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The Southerlands #10
Wicked Intent
Gabe Southerland's got a job to do -- protect his cousin from a would be stalker. Not a problem for the Southerland Security team. That is until his slick, beautiful, almost one night stand turns out to be his cousin's PR person.
Berlin Merritt is sure the sexy security guy hired to protect her client is more brawn than brains. It's her job to prevent his bull in a china shop routine from wrecking her carefully constructed PR plans before the biggest merger of her career.
If she finds the heat in Gabe's gaze distracting, she'll get over it. Just because she almost crossed a line with him, doesn't mean she has any intention of repeating her mistake. As the danger escalates and their wicked attraction builds, can they find a way to work together or risk losing everything?
Berlin Merritt is sure the sexy security guy hired to protect her client is more brawn than brains. It's her job to prevent his bull in a china shop routine from wrecking her carefully constructed PR plans before the biggest merger of her career.
If she finds the heat in Gabe's gaze distracting, she'll get over it. Just because she almost crossed a line with him, doesn't mean she has any intention of repeating her mistake. As the danger escalates and their wicked attraction builds, can they find a way to work together or risk losing everything?
167 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2017
320 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Adams
54 books270 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Evelyn Adams loves coffee, her kids, Netflix, and books. Not necessarily in that order. If she's not writing steamy romances, she's chasing kids, reading, or binging Mrs Maisel
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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February 26, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/26/2020)! 🎁
February 27, 2021
Less romance more detective work.
🌀 The writer wierdly described a strong female lead. First the intro to Berlin was weird. And through out the book whenever she has rocked a gorgeous dress, the description went pages long. At the end I was tired and skipping through paragraphs as I already knew that this whole paragraph is going to be on her backless dress.
😤The story gravitates around a "catch me if you can" chase rather than Berlin and Gabe's romance. Although the chemistry shows up here and there but most of the time they are busy doing their job, which is to catch the woman who once drugged and sexually abused Gabe's cousin. And on that context the story felt way too stretched. There was no extraordinary plot twists that is to say but still the chase went pretty long. All the action was almost at the end, chapter 14.
🥰The chemistry between two emotionally unavailable person is well-portrayed though. Kudos to that. After a long beating around the bushes finally they confess their feeilngs. It felt quite realistic in that scenario.
🌬️As per the erotic scenes there is almost nothing. Jn the long detective work on the case they barely got any time to hit it off. But whenever they did it was fun and well described. Lovemaking scenes were just great.
🌀 The writer wierdly described a strong female lead. First the intro to Berlin was weird. And through out the book whenever she has rocked a gorgeous dress, the description went pages long. At the end I was tired and skipping through paragraphs as I already knew that this whole paragraph is going to be on her backless dress.
😤The story gravitates around a "catch me if you can" chase rather than Berlin and Gabe's romance. Although the chemistry shows up here and there but most of the time they are busy doing their job, which is to catch the woman who once drugged and sexually abused Gabe's cousin. And on that context the story felt way too stretched. There was no extraordinary plot twists that is to say but still the chase went pretty long. All the action was almost at the end, chapter 14.
🥰The chemistry between two emotionally unavailable person is well-portrayed though. Kudos to that. After a long beating around the bushes finally they confess their feeilngs. It felt quite realistic in that scenario.
🌬️As per the erotic scenes there is almost nothing. Jn the long detective work on the case they barely got any time to hit it off. But whenever they did it was fun and well described. Lovemaking scenes were just great.
June 23, 2017
Originally I was going to give this a 4 star rating but in light of the fact that this finished without revealing some very important information. Why did the stalker stalk? Now I know that there isn't always answer to why. But there was absolutely nothing. They catch the stalker. The end. Then the H and the h they admit they love each other. She wasn't very open to sharing her thoughts or anything else. He wasn't much more forthcoming. It was just so surfacy (if that's even a word). There was no depth to the characters, unless you count their own inner monologues. The book was well written with no editing errors, that I found. I just didn't feel any heat or passion between the two. The epilogue could have wrapped up everything, but the author chose to basically set up the next book. So nothing there. I don't think I 'll be continuing with this series.
March 1, 2017
Gabe Southerland's cousin, Blake, had asked for the help of Southerland Security. Blake's company was in negation to merge with another company that held family values high. Blake had also hired Berlin Merritt to handle all the PR and make sure everything went smoothly during the meetings with the other company and to put out positive press releases. Unfortunately Blake received a letter from a woman suggesting something had happened between her and Blake. He had no idea what she was talking about as he loved his wife and would never look at another woman let alone take her to bed. Gabe's team had to find out what happened and who the woman is. Berlin was a feisty take control woman. Gabe and her butted heads every time they were together.
Berlin's upbringing was not a happy one and her mother had many "uncles" that Berlin learned how to keep them away. She felt all men did was cheat on their wives and lie. She didn't have a lot of faith in love. Gabe believed in love, but was happy with his care free life without a woman to tie him down. Once he met Berlin, he finally met his match. It was fun to read about their banter back and forth. I enjoyed watching both of them turn around their thinking about love and each other. There was also some suspenseful times in the book where I couldn't put the book down so I could find out what was going to happen. I loved the book, and strongly encourage you to read it. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
Berlin's upbringing was not a happy one and her mother had many "uncles" that Berlin learned how to keep them away. She felt all men did was cheat on their wives and lie. She didn't have a lot of faith in love. Gabe believed in love, but was happy with his care free life without a woman to tie him down. Once he met Berlin, he finally met his match. It was fun to read about their banter back and forth. I enjoyed watching both of them turn around their thinking about love and each other. There was also some suspenseful times in the book where I couldn't put the book down so I could find out what was going to happen. I loved the book, and strongly encourage you to read it. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
April 28, 2020
Suspense ride ahead
I loved the suspense in this one. Berlín, One strong independent woman who doesn't back down from any challenge and Gabe, a man who's equally hard headed. Together there are like a match made in heaven. But amidst this is a crazy stalker behind Gabe's cousin. Gabe will do anything to protect his family. But he and Berlin butt heads when his security comes in the way of Berlin doing her job of maintaining the proper image for the Southerland. As being their PR it's job to take care of that. Together they embark on a journey to join forces to find out the crazy stalker especially when a bitter truth comes out that can mean the stalker is more dangerous than initially thought. Amidst these though Gabe and Berlin find themselves being pulled to each other. But both being hard headed, not one is ready to back down or accept to what's being brewing between them. ❤️
I loved the suspense in this one. Berlín, One strong independent woman who doesn't back down from any challenge and Gabe, a man who's equally hard headed. Together there are like a match made in heaven. But amidst this is a crazy stalker behind Gabe's cousin. Gabe will do anything to protect his family. But he and Berlin butt heads when his security comes in the way of Berlin doing her job of maintaining the proper image for the Southerland. As being their PR it's job to take care of that. Together they embark on a journey to join forces to find out the crazy stalker especially when a bitter truth comes out that can mean the stalker is more dangerous than initially thought. Amidst these though Gabe and Berlin find themselves being pulled to each other. But both being hard headed, not one is ready to back down or accept to what's being brewing between them. ❤️
March 2, 2020
Wicked Intent by Evelyn Adams.
A charming story, predictable plot, a bit too much inner dialogue from both characters for my liking. The stalker issue plot has too many plot holes in it and no explanation of why. The book's main character is part of a security firm who employs many ex military men who do body guard and surveillance type work; and yet the stalker is able to harm one of the mayor characters despite the many surveillance cameras and people whose job it is to be alert and who are actively looking for the stalker. Who was watching the camera feeds? You would have thought that at least 1 surveillance camera would be on all the entry and exit points? I know it is a romance story and fiction, a quick read 2 and half stars.
A charming story, predictable plot, a bit too much inner dialogue from both characters for my liking. The stalker issue plot has too many plot holes in it and no explanation of why. The book's main character is part of a security firm who employs many ex military men who do body guard and surveillance type work; and yet the stalker is able to harm one of the mayor characters despite the many surveillance cameras and people whose job it is to be alert and who are actively looking for the stalker. Who was watching the camera feeds? You would have thought that at least 1 surveillance camera would be on all the entry and exit points? I know it is a romance story and fiction, a quick read 2 and half stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2017
I am thoroughly enjoying the Southerland Security series. This book begins with Gabe in a bar getting the brush-off from a beautiful woman, which is not a usual experience for him. He’s on assignment to do security for his cousin who is being bothered by a stalker. He’s supposed to coordinate with his cousin’s PR person, who is of course the beautiful woman from the bar. The stalking situation escalates and gets very involved. This book is fast-paced and has an interesting storyline. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.
March 23, 2020
She was hired to help this family company with a merge. She has a low opinion of men but is great at her job. When it looks like the owner had a affair on his pregnant wife she could not wait to be done. But his cousin know he did not cheat and was determine to clear his name and it turns out she can help. But can they do it in time and not give in to their feeling for each other. A great book and I was to read them all.
March 4, 2017
Gabe Southerland is called to protect his cousin from a stalker, what he doesn't plan on is his cousin's PR Berlin Merritt. Dancing round each other, will they give in to their mutual attraction or will the stalker get in their way? I love the way all the southerlands are supportive and have each others backs. An explosive, dangerous, wicked story that had me hooked from start to finish.
January 18, 2023
I had a hard time finishing the book.
The storyline was okay but all over the place, to many names.
Why was this woman stalking the guy and for a security team they did a very bad job.
Didn’t feel the connection between them.
They had their problems and mentioned often but not really talked about.
Everything is barley scratching the surface.
The storyline was okay but all over the place, to many names.
Why was this woman stalking the guy and for a security team they did a very bad job.
Didn’t feel the connection between them.
They had their problems and mentioned often but not really talked about.
Everything is barley scratching the surface.
April 18, 2020
Wicked Intent
I really liked this book. I have read the first one as well, and enjoyed both of them. You could read them both as a stand alone, but it's fun watching the characters as they intertwine.
I really liked this book. I have read the first one as well, and enjoyed both of them. You could read them both as a stand alone, but it's fun watching the characters as they intertwine.
May 27, 2020
Great story. I loved how the author gave you more information about the security team and what their job entailed while also giving you a solid believable storyline. The suspense was on point and Gabe and Berlin's story was a slow burn with a great coming together.
April 1, 2021
The feisty lady from the bar, was someone he was attracted to from the start. However, she was to become a central part of his mission for his cousin, whether she liked it or not. They had to learn to work together, regardless of personal feelings.
May 13, 2024
Nice change
Great mystery \love story . Great chance. While looking for a sick person you find love. This was a good change from sickly love to it can happen to you.I truly enjoyed the way this ended. Make anyone wonder if there is true love.
Great mystery \love story . Great chance. While looking for a sick person you find love. This was a good change from sickly love to it can happen to you.I truly enjoyed the way this ended. Make anyone wonder if there is true love.
March 15, 2020
Good romantic suspense. Got an alpha male and an alpha female. Watch the sparks fly! Good dialogue with a good plot. Some hot scenes. Recommended read.
August 27, 2020
Intriguing characters
Good Story Line
Frighteningly surreal back story
A Good read
Good Story Line
Frighteningly surreal back story
A Good read
August 27, 2021
DNF 48%
MCs had no chemistry.
MCs had no chemistry.
October 12, 2021
Really good but it ended a little abruptly
March 15, 2017
A good story, quite exciting in places, and an excellent addition to the series. Gabe Southerland is a partner in Southerland Security, but on this occasion the job is more than business, it is personal. It seems his cousin Blake has a dangerous stalker who seems able to reach him despite security in place. The problem is compounded because Blake's company is working at a merger with a much larger company and could not afford to have the problem escalate and be seen to be surrounded by security. The problem escalates when it appears the stalker might be targeting Blake's wife Samantha, who he loves very much, and is pregnant with their first child.
Blake has hired Berlin Merritt to facilitate the merger, and Gabe is attracted to her, despite their constantly clashing heads about security issues, they have to find a way to work together. As the story progresses they gradually become involved romantically, despite their differences in the workplace.
A plan is concocted to trap the stalker, but it all goes badly wrong when Berlin is kidnapped rather than the intended target. Gabe has to pull out all his resources to rescue her. An interesting read, very exciting in places, and a satisfying ending.
Blake has hired Berlin Merritt to facilitate the merger, and Gabe is attracted to her, despite their constantly clashing heads about security issues, they have to find a way to work together. As the story progresses they gradually become involved romantically, despite their differences in the workplace.
A plan is concocted to trap the stalker, but it all goes badly wrong when Berlin is kidnapped rather than the intended target. Gabe has to pull out all his resources to rescue her. An interesting read, very exciting in places, and a satisfying ending.
February 27, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I am a BIG Evelyn Adams fan. I also have LOVED the Southerland series, when it ended I was very sad. Then the author started a new series Southerland Security, about the cousins. I read the first book in the series about the sister and I did not love it. It was very centered on rock climbing and it was just so different to what I enjoy and look forward to reading in this series.
Then I received an arc of this book and well I am happy to say “SHE IS BACK.” I LOVED this story. This is why I read the series and love it so much. It features Blake and Samantha, who was a couple in the original Southerland series and well I did not like where the author goes with them. I am not spoiling all that but lets say that Blake has a stalker.
So Blakes hires Gabe’s company, Southerland Security to protect him, Sam, and his team while they work on a merger with another company.
Berlin is working for Blake as PR on his team and she is a super strong, controlled woman who drives Gabe crazy and it’s not one sided. I LOVED Gabe and Berlin together. They really have a hate/love relationship and I loved watching them fall hard for each other.
This story has A LOT of action as Gabe, Berlin and Blake try and find the stalker and then have her arrested. It was a riveting story and I loved all the drama and romance in this story.
I am a BIG Evelyn Adams fan. I also have LOVED the Southerland series, when it ended I was very sad. Then the author started a new series Southerland Security, about the cousins. I read the first book in the series about the sister and I did not love it. It was very centered on rock climbing and it was just so different to what I enjoy and look forward to reading in this series.
Then I received an arc of this book and well I am happy to say “SHE IS BACK.” I LOVED this story. This is why I read the series and love it so much. It features Blake and Samantha, who was a couple in the original Southerland series and well I did not like where the author goes with them. I am not spoiling all that but lets say that Blake has a stalker.
So Blakes hires Gabe’s company, Southerland Security to protect him, Sam, and his team while they work on a merger with another company.
Berlin is working for Blake as PR on his team and she is a super strong, controlled woman who drives Gabe crazy and it’s not one sided. I LOVED Gabe and Berlin together. They really have a hate/love relationship and I loved watching them fall hard for each other.
This story has A LOT of action as Gabe, Berlin and Blake try and find the stalker and then have her arrested. It was a riveting story and I loved all the drama and romance in this story.
March 26, 2017
Evelyn had done it again. Another Southernland found love with a few twists and turns along the way, while helping his cousin find his stalker.
Can't wait to find out what she has in-store for more members of the security team.
Can't wait to find out what she has in-store for more members of the security team.
August 28, 2024
I have read more than a dozen of Evelyn Adams Southerland series. I must admit that WICKED INTENT is not one of my favorites. This book is more mystery than romance, unlike many of the author's other books. The strong character in this book is not a Southerland at all, but an interest of Gabe Southerland. Most of the Southerlands are very strong characters but in this novel I found Gabe to be not as strong. Most of my reviews of Evelyn Adams books have been 4 or 5 star reviews but this one just didn't cut it for me.
January 13, 2021
I liked the way this story turned around and created an almost upside down dcene from what is typical. Not that it could never happen. I am, however, a little off as to what the stalker wanted in the end. Blake alone?
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews