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The D.I.R.E. Agency #1
Agent I1: Tristan
Raised in the art of warfare, Former Navy SEAL, Tristan Jacobs, has always been a force to reckon with. Now that D.I.R.E. has successfully implemented his scientific enhancements, he’s a walking weapon. Unstoppable, as long as he stays focused. No relationships.
When ex-BUD/S teammate, Aidan Monroe, interrupts his long-awaited sabbatical to call in a favor, Tristan reluctantly fills the simple request: take out his sister’s fiancé.
One problem: Rachel Monroe - smokin’ hot, kind-hearted, and in desperate need of a protector. After the best sex of his life, Tristan’s afraid unstoppable is just a memory. Knowing Aidan’s temper, Tristan could be, too.
Rachel Monroe had a plan to help her mother. Her brother ruined everything when his gorgeous, super-agent friend teleported her to some forsaken island - and his bed. She’s drawn to him despite the fact he’s a professional agent, much like the people suspected of killing her father.
Now, his enemies have come to her small town, looking for vengeance. Have they found more than they bargained for? Or, does the past have its own retribution in mind?
When ex-BUD/S teammate, Aidan Monroe, interrupts his long-awaited sabbatical to call in a favor, Tristan reluctantly fills the simple request: take out his sister’s fiancé.
One problem: Rachel Monroe - smokin’ hot, kind-hearted, and in desperate need of a protector. After the best sex of his life, Tristan’s afraid unstoppable is just a memory. Knowing Aidan’s temper, Tristan could be, too.
Rachel Monroe had a plan to help her mother. Her brother ruined everything when his gorgeous, super-agent friend teleported her to some forsaken island - and his bed. She’s drawn to him despite the fact he’s a professional agent, much like the people suspected of killing her father.
Now, his enemies have come to her small town, looking for vengeance. Have they found more than they bargained for? Or, does the past have its own retribution in mind?
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2013
122 people are currently reading
1608 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
February 5, 2014
"An arc was provided by Indie Inked via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review"
I had such high expectations for this book! When I first read the synopsis my "inner-geek" was jumping up and down excited that an author would take on such an amazing story-line.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the story or connect with the characters.
Tristan the lead male is "supposed to be" an experienced former Navy SEAL, has been genetically enhanced, and now works as a mercenary for a secret organization. His character in the book comes across as insecure. He constantly second guesses himself, and the first sign of trouble with the lead female character (Rachel), he bales *gawd*!
Rachel (the lead female) was just annoying.
She was too sweet, and had no back bone whatsoever. She continually let the men in her life tell her what to do, and when she got mad at them she'd take a hissy-fit.
This is me at this point in the book
At about the 80% mark of the book I wanted SO much to put this book down. I felt like I was being written at rather than written to.
I forced myself to finish it (which pissed me off because I promised myself I would never read anything on my own time unless it was for my own enjoyment).
Nothing really spectacular happened in the last 20%. It was predictable and I just wanted to finish it.
... and then I was done
This story had so much potential, and I'm sad to say that it just didn't cut it for me and now I
February 14, 2016
I'm very thankful that this audio only cost me $1.99. The premise held promise, but that's the nicest thing that I can say about this one. Extremely annoying heroine, not so great hero, and a very loose storyline. My lack of enjoyment of this one is in no way the fault of narrator Fred Filbrich. His narration is what enabled me to get through this one. This was disappointing.
December 5, 2016
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Favorite Quotes:
Rachel smiled as love struck her like a placid wave, washing over her, soothing her with the comfort of its truth.
“Don’t you get it? Ensuring you’re safe is worth more to me than my life ever will. I don’t have anything outside of D.I.R.E. If I die, I want to die for something I believe in and, take my word for it, there isn’t much out there. But you, Rachel, you’re worth dying for.”
4 stars
This book is perma free! It is a pretty steamy read with sci-fi aspects and lots of action. A trifecta of awesomeness for my tastes.
The brothers best friend romance’s are some of my favorite ones to read. I loved how strong willed and fiesty Rachel was. But she was also very self-sacrificing for her family and very inquisitive. An all around three dimentional character. The best kind!
And Tristan was the tall loner that never had as much to lose as Rachel with regards to a friendships and love. Her brother being the closest thing to family in his lonely life. And he has one of the coolest powers ever! What I felt was different about this book is usually the romance is the subplot but in this one the sci-fi seemed to be the subplot and it read differently because of it. In a real good way. It was very underplayed and his powers were very much made an extension of his other qualities, such as his SEAL training.
They were total opposites and boy did they attract! Their chemistry was very steamy and they had a hard time attempting to resist, which I thought was awesome. The back and forth banter between them was like foreplay. Great romance, opening the door for the supporting character’s books of their own. I love these kinds of series.
Favorite Quotes:
Rachel smiled as love struck her like a placid wave, washing over her, soothing her with the comfort of its truth.
“Don’t you get it? Ensuring you’re safe is worth more to me than my life ever will. I don’t have anything outside of D.I.R.E. If I die, I want to die for something I believe in and, take my word for it, there isn’t much out there. But you, Rachel, you’re worth dying for.”
4 stars
This book is perma free! It is a pretty steamy read with sci-fi aspects and lots of action. A trifecta of awesomeness for my tastes.
The brothers best friend romance’s are some of my favorite ones to read. I loved how strong willed and fiesty Rachel was. But she was also very self-sacrificing for her family and very inquisitive. An all around three dimentional character. The best kind!
And Tristan was the tall loner that never had as much to lose as Rachel with regards to a friendships and love. Her brother being the closest thing to family in his lonely life. And he has one of the coolest powers ever! What I felt was different about this book is usually the romance is the subplot but in this one the sci-fi seemed to be the subplot and it read differently because of it. In a real good way. It was very underplayed and his powers were very much made an extension of his other qualities, such as his SEAL training.
They were total opposites and boy did they attract! Their chemistry was very steamy and they had a hard time attempting to resist, which I thought was awesome. The back and forth banter between them was like foreplay. Great romance, opening the door for the supporting character’s books of their own. I love these kinds of series.
July 21, 2014
Agent I1: Tristan introduces us to Tristan, an agent with The D.I.R.E. (Defense, Intelligence and Reconnaissance Enforcement) Agency. Ever since Scotty first beamed characters on and off the Enterprise, I've been fascinated with teleportation. And, over the years, I've read about many different forms of I-wish-I-could-do-that jumps from here to there. In this novel, as a result of scientific enhancements, Tristan has the ability to not only "... teleport from one place to another with the scan of a thumbprint on his armband", but also become completely invisible. Love it! Double the fun!
Aidan, Tristan's friend and former BUD/S teammate, calls in a favor. He wants Tristan to use his unique abilities to stop Aiden's older sister's wedding. Knowing he owes his friend, Tristan agrees and teleports Rachel from her bridal suite straight to his home in the Virgin Islands.
As a D.I.R.E. Agent, Tristan has always been told by his boss, Mitchell, that he couldn't afford the complications that came with close relationships. So, he's kept himself distanced from others and focused all his energy on his missions. However, this mission is quite personal and he feels himself drawn to Rachel the more time he spends with her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I read it in one sitting. I am looking forward to reading more about the agents in The D.I.R.E. Agency.
Aidan, Tristan's friend and former BUD/S teammate, calls in a favor. He wants Tristan to use his unique abilities to stop Aiden's older sister's wedding. Knowing he owes his friend, Tristan agrees and teleports Rachel from her bridal suite straight to his home in the Virgin Islands.
As a D.I.R.E. Agent, Tristan has always been told by his boss, Mitchell, that he couldn't afford the complications that came with close relationships. So, he's kept himself distanced from others and focused all his energy on his missions. However, this mission is quite personal and he feels himself drawn to Rachel the more time he spends with her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I read it in one sitting. I am looking forward to reading more about the agents in The D.I.R.E. Agency.
August 14, 2015
Once again I'm working through my Amazon Freebie list and this was one of them only have about a hundred to go now. Shouldn't take too long. This book is great and it's different and unique and I'm all about different and unique.
Credentials:
- Second generation Former Navy Seal.
- D.I.R.E's top agent
Enhancements:
- Teleportation
- Invisibility.
Adian Monroe has called in an old favor with his buddy Tristan Jacobs make sure is saintly sister Rachel doesn't marry the douchebag. The other slight hitch is that he is on holiday and really needs to relax. In the end he takes Rachel to his home, hello, The Virgin Islands should have taken me dammit, I'm a Goddess as well. He teleports how cool is that anyhoo moving on. Great story, great read. Why do you need enemies when you're Mum's a bitch and you're Dad's a bastard. So I'm going to read the next installment.
It would have got the last and extra star if the connections between the badies and goodies weren't so cliched.
Credentials:
- Second generation Former Navy Seal.
- D.I.R.E's top agent
Enhancements:
- Teleportation
- Invisibility.
Adian Monroe has called in an old favor with his buddy Tristan Jacobs make sure is saintly sister Rachel doesn't marry the douchebag. The other slight hitch is that he is on holiday and really needs to relax. In the end he takes Rachel to his home, hello, The Virgin Islands should have taken me dammit, I'm a Goddess as well. He teleports how cool is that anyhoo moving on. Great story, great read. Why do you need enemies when you're Mum's a bitch and you're Dad's a bastard. So I'm going to read the next installment.
It would have got the last and extra star if the connections between the badies and goodies weren't so cliched.
January 22, 2015
I grabbed this book thinking it would be a great superhero read, but sadly I was bored through it. I was mildly confused throughout the entire book, and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't care for the way Rachel kept letting every one run her life for her and her constant self-sacrificing nature, as if she didn't have any desires of her own. Don't even get me started on why Tristan would be so insecure! There is no way a former SEAL would be such a wuss! There were other parts of the story that were just as unbelievable, like why Rachel's brother went to such extremes to stop the wedding in the beginning of the book. Thankfully, I got it for free, as I've deleted it from my Kindle library and won't be continuing with the series.
January 15, 2014
advanced technology gives SEAL super powers...meets girl and chaos ensues
April 8, 2015
This book has a cover and a teaser that just don't deliver. I thought I was going to read a sci-fi romance/suspense about an enhanced soldier, like a cyborg or a soldier enhanced with cutting-edge prosthetics that did cool things. There are a lot of exciting examples out there. My suggestion is to go for them and not spend your time on this one.
Tristan is there to help his buddy, Aidan, rescue his sister Rachel from a disastrous wedding. Why Aidan didn't stop the wedding earlier isn't very clear. This story is so full of clichés I feel like I can't talk about them without ruining some of the plot. But here I go with some vague phrases, and you can sort out whether you want to read about them:
1. Insta-love / insta-lust
2. Nobody ever loved me.
3. The girl next door is beautiful, sweet and kind to everyone
4. Never get a crush on your buddy's sister
5. Her brother is going to kill me
6. Mean ex-boyfriend
7. Now I know what family feels like
I could go on, but I don't want to.
I think this book caught my attention because of the sci-fi elements in the teaser. However, there is virtually no explanation about the teleporting and Tristan's other enhancements beyond the use of them. We don't learn much about how they work and why he is the experimental candidate. There is no depth of story about his adjustment to life as an enhanced human. For such classified enhancements, Rachel is certainly brought in on the secret quickly - and frivolously.
If a suspense storyline with an enhanced human action hero appeals to you, I recommend a few other books. Try The Syn-En Solution or Zero Factor or Peyton 313. You will get some interesting sci-fi elements, more complete immersion in the heroes' adjustments to their enhancements, and more fully developed romances with spunkier and more original heroines.
Tristan is there to help his buddy, Aidan, rescue his sister Rachel from a disastrous wedding. Why Aidan didn't stop the wedding earlier isn't very clear. This story is so full of clichés I feel like I can't talk about them without ruining some of the plot. But here I go with some vague phrases, and you can sort out whether you want to read about them:
1. Insta-love / insta-lust
2. Nobody ever loved me.
3. The girl next door is beautiful, sweet and kind to everyone
4. Never get a crush on your buddy's sister
5. Her brother is going to kill me
6. Mean ex-boyfriend
7. Now I know what family feels like
I could go on, but I don't want to.
I think this book caught my attention because of the sci-fi elements in the teaser. However, there is virtually no explanation about the teleporting and Tristan's other enhancements beyond the use of them. We don't learn much about how they work and why he is the experimental candidate. There is no depth of story about his adjustment to life as an enhanced human. For such classified enhancements, Rachel is certainly brought in on the secret quickly - and frivolously.
If a suspense storyline with an enhanced human action hero appeals to you, I recommend a few other books. Try The Syn-En Solution or Zero Factor or Peyton 313. You will get some interesting sci-fi elements, more complete immersion in the heroes' adjustments to their enhancements, and more fully developed romances with spunkier and more original heroines.
January 22, 2014
** Originally written for Book Bliss book blog. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.**
Review: 4 stars
General: What a fantastic concept! I loved the idea overall, D.I.R.E. may seem a little bit evil to the extent that they genetically engineered the players but I still loved it. It was a romance and a spy novel all rolled into one. I loved the way the two were seamlessly mixed together with a nice dose of sci-fi too. The tension in the book felt real, high stakes were on the line and I never questioned the responses of any of the characters. I loved the interactions between everyone and there was a nice dose of comedic relief inbetween he running for their lives.
Also, the world building was very strong. Concepts needed to be explained slowly and in detail because they were scientific. I felt for the most part it was super clear and no one would have trouble grasping the theories applied or the rules of D.I.R.E.
There were a few issues in the book in terms of the writing itself. While not many, there were editing issues. But the main thing preventing a 5 star review of this book was confusion in dialogue/POV. There were a ton of jumps and not always with identifiers or tag lines. I had to go back and reread a few times to be sure of exactly what I just read.
Characters: Rachel- Rachel was an interesting character. There were moments I couldn't handle her sweetness/weakness. Then I would love how loving and helpful she was. I wanted her to find her strength to stand up for herself, as well as of course her own happily ever after. She was believable for the most part, there were just a few moments when I questioned how easily the shift if her personality would have been.
Tristan- Tristan is that impenetrable wall of an alpha hero that is so sexy and tragic it's almost an overload! He's had a rough past and his response was to shut it all off. I loved watched Rachel get under his skin it was awesome. His powers are awesome, maybe not the coolest superhero traits but definitely still awesome.
Review: 4 stars
General: What a fantastic concept! I loved the idea overall, D.I.R.E. may seem a little bit evil to the extent that they genetically engineered the players but I still loved it. It was a romance and a spy novel all rolled into one. I loved the way the two were seamlessly mixed together with a nice dose of sci-fi too. The tension in the book felt real, high stakes were on the line and I never questioned the responses of any of the characters. I loved the interactions between everyone and there was a nice dose of comedic relief inbetween he running for their lives.
Also, the world building was very strong. Concepts needed to be explained slowly and in detail because they were scientific. I felt for the most part it was super clear and no one would have trouble grasping the theories applied or the rules of D.I.R.E.
There were a few issues in the book in terms of the writing itself. While not many, there were editing issues. But the main thing preventing a 5 star review of this book was confusion in dialogue/POV. There were a ton of jumps and not always with identifiers or tag lines. I had to go back and reread a few times to be sure of exactly what I just read.
Characters: Rachel- Rachel was an interesting character. There were moments I couldn't handle her sweetness/weakness. Then I would love how loving and helpful she was. I wanted her to find her strength to stand up for herself, as well as of course her own happily ever after. She was believable for the most part, there were just a few moments when I questioned how easily the shift if her personality would have been.
Tristan- Tristan is that impenetrable wall of an alpha hero that is so sexy and tragic it's almost an overload! He's had a rough past and his response was to shut it all off. I loved watched Rachel get under his skin it was awesome. His powers are awesome, maybe not the coolest superhero traits but definitely still awesome.
August 6, 2016
Here's the perfect way to describe the forgetableness of this book. Last night I finished a book and went to bed, with the intention of reviewing it this morning. This morning, I took my Kindle to the gym and started this book while on the stationary bike. When I got home, I reviewed the book I finished last-night and then sat down to look at my Kindle Collections to pick out what to read next, completely forgetting that I had started and read 30% of this book already. It made that little of an impression. When I finally remembered having already started it, I sat down to finish it up.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not necessarily saying it was a bad book. I'm sure we've all read those books that we don't love, but we don't hate either. They're like cotton candy—a shot of sweetness that you can only savour for a moment and then leaves very little memory of itself. Yep, that's what this book was like.
Seeing the emotionless Tristan become attached to someone was nice. The fact that Rachel wasn't a complete pushover was appreciable. Her ultra-protective brother was fun. There were plenty of 'aww' moments and the sex was pretty mild.
However, quite a lot of the plot was just skimmed over or just plain unbelievable. For example, I'm still unsure why Aidan called Tristan to guard Rachel in the first place, other than that he disliked her fiancé. That seems a little extreme. As far as I can tell there was no actual risk to Rachel that Aidan would have been trying to protect her against.
There is also a lot of history between the older generation of characters that isn't explored. The science isn't well explained. And the romance is lightning fast. It isn't insta-love, but within a matter of a day or so Tristan and Rachel fall madly in love and are willing to essentially throw their established lives away to be together. It too seems a bit extreme.
For a quick, fluffy read, this is worth picking up. If you're looking for great literature....um, it probably won't fit the bill. It does actually end, though. Yes, that's right, no cliffhanger!
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not necessarily saying it was a bad book. I'm sure we've all read those books that we don't love, but we don't hate either. They're like cotton candy—a shot of sweetness that you can only savour for a moment and then leaves very little memory of itself. Yep, that's what this book was like.
Seeing the emotionless Tristan become attached to someone was nice. The fact that Rachel wasn't a complete pushover was appreciable. Her ultra-protective brother was fun. There were plenty of 'aww' moments and the sex was pretty mild.
However, quite a lot of the plot was just skimmed over or just plain unbelievable. For example, I'm still unsure why Aidan called Tristan to guard Rachel in the first place, other than that he disliked her fiancé. That seems a little extreme. As far as I can tell there was no actual risk to Rachel that Aidan would have been trying to protect her against.
There is also a lot of history between the older generation of characters that isn't explored. The science isn't well explained. And the romance is lightning fast. It isn't insta-love, but within a matter of a day or so Tristan and Rachel fall madly in love and are willing to essentially throw their established lives away to be together. It too seems a bit extreme.
For a quick, fluffy read, this is worth picking up. If you're looking for great literature....um, it probably won't fit the bill. It does actually end, though. Yes, that's right, no cliffhanger!
December 29, 2014
Tristan Jacobs the best super-agent in the world. Equipped with the ability to teleport and turn invisible, he's a virtually unstoppable weapon. An agent for D.I.R.E. Agency he's surrounded by danger, but the most dangerous assignment has yet to begin. Asked by his friend and ex BUD/S teammate, Aidan for a favor, he has no problem completing the task especially when it involves Aidan's sexy sister, Rachel.
Rachel has a plan, she's going to marry the rich Cody Brewster and finally get her father's medical bills paid off. Her wedding is interrupted when Tristan whisks her away before she can say her vows. Kidnapped to the Virgin Islands, she finds out her life isn't exactly what she wanted and the sexy and alluring agent is pulling at her heart strings.
Will they be able to find comfort or more pain in each other's arms? With danger closing in on both sides, the choices become deadly.
The first book in the D.I.R.E. Series and I'm a fan. Sign me up for a sexy protective super-agent. I found it hard to put down this story and can't wait for more. The pacing of the story was great and the twists and turns kept your heart pounding till the end. The characters were unique and interesting to read, I had no problem rooting for them.
Tristan is a badass mercenary with a vulnerable interior. He's a sexy agent with a good heart, my kind of man.
Rachel is an independent and selfless woman whose not afraid to stand up for what she believes but also vulnerable and afraid.
If you enjoy romance with plenty of action, danger and a bit of supernatural, you'll enjoy this new series.
Rachel has a plan, she's going to marry the rich Cody Brewster and finally get her father's medical bills paid off. Her wedding is interrupted when Tristan whisks her away before she can say her vows. Kidnapped to the Virgin Islands, she finds out her life isn't exactly what she wanted and the sexy and alluring agent is pulling at her heart strings.
Will they be able to find comfort or more pain in each other's arms? With danger closing in on both sides, the choices become deadly.
The first book in the D.I.R.E. Series and I'm a fan. Sign me up for a sexy protective super-agent. I found it hard to put down this story and can't wait for more. The pacing of the story was great and the twists and turns kept your heart pounding till the end. The characters were unique and interesting to read, I had no problem rooting for them.
Tristan is a badass mercenary with a vulnerable interior. He's a sexy agent with a good heart, my kind of man.
Rachel is an independent and selfless woman whose not afraid to stand up for what she believes but also vulnerable and afraid.
If you enjoy romance with plenty of action, danger and a bit of supernatural, you'll enjoy this new series.
February 4, 2015
New series for me and it began with a bang!!! Secret government agency does technological enhancements to soldiers. Tristan is the first to go through the process. He can become invisible and teleport himself wherever he wants in an instant. But superhero powers come at a price: relationships and superpowers don't really mix.
Rachel Monroe is the sister of Tristan's friend, Aiden. She;s getting married to douchebag of the century Cord, as he has promised to pay off her late fathers medical bills! Tristan was asked to help scrap the wedding and almost succeeds. The wedding is called off and he teleports her away from the mayhem which ensues. They initially butt heads but things quickly become hot and heavy.
I loved the plot twists, the romance, Tristan's struggles to settle into his new abilities. The background stories involving their parents, friends ( I loved Ben) and co-workers are great and it gets real messy real fast. I love to have a bad guy to root for and Naylor is bad in spades!!!!!!
I did think Rachel was a bit too sweet and naive and ready to run at the least provocation but other than that I thought it was great and I am already enjoying book 2, featuring Aiden.
Rachel Monroe is the sister of Tristan's friend, Aiden. She;s getting married to douchebag of the century Cord, as he has promised to pay off her late fathers medical bills! Tristan was asked to help scrap the wedding and almost succeeds. The wedding is called off and he teleports her away from the mayhem which ensues. They initially butt heads but things quickly become hot and heavy.
I loved the plot twists, the romance, Tristan's struggles to settle into his new abilities. The background stories involving their parents, friends ( I loved Ben) and co-workers are great and it gets real messy real fast. I love to have a bad guy to root for and Naylor is bad in spades!!!!!!
I did think Rachel was a bit too sweet and naive and ready to run at the least provocation but other than that I thought it was great and I am already enjoying book 2, featuring Aiden.
August 15, 2014
I got this book back in February when it was featured on Bookbub, but just now got to read it. I liked it! Though I don't read a lot of sci-fi these days, I do enjoy a good sci-fi story.
Tristan was pretty much raised to be a SEAL and then he was taken further and given biological enhancements to give him the ability to teleport and also to become invisible. Handy, that. His friend Aiden asks for his help to get Aiden's sister out of her wedding.
Tristan wasn't expecting to be completely floored by his best friend's sister.. Hot hot sex ensues until enemies after Tristan find him. One thing I enjoyed was watching Tristan work through his own insecurities. When he's out saving the world, he's fully confident. However, he's never allowed himself to really connect on an emotional level with anyone, so Rachel takes him by surprise.
I thought this was a pretty good start to the series and I look forward to reading the rest.
Tristan was pretty much raised to be a SEAL and then he was taken further and given biological enhancements to give him the ability to teleport and also to become invisible. Handy, that. His friend Aiden asks for his help to get Aiden's sister out of her wedding.
Tristan wasn't expecting to be completely floored by his best friend's sister.. Hot hot sex ensues until enemies after Tristan find him. One thing I enjoyed was watching Tristan work through his own insecurities. When he's out saving the world, he's fully confident. However, he's never allowed himself to really connect on an emotional level with anyone, so Rachel takes him by surprise.
I thought this was a pretty good start to the series and I look forward to reading the rest.
January 25, 2014
Hot
I absolutely loved this book. I was surprised by a few things. One the concept of the book was original. Two, the author threw in some curveballs towards the end that have me literally salivating to read the next book. I think I've found a new author to keep my eye out for.
So guess your wondering about the actual book. Well, you start out with a smoking hot former Navy Seal Tristan Jacobs. He's asked by his friend for a "small" favor. What he doesn't contend with is that his favor is basically kidnapping Rachel Monroe from her own wedding ceremony. The chemistry between these two is hot and instantaneous. Guess what they say is true......it's a very thin line between love and hate.
Definitely a must read.
I absolutely loved this book. I was surprised by a few things. One the concept of the book was original. Two, the author threw in some curveballs towards the end that have me literally salivating to read the next book. I think I've found a new author to keep my eye out for.
So guess your wondering about the actual book. Well, you start out with a smoking hot former Navy Seal Tristan Jacobs. He's asked by his friend for a "small" favor. What he doesn't contend with is that his favor is basically kidnapping Rachel Monroe from her own wedding ceremony. The chemistry between these two is hot and instantaneous. Guess what they say is true......it's a very thin line between love and hate.
Definitely a must read.
March 19, 2014
Tristan is a D.I.R.E Agent who has been scientifically enhanced. While doing a favor for a friend he gets acquainted with the friends sister.
That sister is Rachel. Rachel is about to get married to the wrong man, for what she believes is the right reason. Thank goodness Tristan comes to the rescue.
The two of them can't get along, but we all know enemies or non friends make the best possible lovers. The chemistry between them was off the charts from the beginning.
Lucky us gets to go along for the ride. The story is filled with romance and a hint of suspense. With some pretty hot sex scenes thrown in.
I really enjoyed this story. So much so that I am looking forward to the next two in the trilogy, because I can't wait for all of the secrets to be revealed.
That sister is Rachel. Rachel is about to get married to the wrong man, for what she believes is the right reason. Thank goodness Tristan comes to the rescue.
The two of them can't get along, but we all know enemies or non friends make the best possible lovers. The chemistry between them was off the charts from the beginning.
Lucky us gets to go along for the ride. The story is filled with romance and a hint of suspense. With some pretty hot sex scenes thrown in.
I really enjoyed this story. So much so that I am looking forward to the next two in the trilogy, because I can't wait for all of the secrets to be revealed.
January 1, 2014
I could not put this book down, but losing sleep was worth it! One of my pet peeves with fiction is to be able to predict the plot very early on, but AgentI1: Tristan was completely unpredictable! I loved that plot twists arose throughout the text, but in completely logical ways. I was also amazed that Joni Hahn was able to make the characters so believable so quickly. There were clever lines of dialogue, with witty comebacks that made me chuckle. I've already started reading the second in the series and am looking forward to the third!
June 24, 2014
Surprisingly this book is good.
I was expecting a soldier love story, but even though the Hero's not exactly a soldier, he's actually a hero. I enjoyed it.
Tristan is cute, , he's a bit annoying though. But then again, that's the thing that made him cute. But to be honest, the way the author wrote the story, is a bit confusing. I guess it's because there are so many characters but no further explanation.
Looking forward to read Aidan's story!
I was expecting a soldier love story, but even though the Hero's not exactly a soldier, he's actually a hero. I enjoyed it.
Tristan is cute, , he's a bit annoying though. But then again, that's the thing that made him cute. But to be honest, the way the author wrote the story, is a bit confusing. I guess it's because there are so many characters but no further explanation.
Looking forward to read Aidan's story!
March 4, 2015
This was my first time reading something written by Jodi Hahn. I won the book as a first reads giveaway. I got to say: I truly enjoyed the story, characters, and progression of both throughout the book. I always love romance stories like this, it was an easy read that got me excited to read the others in the series. A must read!
December 30, 2013
Oh, wow. Just finished and now I'm on to the next book. Tristan was so swoon-worthy. Mmmm. The book was so well written, pacing, dialog, characterization, was spot on PLUS it delivered just the right amount of hunky heat. Did I mention Tristan is a total stud? Anyone considering downloading this book should just do it already.
March 28, 2014
Who knew?
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't sure if the story line would hold my attention. Was I wrong!!! This book was great. It had everything. One hot teleporting agent and a woman who was no weakling. Throw in some bad guys, some gunfire and top it off with some down and dirty and I'm hooked!!!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't sure if the story line would hold my attention. Was I wrong!!! This book was great. It had everything. One hot teleporting agent and a woman who was no weakling. Throw in some bad guys, some gunfire and top it off with some down and dirty and I'm hooked!!!
November 16, 2016
This was one of the most interesting, captivating books I've read in my modest experience with books. I was intrigued because it has a few facets to it. It's like a fantasy/sci-fi book and there is also a romance. It's really simply a ridiculously interesting book that I greatly enjoyed reading.
April 15, 2017
Great beginning to a new series! am loving the 1st book being free:)
October 24, 2014
These are the kind of romance novels that grate on my nerves. I chucked it all in by Chapter 4.
February 25, 2018
tl;dr (written after I finished this review): This author's sexism and misogyny can go fuck itself. This book promotes a seriously psychologically abusive and dangerous relationship as healthy and normal. It promotes the idea that women can't make their own decisions and that we need to have men make them for us.
DNF @ 75% and go fuck yourself.
Here's my review as I read the book. It starts off much happier:
And here I thought I could avoid boobs and curves. Well, not really, but it's not a surprise. At least the author shoves it in your face from the get go so you're not lied to or have any built up potential of goodness.
Seriously, the first entire chapter is the main female character's body. Her perfect boobs. Her perfect butt. Her perfectly tanned skin. Her perfect everything. (Need I remind you that we learn all this because the main lead male character is watching her undress at her wedding ceremony without her knowledge.)
The heroine wasn't much better from her perspective. The guy kidnaps her using teleportation and all she's concerned about are his CHISELED ABS. #hawt #realistic #pleasehotmenkidnapmebecausethatswhatwomenreallywantinlife
Also, I think this is my new favorite quote:
Oh, I mentioned teleport, right? TELEPORT. Gurl, that crap doesn't exist, and BAM, you teleported. It literally cut off pieces of your dress that failed to come with ya'll. You could've died or lost a limb. Like, let's talk about tha-
Well shit, she could've lost a few pounds. Maybe next time. ;) (And this despite the male lead's description of her being THE hour glass figure. Like she needs to lose weight, gurl, we all have body issues, but I'm putting that on the author for continuing this stereotype. Love your body for Christ's sake.)
Did the male lead mention all of his top secret agency business to this random girl that he has no idea he can trust yet?
The boobs must've seduced him. LIKE COME ON MAN. Stop spilling dangerous and top secret secrets to this bimbo you JUST MET.
Like I said...YA'LL JUST MET, JESUS. (I literally dropped my phone after I read this line.) Like, at most ten hours ago, half of that with her being unconscious. Like...bro...come on. Is it the boobs? Those damn chesticles she's God-givenly blessed with?
SCIENCE.
No please, twist his arm to get him to reveal this stuff. Bro, like, I can't even anymore.
Seems like they have had some intense few hours together of deep thought provoking conversations that had them reach the point of wanting to save and help each other in a rich friendship/potential romantic relationship sort of way that we just get TOLD and not SHOWN.
Because gurl, to ME, ya'll chatted about alcohol and how pretty Italy looks.
Now...imagine if this guy was bug ass ugly. Would you still feel the same? Or is it because he's so damn hot that you're totally chill with him having kidnapped you, admitted he's killed people, and won't let you leave? Because I'm betting if he wasn't hot you wouldn't feeling so chill.
Please someone recommend me a romance with some more REALISTIC reactions. I'm drowning in stupid over here.
Well, she lasted all but five seconds before spilling all the secrets he spilled to her boobs. Good thing he told those boobs since they sure do know how to keep those boobs shut.
Boobs.
I feel like I must've missed the part where they bonded so deeply. Perhaps my Kindle version got corrupted or something, since really all she knew about him was that he was okay with kidnapping people, holding them against their will, killing people, and being really bad at keeping secrets.
I'm kind of wondering now if he'll ever reveal how he first saw her. Back when he spied on her changing into her wedding gown without her knowledge or permission. I'm pretty sure she'd find it attractive and endearing because his muscles really care about her boobs and that's hot.
Cody is the guy she's supposed to marry but aside from that, I don't know anything else about him. Apparently marrying him is bad cuz he's a dick and rich, but the only time we see him is when he's passed out from having been drugged by our main hero. (What a catch!) Seriously, we keep being told how bad of an idea it is for her to marry him. This chick's brother and our hero go WAY out of their way to make this out to be some big operation to stop the ceremony--the guy hasn't done anything! Fuck, I'd say the brother should be protecting our heroine from Tristan (our hero) instead of this Cody guy.
Unlike boobs over there, I would not take so kindly to the whole KIDNAPPING, UNABLE TO LEAVE, HE KILLS PEOPLE FOR A LIVING stuff.
Idk who this Cody guy is but I think he's probably pretty cool. I'd marry him.
Gotta love a super smooth and completely relevant and definitely not random segue into the "boohoo I'm a super soldier" internal monologue, amiright?
This is not a joke. Literally the entire town now knows after this point. Jesus.
KILL. ME.
#1 Cody has yet to really do anything other than be a bit dickish (certainly not enough to warrant this much hate and overbearing protection) and get drugged--I repeat--DRUGGED by our HERO.
#2 I hate this insanely common trope in the romance genre of not allowing women to make their own decisions. From the heroine's mother all the way to the baker three states away, everyone has an opinion, and that opinion is for the heroine to get with the hero. Any out she tries, any protest she makes, is seen with snickering grins and a "oh she'll change her mind all right" as if she couldn't stand on her own two feet and was too stupid for her own good. That she needs testosterone filled muscles to survive, and only THOSE testostone filled muscles, no one else's. That her wants and needs don't matter because the hero is HOT and he's SUPPOSED to be with her.
Need I remind you AGAIN: watched her undress without her knowledge or consent, kidnapped her, held her against her will, he constantly forces decisions on her and chooses "what's best" for her, won't leave her alone despite her requests, openly gropes her and touches her (albeit, as he's invisible, cuz yeah, apart from teleporting he can turn invisible) while she's trying to have a conversation with someone without her consent.
And we're supposed to hate CODY???
Let's see, what has Cody done to our heroine so far? Been bitchy because from his vantage point, she left him at the wedding ceremony, apologized and explained he had no idea how he was unconscious and wanted to make amends, declared his love for her, and seemingly was heart broken at her lack of discussing the issue. (Yes, the demanding "you'll marry me" bit is douche, but we can't dive deeper into that since he gets NO SCREEN TIME.)
UM.
Ah yeah, I forgot to mention. Eye colors. They're not blue. They're indigo (which isn't blue). They're aqua. Someone shoot me.
Sing it with me now: YOU'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR 48 HOURS AND HAVE HAD NO IN DEPTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ANYTHING TO DO IN RELATION TO WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU BELIEVE OR ANYTHING ACTUALLY IMPORTANT. SHE IS ONLY BOOBS. WALKING BOOBS. THE MUSCLES WOULD DIE FOR BOOBS.
(Ps Muscles made a will and has it written so everything will go to--who? You guessed it! BOOBS.)
I'm crossing my fingers that they all die except Cody. I'm rooting for you Cody. I believe you could be a great man if this author gave a shit.
So, side note, some rich old guy has Boobs in his will (man those boobs get around) and that's why Cody is trying to marry her. So the plan? Have her marry someone else. BOOM. TOTALLY FOOL PROOF. CAN'T BEAT THAT. NOPE. THEY WIN. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO ALTERNATIVES THE EVIL MEN CAN TAKE NOW. #SUPASMART
Oh btw everything is coincidentally and conveniently connected. Muscles is fighting bad guy group which has relation to Boobs's mom and I just need to die please.
Cody! Cody save me! I'll marry you! Please rescue me from this torture.
And what has Cody done in response? ...
...
...
I think it's pretty safe to humiliate the guy. (I still care for you Cody. Even if you want Boob's money. She doesn't deserve it anyway. #TeamCody)
You get 'em, Cody!
You know that feeling when you have to vomit? Yeah, that one.
It's okay, Cody. You did your best. Next time for sure.
I mean, why the fuck not? They already know you're a super soldier who's hired to kill people. No one in this book has ever had an issue with not keeping secrets before. Why start now :D
O H SHIT BOOBS IS SELF AWARE. I REPEAT. BOOBS IS SELF AWARE.
And will anything become of this recent revelation?
...
Judges say, "No." :D
Real talk: I'm just extra pissed at this particular instance since the gurl FINALLY realizes and admits this ALOUD to him and this is the ONE TIME he has justification for not listening to her. LITERALLY THE ONE TIME. And since he shoots her down with logic, the bitch is gonna take this situation and apply it to all past and future instances and neither of them will learn anything. Fuck man, if the author wasn't trying to pass this off as acceptable and have every character think this, and everything else, is all okay, along with the times where he's actually a somewhat decent human being, I'd say this is easily an abusive relationship. It certainly started out that way and has some tendencies towards it. Our main hero is a gross controlling asshole. At least Cody is up front about it when he's a douche.
I smiled so big I think my face broke.
WOOP THERE IT IS. Quick quick, now tell her about he peeping! Keep going while you're ahead! This shit's getting good now :D
NOOOOO THE DRAMA. He spied on you naked gurl, MUSCLES IS LYING. CODY WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU.
Side note: Not sure why Muscles's dad thing is this big revelation/deal? Like...who gives a shit?
I can't. I hate authors that promote this shit. ABUSIVE. RELATIONSHIP. He CHOSE to DRUG a guy so you couldn't marry him. He FORCED a decision on you without giving two asses about your thoughts or opinions because HIS judgement is correct.
Now what did you do? You called him out on his shit. You got pissed that he did this. Now that he's left, you're feeling GUILTY when it's HIS lying abusive ass that should be sorry, NOT YOU.
This. Is not. Healthy.
She should not be the one fighting to apologze to him. HE should apologize to HER. Then she should kick his ass and dump him because HE'S AN ASSHOLE WHO IS ABUSING HER.
And before anyone bitches, mental abuse can be just as bad or worse as physical. He falls in the mentally abusive category. GROSS GROSS GROSS.
HA. HA. HA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Yes.
Well that took an unexpected turn...
Wow...I legitimately almost vomited.
I honestly expected the guy to tell him what's what. That a woman is a person too and that her thoughts and opinions matter. That her decisions and choices are just as important and should be just as valued as a man's. That what he did was wrong and he should atone for his actions.
This author literally just said women don't get a choice. Women don't get a voice. That happy and long lasting marriages and relationships are only made when the man tells her what to do.
I...have no words.
Our hero accepts and agrees with this ideology too. Jesus Christ. It's worded as if that's the correct way to live.
Like, I am seconds from crying here. How is this author a woman? How can she, like the rest of us, go through life constantly oppressed and berated by those around us for being weak and stupid. For people thinking we can't do anything without a man. That we are lesser.
It's right there in her book. That women are lesser than men. That strong men take charge and innocent women take a back seat and do as they're told.
I'm 75% of the way through, and I just can't do it anymore. It's not fun anymore. Reading shitty romances is my favorite pass time. But when it gets real like this. I don't have the words.
I hope the author reads this at some point and feels ashamed. How dare you treat women in this way. I hope you learn to respect yourself and the rest of us. As stupid as you are, I'll keep fighting for your and every other women's rights because we are NOT equal. And shitty books like THIS only make it WORSE.
So with all due respect, dear author: go fuck yourself.
DNF @ 75% and go fuck yourself.
Here's my review as I read the book. It starts off much happier:
And here I thought I could avoid boobs and curves. Well, not really, but it's not a surprise. At least the author shoves it in your face from the get go so you're not lied to or have any built up potential of goodness.
Seriously, the first entire chapter is the main female character's body. Her perfect boobs. Her perfect butt. Her perfectly tanned skin. Her perfect everything. (Need I remind you that we learn all this because the main lead male character is watching her undress at her wedding ceremony without her knowledge.)
His lower body hummed as he stared at the bare flesh highlighted in the sunrays shining through the skylight. Rachel was a goddess. Not in the supermodel, movie starlet sense. Those women did nothing for him. She came off more as the small town, girl next door, they-know-how-to-grow-‘em-down-on-the-farm-type goddess. And damn, was she blessed.
Her push-up bra urged him to text his broker and buy stock in women’s lingerie. If she walked into the Stock Exchange wearing that thing, she could single-handedly revive Wall Street and the nation’s economy.
The heroine wasn't much better from her perspective. The guy kidnaps her using teleportation and all she's concerned about are his CHISELED ABS. #hawt #realistic #pleasehotmenkidnapmebecausethatswhatwomenreallywantinlife
Also, I think this is my new favorite quote:
Shutting off the water, he turned and grabbed a towel off a hook. Why did he a towel?
Oh, I mentioned teleport, right? TELEPORT. Gurl, that crap doesn't exist, and BAM, you teleported. It literally cut off pieces of your dress that failed to come with ya'll. You could've died or lost a limb. Like, let's talk about tha-
She gulped. Tristan had told her not to let go. What if that had been a foot, or a layer of backside? Not that she couldn’t use an inch or two sheared off in that particular area, but that was besides the point.
Well shit, she could've lost a few pounds. Maybe next time. ;) (And this despite the male lead's description of her being THE hour glass figure. Like she needs to lose weight, gurl, we all have body issues, but I'm putting that on the author for continuing this stereotype. Love your body for Christ's sake.)
Did the male lead mention all of his top secret agency business to this random girl that he has no idea he can trust yet?
“Are you paid to kill people?”
Shrugging, he pulled the bowl from the microwave and placed it on the counter beside hers. “Sometimes. But, they’re contracts on hardcore criminals and bad guys.”
The boobs must've seduced him. LIKE COME ON MAN. Stop spilling dangerous and top secret secrets to this bimbo you JUST MET.
His grasp on her arm tightened. He lowered his voice, the darkness amplifying his words. “I’d never let anything happen to you, Rachel.”
Like I said...YA'LL JUST MET, JESUS. (I literally dropped my phone after I read this line.) Like, at most ten hours ago, half of that with her being unconscious. Like...bro...come on. Is it the boobs? Those damn chesticles she's God-givenly blessed with?
Leaning over him, she picked up his left arm and studied the copper and gold band that covered most of his forearm. “So, how does this thing work?”
“I have a gold and copper compound in my blood. The band contains a Tesla-derived coil that feeds electricity into my bloodstream through a high frequency generator powered by solid hydrogen.”
SCIENCE.
No please, twist his arm to get him to reveal this stuff. Bro, like, I can't even anymore.
A disquieting sense of need came over her. She wanted to fix that fear. She wanted to take it away from him and assure him he’d never have to fear again.
Seems like they have had some intense few hours together of deep thought provoking conversations that had them reach the point of wanting to save and help each other in a rich friendship/potential romantic relationship sort of way that we just get TOLD and not SHOWN.
Because gurl, to ME, ya'll chatted about alcohol and how pretty Italy looks.
Now...imagine if this guy was bug ass ugly. Would you still feel the same? Or is it because he's so damn hot that you're totally chill with him having kidnapped you, admitted he's killed people, and won't let you leave? Because I'm betting if he wasn't hot you wouldn't feeling so chill.
Please someone recommend me a romance with some more REALISTIC reactions. I'm drowning in stupid over here.
“Well, I’ve… never been in the company of a professional hit man before.” His eyes widened.
“What? What are you talking about?” Rachel crossed her arms over her chest.
“He told me what D.I.R.E. does and how you’re going to be part of the organization.
Well, she lasted all but five seconds before spilling all the secrets he spilled to her boobs. Good thing he told those boobs since they sure do know how to keep those boobs shut.
Boobs.
Last night, she’d accepted him for who he was, had set aside all of the abilities and powers that defined him to the world and loved him as a man - as someone who mattered to her.
I feel like I must've missed the part where they bonded so deeply. Perhaps my Kindle version got corrupted or something, since really all she knew about him was that he was okay with kidnapping people, holding them against their will, killing people, and being really bad at keeping secrets.
I'm kind of wondering now if he'll ever reveal how he first saw her. Back when he spied on her changing into her wedding gown without her knowledge or permission. I'm pretty sure she'd find it attractive and endearing because his muscles really care about her boobs and that's hot.
“Hell, Jacobs, I don’t think there’s any limit to what Cody might pull. He’s hell bent on marrying her now, for some reason. I’m afraid he’ll take her and elope.”
Cody is the guy she's supposed to marry but aside from that, I don't know anything else about him. Apparently marrying him is bad cuz he's a dick and rich, but the only time we see him is when he's passed out from having been drugged by our main hero. (What a catch!) Seriously, we keep being told how bad of an idea it is for her to marry him. This chick's brother and our hero go WAY out of their way to make this out to be some big operation to stop the ceremony--the guy hasn't done anything! Fuck, I'd say the brother should be protecting our heroine from Tristan (our hero) instead of this Cody guy.
Unlike boobs over there, I would not take so kindly to the whole KIDNAPPING, UNABLE TO LEAVE, HE KILLS PEOPLE FOR A LIVING stuff.
Idk who this Cody guy is but I think he's probably pretty cool. I'd marry him.
As the service dragged on, Tristan tuned out Pastor Collins altogether and stared at the cross on the wall above the altar. Why me? Why was he, Tristan Jacobs, one of the chosen few asked to protect the world?
Gotta love a super smooth and completely relevant and definitely not random segue into the "boohoo I'm a super soldier" internal monologue, amiright?
“What does a special agent do? Is he like a James Bond or something?”
Rachel said, “He calls himself a private contractor, a soldier for hire.” Glenna gasped on a smile.
“A mercenary? Cool.”
“Cool?” Frowning, Rachel pulled back her head. “He kills people for a living.”
This is not a joke. Literally the entire town now knows after this point. Jesus.
The wedding seemed eons ago instead of twenty-four hours. She’d learned so much about life and love in that short period of time.
KILL. ME.
“Damned glad someone had some sense and got you out of there. Cody Brewster is not a man you want to marry.” Tristan leaned his hands on top of the chair back.
“You think he’s dangerous?”
Ben nodded. “Oh, yeah. When he and Jock want something, they will get rid of anything standing in their way.”
#1 Cody has yet to really do anything other than be a bit dickish (certainly not enough to warrant this much hate and overbearing protection) and get drugged--I repeat--DRUGGED by our HERO.
#2 I hate this insanely common trope in the romance genre of not allowing women to make their own decisions. From the heroine's mother all the way to the baker three states away, everyone has an opinion, and that opinion is for the heroine to get with the hero. Any out she tries, any protest she makes, is seen with snickering grins and a "oh she'll change her mind all right" as if she couldn't stand on her own two feet and was too stupid for her own good. That she needs testosterone filled muscles to survive, and only THOSE testostone filled muscles, no one else's. That her wants and needs don't matter because the hero is HOT and he's SUPPOSED to be with her.
Need I remind you AGAIN: watched her undress without her knowledge or consent, kidnapped her, held her against her will, he constantly forces decisions on her and chooses "what's best" for her, won't leave her alone despite her requests, openly gropes her and touches her (albeit, as he's invisible, cuz yeah, apart from teleporting he can turn invisible) while she's trying to have a conversation with someone without her consent.
And we're supposed to hate CODY???
Let's see, what has Cody done to our heroine so far? Been bitchy because from his vantage point, she left him at the wedding ceremony, apologized and explained he had no idea how he was unconscious and wanted to make amends, declared his love for her, and seemingly was heart broken at her lack of discussing the issue. (Yes, the demanding "you'll marry me" bit is douche, but we can't dive deeper into that since he gets NO SCREEN TIME.)
UM.
Ah yeah, I forgot to mention. Eye colors. They're not blue. They're indigo (which isn't blue). They're aqua. Someone shoot me.
“Don’t you get it? Ensuring you’re safe is worth more to me than my life ever will. I don’t have anything outside of D.I.R.E. If I die, I want to die for something I believe in and, take my word for it, there isn’t much out there. But you, Rachel, you’re worth dying for.”
Sing it with me now: YOU'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR 48 HOURS AND HAVE HAD NO IN DEPTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ANYTHING TO DO IN RELATION TO WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU BELIEVE OR ANYTHING ACTUALLY IMPORTANT. SHE IS ONLY BOOBS. WALKING BOOBS. THE MUSCLES WOULD DIE FOR BOOBS.
(Ps Muscles made a will and has it written so everything will go to--who? You guessed it! BOOBS.)
I'm crossing my fingers that they all die except Cody. I'm rooting for you Cody. I believe you could be a great man if this author gave a shit.
So, side note, some rich old guy has Boobs in his will (man those boobs get around) and that's why Cody is trying to marry her. So the plan? Have her marry someone else. BOOM. TOTALLY FOOL PROOF. CAN'T BEAT THAT. NOPE. THEY WIN. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO ALTERNATIVES THE EVIL MEN CAN TAKE NOW. #SUPASMART
Oh btw everything is coincidentally and conveniently connected. Muscles is fighting bad guy group which has relation to Boobs's mom and I just need to die please.
Cody! Cody save me! I'll marry you! Please rescue me from this torture.
Tristan had humiliated Cody twice now. Cody never took insulting incidents lightly.
And what has Cody done in response? ...
...
...
I think it's pretty safe to humiliate the guy. (I still care for you Cody. Even if you want Boob's money. She doesn't deserve it anyway. #TeamCody)
Cody and two of his friends stood behind the bed of a black pickup truck. One of his friends wore brass knuckles, the other held a heavy chain taut between his fists. Cody wore an arrogant smirk, a baseball bat propped on his shoulder.
You get 'em, Cody!
“Rachel, you have to trust me.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I do. With my life.
You know that feeling when you have to vomit? Yeah, that one.
Tristan swung the wrong end of the bat into Cody’s jaw. He fell face first to the ground.
It's okay, Cody. You did your best. Next time for sure.
Everyone he’d spent the evening with now knew he could become invisible.
I mean, why the fuck not? They already know you're a super soldier who's hired to kill people. No one in this book has ever had an issue with not keeping secrets before. Why start now :D
“I find it funny that he asks me to do what he says and expects me to do it. But, when I ask him to do something for me, he gets a choice.”
O H SHIT BOOBS IS SELF AWARE. I REPEAT. BOOBS IS SELF AWARE.
And will anything become of this recent revelation?
...
Judges say, "No." :D
Real talk: I'm just extra pissed at this particular instance since the gurl FINALLY realizes and admits this ALOUD to him and this is the ONE TIME he has justification for not listening to her. LITERALLY THE ONE TIME. And since he shoots her down with logic, the bitch is gonna take this situation and apply it to all past and future instances and neither of them will learn anything. Fuck man, if the author wasn't trying to pass this off as acceptable and have every character think this, and everything else, is all okay, along with the times where he's actually a somewhat decent human being, I'd say this is easily an abusive relationship. It certainly started out that way and has some tendencies towards it. Our main hero is a gross controlling asshole. At least Cody is up front about it when he's a douche.
“He’s done some bad things, Rachel.” She lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
“So have you. We all have.”
Cocking a brow, he said, “Did he tell you what he did at Cody’s bachelor party?”
I smiled so big I think my face broke.
“He drugged Cody. Put Rohypnol in his drink so he’d stay passed out until after the wedding.”
WOOP THERE IT IS. Quick quick, now tell her about he peeping! Keep going while you're ahead! This shit's getting good now :D
What else haven’t you told me?”
“Nothing,” he said.
NOOOOO THE DRAMA. He spied on you naked gurl, MUSCLES IS LYING. CODY WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU.
Side note: Not sure why Muscles's dad thing is this big revelation/deal? Like...who gives a shit?
What had she done? Drugging Cody had been disgraceful, yes, but Tristan had saved her from a horrible, loveless marriage. [...] How could she betray Tristan like that when he’d stood by her through the church debacle, Cody’s tirades, and babysitting?
I can't. I hate authors that promote this shit. ABUSIVE. RELATIONSHIP. He CHOSE to DRUG a guy so you couldn't marry him. He FORCED a decision on you without giving two asses about your thoughts or opinions because HIS judgement is correct.
Now what did you do? You called him out on his shit. You got pissed that he did this. Now that he's left, you're feeling GUILTY when it's HIS lying abusive ass that should be sorry, NOT YOU.
This. Is not. Healthy.
She should not be the one fighting to apologze to him. HE should apologize to HER. Then she should kick his ass and dump him because HE'S AN ASSHOLE WHO IS ABUSING HER.
And before anyone bitches, mental abuse can be just as bad or worse as physical. He falls in the mentally abusive category. GROSS GROSS GROSS.
“So, she kicked you out, huh?” Ben gathered the cards in the middle of the table and shuffled them. [...] The old man laid the deck of cards on the table for Tristan to cut. “Probably the first time you ever did what you were told, right?”
HA. HA. HA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Yes.
Ben dealt the cards between them. “You come off as this big, bad top-secret mercenary, with your fancy weapons and martial arts. But you let a sweet, innocent woman like Rachel Monroe tell you what to do.” Ben tsked. “If you’re going to get anywhere in life and marriage, you have to know when to let her make the decisions and when to tell her how it’s going to be.” Stopping his movements, he leaned across the table. “Today, son, was one of those ‘tell her how it’s going to be’ situations.”
Well that took an unexpected turn...
Wow...I legitimately almost vomited.
I honestly expected the guy to tell him what's what. That a woman is a person too and that her thoughts and opinions matter. That her decisions and choices are just as important and should be just as valued as a man's. That what he did was wrong and he should atone for his actions.
This author literally just said women don't get a choice. Women don't get a voice. That happy and long lasting marriages and relationships are only made when the man tells her what to do.
I...have no words.
Our hero accepts and agrees with this ideology too. Jesus Christ. It's worded as if that's the correct way to live.
Like, I am seconds from crying here. How is this author a woman? How can she, like the rest of us, go through life constantly oppressed and berated by those around us for being weak and stupid. For people thinking we can't do anything without a man. That we are lesser.
It's right there in her book. That women are lesser than men. That strong men take charge and innocent women take a back seat and do as they're told.
I'm 75% of the way through, and I just can't do it anymore. It's not fun anymore. Reading shitty romances is my favorite pass time. But when it gets real like this. I don't have the words.
I hope the author reads this at some point and feels ashamed. How dare you treat women in this way. I hope you learn to respect yourself and the rest of us. As stupid as you are, I'll keep fighting for your and every other women's rights because we are NOT equal. And shitty books like THIS only make it WORSE.
So with all due respect, dear author: go fuck yourself.
May 10, 2022
Former Navy SEAL, Tristan Jacobs is now a D.I.R.E agent and he has special implants in his arm that allow him invisibility and teleportation! When ex-BUD/S teammate, Aidan Monroe calls in a favor, for Tris to rescue his sister from a murdering maniac intent on getting her inheritance by marrying her first, Tris grabs the bride from the wedding before she gets married and invisibly teleports her to a small tropical island that he owns. It was a bit of love at first sight for Tris and Rachel Monroe but now every nasty, evil agency around is after them and the ex-fiance is still trying to force her into marrying him. There are more misleads and mistaken and faked identities than I have ever seen. There is a lot of danger, lust and anger but there are still a lot of good people to root for. If you can overlook a bit of the excessive violence it is a good read! Glad I was able to finish it!
June 23, 2019
This book was utterly ridiculous and I really didn't like either character. Rachel was WAY too self sacrificing and let everyone else run her life. There is no way a badass SEAL would be as insecure as Tristan was painted to be in this book. The plot was ridiculous and the background on the agency was very unclear. I got this for free and in fact got the 2nd and 3rd books for free as well but I won't be reading them.
October 27, 2024
This book is part of the DIRE Agency series. It can be read as a standalone.
I am glad I got this book free. It wasn’t good at all and I’m glad I did not have to pay for it. I was trying out a new author and I do not plan to continue the series or the author.
The book was overly dramatic. The characters were inconsistent in their behavior. The plot was thin.
Cody was a caricature. Tristan was a bit of a chauvinist.
I only finished it to write a review.
I am glad I got this book free. It wasn’t good at all and I’m glad I did not have to pay for it. I was trying out a new author and I do not plan to continue the series or the author.
The book was overly dramatic. The characters were inconsistent in their behavior. The plot was thin.
Cody was a caricature. Tristan was a bit of a chauvinist.
I only finished it to write a review.
May 12, 2020
Catchy if corny
Certainly is entertaining and I do plan to eventually buy and read the rest for its entertainment value. I think the plot took inspiration from Riverdale with how many secret relations there are. It's a tad ridiculous. And Tristan was a wee bit OP. Bruised or broken ribs and a bashed kidney and he can still go at it like a rabbit? 🤣🤣🤣 alrighty then.
Certainly is entertaining and I do plan to eventually buy and read the rest for its entertainment value. I think the plot took inspiration from Riverdale with how many secret relations there are. It's a tad ridiculous. And Tristan was a wee bit OP. Bruised or broken ribs and a bashed kidney and he can still go at it like a rabbit? 🤣🤣🤣 alrighty then.
July 18, 2022
Tristan has agreed to help his friend stop a wedding. His sister Rachel is to marry a man who promised to pay off their father’s medical bills. Tristan steals her from the church and takes her to his house. Here they discover they are attracted to each other. But the problems just keep coming when he tether home. Danger just seems to follow wherever they go.
August 24, 2017
Unfortunately I've read fan fictions better than this....
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