KIDNAPPED BY THE BILLIONAIRE (Nine Circles #4) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 1, 2016

He kissed her the way he’d run her down, conquering her, taking her…

A priceless plan. An illicit attraction.

Seven years ago, billionaire-turned-bodyguard Elijah Hunt lost everything he had-his family, his future-and now he wants revenge. But when he decides to kidnap the daughter of the man who ruined his life, Elijah gets a lot more than he bargained for. Violet Fitzgerald is nothing like her corrupt wealthy father. In fact, she’s so disarmingly independent-and irresistible-that she just might be dangerous…

And a love that’s too good to be true.

Violet never thought she’d feel a connection to her captor. But there’s something beneath Elijah’s steel-bodied exterior that makes her want to know him more deeply…and surrender to his every demand. But once Elijah’s erotic fantasies become a reality-and he and Violet develop a real romantic connection-he finds himself in a quandary: Is he still the one in control? Or has Violet imprisoned him-body and soul?

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REVIEW: KIDNAPPED BY THE BILLIONAIRE is the fourth installment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult NINE CIRCLES romantic, suspense series. This is billionaire/bodyguard Elijah Hunt, and heiress Violet Fitzgerald’s story line. KIDNAPPED BY THE BILLIONAIRE can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory I recommend reading the series in order as the NINE CIRLES series focuses on taking down the Nine Circles, and an elite corruption ring of sex traffickers, dealers and underground crime.

Told from several third person perspectives KIDNAPPED BY THE BILLIONAIRE finds our heroine in a precarious position as the victim of a kidnapping as part of a revenge plot against her father, and the corruption underground he controls. Violet in an innocent in that she never knew about her father’s ties to crime, and the horrendous cost of life he has inflicted on the people with whom he does business. Violet is a woman who has been searching for her brother-a man, who for the last sixteen years, she believes died by his own hands, but for one reason or another she believes is still alive. Enter Elijah Hunt, her father’s bodyguard, and a man who seeks revenge against Violet’s father for the loss of everything and everyone he loved.

Violet Fitzgerald is a strong woman capable of holding her own against anyone including the family that continues to keeps our heroine at a distance. And now…Violet is Elijah’s captive; a woman Elijah needs to take down the people that destroyed his life….but Violet is also the woman who calls to his soul, and that places both of them in a dangerous situation. As the story line builds, so too does the attraction of want and need between a predator and his prey. Elijah thought his heart had died seven years before, but something about Violet stirs the dying embers of a fire long thought vanished. The $ex scenes are aggressive, provocative and intense.

All of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting roles, as their overlapping and continuing story lines blend with each successive installment. Although Jackie Ashenden reveals important information, from previous story lines, where necessary, and reflects on some of the history between the characters, I recommend reading the series in order. There is so much information in each installment that may be necessary for continuity for each successive story.

KIDNAPPED BY THE BILLIONAIRE is a fast paced, suspense-filled mystery of betrayal, revenge, and falling in love. The premise is cleverly written and remarkably intense; the characters are impassioned, dynamic and strong; the romance is acceptance of what was, and what can be. Now, I have to go back to the beginning for my own sanity to read what happened to get up to this point.

Copy supplied by the publisher by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy