The Dom Who Came In From the Cold (Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded 5) by Lexi Blake-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 21, 2023

Kyle Hawthorne once believed his future would be a job in the private sector—a simple, normal life. Fate had other plans and he wound up in the military. Some newly discovered talents caught the eye of the CIA, and in no time he was working with a covert team. He found himself in a relationship with fellow operative, Julia—until she turned out to be the enemy. When her betrayal was uncovered, things got bloody and Kyle returned home broken, searching for a chance to walk the road not taken.

MaeBe Vaughan has never been interested in normal. Her happy place is a dark corner of the Internet, where she disrupts all the bad guys. She has a great circle of friends and a full life. She doesn’t need a man. Until Kyle Hawthorne walked into her life. He’s all wrong for her. Surly. Damaged. His uncle is her boss. But she couldn’t help getting close to him. When his past threatened her safety, Kyle walked out without saying good-bye.

Kyle will do anything to keep MaeBe safe. He faked his death, hid in the middle of nowhere, and watched over her from afar. But when Julia resurfaces, he knows that to protect MaeBe, he’ll have to get close. So close that if they manage to survive, he will never let her go.

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REVIEW:THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD is the fifth 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 author’s Masters and Mercenaries series. This is former CIA agent Kyle Hawthorne, and IT specialist MaeBe (Mae Beatrice) Vaughn’s story line. THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout as well as references to previous events and interconnected characters. Kyle and MaeBe’s story line has been building since book one of the Reloaded spin off.

NOTE: If you have not read the previous instalments, there may be spoilers in my review. Some of the events of THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD cross over with NO TIME TO LIE #4.

Told from third person perspective using present day and memories from the past THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD follows in the wake of Kyle Hawthorne’s return from the dead. Years earlier, CIA operative Kyle Hawthorne had fallen in love with fellow CIA agent Julia Ennis, but soon discovered Julia had turned to the dark side, taking Kyle along for the ride. Upon his ‘escape’ from Julia, and his return to his extended family at McKay-Taggart Security and his mother Grace Taggart, Kyle would find himself falling for IT Specialist MaeBe Vaughn but Kyle’s past refused to let go, and our hero faked his death to protect the woman he loved. Fast forward eighteen months, and Kyle would, once again, come face to face with MaeBe Vaughn, the woman whose heart he destroyed in an effort to save her. Working for McKay-Taggart brought Kyle up close and personal with MaeBe but Kyle’s demons have returned gunning for everyone that Kyle has ever loved. What ensues is the acrimonious but rebuilding relationship between Kyle and MaeBe, and the potential fall-out as Julia Ennis sets her sights on our story line hero, killing anyone who stands in her way of reclaiming the man she lost.

The relationship between Kyle and MaeBe is a second chance relationship but a relationship destroyed by secrets and lies, issues of trust, and Kyle faking his death in an effort to protect MaeBe Vaughn. Having remained hiding in plain sight, Kyle had been in contact with family back home but MaeBe was kept out of the loop to protect her from future harm. Kyle’s return brought trepidation, more issues of trust, and the enemy only minutes behind, and with it, MaeBe’s life would once again hang in the balance. MaeBe is a submissive in the bedroom, but in the real world, MaeBe refuses to bend to the man she still loved. The $ex scenes are intimate erotic and intense with some scenes of spanking and bondage.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Big Tag and Charlotte, Sean and Grace Taggart; operatives Taylor Cline and Drake Radcliff, Deke Murphy and Maddie Hall, Hutch and Noelle, Adam Miles, Jake, Boomer and Yasmin, as well as the return of Julie Ennis, and newcomer CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) Joseph Caulder who will lead the new teams in MASTERS AND MERCENARIES: NEW RECRUITS September 2023.

THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD is another complex, detailed, exhaustive and meticulous storyline that wraps up this particular arc of the Masters and Mercenaries series, as well as the introduction to the next generation of operatives and spies-children of the couples we have met in the original and previous series. The premise is thorough, elaborate and intriguing; the characters are numerous, charismatic, determined and dynamic; the romance is passionate but struggles in the face of betrayal and loss. Lexi Blake pulls the reader into another wonderful, exciting and amazing series-you don’t want to pass by.

Previous Reviews and Reading Order

Submission Impossible
The Dom Identity
The Man From Sanctum
No Time To Lie

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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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