Anna del Mar writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kickass, military heroes who defy the limits of their broken bodies to protect the women they love. She is the author of The Asset (Carina Press), the first novel of her Wounded Warrior series and three other novels scheduled for release during 2016.
A Georgetown University graduate, Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.
I've read many books on the subject of wounded warriors - some pretty good ones amongst them and also several written by this author but - this is by far the best book I read not only from this author but also on this subject in the last few months - I can hardly wait for the next book in this series - - Ah what am I saying - let's be honest I can not wait to read all of the books in this series - like yesterday
Already the world she builds around the plot makes you want to read the next book - and the secrets surrounding the leads and secondary characters are just the added bonus... And I really - REALLY would love to get my hands on ARC's to each and every book in this series - (did I say it already ?) like yesterday - waiting is torture ...
I love the dangerous world Anna del Mar created around those five complicated men. I enjoyed reading this romantic suspense so very much!!! I cannot wait to find out more about each man and how they will emotionally and phisically fight for their HEA.
Jax and Emme were this perfectly damaged couple, with big trust issues and hard feelings for each other. I didn't have time to get bored reading this book because so many emotional, good and bad things happen along the lines... I am ready to go deep and fast in Max's story!
Anna del Mar knocked Ajax, the first novel in her new Alpha Heroes series, right out of the park. Engaging characters, and a thrill ride of a plot that grabs you from the very first page and doesn't let go, in my case, until 5:00 a.m. It's a 5-star read, and if I could give it more than 5 stars than I would.
Emmalee (Emme) Moran is the first character we meet, she's out jogging in the Cherry Creek loop long before dawn. One first assumes she's a night owl, something with which this reader totally identified, but in her case, it's not that she has insomnia--she has no other choice. A genetic defect in her DNA has made her solar sensitive. Diagnosed at age 2, her life expectancy was described as "short," and exposure to even a small about of sunlight causes her skin to blister, after which she'll soon experience symptoms of severe rheumatoid arthritis, excruciating pain and all that goes along with it, pain that would see her hospitalized for weeks or even months. But Emme refuses to be a victim of her DNA, so she's started her own business, working from her home, and once the sun goes down, the night is hers.
Emme has been jogging this particular route for the past three weeks, after having spotted a gorgeous hunk of a man biking past her at high speed, and he soon fills her thoughts and fantasies, since she's already resigned herself to a life alone, her fantasies are all she has, since her mother passed away not long ago. She's already decided that even if she ever found a man willing to put up with her illness, she'd never marry, and she'd refuse to have children, not wanting to risk passing her defective gene on to a child. On this particular night, as the hunky biker passes her, she soon hears the sound of a crashing bike, and jogs even faster to see if he's been injured or needs help. She's shocked when she sees him surrounded by a cadre of 5 armed thugs, and no sooner does she see him, when a sixth man soon has a gun at her head too. One hell of a fight ensues, Emme joining in, and they manage to escape, running for all they're worth to Emme's small home across the park, with the bad guys following close behind--and this is just the beginning of this thrill ride of a novel.
We soon learn that the hunky guy is Ajax (Jax) Battleson, a former Navy SEAL, and one of the owners of Battleson Brothers Sportswear, a company he started with his brothers, all of whom were trained and worked in different branches of Special Forces. Once they left the service they didn't want desk jobs, they wanted to use their skills to help better mankind and they soon combined those skills becoming a secret, para-military group of undercover mercenaries, but they never expected to add a woman to the group, but Jax and Emme have off-the-charts chemistry from the get-go, and now that Emme has been seen by the bad guys, she's in a whole lot of danger, and Jax spirits her away to a town he and his brothers own.
Brilliantly told in dual narration, a literary device I've come to love, we soon get to climb around inside their heads, hear their private thoughts, and feel what they feel--and that's a lot. Jax had one heck of a rough upbringing, has a foul mouth, a violent temper, a terrible self-esteem problem, and he has certainly been honing his sexual expertise for years. Emme is basically an innocent, her illness a barrier to dating or having a normal life, but with Jax at her side, she finally has someone with whom to share her life. Although I'm generally not a fan of insta-lust and insta-love, in this novel, Ms. del Mar makes it work, so prepare for a lot of heat.
While Emme and Jax are getting to know each other, both in and out of bed, Emme knows it can't and won't last, and she sense that she's yet to hear Jax tell her about his past. As they made their escape from the armed thugs, Emme was briefly exposed to sunlight, and once her allergic reaction sets in, she believes that Jax will want no part of her or her debilitating illness. I will let you know that if scenes of frequent incendiary sex (18+), graphic violence, and even child rape are triggers for you, this is not the novel for you, but it most certainly was the novel for me.
One of the reasons I so loved this novel was that Ms. del Mar gave us time to engage with and understand the motivations of her fully fleshed-out, sympathetic characters. Thanks to her inspired choice of dual narration, we feel and hear their thoughts, learn about their feelings for one another and themselves, and we come to not only like and understand these characters, but to want to see them beat the odds that are stacked up against them. We also get a chance to meet the other alpha males in this group, who will be featured in later installments of this series. All of them seem to have fascinating stories to tell, and this reader can hardly wait to learn more about them.
As I stated, this is one thrill ride of a romantic suspense novel, and I highly recommend getting this first novel in the series ASAP, finding yourself a comfy chair, a beverage of your choice, and digging into the amazing world of the Alpha Heroes. I think you'll enjoy this novel as much as I did.
I wish that I had the words to convince you to read this book.
I don't have the words, but I'll still try. Ajax has many emotion causing passages, including joyous times, heart wrenching parts, sexy moments, and more. There is much suspense and danger wrapped in romance. This is an awesome read.
Author Anna del Mar’s tag line says she “writes hot, smart romances…” That statement is as solid as her books are. When I was offered to read the romantic suspense ARC of AJAX, book one in the ALPHA HEROES series, I jumped on it. Her men are hot, her women are kick-ass and her plots are a wild, heart-pounding thrill ride. Anna del Mar’s Wounded Warrior series first showcased her passion for writing about military heroes, and ALPHA HEROES takes this to the next level. Now she brings to life the stories of the Battleson brothers. All former special forces operatives, they continue their work for good over evil while healing themselves—with a little help from their dearest friends and each other. Ajax “Jax” Battleson is a former Navy Seal with a secret to keep and a promise to fulfill. Emme gets caught in the crossfire of his enemies—and his friend’s plans alike. Her severe medical condition makes living in the sun an impossibility for her, which just adds to Jax’s challenge of keeping her alive. To say that their first kiss is crazy hot? Truly the best first kiss scene I’ve ever read! And that’s just in the first two chapters. The action never ends over the rest of the novel, neither does the passion nor compassion. I fell in love with all of the good guys and hated all the bad. When I turned the last page, a satisfied sigh escaped my lips. So sit down, buckle up, grab a few tissues, and be ready to not be able to lay this book down.
The premise started so good. But both main characters are so pitiful and self depreciating. I struggled through the book. The spice is over the top but not worth the time spent.
Emme is running before dawn one morning when she becomes a witness to the attempted kidnapping of Jax. I am tired of the female character stating she hates liars/being lied to and then the hero lies.
Wow did I love this book! It’s full of intrigue, suspense, sexiness and action, action, action. The story is different..from the idea to the execution. Character with a little known medical issues to military men and Russians. How they all came together with such a nice flow. This had my attention from the beginning all the way to the last spoken word.
Em is a wonderful character with a medical issue. She has a sun allergy. I loved that the author chose this to have her character own. I enjoyed watching and listening to her become strong, fall in love, escape danger and basically survive. Jax is an enigma. As the story moves we learn more about who he is and how he became the person he is as well as how he met his “ brothers”. His jokes...while they aren’t that great..they always have a purpose.
As secondary characters the Battle brothers are men I can’t wait to learn more about. They joke, they fight and they always have each other’s backs. More please!
This is a first time author for me. I will be looking for more in this series on audio. Max! I see Max is next! I did listen to this on audio. Guillaume DuBois Is the narrator. He did a nice job.
I was captivated by the first few chapters. I loved the scene painted of them running at night and admiring each other from afar. Only to be tossed in upheaval when a random attack on Ajax ended up embroiling Emme in the mix. The action was written so well… and I loved Ajax’s strength of character. But then it took a nose dive into unreality for me with the whole immediate fall into lust. They went from stranger to Lovers in a few chapters that covered only a couple action packed hours. There was so much going on and not enough build up and more character building. And the plot was so full. Major criminal mastermind on the hunt for Ajax, a major medical disorder as evil doctor for emme, a massive plot to seduce and use emme that Ajax hides from her. Too much. It just didn’t seem well edited and built up. Lotsa potential. And I didn’t like how Ajax sometimes could only speak jarhead. It seemed forced. And the audio version of the book was terrible.
I am so glad I discovered Anna Del Mar. I've found her work really speaks to me. What marvelous characters and storylines she's created. I am completely engaged from page one. I should note I read Knox, book 7 of Alpha Heroes first, which so captivated me that I immediately started reading the series from the beginning. Getting the Battlesons' back story was important and intriguing. I am am really looking to reading each individual brother's stories.
What can I say about Jax and Emme but WOW! He fulfills her fantasies and makes them realities. She gives him something he's never experienced outside of his brothers...love. Protecting her and caring for her, even giving up his life for her, reveals just how much he loves her. Emme may have her limitations which are many, severely restrictive and life threatening but she's no pushover as all the brothers quickly find out. They are well matched.
great story and good suspense. there was some really refreshing dialogue and descriptions written by Ms Del Mar. I loved hearing different ways of describing situations. one review stated there was a lot of internal dialogue and I agree. I did jump ahead in a few places. steamy parts, gut wrenching parts, sad parts, diabolical parts and we are close to finding the antagonist. the storyline is complete between ajax and em and there were loose ends that tied up nicely. lots of perfect, money making state of the art feel good scenes. but if you get past insta lust/ and the awesome patience and forgiveness of an awesome heroine then you'll like this. have patience with the internal dialogue. I'm worried I won't get through them all with my patience 🥴 G Dubois was a first time listen for me, he wasn't bad, his male voices were great. the female side hmmm a bit dicey..great tones though.
Ajax & Emme: triggers: military and war, kidnapping, autoimmune diseases, cancer, assault, torture. Not gonna lie, this book worked my nerves for almost the entire book. It was extremely slow and didn't really start to get good until maybe the last couple of hours. But I'm going to attempt to finish the series. Emme was not my cup of tea, she seemed to have no sense of keeping herself safe, always trying to or wanting to run even though she knows that someone is after her. Jax was annoying as well because he had something to tell her that was really important but the author dragged it out though the entire book. The two never actually talked about anything important; it was more a list thing to me. I did enjoy the relationship with the brothers. They made the book worth finishing. I was hoping for a bit more and it did kind of end on a cliffhanger with the series story not the story between Jax and the Emme, that is a bummer.
This is the first time I have read anything by Anna del Mar and I really liked this series. Each book is about a different man who had a terrible childhood and ended up in child detention together where they formed a bond. They ended up being lucky and being adopted by the same amazing couple and all became brothers. All of the different brothers go into different branches of the military and become receive high positions like Navy Seal. Once they come back they create a company where they are able to sell products that they thought of while on tour but behind that company they are also a group that works to help still defend the good and our country. Each book contains a romance for each of these men who believe they are to hard to deserve love.
Ajax is a delicious, addictive read that will suck you in from the very first page and won't let you go until you reach the last. Both protagonists, Ajax and Emme, are completely likeable and captivating, and their relationship will have you cheering for them throughout the entire book, The supporting cast of Jax's brothers are equally intriguing. Don't start this book at night, because you'll be up until the early hours of the morning finishing it! A wonderful start to a romantic suspense series I will be sticking with to the end.
Tense and surprising, this is the first story in the Alpha Heroes series, detailing the lives of the Battleson brothers. Their story is a rough one, but it accounts for the bond between them. Jax is rough, tough and uncouth. A trained warrior, he sees Emme running at night. Suffering from a rare genetic disorder, sunlight is fatal to her. When Jax is attacked riding his bike one night, Emme tries to help and is attacked by the five men after Jax. This is the beginning of Emme's encounter with the Battlesons and she would never guess where that would lead her.
I love the dangerous world Anna del Mar created around those five complicated men. I enjoyed reading this romantic suspense so very much!!! I cannot wait to find out more about each man and how they will emotional and phisically fight for their HEA.
Jax and Emme were this perfectly damaged couple, with big trust issues and hard feelings for each other. I didn't have time to get bored reading this book because so many emotional, good and bad things happen along the lines... I am ready to go deep and fast in Max's story!
Got this book with SYKD, and my god what a mess. At first I had high hopes, the first chapter was good and I liked the FMC. But then it went all in flames. The story was pure chaos, without any sense. I think the author had some good ideas, but wanted to exaggerated and what was a good story structure became a mix absurd of billionaire/soldier/found family. And don't get me started with the relationship between the characters. Who, in the right mind, would kiss a total stranger in the middle of an house fire? This is just a step above the pay to read books you can find in any app.
Loved this book! (I've already ordered the next one, Max.) Anna del Mar writes really good smart, sexy and suspenseful romance. If you haven't tried her yet I highly recommend that you do. I have read all her romantic suspense books and loved every one of them. Anna is an auto-buy for me.
I'm loving that this is a series and we get to read each of the brothers stories. I think I'm looking forward to Kass the most. :)
Ajax is a hot blooded, hardheaded, ex DEAL with a bunch of brothers, all set on fixing the wrongs of the world.
Emma has a medical problem that keeps her on a nighttime schedule, and has no idea that the speedy junk in the bike she saw each night as she ran was watching her. Can a devoted "fixer" fix himself enough to let the girl he pines for in? Hot, full of action and romance, yet still has a great storyline.
I liked this book from the beginning. They had great chemistry and it was fast paced. I would have liked a little more pay back detailed about the doctor. It's assumed the she was told about the doctor and what he did. It was sexy enough for those of us the like really sexy times but not love the top for those that are prudish.😀😀😀😀
It’s a very long and detail driven book. There are many turns and twists that you don’t really see coming. It’s good, well written and moves along fairly quickly. I only gave it four stars based on the fact the hero lied, I don’t like liars. The other men in the series sound wonderful and their books just as exciting
A well written tale of 'insta-love', action and adventure, thriller, but most of all, romance. For a long story it felt much too short. Lots of hot spices, suspense, well choreographed action, and a fast moving plot. I couldn't find anything not to like. Looking forward to reading the other 'brothers' stories.
It was a good read, only criticism I can give is the book needs some series editing. A lot of miss spelt words. The story was interesting & not typical but seemed like a lot going on. I am curious enough though to read the other books in the series. If they re edits the book the. It will be a 5 star book.
I really enjoyed this book. A lot of these military alpha romantic-suspense stories can be very samey. This story was unique and refreshing and I look forward to more of this series with great anticipation.
Bravo to a "new to me" series and author. Elite warriors, brothers by choice, have a very public face and a private, very warrior, business as well. So many twists and turns. Alpha males and a very strong woman. I have already purchased the next books (2) in print and preordered another.
Wow! This was a great book it made me laugh and cry and had a lot of suspense up to the very end keeps you reading trying to figure out what the secret is that Ajax needs to tell his girlfriend can't wait to read the next book in the series
This is the first book of hers that I have read. I read the blurb and proceeded to purchase and preorder the rest. What a fantastic book. It takes you on a phenomenal journey with some amazing twists. I can’t recommend this book enough