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He’s focused on his career and ready to take on his future. She’s doing what she loves a million miles away from her past. And then their worlds collide.
Nick Stevenson had it all until one drunk driver changed his whole life. But now, he’s ready to put his past aside and focus on the present, until he meets a woman that will change everything.
Melissa Burke has spent most of her life living in the shadows of a sister who disappeared as a child. She moved halfway around the world to start over in a career she loves. Then, a mysterious and sexy man shows up and alters the course of her future.
Their lives are about to take a path neither ever saw coming. Their pasts are about to intersect in a way they never imagined. Will their love survive the darkness they thought was forever banished, or will that darkness follow them home and destroy everything they hold dear?
Nick Stevenson had it all until one drunk driver changed his whole life. But now, he’s ready to put his past aside and focus on the present, until he meets a woman that will change everything.
Melissa Burke has spent most of her life living in the shadows of a sister who disappeared as a child. She moved halfway around the world to start over in a career she loves. Then, a mysterious and sexy man shows up and alters the course of her future.
Their lives are about to take a path neither ever saw coming. Their pasts are about to intersect in a way they never imagined. Will their love survive the darkness they thought was forever banished, or will that darkness follow them home and destroy everything they hold dear?
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2019
9 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Rose
99 books1,579 followersUSA Today & International Bestselling romance author, S.E. Rose lives near Washington D.C. with her family. When she's not wrangling her cats or keeping up with her kids, she's plotting her next story.
She loves all things wine, coffee, and cats. In her non-existent free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, binging on her favorite shows, and reading, especially if it's a good mystery or comedy.
She loves all things wine, coffee, and cats. In her non-existent free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, binging on her favorite shows, and reading, especially if it's a good mystery or comedy.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 4, 2019
Nick is a young engineer, starting his dream job just a few years out of college with a work trip to the Azores his first week. He meets Melissa at dinner one night, a marine biologist there studying dolphins. They end up having a whirlwind romance, that continues long distance once he returns to the US.
Complicating matters, however, is an old enemy from his family's past who escaped from prison and now Nick and his entire family are in danger. This plot line seems to be the main one of the book. Being an exorbitantly wealthy family, though, all the family members are able to drop everything and go to various homes around the eastern seaboard.
What I liked: It was entertaining for the most part.
What I didn't like: I don't expect these types of books to be actually realistic, but there is a limit to my suspension of disbelief. In what I suppose is a summary of the first 4 books in this series (I haven't read them), Nick gives us (the reader) a rundown of what has happened in his family since the death of his father several years ago:
Yeah. All that coincidence. And there's more involving Melissa, too, but that could be a spoiler so I'll leave that out. So much of this book is implausible. It almost reads like a movie, but not a good movie. More like one you watch on Netflix one day and then scratch your head wondering why.
Also, the prologue. In some books, the prologue is wonderful. In this case, however, it gives away too much. The events that happen could have been exciting if we didn't know it was going to happen. Instead, the actual event in the book was a bit of a letdown because the prologue made it seem like more than it was.
Overall: It's okay, but not great.
Complicating matters, however, is an old enemy from his family's past who escaped from prison and now Nick and his entire family are in danger. This plot line seems to be the main one of the book. Being an exorbitantly wealthy family, though, all the family members are able to drop everything and go to various homes around the eastern seaboard.
What I liked: It was entertaining for the most part.
What I didn't like: I don't expect these types of books to be actually realistic, but there is a limit to my suspension of disbelief. In what I suppose is a summary of the first 4 books in this series (I haven't read them), Nick gives us (the reader) a rundown of what has happened in his family since the death of his father several years ago:
My mom, who became an author, after my dad died in a car accident nearly twelve years ago now, met her current husband, Jack, when she went to Scotland almost four years ago. Jack, as it turned out, was involved in some crazy spy stuff, and my mom got wrapped up in it and nearly killed by some crazy Russian crime boss, Alexei. My sister, Lily, who was almost sold into the sex slave trade because of this, took some time off to travel in South America. That’s where she and Zoe met Lance and Cody. Lily ended up spending time in our birth city and found out our biological father had been involved in human trafficking and had actually worked with this crazy Russian dude. Cody, who was also working in the same city, ended up working with another man who had taken over the Russian guy’s slave trade after my mom killed him in Scotland. I know, this shit is crazy and complicated.
Anyhow, poor Zoe and Cody got sucked in because the crazy Middle Eastern dude, Mohammed, who was working with Cody tried to get a USB drive back that Cody apparently had by accident. Who the hell leaves info on a USB drive anymore? Well, this guy did, and he chased them all the way to China trying to get it back. Zoe nearly got killed, and Cody ended up killing Mohammed. Then, just when we thought our family had finished with this crazy international crime shit, my uncle Jesse got sucked in last year. He had the info from the USB drive because he is crazy awesome with computer software and was helping to decode the encryption on it. Mohammed’s brother, Saeed , tried to get it back and almost killed my uncle and his now wife , Vanessa, AKA the famous singer. Vanessa killed Saeed and the rest is family history. And that’s my family and our messed-up crazy few years. As it turns out , my stepdad, Jack, is actually a consultant of some type for the FBI or CIA or Interpol; honestly, I’m not really sure, and I don’t think I want to know.
Yeah. All that coincidence. And there's more involving Melissa, too, but that could be a spoiler so I'll leave that out. So much of this book is implausible. It almost reads like a movie, but not a good movie. More like one you watch on Netflix one day and then scratch your head wondering why.
Also, the prologue. In some books, the prologue is wonderful. In this case, however, it gives away too much. The events that happen could have been exciting if we didn't know it was going to happen. Instead, the actual event in the book was a bit of a letdown because the prologue made it seem like more than it was.
Overall: It's okay, but not great.
January 5, 2019
3.5 Stars-Felt a Little Lost
Yeah, probably my fault I felt lost reading this book, as I didn't realize it was the fifth in a series. There are a lot of characters to get to know and catch up with, all the while, trying to stay focused on the main characters of this story line.
Nick has had quite the colorful past it seems and now that he finally is moving forward from it, meeting a nice girl and has a new job, the past comes crashing into him. Nick was an okay guy, not my taste in the bedroom, but nice none the less. I'm not sure what all happened to him with the drunk driving incident mentioned in the blurb, however he sounded like he was ready to settle down a bit.
Melissa was nice in her own right but was ready to give it all up for a guy she met a week ago. I wasn't a fan of that type of thinking. I liked the independent spirit she projected when we first met her.
The book is a lot of set up and explaining who everybody is and what happened in the past, that said, I still felt a little lost as I read. That and the fact I didn't really care about all those other people, I expected to read about Nick and Melissa. The set up takes about 80% of the book, then there is some major action and that quickly, the story is wrapped up with a nice bow.
Home is well written; however, I would suggest reading the previous books to get the full effect of this one. This book came across to me as a refresher before the finale.
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
Yeah, probably my fault I felt lost reading this book, as I didn't realize it was the fifth in a series. There are a lot of characters to get to know and catch up with, all the while, trying to stay focused on the main characters of this story line.
Nick has had quite the colorful past it seems and now that he finally is moving forward from it, meeting a nice girl and has a new job, the past comes crashing into him. Nick was an okay guy, not my taste in the bedroom, but nice none the less. I'm not sure what all happened to him with the drunk driving incident mentioned in the blurb, however he sounded like he was ready to settle down a bit.
Melissa was nice in her own right but was ready to give it all up for a guy she met a week ago. I wasn't a fan of that type of thinking. I liked the independent spirit she projected when we first met her.
The book is a lot of set up and explaining who everybody is and what happened in the past, that said, I still felt a little lost as I read. That and the fact I didn't really care about all those other people, I expected to read about Nick and Melissa. The set up takes about 80% of the book, then there is some major action and that quickly, the story is wrapped up with a nice bow.
Home is well written; however, I would suggest reading the previous books to get the full effect of this one. This book came across to me as a refresher before the finale.
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
January 7, 2019
Please note…..this can be read as a stand-a-lone as the author fills in the back story, but I strongly recommend reading the other books. The author gives a ton of information on the other characters that is only entertaining if you are familiar with the characters.
I absolutely enjoyed having the male give the main point of view throughout the whole story!! An uncommon and thoroughly appreciated change! The author did a fantastic job creating characters that had depth and substance. They were likable and entertaining. The story lines were suspenseful. In fact, I couldn’t decide if I could trust Melissa or not. No matter how much I liked her, there was still an element that made me question her history and where her loyalties stood. It kept me from putting the book down, because I HAD to find out!!
There were a couple of times I became confused and had to go back and reread parts of the story thinking I missed something. But I found if I hung in there, it was explained later. The author likes to keep things suspenseful and only gives you bits of information at a time, making you work the puzzle yourself.
Some plot parts were given great detail and then dropped entirely. There were also parts of the story that made perfect sense at the time, but looking back after the story was completed, they don’t make sense and raised more questions. However, they were small and inconsequential, not effecting the overall larger plot of the story. If you’re a reader who doesn’t get hung up on the little details, you are good to go.
Over all, it was a suspenseful and entertaining read. The characters were fun and very likable. I was pulled into the story and engaged. There were some wonderfully steamy scenes as well.
I read an ARC of this book. My honest and fair review is voluntary.
I absolutely enjoyed having the male give the main point of view throughout the whole story!! An uncommon and thoroughly appreciated change! The author did a fantastic job creating characters that had depth and substance. They were likable and entertaining. The story lines were suspenseful. In fact, I couldn’t decide if I could trust Melissa or not. No matter how much I liked her, there was still an element that made me question her history and where her loyalties stood. It kept me from putting the book down, because I HAD to find out!!
There were a couple of times I became confused and had to go back and reread parts of the story thinking I missed something. But I found if I hung in there, it was explained later. The author likes to keep things suspenseful and only gives you bits of information at a time, making you work the puzzle yourself.
Some plot parts were given great detail and then dropped entirely. There were also parts of the story that made perfect sense at the time, but looking back after the story was completed, they don’t make sense and raised more questions. However, they were small and inconsequential, not effecting the overall larger plot of the story. If you’re a reader who doesn’t get hung up on the little details, you are good to go.
Over all, it was a suspenseful and entertaining read. The characters were fun and very likable. I was pulled into the story and engaged. There were some wonderfully steamy scenes as well.
I read an ARC of this book. My honest and fair review is voluntary.
January 7, 2019
Title: Home
Series: Portentous Destiny Series, #5
Author: S. E. Rose
Genre: Mystery Suspense Romance
Pages: 250
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mandy
Espionage, faked deaths, human trafficking, Secret double agents and slick James bond moves the book world has never seen with just enough romance thrown in to keep you hanging on by a thread.
S.E. Rose has continued the story of the Portentous Destiny series in Home book 5 in the series. With much bad things going on in the world today S.E. Rose has written a very well written book with romance and danger at every turn to keep you hooked that you can’t tell which way is up or down. I for one was enraptured with this book.
When Nick Stevenson finds himself a new job that he where he is finally able to showcase his skills as engineering. When he happens to land on an island the woman of his dreams appears but could also be short lived by a past that he once thought dead and gone has resurfaced. Now his family needs him more than ever, can his new found love survive the threat or will his forever be forsaken?
Melissa Burke a marine biologist specializing in Dolphins meets the man of her dreams, but is soon thrown into a whirl wind that she was hoping to never repeat again. Mel is looking for home where ever that is but it will soon be found in the one man she is desperate for in her soul, or will he be torn away all because of a past that has come back with a vengeance?
Series: Portentous Destiny Series, #5
Author: S. E. Rose
Genre: Mystery Suspense Romance
Pages: 250
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mandy
Espionage, faked deaths, human trafficking, Secret double agents and slick James bond moves the book world has never seen with just enough romance thrown in to keep you hanging on by a thread.
S.E. Rose has continued the story of the Portentous Destiny series in Home book 5 in the series. With much bad things going on in the world today S.E. Rose has written a very well written book with romance and danger at every turn to keep you hooked that you can’t tell which way is up or down. I for one was enraptured with this book.
When Nick Stevenson finds himself a new job that he where he is finally able to showcase his skills as engineering. When he happens to land on an island the woman of his dreams appears but could also be short lived by a past that he once thought dead and gone has resurfaced. Now his family needs him more than ever, can his new found love survive the threat or will his forever be forsaken?
Melissa Burke a marine biologist specializing in Dolphins meets the man of her dreams, but is soon thrown into a whirl wind that she was hoping to never repeat again. Mel is looking for home where ever that is but it will soon be found in the one man she is desperate for in her soul, or will he be torn away all because of a past that has come back with a vengeance?
November 26, 2018
Home is such a fabulous conclusion to the Portentous Destiny Series. I've fallen in love with each and every story in this series and Home is no different. I love Nick so much in this one and super excited that he finally gets his chance at love with Melissa. Nick is smart and close to his family. Melissa has this way about her that draws you in. You'll love her sense adventure and love for dolphins. When you finally learn Melissa's story and the tie in to the rest of the series your heart will go out to her. The bond between Melissa and Nick is amazing. You feel the chemistry from the beginning and seriously once you read this you'll know why I love these two. This whole series has been a ride worth taking. What I've loved most about it is even with the darkness of human trafficking you still have this shining light filled with family and love. This book and series are filled with strong men and women who love hard and are stronger then one would expect from the outside. S.E. Rose nailed not only Home but the entire Portentous Destiny Series. I couldn't put this down.
January 1, 2019
“Conclusion to a series, 3 stars”
Nick and his family have been hit with a lot of stuff and it looks like its finally over, until it isn’t. When Nick’s family was all falling in love, he was busy setting up his career. But now someone’s after them again and he happens to have a woman who’s caught his eye. Will he get the girl, or will it all come crashing down beside him?
First off, I had no idea that Home was part of a series let alone a conclusion when I signed up for it. I adore suspense books, but I just couldn’t get into Home. Maybe its because how everything tied together with the five books seemed a little farfetched. Home just didn’t work for me. Then there was just something about Rose’s writing that just didn’t read well for me. With that said and looking at other reviews maybe it’s just me. If you like risk then take a chance on Home, maybe it will work for you.
Plot-3/5
Characters-3/5
Heat-3/5
Writing style-3/5
Overall-3/5
Nick and his family have been hit with a lot of stuff and it looks like its finally over, until it isn’t. When Nick’s family was all falling in love, he was busy setting up his career. But now someone’s after them again and he happens to have a woman who’s caught his eye. Will he get the girl, or will it all come crashing down beside him?
First off, I had no idea that Home was part of a series let alone a conclusion when I signed up for it. I adore suspense books, but I just couldn’t get into Home. Maybe its because how everything tied together with the five books seemed a little farfetched. Home just didn’t work for me. Then there was just something about Rose’s writing that just didn’t read well for me. With that said and looking at other reviews maybe it’s just me. If you like risk then take a chance on Home, maybe it will work for you.
Plot-3/5
Characters-3/5
Heat-3/5
Writing style-3/5
Overall-3/5
January 7, 2019
First book that I've read from this author and I feel like I have to read the others as well because there are many characters, situations, and layers to this story that I couldn't get and although in most of the book we get all this past action and how and when and where happened, it's still too much and I feel left aside.
I liked Nick and his way of wanting to do more with his life, I liked the heroine and her job, a good writing style, great banter between them.
I wanted more about them as a couple/relationship probably, to see how it grows, how their past is overwhelming but they get over it together and how they can help each other with it.
I'll make time to read the other books for sure.
I liked Nick and his way of wanting to do more with his life, I liked the heroine and her job, a good writing style, great banter between them.
I wanted more about them as a couple/relationship probably, to see how it grows, how their past is overwhelming but they get over it together and how they can help each other with it.
I'll make time to read the other books for sure.
December 1, 2018
I just recently got into this series and what can say, this did not disappoint. I just love Nick and his family and now the he finally got his love with Melissa and all the drama is behind them S.E. Rose is a wonderful author and recommend anybody to read this series, you will fall in love!
January 7, 2019
This is more of 3.5 star rating of a book This book kinda dragged for me. I could't connect with the characters and while the storyline was easy to follow for the most part. I really wanted to like it but it just didn't fit with me.
January 7, 2019
What an absolutely phenomenal book. S.E has done it again with another great book. It's a perfect end to the series. It's has everything you could want. Suspense, twist and amazing love story.
October 22, 2020
It was a great series.
November 26, 2024
I read the whole series and it was one I could not put down! I can’t remember the last night I have loved a book so much I couldn’t put it down! Thank you to author for making the perfect set of books!
January 7, 2019
I loved the entire series. I love the suspense and the way everything was so connected but we didn’t see it until the end. Speaking of the end, I didn’t want this book or series to end. I enjoyed getting to know all these amazing characters. S.E. Rose has a way of drawing the reader in and not letting go until long after the book is over. This book has everything I enjoy reading, action, love, hot sex, suspense and mystery.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews