Killer Instincts Series 1-3 by Elle Kennedy-a review

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MIDNIGHT RESCUE
(Killer Instincts #1)
by Elle Kennedy
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic suspense

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2012

Dangerous. Ruthless. Savage. And she’s the good guy.

Abby Sinclair had a desperate childhood until she was rescued and adopted by a retired army ranger who molded her into a master of self-defense. Now, she’s a cunning and fearless assassin thrust into assignment after dangerous assignment, using everything she has-nerve, resilience, strength, sex-to come out on top. Her only rule: trust no one.

Abby’s latest assignment is in Columbia: go undercover and snuff out a dangerous arms dealer active in the underground sex trade. But when Abby purposely blows her cover in a last-ditch attempt to free the helpless victims, deadly mercenary Kane Woodland is recruited as back-up. His mission: get Abby out of that hell hole.

The last thing Kane expects is to feel a primal attraction for Abby. But when she convinces him to join her on her perilous mission, their newfound passion could put the lives of their whole team at risk.

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REVIEW: MIDNIGHT RESCUE is the first installment in Elle Kennedy’s adult, contemporary Killer Instincts military, romantic suspense series focusing on a group of highly trained men and women who go deep undercover to get the job done. This is assassin specialist Abby Sinclair and mercenary Kane Woodland’s storyline.

Told from several third person perspectives MIDNIGHT RESCUE focuses on the rescue of Abby Sinclair and a group of adolescent teen girls about to be auctioned off as sexual slaves. Abby is an alpha female; a warrior whose cold façade is as cold as her heart, and she isn’t afraid to use her body to get what she wants. Hoping to find the location of the young girls, Abby reveals her undercover operation to the Columbian in charge, and finds herself the victim of torture and abuse. Enter Kane Woodland, and his fellow team members who make it their business to rescue Abby, not only from her captors but from herself.

The storyline follows Abby’s rescue and recovery, the plans to extricate the young girls, and the building relationship between Abby and Kane Woodland. The only problem-Abby doesn’t do nice; doesn’t do relationships; and doesn’t do love. Everything about Abby is emotionally distant, and in this she is willing to sacrifice herself to save the others. Abby’s past is mired in physical and sexual abuse, and herein lies the crux of the heroine’s personality.

The secondary and supporting characters are engaging, colorful and control a good portion of the storyline. We are introduced to all of Kane’s fellow team members who, like Kane, are specially trained mercenaries skilled in combat and rescue but it is apparent that each alpha male has a dark and tormented past; Abby’s mentor and superior Noelle, as well as Isabel Roma who goes under cover with Kane’s broken and guilt ridden teammate Trevor Callaghan. Isabel and Trevor’s storyline will be told in book three-Midnight Games.

MIDNIGHT RESCUE is a well written, graphically violent storyline with rape, torture, child sex trade, suicide and murder. Elle Kennedy goes for the jugular with her no nonsense story where nothing is off limits including the emotional violation of the human psyche. I am not sure if the author is going for shock value or sensationalism but Kennedy’s characters have not had an easy life.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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MIDNIGHT ALIAS
(Killer Instincts #2)
by Elle Kennedy
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic suspense

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 5, 2014

She’s smart, seductive, and in way over her head.
He’s her only way out.

An undercover DEA agent has gone off the radar. Suspecting an internal mole, the government needs Luke Dubois and his elite team of operatives to recover their man, and the New Orleans native thinks he’s found his way inside the dark underbelly of Manhattan: Olivia Taylor, the girlfriend of a mob boss and the sexiest woman he’s ever laid eyes on. His new mission objective? Get past Olivia’s defenses and convince her to take a chance—on him.

All Olivia wanted was to finish law school and live a normal life, but that dream was shattered when one dangerous night put her deeply in a mobster’s debt. Now Luke and his team will help her escape—in exchange for intel on the missing agent. But Olivia doesn’t anticipate her intense attraction to the reckless Louisiana charmer or that she’ll be forced to risk everything—including her heart.

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REVIEW: MIDNIGHT ALIAS is the second installment in Elle Kennedy’s contemporary, adult Killer Instincts romantic, suspense series focusing on an elite group of highly trained men and women who are called into action when no one else can get the job done. This is New Orleans’s native/former Navy SEAL Luke Dubois and Olivia Taylor’s storyline. MIDNIGHT ALIAS can be read as a stand alone; some of the previous storyline information is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person points of view MIDNIGHT ALIAS fast forwards the series six months and follows the search for a missing DEA agent whose last know whereabouts placed him at a strip club fronting for a drug smuggling operation. Luke and his fellow team members have not been able to locate the missing agent but Luke finds himself attracted to a beautiful stripper whose role and character are out of place at the club. What ensues is a building relationship between our leading couple, one Luke hopes to use in ferreting out some information about what goes on behind the scenes at the club.

The relationship between Luke and Olivia is slow to build. Luke’s attraction to Olivia is immediate but Olivia is in no position to fall into Luke’s embrace. Our heroine has found herself in debt to the local mob and her mother’s health is dependent upon Olivia’s continued work. Luke and his team will find themselves pulled deeper into an undercover operation where not only do they discover the whereabouts of the DEA agent but put a plan into motion to take down the local drug cartel. There is some definite sexual tension between Olivia and Luke.

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is a suspense filled storyline with an ensemble cast of characters whose own stories are building throughout the series. Luke’s team of fellow mercenaries, headed by ex Ranger Jim Morgan, have set up shop in Mexico waiting for their next assignment that will place each man and woman on the frontline of potential danger and death. Derek or D as he is called is battling some personal demons and in this his character is about to self destruct or implode. Noelle’s team of female assassins is virtually invisible but Isabel does play a much larger role throughout the story. Unlike the previous storyline MIDNIGHT ALIAS is not as graphically or sexually violent. There are scenes of violence and abuse but the details are limited and mostly in the background; the destructive nature of drugs, drug smuggling and the sex trade does make for some interesting scenarios. Isabel and Trevor’s storyline continues to build and the epilogue points to a dangerous assignment for our female assassin.

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is another well written, intriguing and engaging storyline of suspense and romance. The majority of the action takes place in the final pages of the story as the mercenaries try to uncover the truth about the missing DEA agent. Elle Kennedy has caught my attention with her amazing characters and stories.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

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MIDNIGHT GAMES
(Killer Instincts #3)
by Elle Kennedy
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romantic suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

About the book: Release Date August 6, 2013

She wears a thousand deadly identities. He sees through them all.

A master of disguise, Isabel Roma spends her life pretending to be other women. Normally, her emotions are reined in tight—but sexy mercenary Trevor Callaghan has a knack for getting under her skin. The elite operative’s quiet strength and raw magnetism affect her in ways she’s never felt before, a distraction that can quickly turn deadly in their dangerous line of work.

After putting his tragic past behind him, Trevor is ready to focus on his future—and he damn well intends for Isabel to be in it. When their entire operation is thrown into chaos, Trevor enlists Isabel’s talent for deception. And as they attempt to save their team in a world where the stakes are high and the danger is grave, Trevor must convince Isabel that the woman beneath all the disguises is the one worth having.

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REVIEW: MIDNIGHT GAMES is the third installment of Elle Kennedy’s contemporary, adult Killer Instincts romantic suspense series focusing on an elite group of highly trained men and women-mercenaries for hire. This is Trevor Callaghan and Isabel Roma’s storyline-one that has been building since book one. MIDNIGHT GAMES can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and character history I suggest reading the series in order.

Told from several third person points of view MIDNIGHT GAMES, advancing the series approximately six month, finds ex Ranger and head of the mercenary team Jim Morgan missing. Left in charge, Trevor sets into motion a plan, with the help of Noelle’s collection of female assassins including the woman who has stolen his heart, to locate their missing leader. The team will soon find themselves on the receiving end of a vicious and deadly attack leaving several dead, a grieving widower, and Trevor and Isabel fighting their attraction to one another. Going into hiding isn’t possible, when the team must search for the man in charge.

The relationship and attraction between Trevor and Isabel began in book one MIDNIGHT RESCUE wherein a grieving Trevor is unable to come to grips with the death of his fiancée. Guilt finds Trevor taking on suicide missions where he hopes to be on the receiving end of a sniper’s bullet. Time and thoughts of Isabel Roma have Trevor looking towards the future but Isabel is determined to keep away. Their latest assignment will find Isabel on the prowl with a mysterious casino owner, and Trevor fighting the urge to jump in and save the day.

Once again, like the previous two storylines, MIDNIGHT GAMES is an ensemble story that not only focuses on the current premise but sets into motion upcoming storylines. There is a definite history between Noelle and Jim, and Derek aka D is not the man we believe him to be. We are also introduced to Juliet and Paige-two of Isabel’s teammates, as well as all the introduction of a potential new team of mercenaries-currently known as Team B.

The world building continues to focus on the mercenary –for-hire premise as Jim Morgan’s team of retired SEALS, Rangers, Marines and soldiers take on the dirty jobs where crossing the line is all in a day’s work. From drug lords to human trafficking; murder for hire and undercover operations, nothing is off limits in the Killer Instincts series. There is violence and murder; kidnappings and threats but the graphic details are limited and mostly implied.

The reader is pulled into an action packed, suspense filled story where the past meets the present but not before travelling a road of twists and turns. Elle Kennedy teases with her slow reveal of character development, background histories, and everyone’s connection to everyone else. There is plenty of tension you can cut with a knife.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviews by Sandy