NO TIME TO LIE (Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded 4) by Lexi Blake-Review & Excerpt tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 13, 2022
A grandmaster of lies and deception
Drake Radcliffe has spent half his life in the shadows. Recruited by the CIA when he was barely out of high school, Drake doesn’t know how to have a normal life. While most people his age were playing sports or video games, he was playing spy games with the world’s most dangerous adversaries. It has been a life filled with thrills and adrenaline, but it’s also been lonely. All that might change when a mistake from Drake’s past rears its ugly head and he’s forced to face the only woman he ever loved—the one he pushed away.
A beacon of love and compassion
Taylor Cline committed the cardinal sin for an analyst—she fell for the operative she was working for. Drake was everything she wanted in a man, until he broke her heart. She had one unforgettable night with him and then he never looked back. Her career threatened, she shut down and moved on, hoping to never see him again. Just as she is beginning to put it all behind her, a critical assignment puts her under his authority and right back in his arms.
A deadly mission that brings them together
From the wilds of Wyoming to the glittering cities of Europe, Drake and Taylor must race against time to uncover the truth and expose an evil organization. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If they fail, the world could crumble. If they succeed, they could finally have everything their hearts desire.
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REVIEW: NO TIME TO LIE is the fourth instalment in Lexi Blake’s contemporary, adult MASTERS AND MERCENARIES: RELOADED erotic, BDSM, romantic suspense series-a spin off from the author’s Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten which in turn is a spin off from the Masters and Mercenaries series. This is former CIA agents and McKay-Taggart operators Drake Radcliffe, and Taylor Cline’s story line. NO TIME TO LIE can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as there is a continuing theme / plot line throughout. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s NIGHTS IN BLISS, Colorado series written as Sophie Oak.
Told from third person perspective NO TIME TO LIE focuses on the acrimonious relationship between operatives Taylor Cline and Drake Radcliffe, and the search for a killer who is obsessed with the take down of the employees at McKay-Taggart. Approximately eighteen months earlier, an injured Drake Radcliffe found himself on the mend in a safe house in Romania with CIA operative Taylor Cline, the woman with whom he planned to spend the rest of his life but a take down was in progress and Taylor was pulled out of his life, never to be seen again. Fast forward to present day wherein Drake discovers his new assignment involves the search for a woman he long thought dead, and his partner was none other than the woman he could never forget but all was not well within the Agency, McKay-Taggart or with international relations, and our couple, along with the operatives at McKay-Taggart would find themselves in the middle of a dysfunctional family plot to rule the government and eventually the world. What ensues is the second chance relationship between Drake and Taylor, and the potential fall-out as betrayal is at the heart of the entire operation.
Taylor Cline thought she found love the day an injured Drake Radcliffe arrived at the safe house in Romania but secrets and lies lead to another betrayal wherein Taylor found herself in custody, with the possibility of never again seeing the outside world. Drake Radcliffe had no idea the fall-out of his latest operation would result in a betrayal at the highest level but when he discovered he would be working with the woman’s whose heart he destroyed, Drake was determined to claim our heroine as his own.
The relationship between Drake and Taylor begins on the job wherein Drake will fall instantly in love with our story line heroine. Eighteen months apart where Drake believed Taylor was no longer in his life found Drake determined to reclaim what he once thought was lost but all was not well within the Agency, as a possible mole was working to take down everyone involved. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense with some BDSM and Dom/sub scenarioq.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic, fun and familiar characters many of whom we have met in the previous series including Big Tag and Charlotte, Sarge and Grace Taggart as well as Grace’s son Kyle Hawthorne who has been at the centre of the McKay-Taggart fall-out.
NO TIME TO LIE is a detailed, complex and multi-layered story line of betrayal, loss and vengeance, obsession and infatuation, power and control, ambition and rule, family, friendships, relationships and love. The premise is twisted, dramatic, intriguing and driven; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are powerful, strong, animated and impassioned. The epilogue, once again, reveals a glimpse into the future-the second generation of McKay-Taggart agents, CIA operatives, and espionage and spies.
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Submission Impossible
The Dom Identity
The Man From Sanctum
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
She felt a jolt of heat power through her. “Even if I was, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Can I ask why?”
She didn’t sense any threat from him. With any man who hit on her, she had to assess the potential of him taking rejection poorly. She didn’t think Drake was one of those guys. The last couple of days had made her comfortable with him. “I don’t think it’s smart to get involved with someone I work with.”
“You don’t work with me. From what you’ve said, you won’t be with the Agency for much longer.”
“Yes, and you will be,” she pointed out.
A thoughtful expression came over his face. “That’s kind of what makes it workable in my mind. I can’t tell anyone what I do. That makes for difficult relationships. You already know, and it won’t surprise you that I don’t talk about my work. You won’t get upset if I have to be gone for a couple of weeks without notice. I have a hard time making connections to people, but it was easy with you. Even if you’re not interested in me in a physical way, I hope we can be…friends.” He said the word like it didn’t quite make sense to him. Like it was a foreign word on his tongue.
There was no way for her to deny the electricity between them. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to. That inner voice kept getting stronger.
What would be the harm in seeing if it could work? You might get an orgasm or two out of it. He’s not saying he’s going to walk at the end. He’s actually saying he wants to see you outside this cabin. Why not try?
She was a careful woman. She’d learned that lesson from watching her father throw himself into deadly situations again and again.
But what was she risking? He was right. It was hard for her to connect. She’d had a couple of boyfriends over the years, and she had to hold back so much of herself to even have a chance at making the relationship work. She couldn’t talk about what her father did, couldn’t mention her own work. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have no secrets between them?
“Did I make you uncomfortable?” Drake asked. “Because we can pretend like I didn’t say anything. This snow is going to stop soon, and I should be out of here in a couple of days.”
She reached for his hand. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I’m glad you were honest with me. The last couple of days have been…nice.”
A slow smile spread across his face, and he threaded his fingers through hers. “Nice? Awful sexual tension is nice to you?”
“I wouldn’t say awful. Anticipation can be fun.” It was good to know she hadn’t been the only one who felt the heat between them.
“Are you saying yes?” Drake asked.
Did she want to let him walk out of here and never know what it felt like to be in his arms? They’d been thrown together for a reason. It couldn’t be some random thing that they’d met again. She would hate herself if she didn’t give it a shot.
In a couple of months she would be out of this life and might be able to find some kind of normalcy. Maybe it was time to take a chance.
“Yes,” she said.
“Then come here and let me kiss you and tell you how the night’s going to go,” he said in a commanding tone.
Her whole body responded. She moved, standing and twisting so she sat on his lap. “How is my night going to go, Drake?”
One big hand cupped the nape of her neck while his other arm wound around her waist. “Let’s find out.”
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
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