New York Times bestselling author Kaylea Cross dives into Liliana Hart’s MacKenzie family with NEVER SURRENDER…
As the Bagram crew assembles at a guest ranch in Montana to celebrate the wedding of two of its own, everyone expects a fun week-long vacation enjoying some much-needed downtime together. But in the picturesque foothills bordering the ranch, a hidden danger lurks.
When the guys stumble upon evidence of a domestic terrorist cell during the bachelor party, it puts everyone directly in the crosshairs of a lethal enemy determined to remain unseen, unleashing a wave of danger every bit as deadly as what they faced back overseas. Then a shocking revelation from the past comes to light, and it may be the key to winning the fight. Now they must come together as a team to eliminate the threat, before they wind up gathered for a funeral instead of a wedding.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
Kaylea loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to drop me a line and say hello.
Lets start of by saying this is a new author for us a we throughly enjoyed our first read by them.We enjoyed it so much that after finishing this story and that of Avenged we purchased two more books in the MacKenzie series.We are looking forward to reading more about those MacKenzie men.
I love it when a story starts off with hooking you from the very first pages.I think what did it was that those characters that did it.I loved them all especially the girls with their sense of humor and especially Candace's grand-mother she was just a hoot.
This novella had tons of drama going on from the very beginning.If it was not personal drama,wedding drama,grand-mother drama it was something else.I loved getting caught up in it all.It's been awhile since I read a romantic suspense book and this was the perfect read to ease me back into them.Candace and Ryan were easy to relate to.You were able to feel the emotions of this couple and you could sympathize with them and the troubles they were experiencing.You could see that this couple (Ryan and Candace)really loved one another so your heart broke for the turmoil and unhappiness that was causing the gap in their marriage.They were such a sweet couple.I can only imagine what its like being married to a military man constantly worrying if their safe or not and not to mention the loneliness for the both of them they must be experiencing.
The story was surrounded around a couple of friends getting married Erin and Wade in attendance of all their mutual friends but then the story took on a new life of its own with its other character's taking the focus off them.I have never read a story like that before it was quite different and I liked it.But,when all the men decide to hunt and camp for an evening things took a major twist when the men stumble upon something not right putting them all on high alert.
I am not sure what it was or how it happened but I was drawn to Candace's and Ryan's more than any other character's.It was just something about this couple perhaps their chemistry or connection to one another maybe their love story of falling in love in a war zone.I just love it when a couple find love in the worst possible times it just makes their story more endearing.I was really attracted to Ryan their was something that drew me to him instantly perhaps it was his sweetness, alluring voice or those bedroom eyes but , that man got me all hot and bothered. (laughing out loud)
I always pick a favorite character in a story even though Candace and Ryan were my favorite couple Ruby caught my eye as well.Ruby Candace's grand-mother turned out to be a character that made me laugh with all her antic's and smart mouth and witty personality. She was a hoot to read about.I loved that she didn't give a crap what others thought of her.I loved how she new how to have fun.I also loved that their was more to Ruby then anyone ever new.That was really a nice surprise when her secrets start coming to life and giving us one of those OMG moments where your mouth is hanging open.Your saying out loud really Ruby ? and than laughing..I loved that moment.Way to go Ruby !
This was an intriguing story that had its ups its downs.I loved that all the character's had so much in common being military and government men and women with amazing personalities.I also enjoyed the other men and wives who added humor and loved their camaraderie with one another.This just added to the story that gave us more than a few chuckles .This just made the story me enjoyable for me.The plot and the character's drew me right in from the very beginning making it a page turner for me that I read cover to cover in one sitting.I love when your are able to connect with the character's that you read about and as you can see I was able to do just that. This makes for more of a interesting read when you love the character's your reading about.An amazing plot with character's that were love- able funny,smart,protective and possessive and down wright intriguing.My kind of read...
I love a story when the author has done and amazing job that has you thinking about the character's even after the story had been done and over. Though out the day more than once something came to mind of what I had read and had me smiling..
So, on the Amazon page this shows it’s the 2nd book in the series but on the Goodreads it shows it’s the 6th book. AND I read what I thought was the 1st book yesterday BUT on Goodreads it says it’s the 12th book. I’m so confused.
Anyway, this was better than Spies and Stilettos. I liked Ryan and Candace. I don’t usually like married couples. I like them to meet and fall in love but this was alright since Ryan was away on an op and he was due back in a few days, where they were all gathering for Wade and Erin’s wedding. The guys, Ryan, Cam, Wade and Jackson were all headed out on a kind of wilderness trip as a bachelor party but they found something they weren’t expecting. The bad guy, Eric, had a camera high in a tree to watch them and decided they were out to get him so he made the mistake of having 4 of his men to go set the resort on fire and when the couples all ran out Ryan and Candace were shot and wounded. And then the fun and the excitement began.
Oh, I did love Ruby! Candace’s 80 year old grandmother. What a hoot she was. She smoked unfiltered cigarettes and drank rye whiskey like it was water.
There was explicit sex in this story. Too many pages of it considering there was only 152 pages to the story. I only read about 4 pages then skimmed all the rest, until I got back to the interesting parts.
The F-bomb was used 25 times.
As to the narration: Needless to say if I get anymore from this series I will definitely not be listening to them. Aiden Snow cannot do a woman’s voice to save his life, nor can he read with any emotions whatsoever. I listened to him narrate 2 other books and loved him but those books are from 2016. Now, in 2017, he’s just sucky at his narration? I don’t get it.
Definitely NOT getting the audible. Not only is Aiden Snow narrating it but so is Carly Robins. A male who can't do a woman's voice and a female narrator who has all her men sounding like girls. And chances are they are both doing the men and women's voices, which I don't understand.
Takes a deep look into what Ace and Went are going through while he is deployed and she is still dealing with the fallout from her time overseas and is at a crossroads.
I really wished I got more time with the other couples that I loved from the series.
I’m a newbie to the series but was able to jump right in with the romantic action and drama.
The story packs quite the punch but manages to keep the swoony romance between Candace aka Ace, and Ryan, right up there with the often unexpected action.
I liked how the plot was based around a wedding – it kinda reminded me of JLA’s Tempting the Best Man but with a Special Ops twist. It was like an action movie mixed with a rom-com.
There’s heaps of action, intrigue and suspense, plus some good old fashion badassery!
I had taste of Surrender, Montana…
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars. This was a pretty good novella! Never Surrender by Kaylea Cross is set in Lilianna Hart's MacKenzie series world, because it is set in Surrender, Montana at a hotel part owned by the MacKenzies. The characters are from Ms. Cross's Bagram Special Ops series. I had not read Candace and Ryan's original book, Tactical Strike, or any of the others in that series, but I did not feel lost at all. Candace and Ryan are staying at the hotel attending the wedding of their friends, Erin and Wade. Both Candace and Ryan are in the military, with Candace working and living in Washington, DC and Ryan, deployed overseas most of the time. They are married and love each other, but Candace is feeling the strain of not being able to talk to Ryan as much as she would like, especially about important things to do with her career and building a family in the future. She feels the distance from him and, while he is only home for a few days for the wedding, she wants to discuss these things and work on them with him. Ryan has no idea of her issues, so he is surprised, but he is happy to work things out with her. There is also some suspense going on at the hotel, when a radical extremist anti-government patriot group is discovered by Ryan and his friends and the hotel is attacked. Luckily, Surrender, Montana is fully equipped to deal with these events and it all works out in the end.
I really liked Candace and Ryan. I enjoyed that they were an already married couple but they still had everyday issues to work out. I liked that they were a real couple with real problems and that it showed the aspects of the military that can affect a marriage. But it was obvious that they loved each other a lot and would never give up on their marriage. Their sweet and sexy relationship was the perfect blend with the suspenseful situation they found themselves unexpectedly in at the hotel.
Overall, this was a good little novella. I enjoyed the writing and the story was interesting. I liked Candace and Ryan's relationship. I have not read any other books by Ms. Cross, but I definitely will in the future!
I tore through 'Never Surrender' in the space of a few hours as I was reminded why I love military/paramilitary romances to much. This is just how much I've missed the Bagram crew, back in the day when Kaylea Cross was hammering this series out that made me fall in love with each and every character in it.
Wade/Erin's wedding isn't the joyful, peaceful reunion it's supposed to be, but Cross brings us through the action through Ace and Ryan's POVs - another hoot of a couple in the series - and I must say there are thrills and (some rather unrealistic) spills to come in it, with Ace's granny taking centre stage in several scenes. It's hilarious in parts, breathtaking in others and I'd say, a worthwhile read all around. My enjoyment of course, stems from revisiting this beloved cast of characters again, as I ate up every interaction between all of them...which I miss so much.
'Never Surrender' brought me back to Cross's 'glory days' where military thrillers were her thing. It isn't that her HRT or DEA Fast series is disappointing, but many of those books do feel repetitive and sometimes tedious as Cross looked alarmingly stripped of ideas. It's good to finally say that this book - the Mackenzies were peripheral in the whole plot - brought back a rush that I'd long forgotten.
This was a quick read with plenty of action, passion, and humor. Although the gathering is for Wade and Erin's wedding, the main characters are Ryan and Candace. A year into their marriage, Candace is not happy and Ryan is clueless. Typical of many military marriages, time apart has taken a toll. Alongside their story is that of a domestic terrorist and his plans to overthrow the government. A good story. But I kept wondering, "Where are Honor and Liam?" They aren't mentioned until the final chapter. I don't understand why KC did not include them.
Who would think a Montana mountain wedding for Kaylee Cross characters could resemble the Afghanistan mountain trauma that originally brought them together. It may be Erin's & Wade's wedding but this story centers more on Candace "Ace" & Ryan. Ruby, Ace's grandmother, heightens the humor and sarcasm. I was laughing hysterically out loud as the guys began their bachelor trail ride, and everyone will crack up!
Just before the action starts, we meet Declan MacKenzie, and he & his brother, Shane, enter the story. Though they are introduced with some family history, we don't really learn much about them here. I suppose that's the pull to start reading author Liliana Hart's books about the alpha MacKenzie clan. (I'm interested: Montana, CIA, alpha hotness.) In this book, the MacKenzie's are central to the take down of the bad guys that disrupt the wedding weekend of the Baghram characters we know and have already read about their HEAs. If you haven't read Kaylea's Baghram Series in it's entirety, then you are going to miss out on the many references to prior events.
Kaylea Cross Never Surrender A Mackenzie Family Novella From Liliana Hart’s Mackenzie Family
5 Candi Kisses and a Donkey Classic Mackenzie Novel with depth. Amazing Story with Old and New Characters.
Although I have never read any of Kaylea books, I felt like I had. I go a glimpse of HER story telling within the world of Lilliana Hart's story-telling, and the results are AWESOME! Candace (Ace) and Ryan are married, and have been a while, their story is still unknown to me but the author wrote in such a way I didn't feel like I missed anything at all. I love her characters meshed within the Mackenzie World. Other than sharing a name with the Heroine, I related to her and her emotions. Ryan is a typical Alpha, smart as hell and dumb as a rock at the same time. The thrill of Declan and Shane showing up was the cherry on top of this well-made cake. Thank you for such a great story in a world I already adore and love. Well done. Never Surrender: A MacKenzie Family Novella
Who knew that going to Montana for Erin and Wade' s wedding could be dangerous for Cam, Jackson, Dev, Ryan, Candace, Maya and dangerous. But a man with a grudge against the US will try very hard to prove his point in the hills above the resort while they are preparing for the wedding. With help from a very feisty Grandma Ruby who surprises not only Ryan and his elite soldiers friends but also the Mackenzie brothers who will help bring down Eric March. Wouldn't we all love to have a Ruby in our family she's definitely a force to be in awe of. Throw in a fire at the hotel, a very slow and inert donkey and you have one heck of a good book. Did I mention Ruby who lives the whiskey, unfiltered cigs and that she's Candace's feisty grandma?
I'm not familiar with the Mackenzie series but if they are as good as the few in Never Surrender it looks like I'll love catching up on their books at a later date.
There was so much goodness wrapped up in this novella that it felt like a full-length novel with all the emotional impact, intriguing story line, and good dose of giggles I've come to expect from a Kaylea Cross story.
I loved getting to experience everything through Ryan and Candace's pov, with them being married just over a year. They have quite the connection still, but got slightly off track and it was time to get things sorted - which they did, beautifully! Throw in some quirky fun side characters, adored couples from previous stories, and a healthy dash of surprises and drama, and you can't help but turn the pages. Oh, and the cherry on top was Declan MacKenzie showing up!
BTW, Aiden Snow did an AMAZING job narrating!! Totally loved listening to him.
Wedding nightmare and confusing. We are at a resort owned by Candance's grandmother, Ruby. Candance's friend Erin will get married there to Wade. She is waiting for her husband Ryan to arrive, from leave. So this is the confusing part, who are these people and are the main characters Erin and Wade because it is their wedding or are the main characters Candance, Ryan and Ruby? Too many characters that are brought together and if one did not read any previous books to describe where they came from, one is lost. The plot was
Since I'm a lover of both authors series i knew this book would be a real humdiger of a story. Mostly a fast pace, actually felt like i was galloping at times, there is tension and suspense from almost the start. Fabulous characters to love (mostly), and set in a scenic area that sounded wonderful. Action and heart stopping scenes, some angst and romance. There was also a quirky character that gave the story some lightness and fun, she made me laugh. I found the plot to be interesting and exciting as well as some ideas being quite unique. An excellent read.
Wow........lol that was awesome and pure joy to read. Especially since all my favorites were there. I’m soooo glad Ryan And Candace reconnected in every way...it was great to read about Dev and Cam, Maya and Jackson, and of course Wade and Erin! I wish it would’ve included a bit more of Liam and Honor but I love what I got. But who stole the show? Grandma Ruby!!! Hilarious is all I can say! She was Laugh out loud, hold your stomach funny!!! Exceptionally bittersweet read.
I love the MacKenzie family series and I'm enjoying reading about them through this series of the MacKenzie family. I can't wait to start the next one. Also if you haven't read Kaylea's Bargam series you don't know what your missing.
So we're at Erin and Wade's wedding. Candace is having issues with Ryan. And then there is a militia group in the hills of Montana. Wow! Favourite quote from Ryan about getting through his tours unscathed but gets shot in Montana! Oh and the slapping Grandma!!!
Love how the story connected everyone in one way or another. And Grandmother Ruby... talk about a fire cracker...!! So funny 😂😂 this had a great ending too,with of course,room “ grow “ Highly recommend !
Everyone is back together, and my favorite is getting married, Wade and Erin but Ruby Bradford stole the show she was a fantastic character you can't help but laugh at and love I read Lillian Hart so was great to see more of the MacKenzie Family and how everything came together Great story.
This was a quick yet very enjoyable story. That had action, a few hot moments and some fun ones too. Thanks mainly to Candace's grandma Ruby. Who for me completely stole this story! It also had cameos from Liliana Hart's Mackenzie brothers Declan and Shane. As well as a catch up with the whole Bagram Special Ops crew. Which I enjoyed immensely and also included the wedding of Erin and Wade (from Danger Close) and I would happily recommend Never Surrender to others.
If you are a fan of the Mackenzie series, you need to read this quick Novella. Great novella! Action, suspense, and romance. Held my attention from the very beginning. Things moved along at a fast pace. I really enjoyed it.
Candace meets her husband Ryan at her families resort for a friends wedding - needless to say lots of things happen to both of them and the other guest - along with working out a major problem.
Given that I haven't read anything in this series, I didn't feel lost and it read well on it's own. I really liked all the action and suspense this packed. It was nicely paced. but still had some nice character story. I really enjoyed it and it made me want to check out the series. *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*