The Ranger

Men Out of Uniform #6

by Rhonda Nelson

Will Forrester – former Army Ranger – has his work cut out for him when he meets Rhiannon Palmer, the most stubborn, flat-out sexy woman he's ever encountered. Rhiannon's on a desperate search§ and Will is the key. Despite the incredible chemistry between them, he's only the means to an end. Still, Will's ex-army strategy is to get her right where he wants her. In his bed. . . for good!

Genres: Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Romance, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Mystery

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Army Ranger (hero Will Forrester) is now working for Ranger Security. His first job is to find an elderly man (Theo Watson) who has gone missing on a treasure hunt in search of buried family jewels that date back to the Civil War. A close friend of Theo’s (heroine Rhiannon Palmer) is also concerned about the disappearance of Theo. Will and Rhiannon eventually join forces to try to find him. Along the way they try, and fail, to fight their strong attraction to each other. This was an enjoyable Harlequin Blaze with a likable main couple. Will was a real Southern gentleman, and Rhiannon was quirky and caring, especially for her old friend Theo. A good, sexy read!

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the 6th installment in her Men Out of Uniform series, Ms. Nelson takes us back to Ranger Security, the private investigation company run by former militaries Flanagan (The Player), Payne (The Specialist) and McCann (The Maverick).

Will Forrester is the Man Out of Uniform du jour and Ranger Security's new employee. He's left the Army after his latest mission ended with several civilian casualties and he's still fighting the grief and guilt over that. His 1st case at Ranger Security is a fairly easy one: to find Theodore Watson, a 76-year-old millionaire who's gone missing on some kind of treasure hunt. What none of Will's employers dare to mention to him is that this job has a small, er, glitch... and she has a name: Rhiannon Palmer.

Rhiannon is quite possibly Theo's best friend, despite the age difference between them. She's closer to him than his own grandson, who's only interested in the old man's fortune. When Will arrives at her house and "interviews" her as part of his investigation, she informs him she'll be helping him and latches on to him like she's drowning and he's the only one who can save her. The attraction between them is instant and obvious, a complication Will doesn't need at the moment, so he tries to shake her off - with no success, of course.

So off they go together, in search of Theo. Naturally, the sexual tension keeps building and building, until the inevitable happens... Can I say "WOW"? Oh boy, where's my fan? *grins*

I loved this book. It was funny, sexy, and a pleasure to read. Will and Rhiannon were both smart-asses and their banter made me LOL several times. Sure, Will had some inner demons to deal with, but they didn't overtake the story and Rhiannon didn't harass him to "share his feelings". I thought that was great, the way she made him know she was there for him when he was ready. No pressure, no emotional blackmail.

Now, the steam factor of the love scenes... Can I say "WOW" again? Will and Rhiannon were more than hawt together. Slightly kinky too. Quoting her: "I have no desire to be spanked, but a little light bondage sounds intriguing." Needless to say, Will rushed to the nearest hardware store to buy some rope after hearing that, LOL. He was in for a surprise, though...

"I’m going to scare the hell out of you tonight, Will."
"How so?"
"With that length of rope we picked up at the hardware store today."
He stilled completely and a slow smile spread over his lips. "That’s for you. You said you were intrigued by a little light bondage."
"Yes, but I never said I was the one who was going to be tied to the bed, did I?"

ROFL! That was bondage, HQ style. Poor Lucky Will!

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes minor plot details.

I’m not sure why, but I was expecting a romantic suspense novel, and there was nothing suspenseful about The Ranger. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good story, because it was. I enjoyed the characters, former Army Ranger Will Forrester and elementary school guidance counselor, Rhiannon Palmer.

Will is described as a “bad ass,” but frankly, I never saw that. We know that he’s left the military because of a mission that went very wrong, in which a child died in his arms. After that nightmare, he was no longer able to focus and for his own sanity, had to give up what he’d planned to make a lifelong career working for Uncle Sam. Fortunately he was offered a position at Ranger Security and seeing it as his only chance to be doing something similar to what he had done in the military, he jumped at the opportunity. Now, that I think of it, this is why I expected it to have more suspense in it, but his first assignment for Ranger Security was to find a missing person and nothing out of the ordinary or suspenseful happened.

Rhiannon was worried about her elderly, longtime EI – Emotional Intelligence – mentor, Theo Watson. For decades Theo has been searching for the jewels he’d often heard stories about. Apparently, Theo’s grandfather had hidden them somewhere, and they’d never been found. Finally, sure he’s unraveled the mystery of their location, he takes off, leaving only a cryptic message telling Rhiannon what he’s doing, but not where he’s going. Rhiannon is worried because Theo had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and wasn’t taking his illness seriously. Theo’s son hired Ranger Security to locate him, then being the callous bastard he is, left for his Italian vacation.

It was lust at first sight – hey, they don’t call this line Harlequin Blaze for nothin’! – for Rhiannon, the instant she set eyes on Will. He’d come to see what he could learn about Theo to aid in his investigation. While Will did find her attractive… hot even, he didn’t want to mess up his first assignment and risk losing his job over a woman, so he planned to get whatever info he could and be on his way. Rhiannon had a different plan, and it included her going along to “help.” I’d like to say that Will put up a real fight to keep her out of it, but Rhiannon was quite easily able to manipulate him into giving in and allowing her to tag along on his assignment to track down Theo.

So, the bottom line – 4/5 stars because while this was a fun read, due in large part to the characters wit, I was slightly disappointed at the lack of action and suspense. And as I said, Harlequin doesn’t call this line Blaze for nothing. The sex was hot and plentiful, with some light bondage and lots of taking. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Renegade, and hoping for more of an action based story.

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Read 10-14-15 thru 10-16-15

- 4 1/2 Stars

Great book the second time around. Only 217 pages and because of that, the story moved along at a steady clip without any filler or slow parts. I like that!

Excellent chemistry between the main characters. Funny dialogue and I enjoyed Rhiannon's free spirit. They were both on a mission and what they found wasn't what they expected. Very nicely written and a solid 4 1/2 stars from me on the second read, too.

First Read 6-29-10 thru 6-30-10

- 4 1/2 Stars

I enjoyed this short, funny, light, romantic suspense. Had more than a few chuckles at the dialogue between the two main characters, Will Forrester and Rhiannon Palmer.

Nicely written. Rhiannon had some empathic abilities and Will's opinion of her went from flaky, crazy, eccentric, then charming. She had little stars on her toenails.... I enjoyed her character and how she handled Will. She was not pushy, but funny. A breath of fresh air in his dark world. Will made my hearthrob shelf. 'Nough said.

4 1/2 Stars

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hired to find an older man named Theo, Will Forrester, never expected to get in deep with Rhiannon Palmer. But her logic that she could help him finally made him allow her to come. All Rhiannon wanted was to find her mentor Theo, the man who help her learn to control and handle her ability to feel emotions from other people. The attraction between her and Will was just a bonus. But she could feel it wanting to become more than just a method to relax and have fun. Always being scared to give love a change, it takes finding Theo to talk her into giving love a fighting chance.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting: Atlanta – high-rise office housing Ranger Security; Mockingbird, Mississippi; Watson Plantation; road trip to Philadelphia; multiple cemeteries;

Characters:
Soldier Will Forrester: thought he was a lifetime Army Rancher, but lost his heart when he was unable to save a child… so accepts job at Ranger Security – first job, locate Theo Watson;

Rhiannon Palmer: school guidance counselor; friend of Theo; dated Theo’s spoiled son a few times, to please Theo, but cut him off; concerned about his disappearance, and decides to join Will … following him around town until he relents and takes her with him;

Theo Watson: elderly gentleman who invested well, and took good care of his family home (Watson Plantation); since a child, fascinated with story that family jewels were buried during the Civil War – and he has tracked down clues; he leaves a message on Rhiannon’s voicemail that he has finally figured it out… and now he’s been out of contact for a week;

Brian Payne aka the Specialist/Jamie Flanagan genius IQ / Guy McCann reckless: owners of Ranger Security: all have found their true loves while on the job…

Summary:
As they track Theo’s steps, Rhia and Will fall in love…


Memorable scenes:

[Sassafrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked Rhonda Nelson's out of uniform series so far, and this book didn't disappoint either. Will is such a good guy, I was cheering for him and behind him throughout the book. Rhiannon is just the "march to the beat of your own drummer" kind of woman that he needs, and they suited each other fabulously. The sexual tension and chemistry was hot but also fun, and that made the book seem a lot more real.

I can't wait to see who is going to pop up next working for Ranger Security.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

HBZ #545

[Robin *loves sexy books* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Rhiannon and Will together and this is just another in her long line of military man books that I love!

[Krystean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, hot & sexy, well-paced story with a heroine I actually really liked.

[Lea]

Men out of uniform - Book 6
Paperback version

[Athena Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhi-"Very confident, aren't you"
Will-"No..Just hopefull"

[Nicole Clinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoined reading this book. It was my first harlequin blaze book :) I thought the added lure of the family treasure was a great addition to the book and it wouldn't have been as good with out it ;)

[Elizabeth Mckernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this series

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Funny