Eli Mason. Powerful CEO and former SEAL. Protector. Leader. Sexy as hell.
A man who has learned the hard way to hide his wounds.
And the man I’ve been hired to destroy.
As a cognitive psychologist, I evaluate high power executives. Help bring bullies to their knees. So when the Board of Directors for Mason Enterprises begs for my help with Eli Mason, I can’t say no.
Eli Mason is exactly who I expect him to be. Wealthy, self-centered, powerful, and not the least bit inclined to cooperate. He is also gorgeous enough to make my head spin.
Yet when a predator sets his sights on me, Eli steps up to keep me safe. To trust me.
Except Eli Mason doesn’t know what I was truly hired to do.
★★★★★Amazon top-hundred author Alex Lidell delivers a page-turning enemy-to-lovers stand-alone romance, with a whip-smart heroine, a powerful Navy SEAL, and heart-wrenching trauma that only love can heal.
Enemy Contact is part of the Trident Rescue series, which follows a group of Navy SEALs who return home to Denton Valley, Colorado, and found a search and rescue outfit called Trident Rescue. The stories feature former-military alpha heroes, steamy intimacy, and personal trauma that only love can heal.
Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin) and several Amazon Top 100 Kindle Bestsellers, including the POWER OF FIVE romance series. She is an avid horseback rider who believes in eating dessert first. She writes as both Alex Lidell and A.L. Lidell.
I didn’t think this book would manage to be as good as the first in the series, so colour me surprised! THis is the perfect blend of enemies-to-lovers and romantic suspense. Dani is a psychologist hired by the board of Eli’s company to assess him and determine his suitability to continue being CEO. Of course, this means that Eli despises her nearly on sight, but sparks fly and the two quickly realize that they have a lot in common. Dani is a strong heroine who’s overcome a lot in her past and she loves her job. However, before the events of this book, a previous evaluee who was unhappy with her assessment attacked her, and she realizes that she needs some time off. But the board offers her quite a bit of money, and she decides to take this one last assignment before taking a much-needed mental health break. However, her attacker is far from finished with her... This book has quite a bit of suspense coming at the readers from different angles. There are great twists in the plot, and the chemistry between Dani and Eli is off the charts. Like with the first book in the series, we get to see Liam and Jaz hating on each other, and I just can’t wait for their love story to unfold! But before then, it looks like Kyan will be finding his match. I’m loving this series, and I hope that Lidell writes more romantic suspenses in the future once this series is complete!
When I saw this audiobook about a psychologist on sale, I grabbed it. A powerful family wants psychologist Dani to assess a CEO's competence at running a corporation in Colorado. Because the last executive that she evaluated tried to rape her, she is hesitant. But the big dollars the family offers sway her --now she'll be able to help her financially-strapped parents.
Elijah is the CEO under question. He is a former Navy SEAL whose gruff, aggressive manner is likely a symptom of PTSD from suffering his father's physical abuse. He suspects his duplicitous mother is the one behind this psychological evaluation, and he's right.
Eli saves Dani after a rock-climbing fall, and he invites her to stay at his gorgeous mansion while she recovers. Dani isn't impressed by his meager groceries--she jokes that his pantry is probably stocked with MREs.
There's some heated verbal sparring, like when Eli tells Dani:
"One might say I was doing the opposite of your job. I make people feel threatened for the purpose of protecting them. You make people feel safe for the purpose of destroying them."
I enjoyed the character development in this story, and the narrators performed well, but there were some weird aspects of the story:
Describing Dani as a cognitive psychologist isn't accurate. Cognitive psychology has a lot more to do with the science of learning and memory than corporate assessment. The only thing I remember from my dry cognitive psychology class in grad school is that women tend to use landmarks for directions, whereas men tend to use north-south-east-west. (True for me!) It would be more accurate to label Dani as an industrial-organizational psychologist, or perhaps a clinical or counseling psychologist. She should have a license, not a "certification", that would be at risk if she engages in a romantic relationship with her client, Eli.
Eli has an English accent that just doesn't seem to fit him being a Navy SEAL. The explanation for his accent comes too far into the story, in my opinion.
The narration switched between present-tense first person for Dani to past-tense third person for Eli. Why?
Dani's younger sister's characterization didn't sit well with me. Why is she so hostile to Dani? There seems to be a backstory there that I didn't know. Perhaps this is one limitation of failing to read the first book in the series.
Other reviewers have mentioned the copious use of the word "wyrd" by Dani. I didn't quite understand what she was saying in the audiobook, and I agree it is strange. 3 1/2 stars.
How would you feel if your corporate headquarters hired a psychologist to evaluate your competence? Probably about as pleased as Eli is when he hears about it. Would it matter that it was Eli’s own mother who ordered the evaluation?
This story is rife with family power struggles, dominating personalities, public image persona, and the struggle to find the truth.
When Dani was warned by Eli’s mother how mean and controlling her son is, she is cautious. She’s had her own issues from her past of powerful men who think they can just take what they want.
While the struggle between Eli and Dani provides some fun, witty banter. There is also so many layers. When Dani is on a hike and gets injured Eli is the rescue person to find her. Moving her into his spare room to help her get better. Well that’s just keeping your enemies close, right?
Except, having Dani cook for him feels a little too domesticated.
There is a lot to unpack in this story, a lot of truths to uncover but it leads to a great reward.
My only negative was the use of the word wyrd. It was used A LOT and while explained, it was distracting.
TW: past rape, assault, stalking, abuse
I receive a free copy from booksprout, all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed reading the first book "Enemy Zone" because it was one of those books where I grew to love the heroine. This book was no different. I truly enjoyed reading about these characters. It still doesn't truly sit well with me that as a professional, Dani, would let herself be so easily manipulated to have preconceived notions about someone that she will have to evaluate. I would think that she would know better and be able to identify when someone was trying to manipulate her. I don't want to spoil too much but personally I think she has enough experience to catch something like that. It's something minor but it leads to major problems down the road.
Eli was awesome the first book and I was super excited to read this book! He didn't disappoint. I enjoyed learning more about him. There were a couple of little things here and there that I would think he would catch on but he didn't. Again, that doesn't make sense but once you read it, you might catch it. I only realized it because I was so invested that I was like, "HELLO!! Do you not see what I'm seeing." Because yelling at a screen really helps these characters get their acts together...not.
One thing that I was a little bit on the fence about, (and even debated on whether or not I should put it in this review), is the fact that this storyline is very similar to Enemy Zone. There are differences but it just felt like I knew that was coming because I read the first book and it played along the same lines. It didn't bother me too much but there are enough similarities for me to catch it. I'm not sure if a really picky reader will enjoy it but I'm just along for the ride and I loved every second of it. I can't wait to continue reading this series! It's going to be amazing!
Overall: 4/5
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book 2 in Trident rescue series and its Elijah & Dani's story. Elijah is not the most friendliest person (mainly with person he works with) but under all the gruff bluntness theres a lot of hurt there too. Mainly stemming from his toxic relationship with his parents so when cognitive psychologist Dani appears at his office to analyse Elijah as part of an evaluation for Mason Enterprises (who he works for) and they clash from the very beginning. There are a few hard topics covered in this book but at heart of it all is the relationship between Elijah & Dani. Its a genuinely caring one. Even with Elijah's trust issues which make sense with the family he has. Full of emotion, tension and plenty of steam its a cracking read
Wenn ich von den ganzen Fehlern absehe, die nur bei der Übersetzung passiert sein können, hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Und dass ich es trotz der ganzen Fehler zuende gelesen habe, bedeutet schon was.
Overall I enjoyed this one and it was a fairly good pick for a quick read, however I had some issues with it that I just couldn't overlook. These may or may not be spoilers so read at own risk:
1) It threw me off that the tenses change as the POV changes. The female main character's chapters are all written in first person present tense and then the moment we get Eli's POV it changes to third person past tense. Overall it wasn't a major issue but it threw me off every time and made the story feel a bit disjointed for me.
2) The main characters kept insisting on using 'wyrd' in all of her chapters. I'm not kidding. The moment her chapters came up I knew that I would find 'wyrd' within the two first pages. First of all it was never explained what the word meant to her and why she used it. It did not add anything to the story and only served as a frustrating distraction. Second of all, it was thrown into the story at random places, throwing me out of the story. At the end it was just pissing me off and I was tensing up in frustration waiting for the word to drop instead of enjoying the chapters.
3) The story just tied up a little too neatly for my taste. Not all characters need a complete happy ever after if their story isn't ready for it yet, and it just didn't feel credible to me for Eli and Dani to get engaged so quickly (they literally had not even dated at this point) just to round off their story, and to have the epilogue tie the story up like it did was just a little too neat. I would've rather seen the two come together in the end to date and then go slowly towards happy ever after. That would've felt more credible for me, especially considering the trauma that both of them have experienced in the past - I think it would've been healthier for both of them to slowly build up a relationship while working on themselves and overcoming their trauma.
Alex Lidell has written a 5-star book. This is the story of Dani and Elijah. Dani has been hired by Madison Mason to go to Mason Pharmaceuticals to do an evaluation on her son, Elijah, and the CEO of the company. Madison tells Dani that Elijah is a bully and he is just not what they want to run the company. When Dani meets Elijah, things do not go well. Dani has papers that say she was hired by the board, but Eli thinks this is his mother's doing. For some reason, she blames Elijah for the death of his twin sister. At first, things do not go well for Dani, she gets no answers from Eli. Dani needs something to do while she is in Denton Valley. She finds a group of climbers and signs up for a group outing. This is where she meets Sky and Jaz. After their outing, Jaz asks Dani "if she wanted to go out and get drinks with them later?" Dani agrees to go. When they get to the club, Eli is there and he is not happy with her being with Sky and Jaz. He gets her alone and tells her to stay away from them or he will stuff her on a plane and send her back to Madison and he wouldn't care what the board thought about it. At the office, she is delayed by Eli's intern assistant so she decides to go out on a hike. She ends up getting hurt and Eli is the one who comes to get her. At the hospital, she is told that she can't be alone. Sky offers Dani a room at her house but Eli puts a stop to that. He takes her to his home instead. The more time they are together, the stronger their feelings about each other become. Eli is the type of guy who only has one-night-stands and he wants more time with Dani. Dani has a stalker and it is a man who she did an evaluation on and when she told him that she was leaving, he thought that since she was done with her job then she was his. She told him that he was wrong and said something in her report to his board of directors. This got him into a little trouble and now he is out to get her. The more that Dani gets to know Eli, the more she thinks his mother is wrong in her thinking. Eli gets told by his assistant that there was a Mr. Brock Talbo there to see him and when he tells his assistant to send him in, Brock tells him some things about Dani and warns Eli about her. When Eli gets home, he asks Dani about what he was told. She gives him what information she can without telling him who she is talking about. Eli has a fundraiser for a charity that he gives money to and he asks Dani to be his plus one. While there Dani sees Brock and he comes up to her and blackmails her into going with him. Once he has her alone he tries to pull her into an empty restroom. There was someone who saw what was going on and stops Brock for a few seconds when the person said they were calling the police. Brock is still trying to pull Dani into the restroom when Eli comes up to them. He tells Brock to let Dani go. Eli is upset that Dani didn't tell him about Brock. She said that she was not for sure that she had seen him and she didn't want to sound crazy. Eli gets mad and Sky ends up taking Dani back to her hotel after a little ride. Dani is taking to the place that Eli is trying to buy but having a little trouble with the seller. Sky tells Dani the name of the seller and Dani tells her that she remembered the name and it had something to do with Madison Mason, Eli's mother. When Dani goes back to her room, Madison is waiting for her. Madison wants Dani to lie on the evaluation of Eli. Madison tells her that Eli is going to be fired no matter what. Eli comes to Dani's room and sees his mother and walks back out. Eli gets mad at seeing Dani with his mother and when Dani calls him he doesn't answer. After a few calls, he blocks Dani's number. Dani goes home and waits for her meeting with the board of directors so she can give her report. When the meeting comes, Dani is not wanting to be there but she is not going to let Madison hurt Eli. At the board meeting, things do not go the way that Madison wants them to. Unknown to Madison, the report that Dani wrote was not about Eli but it was about the way that she tried to blackmail Dani and make her lie about Eli. Will Elijah realize what Dani had done for him and forgive her for not having trust in him? Will Dani give Elijah a second chance? This was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I hate to come out the gate immediately comparing this second entry to its predecessor, but I can't help myself. This story was a simply a better one than what book one gave me. The plot was more engaging, realistic, and even a bit more sophisticated. I mean, for the most part. While the story was easy to follow and did well in grabbing and maintaining my interest, that doesn't mean there weren't certain details of it that weren't problematic (at least for me). I could have done without certain clichés that were grossly exaggerated, such as the heroine's damsel in distress status. I expect it in romance stories; it's pretty much a staple. But this was just WAY too much.
Danielle (Dani) isn't just a damsel, but she's like an elite damsel. Literally everything that can go wrong in a woman's life is present and accounted for here, most of them thwarted by Eli's strong arms rescuing her. Raped in high school. Choked by a client. Gets bashed up from a twenty-foot fall (Eli rescue). Gets smacked by the aforementioned client, who then wants to ALSO rape her (Eli rescue). Can't swim and nearly drowns from being jokingly tossed in a pool (Eli rescue). And oh yes, she's also claustrophobic, which pretty much was the only thing that never really threatened her in this entire story (though Eli did "calm" her in the elevator once). I get it in principle. We women do love our knights in shining armor sometimes. But in this case, it was all just a bit much.
I also never quite grasped Madison's true motivations for her actions. She seemed to detest Eli's obsession with money, which is why she hired Dani in the first place to help remove him as CEO. Yet by the end, it became known that Madison is set to profit from his removal after all. Um, what? It's possible she was simply lying to Dani in the first place and always wanted to profit, and yet, why bother putting up a scene in private after she'd manipulated Eli to return home for his sister's memorial? Madison got pissy about Eli and his father talking about money and even got slapped hard in the face for it. There wasn't a single follow-up mention of that event either. No aftermath. No consequences. It's as if it never even happened. Why even bother mentioning that if it had no weight to the rest of the story? Nothing she did made any sense.
Anyway, though it must seem like I'm extra grumbly, I was still intrigued, curious to know how everything would go down. I enjoyed getting to more know Eli and Dani. Fortunately, both characters were mostly likable whether apart or together, and their relationship was an entertaining one to read. I loved Dani's tenacity and her unwillingness to corrupt her integrity. It was also nice for Eli's money to never be utilized for Dani's benefit at ALL, a plot point I've come to expect in soooo many romances. Not this time. We finally FINALLY have a rich man whose wealth wasn't flaunted as if it was its own character, as if it too was just as much rescuing the heroine almost as much as the hero. It was an appealing trait for Dani. Sex scenes were similar to book one in that they were sparse (ish), but long-winded in their moments, which was kinda irritating, but....eh. Nothing I couldn't deal with.
I really like what I'm seeing from this author, though, in both this book and its predecessor. I'm seeing someone who wants to at least carefully craft a tangible story so that her characters don't feel like cheap, horny throwaways, and that's something I've come to appreciate in this genre. I look forward to book three.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Enemy Contact: (Trident Rescue) is the second book in this series. The Trident Rescue series centers around a group of former Navy Seals who own and run a search and rescue agency. Enemy Contact focuses on the enemies-to-lovers relationship of Eli and Dani. Eli runs his family's business, Mason Pharmaceuticals. Dani is a corporate psychologist who has been sent to evaluate Eli. Needless to say, their initial encounters do not bode well for the development of a romantic relationship. However, when her past comes back and horribly hits her, Eli's military training and his hero nature kick-in.
The suspense and action make this book a page-turner that I could not put down. Having read the first book in the series, Enemy Zone, the Trident Rescue characters are familiar. Even though these former Seals are larger than life sort, their natures are engaging and swoon-worthy. Dani is your everyday female professional trying to get over something that happened to her on a previous assignment. This makes her both vulnerable and relatable. I like that her vulnerability does not make her come off as weak. I admire her resilience and her ability to keep moving. No one outside of their tight-knit group really knows the Trident guys. Outsiders mostly view them as stuck-up brash, womanizing, rich brats. Unfortunately, those biases taint Dani's objectivity. That did disturb me a bit about her. Given her profession, she should have been able to maintain her neutrality. Considering the source of most of her info about Eli, perhaps she felt she could trust that person's insights. Being the professional that she is, she should not have.
Alex Liddell can give us the right balance of drama, suspense, thrills, and action to draw you into the storyline. There are similarities between this book and the Enemy Zone, the first book in the series, making it a bit predictable. All in all, Enemy Contact is compelling and a great next book in the series. I can hardly wait to read Enemy Lines, the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Having read the first book in the series, this is not where I saw Eli’s story going...at all!! But wow, what a journey. Full of emotion, sensitive subjects treated with care but giving you that driving need to finish the book. This series is shaping up really really well!
Dani is brought on by the board of Mason enterprises to psychologically evaluate one of their CEO’s given some disturbing information they have heard about him. In fact his mother is the one who brings her on but asks Dani to keep this fact to herself so their familial relationship doesn’t suffer. After 2 traumatic events in her life, a need to support her family and professional curtesy, Dani would rather not get embroiled in this but can’t afford to turn down the fee.
Eli is complicated, forthright and miserable. His history is tragic and he is confused when Dani shows up, and worried because this puts a potential problem in the way of him helping abused women.
Over the course of the book the romance element is a real slow burner, with lots of events a precursor to them acknowledging their feelings, Dani because of professional duty and her fear of relationships and men, and Eli because he’s never felt like this and has secrets he really doesn’t want to share. But once they do finally acknowledge it, with a little help from his friends, it’s written really well with neither character losing what’s makes them special as individuals
Well written, excited for next book
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When I saw Enemy Contact pop up I couldn't get started on this book fast enough. I thoroughly loved the first book and so couldn't wait to read Eli's book. Actually I think I read it way too fast and so need to go back and start again, just in case I missed something ;-)
Right from the get go the two MC's chemistry was OFF THE CHARTS! Wow, seriously hot even though they didn't hit it off. Added to the angst and tension.
I really enjoy reading the back stories of characters to find out why they are the way they are and that was case in point with Eli. To find out what he had been through was a big surprise and sad in such a big way. Same with the multiple POV's. Love it to find out what each of the characters are thinking and feeling.
Dani also had an enjoy story to tell and finding out about her and her back story. I liked her character. She was strong and independent which was great but also knew when to be soft as well.
Eli and Dani's journey was an enjoy tale to easily fall in love with. To top it all off were the other characters whom we got to meet in the first book. They all have their traits and I can't wait to read the other books in this series.
Overall, it was another very enjoyable read. Very easy to fall into and get swept away. Nothing better really.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
🦈🦈ONE SPINE TINGLING THRILL🦈🦈 Scorching skivvies scooby! Alex hit the motherload with this tough as nails on point tilt-her-world, breaking out the big guns, heavy artillery and ammo aplenty, raising the stakes, locked and loaded, jetting this bad boy to new heights. Perceptions and ingenuity in each thread you unravel with every page, your lured into this intricately spun web so securely and precise, observing the perilous struggles and formidable triumphs while attentive to the deadly twists and shocking turns unfolding, wrapping this gem up sleek, shiny and tight. Racing blindly into unfamiliar territory full of gripping drama, turbulent intrigue, escalating danger, nailbiting suspense and intense encounters converge, disclosing secrets, unearthing revelations and promises declared, wrapping this gem up sleek, shiny and tight. The attraction and chemistry collides with such intensity and ardor, exploding with boundless emotions and infinite affections, binding them together beautifully. The characters are complex, genuine and realistic with traits and qualities that balance and blend, with amazing depth and diversity, adding enough spice for an extra punch. Throw in 100% on point realism, painting graphic scenarios so colorfully descriptive with vivid detail its like you're living it with them instead of on the sidelines, feeling everything the characters feel. Remarkable job Alex, thanks for sharing this awesome little gem with us.
The Trident Gods are back with Eli's story and well this was really good. So this one is does have talks of abuse physical, mental and emotional. So Eli is the CEO in Denton Valley and his seat is being challenged. Wow does this get crazy. Dani is a psychologist for businesses. She basically checks the mental capacity of big names in corporations to make sure that they are making reasonable decisions. The question is why is she being called in to see if Eli can still do his job. Eli may have some skeletons in his closet but he has effective ways to run his business. He spent his time in the Navy and he has certain way things are suppose to run. Dani is just doing her job and she sees one person at work but another outside. Eli wants to limit his time with her but something inside him wants to know more about her. Dani has her hands full with Eli and also she seems to be looking over her shoulder for some reason. Then all of a sudden things change and we see secrets revealed and dare I say betrayals. This could be deal breakers for Eli and Dani. With the kind of chemistry these two have it would be a shame. They are both good for each other but can they get past all the bad that occurs. So will there be a happily ever after for them? You will need to read it to find out. This is a great series to read and I can't wait for more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I'm wondering to myself if i liked this book better than the first one. I think I can say no. the first book had more angst and the dialogue was wittier. not saying there isn't any wit in this book as I had a smile and laugh with some of the banter but the storyline had a few cracks more so than book 1. I don't want to drop any spoilers so I'll just say that the heroes back story was surprising especially due to his past and present occupation. the heroine was a bit on the make "so so" decisions side and i wouldn't have thought Alex would have created that type of part of her character. it all leads to the build up in the plotline though and makes it come together but for all the depth of character these alphas ( in this series) has, the story doesn't dig as deep for connection. the heroine has 'stuff' going on that arises sporadically which, in my opinion doesn't quite gel.
all in all the pace was good and it had enough steamy places and where it slowed it kept you interested. hearing book 1 characters sweep in was great, hence why I like series. waiting on audible for no.3. Christian did a nice job although his English accent got a bit off track in some areas. some listeners may cringe and it was ok listening to it In book 1 as it wasn't the main characters voice. Laurie did well though she has a nice narration to listen to. Will read the next one as kayan has indeed a heart felt past.
I don't ever leave written reviews, but this one I just have to share a couple of frustrations.
Honestly, the story wasn't bad. It kept my attention and I made it through the book relatively quickly. Do I regret reading it? No. Will I read the others in the series? No.
It wasn't super well written, but not awful. But oof, the use of the word "wyrd" made me want to smash my Kindle a few times. It was incredibly annoying and not likeable AT ALL.
Also, who smells like fresh grass? Other than a farmer or a lawn maintenance worker. A guy who works in an office all day is not going to have a "fresh grass" smell. For some reason that bothered me more than it should.
Lastly, the woman was a rape survivor, and had recently suffered abuse by a former evaluee. She couldn't even ride in an elevator without being frightened. She was obviously traumatized - that storyline made sense. And yet...she was somehow okay with suddenly living alone in the house of her current evaluee before she really knew much about him? She had a sprained ankle for hells sake - the only option was her living with a stranger who she was doing a psych evaluation on? Come on now.
I know these novels are not meant to make all the sense in the world, they are mostly just for pleasure, but that just was too much for me. But again...it wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading. It wasn't a deal breaker. Just had to share my thoughts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wow, wow, wow! This is one excellent and compelling read that you don’t want to put down. Danielle Nelson is a corporate psychologist and has been hired by Madison Mason to discreetly perform an evaluation on her own son, Elijah Mason, CEO of Mason Pharmaceuticals without his knowledge. When Dani hesitates to take the job because of a past client, Marilyn’s offer for her services has more zeroes then she’s ever seen and will help with her parents financial problems. When Dani and Eli meet for the 1st time, things do not go well. After he discovers who she is and what she is there for, his first reaction is that his mother is behind this evaluation. A well written storyline with some intense and dark family secrets that come to head further in the book. There’s suspense, danger, twists and turns, revenge, blackmail and passion. The characters are strong, independent, captivating, intense, have their own secrets and have suffered from their own demons that plague them. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book.
One more thought, I would love to see an extended epilogue or follow up story to see Eli’s father get his just rewards for what he put his own son through!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So Eli is a butt hole. But in like the you have to live him kind of way. And because I read enemy zone first I know he may be a butthole but he is caring one. Goes to bat for those he loves. Just like the other Tridents. I loved Dani’s personality. She was always upfront unless she couldn’t be due to the nature of her job.
Now, Eli’s parents, them people, are a piece of work. Dad is physically and mentally abusive and manipulative. Mom is verbally abusive, conniving, and manipulative. And I think it’s made worse by the fact that she makes Eli mourn his still born twin on his birthday with no regard of him. Wooo man I can’t even begin to understand just how horrible of parents you have to be to treat your son like this.
In the end Madison gets what she deserves. And it seems Eldridge isn’t far behind. I think for me the thing that makes Madison worse is because not only was she willing to hurt her son, she was also willing to put Dani’s life in danger as well as the tenants living under Garibaldi, just to get what she wanted. No heart what so ever. The only life she seems to care about is the one that could never be. Her daughter, Ella. Which is sad and super twisted. Especially since Eli was still alive and deserved all the love Ella was getting.
Eli Mason is CEO of his family's business, Mason Pharmaceuticals. Dani Nelson is a psychologist hired to evaluate Eli. But right from the start, not all of the information is out on the table regarding the motivation behind this. Eli is a former SEAL and not inclined to give out information of any kind even to Dani. That, of course, might make him appear uncooperative and suspicious.
Also complicating things, Dani has a stalker, a previous patient who figured when they were finished with his being her patient, she was fair game for his attentions. When the man comes after her and puts her life in danger, Eli steps up to protect her.
It becomes evident that Eli’s mother, Madison Mason, has her own agenda and is the one who hired Dani in her attempt to discredit Eli and toss him out. Madison directly confronts Dani in her hotel room asking her to lie and to write her evaluation in a way to do the most damage to him. Eli happens to see them together and walks away, refusing to respond to Dani’s calls or have any further contact.
Dani writes her report, an honest one that reveals how Madison had tried to falsify the report. Would Eli ever learn the truth? Or would he continue to believe Dani had betrayed him?
I loved it from the beginning. The tension between Dani and Eli was a fire that gripped me from the inside out. This book got me crying almost every chapter as the romance was perfectly written and warmed my heart endlessly.
Dani's introduction as the female main character has already made an impression that I knew I would love her. And don't get me started with Eli. He's the cutest, most adorable tiger man. Iykyk. His action towards Dani warmth me so good I couldn't help but want my own Eli. Real. He cared for Dani so much and was willing to do anything to protect her. The fact that he trusted her enough to show his vulnerable side, laid down his guard, and set his soul bare right in front of her was one of the best things a male character could do.
The slow burn was flawless and immaculate that had me curling my toes more than once. I liked this more than the first one though both had the same rating, I feel more connected to Eli and Dani rather than Cullen and Sky.
Despite all that, however, I think the ending was a bit rushed and concluded straight to the epilogue. Or that's simply a reason I made up as I'm complaining that I need more of Eli and Dani together. hah.
This is dramatic, suspenseful, intense, romantic and entertaining. When Dani is hired to evaluate Eli, she almost doesn't take the job. Her previous evaluee had attacked her after finding out that Dani's evaluation wasn't going to end the way he wanted it to. But Eli's mother, who had met with Dani had described him as a cold-hearted bully who abused his power in the company, so Dani agreed to do it. Eli is not happy when he finds out that the board of directors initiated the evaluation, and doesn't make it easy on Dani. They both have preconceived ideas of what kind of person the other is, but gradually revise their opinions as they get to know each other. They both also have private issues. Dani's being stalked by her last evaluee, and Eli's mother is a manipulative, unfeeling witch. Eli is a jerk when he and Dani meet, but by the end of the book he had become very charming and boyishly sweet. Dani is a nervous wreck in the beginning, but by the end she was strong and brave. I really enjoyed the storyline and the couple.
Danielle Nelson, a cognitive psychologist, is hired to evaluate CEO Elijah Mason’s fitness to hold his position. All is not what it seems, as Eli is hiding a lot of hurt and is not the man she expects when she takes the job. Dani might be adding more hurt for Eli by not being completely honest and hiding a few key points as they spend more time together. She has a lot to lose by becoming involved with the subject of her evaluation, and things become more complicated before she realizes just what is really going on. I felt for Eli, who was such a good guy and has been so hurt and misused in his life. Dani has her own troubles, and it was great to see her begin to trust after what she had gone through. These two people really deserved some happiness and I was pretty worried for a while that things were so messed up they wouldn’t find a way out, but of course love always wins out, yay! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an enemies-to-lovers romance with an ex- Navy SEAL who is now the CEO of Mason pharmaceuticals in Colorado. He has plenty of family issues and what takes the cake, is a red headed woman coming in to evaluate his psyche. The two are at odds with each other, but something changes between them and they begin to see that there is more to each other than they realize. There are some issues at hand with rape and abuse at the forefront for each of the characters. If this bothers you, it might be hard to read this story. It was a very good representation of how bad circumstances leads to how our behavior changes. I really liked the development of the plot and story and there were a couple of times that I couldn't believe what each of the characters had to go through. This was an enjoyable read and it was very well written.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I borrowed Enemy Contact ~ Trident Rescue ~ Book 2, by A.L. Lidell, author from the Kindle Unlimited Program.
Eil Mason is one or the Trident team members and he is the CEO of his families pharmaceuticals company, a millionaire, a very private man and has a problem with the way his parents try to control him. His mother as a member of the board of directors of Mason Enterprises, the family parent company hires Danielle Nelson a executive evaluator to evaluate Eli's performance as a CEO.
Eli is resentful of being evaluated, very uncooperative, and full of surprises, abrupt and that is just the start of the most difficult job Dani has every done. Add a rock climbing accident, a stalker from a previous job, lots of misunderstandings, training for Dani for self-protection, his Mother's demands to continue family drama and tricking Eli into a trip to Boston, his father's violence and tricks and "Enemy Contact" is an excellent plot with a surprise happy ending.
After reading the first book in this series I was so looking forward to this one and I wasn't disappointed at all It is the perfect combination of romantic suspense angst and drama and it had me turning the pages as fast as I could now I am just waiting for Enemy Lines
Danielle (Dani) Nelson is brought in by the board of Mason Enterprises to analysis if Elijah (Eli) Mason is fit to be the CEO Eli is closed off as a former Seal he never shows any emotion and hides his scars he has no intention of cooperating with Dani at all There is a instant attraction between them though and she knows that she cannot act on it as it would be a conflict of interest but when danger stalks her Eli steps up to keep her safe With both of them damaged by their pasts and Eli not knowing her true purpose can they have a future when it all comes out You will have to read to see
I volunteered to read this ARC for an honest review. I enjoyed this story about Eli Mason and Dani Nelson. He's a ex Navy Seal, Trident Rescue member and CEO of Mason Pharmaceutical. Dani is a cognitive psychologist. Dani is being hired by Madison Mason, Eli's mother, to evaluate his mental health for the board of directors. Dani isn't sure what she's going to find, especially since Madison matter it seem he's unstable. When they meet Eli is on edge about it, but trusting Dani. But they forge a friendship somehow from nothing. But when she's hurt in an accident, Eli takes care of her. He flips from military boss to kind in the blink of an eye. When they finally realize there feelings they both put their future at risk for the other. Great HEA in the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book 2 in Trident rescue series and its Elijah & Dani's story. Elijah isn't the friendliest of people but under all the bluntness theres a lot of underlying issues which are caused because of the toxic relationship with his parents. Cognitive psychologist Dani visits him at his office to analyse him as part of an evaluation for Mason Enterprises (who he works for) they constantly clash! There are a few hard trigger points covered in this book, which can make for a difficult read but at heart of it all is their relationship. There are lots of twists and turns, angst....and more!! A story line that has you shouting at the characters!! There is nothing to dislike about the Trident Men. Full of emotion, tension and plenty of steam it's a great read and am looking forward to the next book this author brings out.
Our heroine is hired for a job, but that goes south when she herself is targeted and our hero steps in to protect her. Things get messier from there.
This is book two of the series but it is written as a standalone. No prior reading is required.
This is a romantic suspense story with an enemy-to-lovers theme to it. The story is well written and easy to read with well developed characters and an intriguing plot. The story moves at a good pace and the plot has several twists and turns to it that keep things interesting. Along the way, we get to see the chemistry between our characters develop, as well as a nice bit of steam. Overall, this is one complete package and a highly enjoyable read.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.
I read the first in the series some months ago. I had forgotten why I didn't continue it. Here's why.
The POV is odd. The main female character's chapters are first person. The main male character's chapters are third person. It's jarring, and I don't understand why it's done that way when the top of every chapter has the character's name whose POV is written.
This was a hard one for me. The psychological abuse is a lot to take. I had a visceral reaction to Eldridge (Eli's father) and Eli's interaction. It was so unexpected.
I do love how Eli let Dani in right after. That was good to see.
I'm glad both of them were willing to blow up their careers to protect the others. That's love.
Overall, it's 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 because it's not quite at 4 for me. I'm not interested in the rest of the series due to the POV.