BATTLE OF HEARTS (Legacy of the Maguires 2) by Stella Holt-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 11, 2023

In a city where connections are everything, who will prevail as political and police royalties collide?

Ainsley Nash just got her big break with a story on insider trading that’s causing political elites, including her senator father, to sweat. As her story gains momentum, the threat of someone shutting her down looms. But Ainsley is headstrong, and no one is going to stop her from discovering the truth—especially not the smoking hot SWAT sergeant assigned to protect her.

Coming from a family full of cops, Rory Maguire didn’t join the D.C. SWAT team to babysit socialites. But Ainsley surprises Rory with her down-to-earth personality and drive to do what’s right. Keeping Ainsley safe from harm isn’t easy. Attempting to ignore the surge of desire he feels every time she’s within reach is an even bigger challenge.

Ainsley and Rory have enough sexual tension to light up the city, but can they let their guards down long enough to admit they’re a perfect match before it’s too late?

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REVIEW:  BATTLE OF HEARTS is the second instalment in Stella Holt’s contemporary, adult LEGACY OF THE MAGUIRES romantic suspense series focusing on the Maguire siblings. This is thirty-four year old, D.C. SWAT Team leader Sergeant Rory Maguire, and investigative journalist Ainsley Nash’s story line. BATTLE OF HEARTS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspective (Rory and Ainsley) BATTLE OF HEARTS focuses on the protection of New York State Senator Nash’s daughter, investigative journalist Ainsley Nash. Senator Nash has requested the services of the DC Police Force to protect his daughter in the wake of a potential threat and the attack upon his junior Senator. Orders from the top find D.C. SWAT Team leader Rory Maguire, guardian and protector of Ainsley Nash but the Senator is not forthcoming with the who, how or why. Ainsley, refusing to sit back, with the help of Rory and his brother Conner, begins an investigation only to discover the betrayal could come from someone she knows but someone in D.C. has pulled Ainsley’s security detail leaving our heroine unprotected from future harm. Refusing to leave Ainsley exposed, Rory takes time off to reconsider his own future in the wake of a new position, protecting the woman with whom he will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Rory and Ainsley, and the potential fall-out as mutual success and promotions threaten any possibility of a happily ever after.

Ainsley Nash is all about the next big story, and there are plenty of stories in Washington D.C. but Ainsley must tread very carefully in the wake of her father’s position and possible run the Presidency. An attack against her father’s junior Senator meant someone was getting too close to the truth, and Senator Nash doesn’t want his daughter a potential target as things quickly go south. Rory Maguire comes from a law enforcement dynasty, and has been offered a new position within the DC police force but his latest assignment ‘babysitting’ the Senator’s daughter brings Rory up close and personal with a future he never considered, a future that may never come to fruition.

The relationship between Rory and Ainsley begins as an assignment, an assignment of which Rory wants nothing to do. Ainsley doesn’t want personal protection but the perceived threats become a reality when secrets reveal an informant with secrets of his own. As Rory struggles to keep his distance from our story line heroine, Ainsley believes she has found her future in Rory Maguire. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and mostly implied, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is no foul language.

We are reintroduced to the Maguire siblings : Charlotte Maguire and Caleb Kincaid (Last First Kiss), Undercover Detective Conner and US Navy SEAL Finn, and their parents Judge Cora and former police Commissioner Maguire, Ainsley’s father Senator Nash, as well as fellow SWAT Team members Jake and Axel. Conner’s story line is next.

BATTLE OF HEARTS is a story of power and control, politics and greed, family and relationships, acceptance, sacrifice and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing and entertaining but the conflict resolution was off page so the reader is not privy to the smaller nuances of the threats against our story line heroine. The romance is seductive; the characters are energetic and determined.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one LAST FIRST KISS

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Author of your next binge-worthy romance series, Stella has been plotting sexy, tear-jerker stories since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born a Georgia peach, Stella loves all things country but calls the beach home. Most days she can be found drinking too much coffee, collecting lipstick she forgets to wear, and baking.

Stella’s first series featuring first responders debuts in 2023.

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