Cruz

Hell Squad #2

by Anna Hackett, Jeffrey Kafer (Narrator), Samantha Cook (Narrator)

5 hrs and 22 mins

Battle-hardened soldier Cruz Ramos is running on empty. As second-in-command of the deadliest commando squad fighting the invading aliens, he doesn't know why he's fighting anymore. He's seen too much destruction, devastation, and far too much death. Still, every day he goes out to protect those humans left, and every day the growing numbness threatens to take over.

Until a mysterious woman emerges from the ruins of destroyed Sydney and saves him from a pack of rampaging aliens.

Santha Kade has one goal: revenge. The raptors who have devastated the Earth have taken everything from her: her team, her home, her beloved sister. Santha--a former police officer--has spent a year alone in the ruined city, waging her own guerrilla war. Sure, she might get lonely sometimes, but she doesn't have room for anything but vengeance. Not even for a sexy soldier with liquid brown eyes, a bone-melting accent, and a face designed to drive a woman wild.

But as Cruz and Santha join forces to rescue human hostages from the aliens, their explosive attraction is impossible to resist. Can these two warriors survive long enough to find something worth living for?

Note to readers: This sci fi romance contains a lot of action (think invading aliens, explosions and gunfights), tough warriors (the sexy, battle-hardened soldiers of Hell Squad) and a steamy romance (lots of sexy times between a warrior woman and a sexy soldier). So if you like it fast, and gritty, and sexy, this is for you!

Includes preview of Book 3 of the Hell Squad, Gabe.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Aliens, Military Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia

5 pages, Audible Audio

First published April 26, 2015

About the author

I’m a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled romantic suspense and science-fiction romance. I love writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.

I love hearing from readers and you can find me on Facebook, Instagram and my website: www.annahackett.com

Reviews

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Good edition. Much more action than romance. But I still liked Cruz and Santha together. Some sad stuff happened. I like the overall storyline and will continue the series.

Safety gang
Cruz used to be manwhore but had not been in months. In the last book I got the impression he was a lot worse so I was pleasantly surprised.

Santha was no virgin but was celibate for a year (out of necessity)

One brief reference to a women he slept with once that was handled well by both. Did not bother me.

[Chappy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loving this series but those aliens give me the creeps. Cruz and Santha have some really super hot chemistry going on. Great balance between the action and the romance. Jumping right in to book 3 featuring Gabe and Emerson.

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruz and his reina!
3.5* rounded up and possible spoilers ahead.


Santha is a genuine badass who's been fighting the raptors and waiting for an opportunity to kill the female commander who was responsible for her sister's "death".
Cruz and the hell squad need Santha's help to locate and rescue some human captives.
This was an action packed read, but the connection between Cruz and Santha was still intense and sexy I liked how Cruz's past with Liberty was handled(thankfully Santha asked unlike Elle, which still bothers me 😂).Santha had her reckless moments but nothing that was TSTL. The situation with her sister had me tearing up, all in all I really liked this one with both mcs as likeable characters, old faces,new faces and a hint about Gabe's h.Another win!

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

RATING: 2.5 "Mi Reina" Hearts!!

[Under the Covers Book Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Hell Squad series we are introduced to a brand new Earth, where aliens have invaded and humans are barely surviving. But humanity still has some fight left and a rebel force has formed. Hell Squad is one of the teams that go out on missions to destroy the enemy and save as many survivors as they can. Each member of the team fights their own demons as well as the dinosaur like aliens who are trying to destroy Earth.

Cruz has had enough. The endless fighting and dying has left him wondering what he's fighting for, he's even stopped playing his music. Then he got his ass saved by her. Santha. Santha blasted into his life, saved it, then left again. She's living in the ruins of an occupied city waging a one woman war on the aliens that brutally murdered her sister. Now Hell Squad needs her help to save some prisoners and suddenly Cruz feels something he hasn't felt for a long time; hope.

I love Anna Hackett's book, they are a fantastic quick read filled with fast paced action and steamy romance. What makes Hackett's book really stick out to me though is her heroines. They aren't just damsels in distress who need saving by their big strong hero. They are badasses who come to other people's rescue. In Marcus, the first book in the series, the heroine is a Comms officer, who although isn't in the field she keeps her squad alive. In Cruz, we have Santha a former SWAT agent who has been behind enemy lines causing havoc for the last year.

But, every strong heroine needs a strong hero and I also really liked Cruz, who rather then being put off by Santha's strength, just admired her for it. And the two of them had off the charts chemistry. You go from the adrenaline rush of an action packed battle scene to a heart pounding love scene...there's no stopping until the end with this book!

*Reviewed by Suzanne❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Hell Squad #2
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

Cruz Santos, second-in-command of Hell Squad, is slowly losing himself. He has lost his drive to keep fighting, until he meets a beautiful woman in the ruins of Sydney. She saves him and his team and then disappears. Santha Kade has only one goal: revenge. She will stop at nothing to kill the leader who ordered the death of her sister.

Cruz and Santha are such a kickass couple. Santha has been surviving by herself in Sydney slowly picking off aliens whenever she can. She lost her sister in a violent way to the aliens and now she is hellbent on getting her revenge. I really liked Santha. She was beautiful, strong, and deadly. Hackett does an amazing job at writing strong, kickass females who you can’t help but love.

“I’m a soldier, mi reina. Believe me, watching you handle a crossbow is goddamned foreplay.”

Cruz is struggling and has slowly been losing himself for months. He no longer has any passion for music or a reason to keep fighting. Santha brings him back to life and gives him a reason to keep fighting for the world. Cruz was a great hero and I love that he found himself again. These two have a quick and intense romance that I loved.

"From the moment I laid eyes on you, something switched on inside me. Before that, I wasn't sure what I was fighting for."

In this book we learn more about the movements of the aliens, the different kinds of aliens, and the true horror of what they are doing. They have started experimenting on humans on top of all the killing. The new aliens are fascinating and reminiscent of dinosaurs. I love this alien filled post-apocalypse world! It is unique and fascinating and I just can’t get enough of it.

Trigger warnings: death of a sibling; human experimentation

This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the Hell Squad Series! Again a bit on the short side but the good thing is you don't have to wait too long between books.

In this book, as well as joining Cruz and Santha in their badassery and adventure, we learn a little more about the Aliens and their agenda, nasty as it is! We are also introduced to more of the Alien's malevolent, mutant minions and I can't wait to see what's going to pop up next, these creatures are off the wall lol!

Hero Warriors, evil Aliens, great action and passion in usual Anna Hackett style makes for a great read - I can't wait for broody Gabe's story coming in May.

[Just Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written action packed adventure!

It might not be the most perfect book I have ever read, but it was perfect for me.

This time we got the story of sexy Cruz with a hot Mexican accent (what is not to love about that), and strong and independent Santha.

HELL squads new mission is to locate and rescue humans who are being experimented on in an alien lab somewhere in Sydney. For that they need Santha, a woman who has a background with SWAT, and have been alone since the invasion . She is full of vengeance, and wants nothing more than to kill the responsible for her sisters death.

Feel intrigued yet?

I certainly do!

Will I recommend: yes!

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you're not 100% into the characters, there's just so much action in the damn book.

I do like Cruz, but I just really want to read Gabe's story. Even Shaw's. So I'm anxious to get to their story but Cruz's book was still good!

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cruz is Hell Squad’s second in command. He’s Marcus’s BFF, plays guitar, and has been slowly losing his mojo. That all improved when he met Santha during book 1. Santha is ex-SWAT and has been living on the streets trying to kill as many aliens as she can.

I was super excited for Santa because she was a soldier herself, not that Elle was wimpy. She was quite brave, but she wasn't kickass either. I felt like she lost some of her bad-ass when she started getting emotional and repeatedly put mission/teammates at risk with her impulsive decisions, but she improves towards the end.

Bottom Line- These are pretty short with several action missions, team time, and steam.

J’s Notes-
Picked up free within the Hell Squad 1-3 box set.
Hell Squad
Marcus Steele- Scarred leader, ex-military w/ Elle H.S’s comm’s.
Cruz Ramos- 2nd in command, ex-military (w/Marcus)
Gabe Jackson- ex-military, genetically engineered super soldier (twin Zeke)
Zeke Jackson- RIP ex-military (twin Gabe)
Claudia- only female member
Shaw Baird- sniper, womanizer
Reed MacKinnon- new member, ex-SEAL, explosives expert
Others
Noah Kim- tech genius
Adam Holmes- General in charge of Blue Mountain
Devlin Gray- surveillance/spy
Dr. Vaslin- energy specialist
Dr. Emerson- head Dr
Roth Masters- Squad 9 leader
Finn Erickson- Hawk pilot

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Santha and Crus story! I just knew that they'll get together since Marcus' book!
These books are short and very fast paced! I want to know how they think to defeat the aliens! And what the aliens whant with experimening with humans!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mayhem continues.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series in 2019 when it was on KU, but this book wasn’t on KU at the time, so I skipped it. The first three books were available in a free box set, so I downloaded and read it. I enjoyed being back in the world of Hell Squad. I enjoyed Cruz and Santha’s story. It was an action packed romance.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

Another action-packed apocalyptic romance. Santha is my kind of kick-ass heroine, waging her own guerrilla war against the alien invaders and even saving the Hell Squad from a couple of sticky situations. Cruz is supportive without over-bearing. They made a strong pairing.

I'm enjoying this series. So off to Gabe's book next..... Still, I wish they would just stick with the one narrator instead of this switching around between male/female.

[Севдалина · Rating 5 out of 5]

Круз Рамос и Санта Кейд

📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣

Круз Рамос е вторият по ранг войник в елитния отряд Hell Squad. Той е умен силен и прецизен. Проблемът е, че напоследък е изгубил волята си за живот. Без да знае дали роднините му са живи или мъртви, той се бори с извънземната раса, и спасява малкото останали човешки същества, но като цяло, няма причина, която да го кара да иска да се върне у дома във военната база жив и здрав... докато не среща нея.

Санта Кейд, бивш полицай кръстосва разрушените улици на Сидни с една единствена мисъл. Отмъщение. В началото на атаките, Рапторите, извънземната раса нападнала земята убивт сестра й пред очите й, и Санта се заклева, че ще отмъсти, като убие командира, наредил смъртта на сестра й. Срещата й с магнетичния войник Круз е нещо, което не е очаквала. Още по-малко е очаквала страстта пламнала помежду им. Сега двамата ще убеденят сили, и заедно с Hell Squad ще се опитат да открият къде Рапторите държат затворени човешки учени.

Тази втора книга от поредицата беше много напрегната и вълнуваща. Санта е една бойна мацка, която е в състояние саморъчно да изрине половината град. Сина, смела и много умна, тя е съумяла да оцелее напълно сама, водена единствено от жаждата си за отмъщение. Сцената в която откри, че сестра й е жива, и през цялото време е била опитна мишка на Рапторите, които бяха заменили почти всичките й органи, беше супер тежка. Още като я намериха знаех, какво ще последва и беше доста тежка. Това, че на Санта й се наложи да убие малката си сестричка, за да избави от мъките й, е нещо, което би пречупило по-слаба героиня. Факта, че въобще съумя да го стори, да се поддаде на молбите на сестра си, да я убие и да сложи край на мъките й, показва каква е героинята.

Двамата с Круз са чудесна двойка, и вярвам, че двамата се спасиха взаимно, давайки един на друг причина да продължат да се борят, в момент в който бяха готови да се предадат пред апатията и безразличието. Много ми харесаха и сега започвам с книгата на Гейб и Емерсън. <3

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cruz, book two was supposed to be about a ladies man.
Instead Cruz had nothing to fight for, nothing to live for. When a stranger crossed the Hell Squad path, Cruz found himself wanting to know more about the mysterious woman.

Eventually Santha is the one to be saved by Cruz and his team and sparks start to fly between the two main characters.

I guess I wanted more of Santha's one year alone fighting the aliens or something to glue the plot.
Again not much character build be definitely a lot of action. I guess this is one of the points that makes me like the series: the military side of it.

[Eleni Konstantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cruz feels disconnection with all around him - all except for the lone warrior woman surviving in Sydney fighting against aliens. Santha brings him back to life and he in turn gives her more to live for than only revenge.

The story of two soldiers fighting their demons and battling together to save innocents. There’s a lot of action, emotion and sex packed in. We learn more about the aliens who continue to plague the planet. Fast paced, punchy but also with heart, a fab post apocalyptic read.

Disclaimer: while I know the author personally, this doesn’t affect the star rating.

[Lala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am seriously enjoying this series, the stories are fun, action packed, well crafted and a great world-building. I loooove the characters and cannot wait for the next story to come!Miss Hackett hurry up!

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

This was not the book I intended to read for today. Who knew that someone could possibly make a book titled The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse boring? When that fell with a thud, I turned to one of my go-to authors, Anna Hackett. She has never disappointed me.

And certainly still hasn’t with Cruz, the second book in her post-apocalyptic Hell Squad series. A lot of the setup for this series is in the first book, Marcus. The brave new world that Hackett has envisioned in Hell Squad needs a whole lot of bravery, because the new world mostly sucks.

In this near-future, the apocalypse that the series is dealing with the aftermath of is an alien invasion. The Gizzida look a lot like a cross between the aliens in Alien and ancient Earth dinosaurs – chiefly the predatory kind. However, these reptilian invaders have a philosophy that owes more than a bit to Star Trek’s Borg. They intend to absorb the human race and make it stronger. The difference between the Borg and the Gizzida is that these invaders don’t wipe out their own individuality. Or at least not all of it. Or they may be even more like the Borg than we’re sure of at this point, having a queen who is an individual directing an army of drones.

But our story follows the human resistance. Who seem a lot more sympathetic than the invaders. The Gizzida wiped out all the human cities with bombs and raptors, but humanity fights back. The Hell Squad lives and works at Blue Mountain Base in Australia, far outside Sydney. In my head I see Blue Mountain Base looking an awful lot like the Cheyenne Mountain Complex outside Colorado Springs in Stargate SG1, crossed with that sense of last humans fighting back from Battlestar Galactica.

(There have been a lot of references to BSG this week. A good trope is a reused trope.)

In the first book, Marcus, we were introduced to the people who make up Squad Six of the resistance out of Blue Mountain. Squad Six is much better known to everyone except the base commander as Hell Squad. They go into hell and bring hell to their enemy.

At the very end of the first book, we met Santha Kade, a lone warrior who is fighting the aliens all by herself, and has been for a year. She’s a former SWAT officer, and is good at fighting and staying alive.

She also fascinates one of the members of Hell Squad, Cruz Ramos. There’s something about the woman warrior that keeps Cruz from descending into the unfeeling darkness of too many missions, too many deaths, and not enough hope that the fight is worthwhile.

Santha thinks that Cruz makes great eye candy, but she’s in this fight to avenge herself against the alien commander who murdered her sister right before her eyes, while Santha was paralyzed by an alien poisoned weapon. She’s not ready for the emotional confusion of a relationship. On the other hand, some life-affirming hot sex seems like an incredibly good idea. At least with Cruz.

Santha is not interested in being part of the hierarchy and orderly chain of command at Blue Mountain Base, in spite of the safety that comes with having a secure hideout. But they need her. The resistance has learned that the aliens have kidnapped a group of human scientists, and the resistance wants to mount a rescue.

But in order to rescue someone, first you have to know where to look for them. Santha has the best, in depth intelligence on the alien operations, because she’s spent an entire year observing them and searching for the alien commander. They need her intel, and when she is injured, she finally realizes that she needs them. At least a little bit.

Santha still burns for revenge. Blue Mountain wants a surgical strike, in, rescue the prisoners, out. Of course it all goes FUBAR.

Because in the best alien invasion tradition, the Gizzida aren’t just capturing scientists for their knowledge, they are grabbing humans of all types, ages and sizes so that they can conduct torturous experiments. The Gizzida want to see what makes us tick. Because, in best evil alien fashion, they want to make us all stop ticking.

The laboratories that Hell Squad uncovers show a hell that none of them imagined in their worst nightmares. But they will stop at nothing to get those people out. One way or another.

Escape Rating A-: This second book in the series gets a little more into the aliens’ motives. Not that there isn’t still more to come, but for the first time we hear one speaking to a human while thinking they are on top, and getting just a tiny bit into their outline for the subjugation of the human race. It begins to let us see that the Gizzida are not just evil for evil’s sake. They don’t see themselves as evil. They think they have a manifest destiny. We naturally think they are purely destructive.

Just like in the first book, there is a romance here. Cruz and Santha have fascinated each other from the first time they met. But Santha is totally invested in her revenge-motivated lone-wolf crusade, and Cruz is part of a team. He’s more than willing to open up that team to include Santha, but living in the base will mean submitting herself to the same rules and discipline as everyone else. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but while you are in the midst of pursuing it it’s damn hard to let go of.

Unlike the romance in Marcus, Cruz and Santha are coming from the same kind of place. They are both soldiers, and they have both always been soldiers. Cruz admires Santha’s strength and intelligence. Life in the resistance is a hard life likely to end in premature death. They both need someone who accepts the darkness in every survivor, and who has the strength to fight, often literally, to grab some joy from existence and fight to keep it.

They are also both people who have a lot of demons in them, and need a partner physically strong enough to hold them down when necessary, or spar equally with them until exhaustion moves to temporary oblivion.

It’s a very different relationship than the one between Marcus and Elle in the first book. Marcus needs a refuge, and Elle needs validation that she’s a capable partner. Cruz and Santha both need people who have been exactly where the other one is and understands the monsters they hold inside.

The plot of the story – discovering and rescuing the captives, is a heartbreaker from beginning to end. While this theme has been used before, here it was especially gut wrenching, because Hell Squad has to deal both with healing the ones who can possibly be healed, and making the unfortunate but necessary call that in some extreme circumstances, death can be a mercy, especially for those we love.

If you like your end of the world scenarios with a little bit of love and whole lot of fighting back, Hell Squad is a winner.

[Linda Whitacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy aliens vs badass humans
The HELL SQUAD SERIES is an amazing sci-fi romance. Earth has been invaded by horrible ALIEN creatures called the Gizzida intent on making a “destroyed” Earth theirs. There are pockets of resistance across the planet, humans willing to fight to the death to save mankind, to save Earth. Hell Square takes place in Australia, starting in Sydney. Luckily this hidden base has a group of survivors from many walks of life and a lot of these wonderful characters will have their own story in this 20-book series. I AM RE-READING THE ENTIRE SERIES and it’s even better the second time around.
Book 2 CRUZ (Ramos), former military, is a member of Hell Squad. Cruz is a good-looking man full of charm. He used to be fun, but it’s been over a year since the invasion, and the constant fighting and death are wearing him down.
Santha Kade, former SWAT, is a lone wolf fighting the Gizzida in the destroyed streets of Sydney. She is the ultimate badass warrior who for a year has put the hurt on the evil aliens. At the beginning of the invasion, Santha lost her sister, she saw the aliens murder her. All Santha lives for is revenge. Santha has spied on Hell Squad as they battle, she’s even helped them a few times, keeping a special watch on Cruz. The fighting is fierce, and the discoveries of abuse are horrific. I love how Cruz and Santha fight so well together, anticipating the other's needs. Santha finally moves to the Blue Mountain base with Cruz where they find love, family, and safety. This is a dark story, but wonderful characters give hope. Linda

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strong men (and women!) of Hell Squad are full of fighting spirit. And by that, I mean they're out on the front lines kicking dinosaur alien butt! AS ONE DOES!

In book two, we're given Cruz and Santha's story. Santha is very much a loner who's been doing an outstanding job exacting some cold vengeance on the aliens who killed her sister. Oh, and she's fascinated by Cruz. Which is totally understandable. Those two have some sparks. And when the team comes across information they need Santha's help with, those sparks heat up even further.

It just goes to show you that even a full-on alien invasion doesn't mean the lovin' has to stop.

While Cruz and Santha are extremely compatible in the sexy times department, her year in her own means Santha has some issues being a team player. Which puts her in a few interesting situations.

Good thing Cruz and the other members of Hell Squad have her back.

I'm really digging the entire Hell Squad team, but I'm DYING to get to Gabe's story. Genetically engineered soldiers in the depths of grief over losing their twin are my thang. Good thing I have the next book on tap!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Hell Squad series we are introduced to a brand new Earth, where aliens have invaded and humans are barely surviving. But humanity still has some fight left and a rebel force has formed. Hell Squad is one of the teams that go out on missions to destroy the enemy and save as many survivors as they can. Each member of the team fights their own demons as well as the dinosaur like aliens who are trying to destroy Earth.

Cruz has had enough. The endless fighting and dying has left him wondering what he's fighting for, he's even stopped playing his music. Then he got his ass saved by her. Santha. Santha blasted into his life, saved it, then left again. She's living in the ruins of an occupied city waging a one woman war on the aliens that brutally murdered her sister. Now Hell Squad needs her help to save some prisoners, and for suddenly Cruz feels something he hasn't felt for a long time; hope.

I love Anna Hackett's book, they are a fantastic quick read, filled with fast paced action and steamy romance. What makes Hackett's book really stick out to me though is her heroines. They aren't just damsels in distress who need saving by their big strong hero. They are badasses who come to other people's rescue. In Marcus, the first book in the series, the heroine is a Comms officer, who although isn't in the field she keeps her squad alive. In Cruz, we have Santha a former SWAT agent who has been behind enemy lines causing havoc for the last year.

But, every strong heroine needs a strong hero, and I also really liked Cruz, who rather then being put off by Santha's strength, just admired her for it. And the two of them had off the charts chemistry. You go from the adrenaline rush of an action packed battle scene to a heart pounding love scene...there's no stopping until the end with this book!

[Krysta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished reading Cruz which is book two in this series and I just felt underwhelmed. Marcus and Elle’s story was far superior. I found myself skipping a lot of this one and not missing anything. The romance and connection between Cruz and Santha was missing. They didn’t have much chemistry beyond a physical attraction where as Marcus and Elle had a relationship and bond beyond the physical stuff. Cruz seemed like an off brand of Marcus and not in a good way. Santha was a bit repetitive and annoying. She had a destructive personality and always acted like she knew better than the other Hell Squad members. The ending scene she had was also ridiculous and unrealistic. I rolled my eyes through the whole thing because I couldn’t actually see Santha as a character accomplishing it. It was written mostly for emotional effect I think. This book also focuses on the aliens and the action majority of the time. I like how the plot with the aliens is building and I’m interested to see where it goes. You can clearly see where the next relationships are starting to develop for the future books as well. I’m planning to continue and read the next book so overall not bad but the first definitely outshines this one.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solo rebel Santha Kade hurriedly set explosives at a spot she’d seen the dinosaur-like aliens congregate and they should be here any moment. Moving away from her handiwork, Santha recognizes Hell Squad’s sexy second, Cruz approaching her quickly, a brief turn of her head confirms raptors are just as quickly coming from the other direction. Santha waves Cruz off. moving to the exact spot, unaware raptors were approaching from the opposite direction.

Santha got to the squad quickly enough to stop them. Cruz was grateful for the save Santha’s info gave them but he’d been much more fascinated with her as a woman since their first meeting. Separating before raptors decimate them, doubling back, the squad is able to rescue a badly injured, barely conscious Santha. On their flight to base, Santha’s revived when the squad is in a tight spot and she shares critical info.

Partnered on a recon mission to a raptor base, Cruz and Santha find human captives in a dire situation, they also see the raptor Santha has a personal grudge against and they battle a new, deadly feathered dinosaur. Back at base, they get a new team member and ready a new mission with enough terror for everybody.
Rating: 4.25stars

[Carol orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love under pressure

No plot spoilers
No potential triggers
There are no errors that I can recall
The characterisation is good, with individual personalities and motivators that allows the reader to form a connection.
So far the series has provided us with two very different but very strong female leads and I can't say just how much I appreciate that, I totally dislike whiny weak characters who depend on the man to take care of her.
The plotline is a continuation from the previous book and that in itself is enjoyable. The series is able to move forward in each book so it's good that the reader is able to take those steps at their own pace. Lets face it, sometimes you need to put the series down for a short while to let you absorb the storyline.
There are some sex scenes and some swearing, there is also a lot of violence and blood.
So far there isn't much known about the alien invaders, but we do learn a little more in this book. Hopefully that will continue throughout the series.
The romance is there, I loved Cruz from the first book and his story is uniquely his.
I have no problem recommending the series to fans of the genre.

[DarcLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 damaged souls, 1 alien apocalypse!

Book two of Hell Squad continues with the story of second in command Cruz and his love for rebel fighter Santa. Can two damaged souls find love during an alien apocalypse? Of course they can but it will be one hell (squad) of a ride to get there. Along the way, there will be toe curling cruelty, a bit of laughter, many tests and Panty-Melting sex. There are also glimpses of future relationships which left me begging for more. The attraction between these two soldiers is off the charts and Jeffrey and Samantha really bring it to life.

Warning ⚠ this book is not for the faint hearted. Read / Listen to it with a box of tissues and preferably a strong drink beside you. It is one roller-coaster of a ride but so, so worth it. Recommended to all adult readers who love action-packed romance. I can't wait to listen to the next in the series Gabe.

Note: I originally posted this review last year, but as it seems to have disappeared I am reposting.

[Avid Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell Squad

What a great read, drama, action, romance, and hot rapid sex all in one book.
Cruzeiro saw Santha before and was drawn to her. He came alive in her presence, so for him to rescue her and then devour her was a fitting get-together. Two hot heads together, tough, not afraid of danger, and can fight. Santha sought revenge for her sister that aliens had killed. The squad rescued survivers, and they were used as experiments lab rats.
On second mission to rescue more human survivors in a larger experiment she discovered her sister was still alive but badly disfigured from experiment, Santha had to take the tough decision as asked by her sister to end her misery and suffering.
Santha managed to keep her promise and take out the commander alien leader in combat fight it and win. Such toughness, badass, resolve to have that release from her mind, now she and Cruz can move on together ❤️. Hooe to catch up with Hell squad with Gabe story. We'll worth read 5 stars.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Hackett's futuristic romance series about a squadron of humans fighting to save the last of humanity continues in Cruz, about second-in-command ladies' man, and a lone female fighter surviving on her own in a destroyed Sydney. There's lots of action - bloody fight sequences, explosions, packs of canids and raptors with acidic spit. There are secret labs, human experiments gone wrong, and even a knife duel between our romantic heroine, Santha, and the alien lizard commander. And I haven't even gotten to the sex yet, which was balls to the wall graphic and scorching hot.

Overall, I am stoked for this series, and enjoy the world that Hackett has created. However, I was a little disappointed in Cruz and Santha's story, and wanted to see more development there besides the cliched InstaLove this is so typical of this genre. Overall, recommended!

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I needed something to read during the middle of the night as a pick me up after a chapter of two of The City We Became... And would you believe it, alien invasion sci-fi romance was just the ticket. Although I must add that this series is quite a bit darker than Ms Hackett's other series - lots of sibling death, graphic torture and misery amidst all the sexy times.

Cruz and his lady whose name I have forgotten (oops) were fine, I found the alpha male posturing a little bit irritating on behalf of the lady, but I warmed up to the pair by the end. I'm also such an easy mark - introduce a big group of characters and give them each a story and I am here for it. I cannot believe I have to wait until book seven for Claudia and Shaw, this is outrageous, but also fiendishly clever. Well played, Anna Hackett, you may have my money.

[Kara Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd book in the series follows Cruz and Santha, the former cop, living alone in the ruins of the city as she plots revenge against the aliens who killed her sister. Due to a serious injury, she ends up back at Base with Hell Squad and the other survivors. While on a scouting mission, Cruz and Santha discover that the aliens are performing horrible experiments on captured humans, and they must work to free the humans and also to kill the commander who is responsible for the death of Santha's sister.