one more day.
Harry...
When a quietly beautiful young redhead arrives at RBK with a referral from a former client from their "underground railroad" (besides providing security for corporate big wigs, RBK helps abused women in need) Harry is eager to help her. Ellen Palmer tells Harry her story---she's a CPA, working her first job out of college for a couple of years now for a government contractor in Georgia. His books are a mess and a bit shady. The owner of the company (Gerald Montez) has plans for her that don't involve work. He hits on her. Everyone in the company thinks they're an item, but she's just not interested, and rebuffs him. Then at a company party, an inebriated co-worker lets it slip that Montez stole 20 million dollars from the US government. Montez notices the drunk and Ellen talking. The next day the co-worker is found dead with a bullet in his brain. Ellen puts two and two together and realizes that her life may be in jeopardy, and that she knows more than she should, especially when she looks out her window and sees a vanload of armed men heading to her house. She makes a narrow escape and takes off across the country.
Ellen...
For the next year she's on the run. She finds out on the news that her boss has reported her to the police for embezzlement and suggested that she may have murdered her coworker! She ends up working in a Seattle dive as a waitress and singer. Amazingly, she's discovered by an agent Now she needs Harry and RBK's help. Can they protect her?
That's about it for the plot. Ellen's boss is after her and wants to make sure she'll never be able to tell what she knows about him. He'll stop at nothing to keep her quiet, including bringing in a dangerous, sadistic mercenary to help him with the task. Harry will do everything in his power to protect the lovely Ellen, and so will his partners Sam and Mike, and Sam's "most beautiful woman in the world" (this was mentioned more than once) wife Nicole. They all fall madly for Ellen, but none more so than Harry. And if you're familiar at all with LMR's heroes, once they fall, they fall HARD. The testosterone kicks in, they become uber-protective and uber sexual with plenty of stamina, and the story really steams up! Harry has a hard time keeping his hands (and other parts) off the lucky Ellen...
So no complaints from me on the steam factor, the characters, the nice little update we get on Sam and Nicole's life, the friendship between Ellen and Nicole, and the general plot. The bad guys are evil, do some truly gruesome things, and there's a huge, exciting rescue scene (straight out of an action movie) at the end, but it's necessitated by a TSTL moment by Ellen. I'll say no more, just let you read it. When it happened I was saying "no, no nooo don't do that!" (but of course she couldn't hear me). I did start to wonder near the end of the book about the path Ellen chose and had some questions. Just try to enjoy the relationship between Harry and Ellen--two people with similar backgrounds and needs. I'm sure after you read that moving prologue about Harry's tragic early life, you'll fall for him like I did, and want to see him find a woman who can make all his dreams come true.
I'm happy to say that after the cliffhanger ending, LMR didn't just end the story there. She gives you two epilogues--one about 11 months later, and one a year after that. They are sweet and surprising, and involve Harry directly. And OMG, I guess I know who "man-slut" Mike's HEA will be---I can't wait to see how Harry reacts! I just love LMR's writing style, and I can forgive her just about anything. I can suspend disbelief with the best of them--holes in the plot or logic (when it comes to LMR) don't (usually) bother me. I'm most interested in the characters, and she made me fall in love with Harry and Ellen. And while there wasn't a whole bunch of love scenes, what she delivered was intense, smokin' hot, and enough to get your pulse racing. I was very, very sorry to see this one end...but boy am I anticipating the next story in this series! 4 1/2 stars
***Readers of Shannon McKenna's McClouds and Friends series, pay attention to a scene involving Ellen's friend Kerry on page 225. Is LMR referring to who I think she is?***
This is the second in Lisa Marie Rice's Protectors series, and even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I'd advise anyone to read this series in order. The characters are recurring, and you are first introduced to the hero of this book, 34-year-old former Delta Force operator and now a partner in San Diego's RBK Security-- tall, sexy, dark blond, shoulders-out-to-there Harry Bolt-- in Into the Crossfire.
Harry, who was gravely injured in Afghanistan a year or so ago with not much will to live upon arrival back in the States, is finally back in top shape after months and months of therapy, the support of his two "brothers" (Sam Reston and Mike Keillor), and the music of a mysterious jazz/pop singer known only as "Eve". Listening to Eve's music helped pull Harry out of his depression, and gave him the strength to fight just one more day.
Harry...
When a quietly beautiful young redhead arrives at RBK with a referral from a former client from their "underground railroad" (besides providing security for corporate big wigs, RBK helps abused women in need) Harry is eager to help her. Ellen Palmer tells Harry her story---she's a CPA, working her first job out of college for a couple of years now for a government contractor in Georgia. His books are a mess and a bit shady. The owner of the company (Gerald Montez) has plans for her that don't involve work. He hits on her. Everyone in the company thinks they're an item, but she's just not interested, and rebuffs him. Then at a company party, an inebriated co-worker lets it slip that Montez stole 20 million dollars from the US government. Montez notices the drunk and Ellen talking. The next day the co-worker is found dead with a bullet in his brain. Ellen puts two and two together and realizes that her life may be in jeopardy, and that she knows more than she should, especially when she looks out her window and sees a vanload of armed men heading to her house. She makes a narrow escape and takes off across the country.
Ellen...
For the next year she's on the run. She finds out on the news that her boss has reported her to the police for embezzlement and suggested that she may have murdered her coworker! She ends up working in a Seattle dive as a waitress and singer. Amazingly, she's discovered by an agent Now she needs Harry and RBK's help. Can they protect her?
That's about it for the plot. Ellen's boss is after her and wants to make sure she'll never be able to tell what she knows about him. He'll stop at nothing to keep her quiet, including bringing in a dangerous, sadistic mercenary to help him with the task. Harry will do everything in his power to protect the lovely Ellen, and so will his partners Sam and Mike, and Sam's "most beautiful woman in the world" (this was mentioned more than once) wife Nicole. They all fall madly for Ellen, but none more so than Harry. And if you're familiar at all with LMR's heroes, once they fall, they fall HARD. The testosterone kicks in, they become uber-protective and uber sexual with plenty of stamina, and the story really steams up! Harry has a hard time keeping his hands (and other parts) off the lucky Ellen...
So no complaints from me on the steam factor, the characters, the nice little update we get on Sam and Nicole's life, the friendship between Ellen and Nicole, and the general plot. The bad guys are evil, do some truly gruesome things, and there's a huge, exciting rescue scene (straight out of an action movie) at the end, but it's necessitated by a TSTL moment by Ellen. I'll say no more, just let you read it. When it happened I was saying "no, no nooo don't do that!" (but of course she couldn't hear me). I did start to wonder near the end of the book about the path Ellen chose and had some questions. Just try to enjoy the relationship between Harry and Ellen--two people with similar backgrounds and needs. I'm sure after you read that moving prologue about Harry's tragic early life, you'll fall for him like I did, and want to see him find a woman who can make all his dreams come true.
I'm happy to say that after the cliffhanger ending, LMR didn't just end the story there. She gives you two epilogues--one about 11 months later, and one a year after that. They are sweet and surprising, and involve Harry directly. And OMG, I guess I know who "man-slut" Mike's HEA will be---I can't wait to see how Harry reacts! I just love LMR's writing style, and I can forgive her just about anything. I can suspend disbelief with the best of them--holes in the plot or logic (when it comes to LMR) don't (usually) bother me. I'm most interested in the characters, and she made me fall in love with Harry and Ellen. And while there wasn't a whole bunch of love scenes, what she delivered was intense, smokin' hot, and enough to get your pulse racing. I was very, very sorry to see this one end...but boy am I anticipating the next story in this series! 4 1/2 stars
***Readers of Shannon McKenna's McClouds and Friends series, pay attention to a scene involving Ellen's friend Kerry on page 225. Is LMR referring to who I think she is?***
April 11, 2011
On one hand, this was a decent story. On the other, it could have been better, I didn't connect as well to the leads as I have with her earlier books. The side story from the villains' point of view, once again, almost overwhelms the story and detracts from the main romance.
The prologue was wayyy too graphic, I would have preferred to have that scene happen off page. If violence against children freaks you out, I would recommend skipping it because the hero thinks about it later in the story so you will still know what happens. I think LMR included this to show why Harry was so dedicated to saving abused women and children but I still don't want to read graphic scenes of a little girl getting her arm broken then thrown against a wall.
The story was interesting, I enjoyed reading it even though some of the "classic" LMR details that are in every single book are getting a little old. I liked both Harry and Ellen, I just wish the story focused more on them.
The ending was really sweet! This is one area where LMR has seriously improved. I really enjoyed it. Then we got a very intriguing hint of the next story, I can't wait to see what happens!
So end verdict: not the best LMR but still enjoyable with the typical tough protective hero who gets the woodie that won't quit when he falls hard for the sweet artistic heroine who is running for her life from bad guys. I enjoyed it and will be adding it to my LMR rereads.
The prologue was wayyy too graphic, I would have preferred to have that scene happen off page. If violence against children freaks you out, I would recommend skipping it because the hero thinks about it later in the story so you will still know what happens. I think LMR included this to show why Harry was so dedicated to saving abused women and children but I still don't want to read graphic scenes of a little girl getting her arm broken then thrown against a wall.
The story was interesting, I enjoyed reading it even though some of the "classic" LMR details that are in every single book are getting a little old. I liked both Harry and Ellen, I just wish the story focused more on them.
The ending was really sweet! This is one area where LMR has seriously improved. I really enjoyed it. Then we got a very intriguing hint of the next story, I can't wait to see what happens!
So end verdict: not the best LMR but still enjoyable with the typical tough protective hero who gets the woodie that won't quit when he falls hard for the sweet artistic heroine who is running for her life from bad guys. I enjoyed it and will be adding it to my LMR rereads.
February 15, 2019
Reread on: 6/29/17
4.5 Stars!!!
I freaking loved this one!! Harry is awesome and Ellen is a fantastic heroine. Their love story touched my heart, mainly because Harry was broken for so long. ::sigh:: I'm such a sucker for HEA's. I was going to take a break and finish another book, but, after reading the epilogue I have to read Mike's book (Nightfire) now!!!!
4.5 Stars!!!
I freaking loved this one!! Harry is awesome and Ellen is a fantastic heroine. Their love story touched my heart, mainly because Harry was broken for so long. ::sigh:: I'm such a sucker for HEA's. I was going to take a break and finish another book, but, after reading the epilogue I have to read Mike's book (Nightfire) now!!!!
September 7, 2011
No, no, no!!! The end of the world must be near, because this is the second LMR book in a row that I didn't love. :(
Overall, 3 stars isn't bad in my rating system, but that's not what I expect from LMR. I'm so disappointed that I'm unable to write a "proper" review at the moment. I'll come back when I'm over the state of depression I'm in. Or not. *sobs in dispair*
Overall, 3 stars isn't bad in my rating system, but that's not what I expect from LMR. I'm so disappointed that I'm unable to write a "proper" review at the moment. I'll come back when I'm over the state of depression I'm in. Or not. *sobs in dispair*
April 14, 2011
OMG! I just finished this book and I have tears running down my face. This is my all time favorite LMR book. It was just amazing and 5 stars in not nearly enough to describe just how much I loved this book.
OK, yes you have heard from other reviews that this book does have quite a bit of violence in it. That did not bother me one bit. It just drew me into the story even more.
The hero, Harry was to die for. OH MY! I just loved him to pieces. He was smart, strong, protecting and gentle all at once and lets not forget that he was a total hunk with a fantastic body and a nice man part that he knew how to use to boot. He was also a hero who did not jump from bed to bed throughout his life. It's nice to have a hero like that every now and then.
I also really like the heroine Ellen. OK, she did a few things that you might consider TSTL but hey what would you do if you were running for your life and trying to protect others from being killed.
If your looking for a scorcher, I must say that this book was not that for me. It did have a few hot love scenes that were done really well but this book was not filled with sex. It had just right amount to make me very happy.
The action was fantastic especially near the end. When things started moving, I just started reading faster and faster, it had me at the edge of my seat and I could not stop until the very end.
The ending was sooo darn good, one of the best HEA endings that I read in quite some time.
You can bet I'll be reading the next book in line and it will be the top of my list when it's released.
OK, yes you have heard from other reviews that this book does have quite a bit of violence in it. That did not bother me one bit. It just drew me into the story even more.
The hero, Harry was to die for. OH MY! I just loved him to pieces. He was smart, strong, protecting and gentle all at once and lets not forget that he was a total hunk with a fantastic body and a nice man part that he knew how to use to boot. He was also a hero who did not jump from bed to bed throughout his life. It's nice to have a hero like that every now and then.
I also really like the heroine Ellen. OK, she did a few things that you might consider TSTL but hey what would you do if you were running for your life and trying to protect others from being killed.
If your looking for a scorcher, I must say that this book was not that for me. It did have a few hot love scenes that were done really well but this book was not filled with sex. It had just right amount to make me very happy.
The action was fantastic especially near the end. When things started moving, I just started reading faster and faster, it had me at the edge of my seat and I could not stop until the very end.
The ending was sooo darn good, one of the best HEA endings that I read in quite some time.
You can bet I'll be reading the next book in line and it will be the top of my list when it's released.
February 12, 2017
Really loved Harry and Ellen. My heart broke for all they went through. The shocking ending had me starting book three immediately.
Come on Mike , I hope you change your ways.
Come on Mike , I hope you change your ways.
October 31, 2013
WOW! Man LMR does not mess around!
Amazing read!
Loved the writing, characters, and story!
.. now I'm off to purchase Nightfire because I HAVE TO KNOW what happens next!
Amazing read!
Loved the writing, characters, and story!
.. now I'm off to purchase Nightfire because I HAVE TO KNOW what happens next!
April 6, 2011
Ellen is known to millions as Eve, the mysterious singer who is simply an amazing, faceless voice. In real life Ellen is a desperately afraid woman, running for her life from a man whose secret she has found. After running for over a year, it’s clear that her tormentor is not only unwilling to give up the chase, but is gaining ground. She turns to former Delta force agent Harry Bolt and his “blood brothers” Sam and Mike, to help protect her. Sparks Of attraction fly between Harry and Ellen, but is Ellen willing to risk her life to settle with this man?
I read this book in one sitting. I have never read anything by Miss Rice, but she now has her own shelf on my kindle. Harry Bolt is the typical tortured, alpha military man (I swear these books are skewing my perception on reality...I now can’t look at a hot police officer without imagining some sort of trauma he needs me to personally heal for him :D) Harry has the most horrific childhood I’ve read in this genre of books. Raised by a meth addict in a broken home, Harry was left to raise his younger sister as his mother got consistently high and paraded loser boyfriends through the house. One loser boyfriend loses his temper, kills Harry’s mum and younger sister, before horrifically attacking Harry himself. After recovering, Harry is put into a foster home where he bands up with Mike and Sam. They grow up as brothers, even going so far as to join the military together. After Harry is horrifically injured in Afghanistan, the brother’s band together to put him back together again, whilst forming their own protection agency.
It is at this agency that Harry meets Ellen. When Ellen comes into the office he is attracted to her, but when he finds out she is the mysterious Eve he thinks all his dreams have come true! Her voice is the only thing that has chased away the nightmares in the last two years, he was already in love with her voice and now the package fits the sound. He becomes completely Alpha from the beginning. She is the only thing that he has cared about since his younger sister died, and the idea of her leaving is a non-starter for him. He had me hooked when he wouldn’t leave her side after she is shot within a couple of chapters of the story. I was smitten! Harry doesn’t love easy, but what he does love he loves fiercely and protects them with a complete disregard of the others around them. It is very cute! When he is completely disgusted with himself for trying to protect her with a perpetual hard-on, I actually laughed. It’s not often that you get a man in a romance that isn’t completely in awe of his own sexual prowess, but he has to actively try to calm himself down.
Ellen is the character that made the book believable to me. Once she finds out that her boss is a very bad man, who has stolen a lot of money from the Government, she goes on the run. She has good reason too; the man is a loon! She has been protecting herself for so long by the point she meets Harry, she can’t even bring herself to trust the very men she is asking for protection. Fleeing from Harry is what gets her shot by the bad men at the begining. I found it very believable that she could fall in love Harry so quickly; the only time she felt safe in 12 months was with him by her side. Of course, she doesn’t realise that she is in love with him at first; she merely gives into the attraction that is brewing between them, hoping for comfort because the life she has come to know may end tomorrow. The only issue I really have with her (and really the plot!) is her choice of jobs. I don’t care how many safeguards you put in place to protect your identity, no individual on the run is going to become a public figure. That silliness aside, I did feel that it gave them a good starting point with this relationship; they both saved each other in some way, and so attraction could grow. The chemistry sizzles and made me feel a little fluttery! Harry does come equipt with the amazing split second recovery time that macho men in romance novels have, but it is made somewhat less of an eye-rolling talent when he suffers from a bout of very premature ejaculation and asks if she heard the theme tune to “Rocket Man”.
We meet the characters from the first novel again and, although I haven’t read it, I thought it was nice that this story is built around a family, so we can still check in with previous HEA. In this book, Nicole and Sam are very much pregnant with a little girl, making for some very overbearing future daddies/uncles!
The bad people are very bad, and the violence in parts of this book was a bit grizzly. Please don’t get me wrong, nothing is described in any detail, but to be honest my mind filled in the blanks, and I was a little queasy. The story of one man’s desperation to make sure that no one finds out his dirty little secret was well crafted and written; the fact that said man was also a sociopath made it that little darker!
If you like your Romantic suspense to be a little darker, this is one for you. I loved reading about this lovely man, and his quest to convince the woman who put him back together, to stay with him forever. With all the back-story for these two characters, I found myself routing for them all the way through. In addition, if the twist at the end doesn’t hook you into the series nothing will!
I read this book in one sitting. I have never read anything by Miss Rice, but she now has her own shelf on my kindle. Harry Bolt is the typical tortured, alpha military man (I swear these books are skewing my perception on reality...I now can’t look at a hot police officer without imagining some sort of trauma he needs me to personally heal for him :D) Harry has the most horrific childhood I’ve read in this genre of books. Raised by a meth addict in a broken home, Harry was left to raise his younger sister as his mother got consistently high and paraded loser boyfriends through the house. One loser boyfriend loses his temper, kills Harry’s mum and younger sister, before horrifically attacking Harry himself. After recovering, Harry is put into a foster home where he bands up with Mike and Sam. They grow up as brothers, even going so far as to join the military together. After Harry is horrifically injured in Afghanistan, the brother’s band together to put him back together again, whilst forming their own protection agency.
It is at this agency that Harry meets Ellen. When Ellen comes into the office he is attracted to her, but when he finds out she is the mysterious Eve he thinks all his dreams have come true! Her voice is the only thing that has chased away the nightmares in the last two years, he was already in love with her voice and now the package fits the sound. He becomes completely Alpha from the beginning. She is the only thing that he has cared about since his younger sister died, and the idea of her leaving is a non-starter for him. He had me hooked when he wouldn’t leave her side after she is shot within a couple of chapters of the story. I was smitten! Harry doesn’t love easy, but what he does love he loves fiercely and protects them with a complete disregard of the others around them. It is very cute! When he is completely disgusted with himself for trying to protect her with a perpetual hard-on, I actually laughed. It’s not often that you get a man in a romance that isn’t completely in awe of his own sexual prowess, but he has to actively try to calm himself down.
Ellen is the character that made the book believable to me. Once she finds out that her boss is a very bad man, who has stolen a lot of money from the Government, she goes on the run. She has good reason too; the man is a loon! She has been protecting herself for so long by the point she meets Harry, she can’t even bring herself to trust the very men she is asking for protection. Fleeing from Harry is what gets her shot by the bad men at the begining. I found it very believable that she could fall in love Harry so quickly; the only time she felt safe in 12 months was with him by her side. Of course, she doesn’t realise that she is in love with him at first; she merely gives into the attraction that is brewing between them, hoping for comfort because the life she has come to know may end tomorrow. The only issue I really have with her (and really the plot!) is her choice of jobs. I don’t care how many safeguards you put in place to protect your identity, no individual on the run is going to become a public figure. That silliness aside, I did feel that it gave them a good starting point with this relationship; they both saved each other in some way, and so attraction could grow. The chemistry sizzles and made me feel a little fluttery! Harry does come equipt with the amazing split second recovery time that macho men in romance novels have, but it is made somewhat less of an eye-rolling talent when he suffers from a bout of very premature ejaculation and asks if she heard the theme tune to “Rocket Man”.
We meet the characters from the first novel again and, although I haven’t read it, I thought it was nice that this story is built around a family, so we can still check in with previous HEA. In this book, Nicole and Sam are very much pregnant with a little girl, making for some very overbearing future daddies/uncles!
The bad people are very bad, and the violence in parts of this book was a bit grizzly. Please don’t get me wrong, nothing is described in any detail, but to be honest my mind filled in the blanks, and I was a little queasy. The story of one man’s desperation to make sure that no one finds out his dirty little secret was well crafted and written; the fact that said man was also a sociopath made it that little darker!
If you like your Romantic suspense to be a little darker, this is one for you. I loved reading about this lovely man, and his quest to convince the woman who put him back together, to stay with him forever. With all the back-story for these two characters, I found myself routing for them all the way through. In addition, if the twist at the end doesn’t hook you into the series nothing will!
April 17, 2011
Absolutely loved it! Excellent characters that developed nicely through the story. Excellent suspense! Nicely written and had me on the edge of my seat.
Eve (Ellen) was on the run from a serious bad guy when her journey led her to Harry. What a guy! Heartthrob and all that. Oo-la-la. My toes curled reading some of the scenes.
Refreshing to get updates on past characters as Sam and Nicole (and Mike) were in this book often.
A book I'll probably re-read, along with "Midnight Man" by this author.
Eve (Ellen) was on the run from a serious bad guy when her journey led her to Harry. What a guy! Heartthrob and all that. Oo-la-la. My toes curled reading some of the scenes.
Refreshing to get updates on past characters as Sam and Nicole (and Mike) were in this book often.
A book I'll probably re-read, along with "Midnight Man" by this author.
July 25, 2015
The second book in the Protectors series by Lisa Marie Rice. Well, it was hotter than wildfire. lol. I loved the way Ms Rice can blend the romance with suspense with a nice emphasis on romance. I love alpha heroes and strong heroines. This heroine had a few TSTL moments but it didn't destroy my pleasure in reading it.
March 17, 2013
Harry Bolt...
Eve AKA Ellen
The second installment of the Protectors series, starts one year after the first book ends. It begins with a peek into Harry's childhood. Since witnessing the death of his little sister and mom he has grown up determined to not let innocent women and children be beat by nasty men. He has gotten stronger since the first book in the series mainly because of a mystery woman named Eve's music. No one knows who the woman behind the beautiful music is but her voice alone has healed Harry and that's all he cares about.
Ellen Palmer is running. She has left her home and job and gone into hiding. She accidently found out major secrets about her boss, and when another employee confirms her suspicions and he turns up dead the very next day she knows her life is in danger too. So Ellen changes her name and everything she does is on the Down low. After a friend tries to sit her up on a date and sees how freaked out Ellen is, she slips her a number that had helped her in the past and Ellen ends up on Harry's doorstep.
At first, Ellen doesn't even trust Harry. She was sit up to visit with Sam but he couldn't be there so Harry took over. Immediately Ellen starts questioning if she is doing the right thing by telling Harry all of her secrets. Including that she is Eve. With a major miscommunication, she ducks out and puts herself right into enemy hands. Harry barely saves her, but she does get shot and after days of being out and cared for by Harry she finally realizes he wasn't the bad guy after all. Of course her trouble is not giving up on finding her anytime soon.
I loved Harry in this book, he was so forgiving. He fought hard to make Ellen trust in him and when she finally did, they were so good together. The ending was really intense. And some of the things Montez and Piet did were just disturbing. I love the guys and how close they are to each other. I also loved getting to still be able to take peeks into Nicole and Sam's life. This series has been really good to read and I can't wait for Mike's story.
Source: Uploaded by user via Jade on Pinterest
Eve AKA Ellen
Source: leogren.com via Joe on Pinterest
The second installment of the Protectors series, starts one year after the first book ends. It begins with a peek into Harry's childhood. Since witnessing the death of his little sister and mom he has grown up determined to not let innocent women and children be beat by nasty men. He has gotten stronger since the first book in the series mainly because of a mystery woman named Eve's music. No one knows who the woman behind the beautiful music is but her voice alone has healed Harry and that's all he cares about.
Ellen Palmer is running. She has left her home and job and gone into hiding. She accidently found out major secrets about her boss, and when another employee confirms her suspicions and he turns up dead the very next day she knows her life is in danger too. So Ellen changes her name and everything she does is on the Down low. After a friend tries to sit her up on a date and sees how freaked out Ellen is, she slips her a number that had helped her in the past and Ellen ends up on Harry's doorstep.
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At first, Ellen doesn't even trust Harry. She was sit up to visit with Sam but he couldn't be there so Harry took over. Immediately Ellen starts questioning if she is doing the right thing by telling Harry all of her secrets. Including that she is Eve. With a major miscommunication, she ducks out and puts herself right into enemy hands. Harry barely saves her, but she does get shot and after days of being out and cared for by Harry she finally realizes he wasn't the bad guy after all. Of course her trouble is not giving up on finding her anytime soon.
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I loved Harry in this book, he was so forgiving. He fought hard to make Ellen trust in him and when she finally did, they were so good together. The ending was really intense. And some of the things Montez and Piet did were just disturbing. I love the guys and how close they are to each other. I also loved getting to still be able to take peeks into Nicole and Sam's life. This series has been really good to read and I can't wait for Mike's story.
August 31, 2011
Great book! I was hooked from very early and just wanted to keep reading and reading to see how it would all turn out!
Series Note:
Second book in LMR's "Protector's" series. It's not really necessary to read them in order, but I would recommend it since they are a very closely connected group of characters.
Summary:
Harry Bolt is just getting back to his life after a nearly life-ending injury while in the military. He's finally feeling like a real man again, and he credits part of his recovery to the beautiful music made by a mysterious singer known only as Eve. So imagine Harry's surprise when Eve shows up at the security agency he's a partner in needing his help.
Eve aka Ellen Palmer aka Irene Ball, has been on the run from her nefarious boss after she learned some of his secrets. The man wants Ellen dead and for a while she'd avoided him, but when he tracks her down, she runs to a man a friend recommended her to.
Right from the start, Harry and Ellen set off sparks in each other. But Ellen has no idea where her life is going. As much as she may want Harry, the rest of her life may be spent in hiding. If Harry has anything to say about it though, Ellen will be his.
Review:
My favorite part of this book, I think is the set up between the characters. Harry is down and out, not sure if he wants to live after a devastating injury and then he finds solace in Eve's beautiful music. Through unfortunate coincidence, Eve/Ellen ends up coming to him for help. And sparks fly. Yes, it could be said that it's a cliched set up, but I thought it was done in a very romantic, sweet way that just really worked for the story.
The characters were great, too. I enjoyed Harry. Poor guy has had a brutal life and it's great to read about him finding his perfect match. I just enjoyed reading about him. And Ellen is pretty cool too. Such a bunch of opposites in her...an intelligent accountant, and a sultry singer all in one. I liked her...except for that ridiculously stupid TSTL moment near the end. I could have done without that bit of idiocy.
Plot wise, it was an interesting and engaging story. Maybe not anything stunningly original, but it was another aspect that just worked for the book. There's just the right amount of tension and mystery to make you want to read more to find out how it will all play out. There are some aspects of the book that are just downright gruesome and creepy. Kinda Karen Rose-esque. And I loved that all this came in an erotic romance book. I enjoy erotic romance, but I love when they have a suspense plot thrown in that fits with the story. And that happened here. It all made for a very well, rounded, enjoyable read.
And there were two rather surprising aspects that only bumped up my enjoyment. One was the possible reference to a character in Shannon McKenna's long-running McCloud's & Friends series. As soon as I read the scene about the ring, I immediately thought of Tam and wondered if perhaps LMR was really referencing a character from another author's series. I'd be curious to find out.
The ending also blew me away a bit. I so did not see that coming! Rather shocking turn of events and I'm dying to know what will happen in the next book! And bumped I'll have to wait so long!
Great book, though. I liked the first book enough, but wasn't dying to read this one. I definitely exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for the 3rd installment of the series.
Series Note:
Second book in LMR's "Protector's" series. It's not really necessary to read them in order, but I would recommend it since they are a very closely connected group of characters.
Summary:
Harry Bolt is just getting back to his life after a nearly life-ending injury while in the military. He's finally feeling like a real man again, and he credits part of his recovery to the beautiful music made by a mysterious singer known only as Eve. So imagine Harry's surprise when Eve shows up at the security agency he's a partner in needing his help.
Eve aka Ellen Palmer aka Irene Ball, has been on the run from her nefarious boss after she learned some of his secrets. The man wants Ellen dead and for a while she'd avoided him, but when he tracks her down, she runs to a man a friend recommended her to.
Right from the start, Harry and Ellen set off sparks in each other. But Ellen has no idea where her life is going. As much as she may want Harry, the rest of her life may be spent in hiding. If Harry has anything to say about it though, Ellen will be his.
Review:
My favorite part of this book, I think is the set up between the characters. Harry is down and out, not sure if he wants to live after a devastating injury and then he finds solace in Eve's beautiful music. Through unfortunate coincidence, Eve/Ellen ends up coming to him for help. And sparks fly. Yes, it could be said that it's a cliched set up, but I thought it was done in a very romantic, sweet way that just really worked for the story.
The characters were great, too. I enjoyed Harry. Poor guy has had a brutal life and it's great to read about him finding his perfect match. I just enjoyed reading about him. And Ellen is pretty cool too. Such a bunch of opposites in her...an intelligent accountant, and a sultry singer all in one. I liked her...except for that ridiculously stupid TSTL moment near the end. I could have done without that bit of idiocy.
Plot wise, it was an interesting and engaging story. Maybe not anything stunningly original, but it was another aspect that just worked for the book. There's just the right amount of tension and mystery to make you want to read more to find out how it will all play out. There are some aspects of the book that are just downright gruesome and creepy. Kinda Karen Rose-esque. And I loved that all this came in an erotic romance book. I enjoy erotic romance, but I love when they have a suspense plot thrown in that fits with the story. And that happened here. It all made for a very well, rounded, enjoyable read.
And there were two rather surprising aspects that only bumped up my enjoyment. One was the possible reference to a character in Shannon McKenna's long-running McCloud's & Friends series. As soon as I read the scene about the ring, I immediately thought of Tam and wondered if perhaps LMR was really referencing a character from another author's series. I'd be curious to find out.
The ending also blew me away a bit. I so did not see that coming! Rather shocking turn of events and I'm dying to know what will happen in the next book! And bumped I'll have to wait so long!
Great book, though. I liked the first book enough, but wasn't dying to read this one. I definitely exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for the 3rd installment of the series.
April 27, 2011
Wow...this was my first LMR and I really enjoyed it. She writes some strong alpha males. It had a great opening and an exciting ending with a surprise twist that I was not expecting. I feel like I need a little more background on the 'boys' so I'm going to read Into the Crossfire. I only gave it 4 stars, because I felt like the romance between Ellen and Harry started off hot and heavy and then it sort of got lost. Harry is such a broken soul and he definitely needed some lovin...he just didn't get enough. It was hot and heavy in one scene and then...not so much. And with all of Harry's manly 'attributes' we needed more. I actually like the graphic nature of the book, the blood and the gore, being a fan of Karen Rose it was right up my alley.
I am looking forward to the next book which I'm assuming will be Mike's and from what I've seen of him...I LIKE! It should be interesting considering the way this book ended.
I am looking forward to the next book which I'm assuming will be Mike's and from what I've seen of him...I LIKE! It should be interesting considering the way this book ended.
June 4, 2011
This was almost..... Boring? But that cant be right. This is LMR. What the hell happened? And for the love of God. Stop giving so much screen time to your villains. I didnt read any spoilers for this book and when the blond operator came onto the scene I actually believed he was going to be different. I was hoping Lisa Marie Rice would try to break the mold shes created for herself and make this one different. i believed he would do this as a favor to the man he owed a debt to but after he realized what was going on he would change his mind, help save the day, and get a story of his own. I was wrong. And on that note, thank you so much for the torture scene that you described in vivid detail. That helped. And STOP with the bareback fantasies you got going on. I get it. You don't like condoms. I almost stopped reading at the point. Gah, so disappointed in this one.
June 10, 2011
Book 2 in the Protector series didn’t wow me as much as its predecessor did. But nevertheless Lisa Marie Rice still managed to hold my undivided attention as I delved into the story of Harry Bolt, someone who has a very painful past from which he still has recurring nightmares.
34 year old Harry is one of the 3 “blood” brothers that own RBK Security. Having served in the army and with enough scars to last for a lifetime, Harry’s savior comes in the form of the sweet and sultry voice of the mystery singer only known as Eve. By a twist of fate it is Ellen Palmer i.e. Eve herself who makes her way to seek the services of RBK Security who specializes in helping out beaten and battered up women fleeing for their lives with nowhere else to turn to.
For someone who believes that nothing in this world could surprise him anymore, that is exactly what Harry feels when he discovers that the scared red haired beauty in front of him who has awoken his dormant libido after two years is none other than the goddess whose voice it had been that had led him out of the shit hole his life had been in back then.
Once Harry claims Eve as his, there is no turning back for either of them as heady passion stronger than anything describable takes hold of them delivering sensuous scenes of love that is trademark Lisa Marie Rice.
As with most of her stories, the bad guys are vicious in their intent and actions and nothing short of Eve’s death would stop them. As the bad guys pull all the stops to find out where Eve is in hiding, Eve finds herself in a cocoon of love, warmth and friendship which she fears would shatter if she stays around too long. Its touch and go during the last showdown with the bad guys and once again Mike, Sam and Harry work together to save the one woman who lights up Harry in more ways than one.
As I said earlier, though I didn’t love this one as much as I did Sam and Nicole’s story, nevertheless I still loved Harry as a hero. Strong and uber protective, Harry is enough to melt any woman on the inside because of his caring nature. And I loved seeing glimpses of Sam and Nicole in this one and of course the two very beautiful epilogues at the end of the second one which takes place a year later hopefully signals the beginning of Mike’s story.
As some readers have pointed out, I too have problems with how Ms. Rice tends to go a tad overboard with her descriptions making it a bit tiresome to tread through the repetitive material to find the actual story beneath it. But, being a huge fan of Ms. Rice, I’m willing to look beyond that into the story and would rate this as a great read worth your time if you love Lisa Marie Rice or if you love romantic suspense with an all-out alpha who would literally make you swoon as you get to know him. And I have to warn you, this one’s got a pretty powerful prologue to it that may just require you keep a wad of tissues handy.
Rating=4/5
Original review posted at MBR's Realm of Romance
34 year old Harry is one of the 3 “blood” brothers that own RBK Security. Having served in the army and with enough scars to last for a lifetime, Harry’s savior comes in the form of the sweet and sultry voice of the mystery singer only known as Eve. By a twist of fate it is Ellen Palmer i.e. Eve herself who makes her way to seek the services of RBK Security who specializes in helping out beaten and battered up women fleeing for their lives with nowhere else to turn to.
For someone who believes that nothing in this world could surprise him anymore, that is exactly what Harry feels when he discovers that the scared red haired beauty in front of him who has awoken his dormant libido after two years is none other than the goddess whose voice it had been that had led him out of the shit hole his life had been in back then.
Once Harry claims Eve as his, there is no turning back for either of them as heady passion stronger than anything describable takes hold of them delivering sensuous scenes of love that is trademark Lisa Marie Rice.
As with most of her stories, the bad guys are vicious in their intent and actions and nothing short of Eve’s death would stop them. As the bad guys pull all the stops to find out where Eve is in hiding, Eve finds herself in a cocoon of love, warmth and friendship which she fears would shatter if she stays around too long. Its touch and go during the last showdown with the bad guys and once again Mike, Sam and Harry work together to save the one woman who lights up Harry in more ways than one.
As I said earlier, though I didn’t love this one as much as I did Sam and Nicole’s story, nevertheless I still loved Harry as a hero. Strong and uber protective, Harry is enough to melt any woman on the inside because of his caring nature. And I loved seeing glimpses of Sam and Nicole in this one and of course the two very beautiful epilogues at the end of the second one which takes place a year later hopefully signals the beginning of Mike’s story.
As some readers have pointed out, I too have problems with how Ms. Rice tends to go a tad overboard with her descriptions making it a bit tiresome to tread through the repetitive material to find the actual story beneath it. But, being a huge fan of Ms. Rice, I’m willing to look beyond that into the story and would rate this as a great read worth your time if you love Lisa Marie Rice or if you love romantic suspense with an all-out alpha who would literally make you swoon as you get to know him. And I have to warn you, this one’s got a pretty powerful prologue to it that may just require you keep a wad of tissues handy.
Rating=4/5
Original review posted at MBR's Realm of Romance
April 7, 2011
I would have given it 10 stars if I could! Excellent read as usual. LMR's heroes fall fast and they fall hard! They can't control themselves around the women they love.
Harry had such a vulnerability around him because he went through such horrible things. I loved how he couldnt keep it together around Ellen. I absolutely adore Sam and Nicole. All the characters had depth and their sense of loyalty to each other was inspiring.
The Villains are always MEGA evil and my heart really broke for the "victims" in this story. I had a couple of teary-eyed moments there.
The couples in LMR's stories are perfectly well rounded men. Appropriately doting and devoted yet very strong and alpha. I know, not very realistic. But darned if I can find fault with that! Its always enjoyable and decadent to read these stories and I'm sad when they are over. Don't miss this series! I can't wait for Mike's story next!!
***There is a surprising detail in the Epilogue, kind of leaves you wondering if Harry's story isn't quite over yet...or perhaps this will segue in to the next "love connection"....Very interesting Lisa!!***
Harry had such a vulnerability around him because he went through such horrible things. I loved how he couldnt keep it together around Ellen. I absolutely adore Sam and Nicole. All the characters had depth and their sense of loyalty to each other was inspiring.
The Villains are always MEGA evil and my heart really broke for the "victims" in this story. I had a couple of teary-eyed moments there.
The couples in LMR's stories are perfectly well rounded men. Appropriately doting and devoted yet very strong and alpha. I know, not very realistic. But darned if I can find fault with that! Its always enjoyable and decadent to read these stories and I'm sad when they are over. Don't miss this series! I can't wait for Mike's story next!!
***There is a surprising detail in the Epilogue, kind of leaves you wondering if Harry's story isn't quite over yet...or perhaps this will segue in to the next "love connection"....Very interesting Lisa!!***
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2015
Today was one of those days...had an early morning tennis drill (8:00 am) and then came home, showered, sat down, and finished reading the last 235 pages of Hotter Than Wildfire. Believe me, it was worth it!!!
This is the story of Harry Bolt, who is literally brought back to life after a horrendous accident in Afghanistan. The female interest is Ellen Palmer, an accountant, who is running from a corrupt government contractor. Some of the more interesting scenes were hotter than wildfire. However, I couldn't believe some of the harsh, violent scenes that Lisa Marie Rice wrote. My jaw literally dropped while reading them. Were they inappropriate? No, just harsh.
Again, this was a quick read but enjoyable. I didn't have to contemplate world issues; I just enjoyed my afternoon!
This is the story of Harry Bolt, who is literally brought back to life after a horrendous accident in Afghanistan. The female interest is Ellen Palmer, an accountant, who is running from a corrupt government contractor. Some of the more interesting scenes were hotter than wildfire. However, I couldn't believe some of the harsh, violent scenes that Lisa Marie Rice wrote. My jaw literally dropped while reading them. Were they inappropriate? No, just harsh.
Again, this was a quick read but enjoyable. I didn't have to contemplate world issues; I just enjoyed my afternoon!
March 22, 2016
Hotter Than Wildfire es el segundo libro de la trilogia The Protectors de Lisa Marie Rice y tiene como protagonistas a Harry ( personaje secundario en el primer libro ) y Ellen ( Eve ), un nuevo personaje.
Se que lo he dicho anteriormente pero me encanta la forma de escribir de la autora, escenas de accion, de suspence, de romance, ella las borda todas, aunque debo reconocer que las partes que mas increibles me parecen son las narradas desde el punto de vista de los " malos ", no se si porque no estoy acostumbrada a leer sobre ellos o si simplemente es porque se le da muy bien entrar en la mente de unos personajes tan crueles y retorcidos como los que ella misma crea, pero esas escenas son las que mas me llaman la atencion en sus libros.
Ademas no importa cuantos libros de ella lea, siempre me sorprende lo ligeras que son sus novelas y eso sin dejar de lado el desarrollo de la trama y el de los personajes.
Totalmente recomendada!
3.5 Estrellas!
July 6, 2011
I really am stingy with 5 stars (at least I feel like I am), so I tried to give this less, but I just couldn't. Even if I were to say it was 4.5 or 4.75, it is leaning towards the 5 so that is what I would have to give here where they don't give us fractions.
I loved Harry! He was wonderful in every single way! I am such a sucker for tough guys with tender hearts! ~sigh~
Ellen is so sweet. The way some scenes were written, I could feel what she felt and my heart both soared and was broken. Catching up with Sam and Nicole, and Mike too, was just an added bonus - and why I love series so much.
The whole book was wonderful, with a last chapter that will have you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath. The first flash forward was absolutely divine - sweet, poignant and so touching. The second? Oh my.... I cannot wait for the next book!!
I loved Harry! He was wonderful in every single way! I am such a sucker for tough guys with tender hearts! ~sigh~
Ellen is so sweet. The way some scenes were written, I could feel what she felt and my heart both soared and was broken. Catching up with Sam and Nicole, and Mike too, was just an added bonus - and why I love series so much.
The whole book was wonderful, with a last chapter that will have you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath. The first flash forward was absolutely divine - sweet, poignant and so touching. The second? Oh my.... I cannot wait for the next book!!
April 6, 2011
"So…why the three-day woodie?"
That was the question the hero and I both wanted answered. I'm as fond of an erection as the next girl but I'm tired of the all-penis-no-plot stories that are being churned out and I'm charged a mint for.
Extremely flimsy plot that doesn't hold up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. That combined with the State of the Penis updates every other page (and I don't mean sex scenes for those looking for a hot read) made this rather short story a chore to get through.
That was the question the hero and I both wanted answered. I'm as fond of an erection as the next girl but I'm tired of the all-penis-no-plot stories that are being churned out and I'm charged a mint for.
Extremely flimsy plot that doesn't hold up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. That combined with the State of the Penis updates every other page (and I don't mean sex scenes for those looking for a hot read) made this rather short story a chore to get through.
April 17, 2011
3.5 - 4 stars. A short and fast paced romance suspense, but not my favorite LMR book. Great suspense buildup, but it lacked in the romance area. Quite a few plot holes too.
June 14, 2012
Cookie cutter story to book one of the series, but still very entertaining. So much so that I wish I had book three handy. Great pool side/beach read.
June 4, 2020
This is a trilogy # 2. All of the male characters are basically brothers in their souls not by blood.
Book #2 has a decent little mystery. The female protagonist was way less annoying. In fact I enjoyed this one much more. Also I approved of the amount of time between #1 and #2. I will say this again, the way the male characters speak to the female characters feels like those vampire stories where the big, strong he-man has to take care of his delicate little female. Okaaaaaay.
Yes, I will read #3.
Book #2 has a decent little mystery. The female protagonist was way less annoying. In fact I enjoyed this one much more. Also I approved of the amount of time between #1 and #2. I will say this again, the way the male characters speak to the female characters feels like those vampire stories where the big, strong he-man has to take care of his delicate little female. Okaaaaaay.
Yes, I will read #3.
May 28, 2013
Second in The Protectors romantic suspense series. The couple focus is on Harry Bolt and the mysterious Ellen who turns out to be Eve.
My Take
After Rice's Into the Crossfire , 1, I had had high hopes for this one. Obviously, those hopes were misplaced because this one was just lame. Maybe it was simply too close to reality—god knows it made me cry over and over again. However, it felt too full of clichés: the corrupt and brutal mercenary willing to do everything and anything; the suffering of innocents; the woman who flees without thought; and, the incredibly stupid, WTF-was-she-thinking walk. Gimme a break. With the life Ellen has lived for the past, what?, year?, and ooh, she just can't bear having to stay inside a minute more? Despite what she knows about Montez? And she's willing to endanger Nicole??
Then she follows it up with that last action…*big-time eye roll*… I think I'd've willingly shot her myself.
More and more I wonder about America's need to reach out and help other countries when we have so many problems in our own backyards. We worry about the starving children in other countries and not about the ones here. About the sorry state of others' economies, but not our own. There, in someone else's backyard, their problems are not their fault, but their government's or their corrupt something-or-other's. Here, the problems of the poor are seen as poor judgment, bad choices, or lack of work ethic. Not my problem. And in many cases, this may be true. Of the adults. What care is taken of the children in bad situations? We all know the foster system is hugely flawed, although we appear to be doing the best we can.
Oh, off the soapbox, it's the prologue of Hotter Than Wildfire that had me climbing it. It makes me angry, makes me cry, makes me terrified for children, for their future. Yet Harry got lucky with his fellow fosterlings. Boys who became men and remained brothers, at least at heart.
I liked how cool Ellen was under pressure when she freaks at her interview with Harry. How they track her down, however, that's just a bit scary in how easy it is to find anyone these days in our high tech society.
The jewelry Kerry wore was amazing—and I'm guessing that we'll be reading about its designer in an upcoming story.
I liked Piet's assessment of Montez, but how he can hold this attitude and still do what he did to Kerry...god...
The Story
Ellen is too smart for her own good, and when she stumbles over those figures and her curiosity causes her to dig deeper, she becomes a woman on the run from a powerful man. It's just too bad for her that Montez recognizes her voice and steps up the hunt.
It's Harry Bolt's turn when Ellen/Eve shows up on the run from a brutal mercenary leader. She's the heavenly voice who has kept Harry alive through his year of recovery.
The Characters
Ellen Palmer was an accountant by day, then a woman on the run, Irene Ball, who became the sultry singer Eve by night. Roddy Fisher is the talent agent who discovered Ellen. Kerry Robinson is the incredibly loyal friend in Seattle who gave Ellen the number for the hotline. Tom is her abusive husband.
Harry Bolt, a now former Delta, survived his childhood and an RPG in Afghanistan; his baby sister Crissy did not. It's in memory of his sister that he pursues the path he's chosen. Protecting women who are threatened.
Mike Keillor, an ex-Marine, and Sam Reston, an ex-SEAL (Nicole's pregnant; see Into the Crossfire ) are Harry's brothers and partners in RBK Security (it's come up in the world; it was Reston Security in Into the Crossfire).
Mario Russo owns the Blue Moon bar in Seattle and helps people in many small ways.
Gerald Montez is a wealthy man, helped along by his own mercenary nature. He operates a mercenary group, Bearclaw, in Prineville, Georgia. One with a poor reputation amongst upstanding military men. Senator Manson is no longer taking his calls.
Piet van der Boeke is a legendary tracker, and he owes Montez.
The Lost Ones Fund is where half the profits go, helping women escape abusive situations.
The Cover
The cover certainly leads you to think it will be quite erotic with a naked Ellen caressing an equally naked Harry. There's a dreamy quality to the photo, probably Rice dreaming it will be a good story. Oh well...
The title could refer to either Harry and Ellen's love or the situation she is fleeing, but in truth it's what Harry makes her feel, Hotter Than Wildfire.
My Take
After Rice's Into the Crossfire , 1, I had had high hopes for this one. Obviously, those hopes were misplaced because this one was just lame. Maybe it was simply too close to reality—god knows it made me cry over and over again. However, it felt too full of clichés: the corrupt and brutal mercenary willing to do everything and anything; the suffering of innocents; the woman who flees without thought; and, the incredibly stupid, WTF-was-she-thinking walk. Gimme a break. With the life Ellen has lived for the past, what?, year?, and ooh, she just can't bear having to stay inside a minute more? Despite what she knows about Montez? And she's willing to endanger Nicole??
Then she follows it up with that last action…*big-time eye roll*… I think I'd've willingly shot her myself.
More and more I wonder about America's need to reach out and help other countries when we have so many problems in our own backyards. We worry about the starving children in other countries and not about the ones here. About the sorry state of others' economies, but not our own. There, in someone else's backyard, their problems are not their fault, but their government's or their corrupt something-or-other's. Here, the problems of the poor are seen as poor judgment, bad choices, or lack of work ethic. Not my problem. And in many cases, this may be true. Of the adults. What care is taken of the children in bad situations? We all know the foster system is hugely flawed, although we appear to be doing the best we can.
Oh, off the soapbox, it's the prologue of Hotter Than Wildfire that had me climbing it. It makes me angry, makes me cry, makes me terrified for children, for their future. Yet Harry got lucky with his fellow fosterlings. Boys who became men and remained brothers, at least at heart.
I liked how cool Ellen was under pressure when she freaks at her interview with Harry. How they track her down, however, that's just a bit scary in how easy it is to find anyone these days in our high tech society.
The jewelry Kerry wore was amazing—and I'm guessing that we'll be reading about its designer in an upcoming story.
I liked Piet's assessment of Montez, but how he can hold this attitude and still do what he did to Kerry...god...
The Story
Ellen is too smart for her own good, and when she stumbles over those figures and her curiosity causes her to dig deeper, she becomes a woman on the run from a powerful man. It's just too bad for her that Montez recognizes her voice and steps up the hunt.
It's Harry Bolt's turn when Ellen/Eve shows up on the run from a brutal mercenary leader. She's the heavenly voice who has kept Harry alive through his year of recovery.
The Characters
Ellen Palmer was an accountant by day, then a woman on the run, Irene Ball, who became the sultry singer Eve by night. Roddy Fisher is the talent agent who discovered Ellen. Kerry Robinson is the incredibly loyal friend in Seattle who gave Ellen the number for the hotline. Tom is her abusive husband.
Harry Bolt, a now former Delta, survived his childhood and an RPG in Afghanistan; his baby sister Crissy did not. It's in memory of his sister that he pursues the path he's chosen. Protecting women who are threatened.
Mike Keillor, an ex-Marine, and Sam Reston, an ex-SEAL (Nicole's pregnant; see Into the Crossfire ) are Harry's brothers and partners in RBK Security (it's come up in the world; it was Reston Security in Into the Crossfire).
Mario Russo owns the Blue Moon bar in Seattle and helps people in many small ways.
Gerald Montez is a wealthy man, helped along by his own mercenary nature. He operates a mercenary group, Bearclaw, in Prineville, Georgia. One with a poor reputation amongst upstanding military men. Senator Manson is no longer taking his calls.
Piet van der Boeke is a legendary tracker, and he owes Montez.
The Lost Ones Fund is where half the profits go, helping women escape abusive situations.
The Cover
The cover certainly leads you to think it will be quite erotic with a naked Ellen caressing an equally naked Harry. There's a dreamy quality to the photo, probably Rice dreaming it will be a good story. Oh well...
The title could refer to either Harry and Ellen's love or the situation she is fleeing, but in truth it's what Harry makes her feel, Hotter Than Wildfire.
March 8, 2015
Don’t know why in the world I’ve just discovered LMR this past week. Quite truthfully, it’s a shame I haven’t read anything by her before. She feeds my alpha male addiction so good, it can last me a while. Seriously, I’m so well fed right now, I am moving towards something else.
Okkkaaay, moving on.
Hotter than Wildfire was actually really good. Although truthfully I liked Into the Crossfire better, Harry and Eve/Ellen was almost just as good.
Yes there was a lot of action and scenes from the villain’s perspective but I thought that it was those moments that kept the plot going and the charterers interesting. It felt as if there was character development even though the whole books spans in a week’s time, there is so much going on, so many things surrounding the Ellen and Harry that it would be a shame to just focus on their relationship. LMR keeps things interesting, more suspenseful, and intriguing when she has you developing a relationship with the secondary characters.
There was a particular scene that I really enjoyed in the book but it contains a spoiler so for those who don’t want the book to be ruined do not read what I have to say ahead.
LMR made sure to write a chapter about Kerry who was Ellen’s friend when she was still living in Seattle. With her point of view we see how Kerry feels, what she is thinking, her past life, etc. The readers really develop a relationship with Kerry before she gets taken by Piet and Montez only to die afterwards. He pain we feel towards her is real because we get to know to, to know her feelings, the existence and when she dies it hearts more than just a he-said-she-said type of style. We get to experience it all the way from knowing who she really is to her dying. It’s extremely clever and I think that many authors should take example from LMR’s style of writing when creating a story with a similar type of setting.
Although the story line isn’t much original and insanely amazing, LMR still manages to make it unique because she has a trademark type of style because she draws you into the characters heads like no other author. And that I really do appreciate!
Now, Harry was freaking awesome, and protective, and loving. I loved him and how much he was willing to sacrifice for Ellen even though he just met her. The fact that she saved him from depression because of her voice was the connection we needed to forgive that insta-lust the novel had. Although with a man like Harry around I don’t know who wouldn’t develop an insta-lust desire.
I especially loved how Sam and Nicole were still prominent in the book and even Mike whose story we’ll see in the next book. The fact that LMR focuses on everyone without isolating one character is what really keeps me at this 5 star rating because honestly, I am rating this book based on the style, not even the content, which I know is very biased of me. But I can’t help it. I am impressed and I enjoyed it a lot.
Ellen was a scared woman on a run. She’s been running from a man dead set on marrying her and then killing her or maybe just straight on killing her because she discovered his secret. She is in constant panic, distrustful of everything and everyone around her, and has a fantastic voice that could make you cry.
I liked her, although I wished she’s consult with Harry before deciding to run off and then kidnapped, I understood her feelings because she thought she was doing it for the good of others. Honestly, it’s hard to judge an abused woman about her decisions because these women aren’t psychologically capable of making rational decisions.
Most of the time it is fear that drives their emotions and thoughts and sometimes fear makes you do stupid, dangerous things. Therefore for me, Ellen was great. She and Harry had great steamy scenes and fit each other very well.
I am off to read to something else now, although I will probably come back to the third installment of this series, but not now. I need a break from special ops and damsels in distress.
Okkkaaay, moving on.
Hotter than Wildfire was actually really good. Although truthfully I liked Into the Crossfire better, Harry and Eve/Ellen was almost just as good.
Yes there was a lot of action and scenes from the villain’s perspective but I thought that it was those moments that kept the plot going and the charterers interesting. It felt as if there was character development even though the whole books spans in a week’s time, there is so much going on, so many things surrounding the Ellen and Harry that it would be a shame to just focus on their relationship. LMR keeps things interesting, more suspenseful, and intriguing when she has you developing a relationship with the secondary characters.
There was a particular scene that I really enjoyed in the book but it contains a spoiler so for those who don’t want the book to be ruined do not read what I have to say ahead.
LMR made sure to write a chapter about Kerry who was Ellen’s friend when she was still living in Seattle. With her point of view we see how Kerry feels, what she is thinking, her past life, etc. The readers really develop a relationship with Kerry before she gets taken by Piet and Montez only to die afterwards. He pain we feel towards her is real because we get to know to, to know her feelings, the existence and when she dies it hearts more than just a he-said-she-said type of style. We get to experience it all the way from knowing who she really is to her dying. It’s extremely clever and I think that many authors should take example from LMR’s style of writing when creating a story with a similar type of setting.
Although the story line isn’t much original and insanely amazing, LMR still manages to make it unique because she has a trademark type of style because she draws you into the characters heads like no other author. And that I really do appreciate!
Now, Harry was freaking awesome, and protective, and loving. I loved him and how much he was willing to sacrifice for Ellen even though he just met her. The fact that she saved him from depression because of her voice was the connection we needed to forgive that insta-lust the novel had. Although with a man like Harry around I don’t know who wouldn’t develop an insta-lust desire.
I especially loved how Sam and Nicole were still prominent in the book and even Mike whose story we’ll see in the next book. The fact that LMR focuses on everyone without isolating one character is what really keeps me at this 5 star rating because honestly, I am rating this book based on the style, not even the content, which I know is very biased of me. But I can’t help it. I am impressed and I enjoyed it a lot.
Ellen was a scared woman on a run. She’s been running from a man dead set on marrying her and then killing her or maybe just straight on killing her because she discovered his secret. She is in constant panic, distrustful of everything and everyone around her, and has a fantastic voice that could make you cry.
I liked her, although I wished she’s consult with Harry before deciding to run off and then kidnapped, I understood her feelings because she thought she was doing it for the good of others. Honestly, it’s hard to judge an abused woman about her decisions because these women aren’t psychologically capable of making rational decisions.
Most of the time it is fear that drives their emotions and thoughts and sometimes fear makes you do stupid, dangerous things. Therefore for me, Ellen was great. She and Harry had great steamy scenes and fit each other very well.
I am off to read to something else now, although I will probably come back to the third installment of this series, but not now. I need a break from special ops and damsels in distress.
March 26, 2012
So, I am going to be honest- I don't like this series as much as the Midnight series or Dangerous series. And it isn't just that I like the EC books more because I am a sex pervert, even though that is possibly true as well. These ones are just not as good. They are still very good compared to many other books I read, but some ingrediant of the secret sauce is missing.
Now, for those of you who are familiar with these books- you know what to expect. I fiercly protective ex-military hero, a sweet and cultured young lady on the run, and lots of steam. Some of the goofier things, such as the hero wearing his jeans in the show to prevent himself from boning the lady too hard, carrying her around, and constant updates on the state of his boner. If erection lasts longer than 8 hours, you may be a character in a Lisa Marie Rice novel.
This one though, the suspense plot was lame. I know that when I reviewed the last book in the series, I also thought that Mohommad the blonde stockbroker Islamic terrorist was a lame character, but I invested so much time in his POV chapters I thought he would be back. Instead, the villian is a corrupt defense contractor who got off on hurting women, and to be fair, he was a better and scarier villian. What I did not enjoy was that the finale was Michael Bay level over the top. I read part of it out to my husband and he found it as preposterous as I did.
Also, be warned- the first chapter is extremely graphic. I am not squeemish, but my jaw was dropped open. I didn't calm down until I found out that
Anyways, this one is good, but I will say that it is for LMR fans only. It isn't a good starting point.
Now, for those of you who are familiar with these books- you know what to expect. I fiercly protective ex-military hero, a sweet and cultured young lady on the run, and lots of steam. Some of the goofier things, such as the hero wearing his jeans in the show to prevent himself from boning the lady too hard, carrying her around, and constant updates on the state of his boner. If erection lasts longer than 8 hours, you may be a character in a Lisa Marie Rice novel.
This one though, the suspense plot was lame. I know that when I reviewed the last book in the series, I also thought that Mohommad the blonde stockbroker Islamic terrorist was a lame character, but I invested so much time in his POV chapters I thought he would be back. Instead, the villian is a corrupt defense contractor who got off on hurting women, and to be fair, he was a better and scarier villian. What I did not enjoy was that the finale was Michael Bay level over the top. I read part of it out to my husband and he found it as preposterous as I did.
Also, be warned- the first chapter is extremely graphic. I am not squeemish, but my jaw was dropped open. I didn't calm down until I found out that
Anyways, this one is good, but I will say that it is for LMR fans only. It isn't a good starting point.
July 31, 2011
The world knows her only as Eve. . . .
Though her songs have sold millions she is an enigma, a bewitching mystery. But to former Delta Force operator Harry Bolt, she is an angel whose sultry, smoky voice brought him back to life after the nightmare of Afghanistan. Nothing else matters.
And now a scared, helpless beauty has walked through the door of his San Diego private security firm, running from something secret, something deadly . . . and Harry knows immediately that this is the woman who saved him. He is the last hope for this intoxicating siren without a past—not even in his hottest dreams did he imagine that the lady Eve could be so tempting, so achingly desirable. But though she burns to lose herself in Harry's powerful arms, Eve is wary of trusting this tough, haunted ex-soldier who promises to protect her. Surrender could mean sweet ecstasy or certain doom. Can she open her heart, even if it means risking her life?
I really don't know why I read Hotter than Wildfire as I knew I wasn't going to really like it. Just from the description I knew it wasn't going to be for me but I just had to give it a try and I also wanted to know what the set-up for the next book was going to be and for that reason alone I'm glad I did because it was a half expected, half not expected and I'm really looking forward to the next book!
I can't really give Hotter than Wildfire a fair review because as I said I knew it wasn't going to work for me but I liked the characters although the beginning was quite brutal and sad the rest of the story picked up and had an interesting element to it.
Though her songs have sold millions she is an enigma, a bewitching mystery. But to former Delta Force operator Harry Bolt, she is an angel whose sultry, smoky voice brought him back to life after the nightmare of Afghanistan. Nothing else matters.
And now a scared, helpless beauty has walked through the door of his San Diego private security firm, running from something secret, something deadly . . . and Harry knows immediately that this is the woman who saved him. He is the last hope for this intoxicating siren without a past—not even in his hottest dreams did he imagine that the lady Eve could be so tempting, so achingly desirable. But though she burns to lose herself in Harry's powerful arms, Eve is wary of trusting this tough, haunted ex-soldier who promises to protect her. Surrender could mean sweet ecstasy or certain doom. Can she open her heart, even if it means risking her life?
I really don't know why I read Hotter than Wildfire as I knew I wasn't going to really like it. Just from the description I knew it wasn't going to be for me but I just had to give it a try and I also wanted to know what the set-up for the next book was going to be and for that reason alone I'm glad I did because it was a half expected, half not expected and I'm really looking forward to the next book!
I can't really give Hotter than Wildfire a fair review because as I said I knew it wasn't going to work for me but I liked the characters although the beginning was quite brutal and sad the rest of the story picked up and had an interesting element to it.
June 14, 2011
I usually love LMR books, but this one fell really flat for me. Actually, maybe it was more circular. There were several scenes where the characters rambled on and on and on... and on in internal monologues about totally irrelevant nonsense, talking in circles. Like there was the longest scene ever giving all this back ground on a tertiary character that ends up being pointless to the story (other that to make you feel bad for a minute). There was so much empty filler in this book. There were threads that were started and never followed up on. Like Ellen/Eve keeps thinking about her "hard" childhood but never tells anyone about it (even Harry) and it has no impact on the outcome of the story one way or another, but it was necessary to be brought up every other chapter?
It felt like LMR didn't know which direction she would want to take the story and then left several avenues open. She should fire her editor. Seriously, it could have been a hundred page short and been great! I know I'm being uber harsh, but I know LRM is better than this. Way, way, way better. She has not lost me as a reader, but damn I was disappointed.
It felt like LMR didn't know which direction she would want to take the story and then left several avenues open. She should fire her editor. Seriously, it could have been a hundred page short and been great! I know I'm being uber harsh, but I know LRM is better than this. Way, way, way better. She has not lost me as a reader, but damn I was disappointed.
March 12, 2016
Hotter Than Wildfire is the 2nd book in the Protectors series and it was so good. This is Harry's story. He is blood brothers with Sam (Into The Crossfire) and Mike. Harry has dealt with a bad blow. Bad childhood, losing his mom and sister, almost dying in Afghanistan. He is finely healing, what has helped him most is the jazzy singer Eve. No one knows who she is, she is an enigma. However, there is a reason why no one knows who she is. Ellen has landed at the Reston Security. She is tired of running. It has finally caught up to her. Harry is instantly smitten with her, the beyond floored when he finds out that she is Eve. He wants to help her. because the person that she is running from, him and Sam know. Ellen is not sure who to believe, who to trust but she knows that she is out of time. Will Harry be able to save her?
This is a really good story. Good character development. They all have alot of depth. Sam and Nicole are included in this story, doesnt overshadow, brings alot to the table. I really could smack myself for waiting so long to read this. I cannot wait for Mike!
This is a really good story. Good character development. They all have alot of depth. Sam and Nicole are included in this story, doesnt overshadow, brings alot to the table. I really could smack myself for waiting so long to read this. I cannot wait for Mike!
April 23, 2011
Fairly typical LMR book - narrative shifts back and forth between good guys and holy-cow-sick bad guys, hero is physically enormous and pretty much erect all the time around the heroine, who is delicate and in mortal danger, nice people die in horrible ways, protagonists are sleeping together within a day or two of meeting and engaged to be married within a week, yada yada. I have to admit I liked this plot the first four or five times I read it, but the formula could use a little mixing up. Also, full confession - I barely skimmed all the parts with the bad guys. They're crazy. And they do sickening things. I don't enjoy that at all. I don't even enjoy the idea of somebody imagining it for the sake of a novel. So, I skip those parts as much as possible, and the rest of the story still makes sense. However, I wish LMR would leave them out - they really just feel like filler - and maybe spend some time extending the time frame in which the main protagonists get to know each other (and develop as characters).
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