Playing
Dirty
Bad Boys Undercover # 1
Bad Boys Undercover # 1
By: HelenKay Dimon
Releasing Jan 27th, 2015
Avon Romance
As
an elite Alliance agent—the joint undercover operation of MI6, the British
Secret Intelligence Service, and the CIA—Ford Decker lives for the adrenaline.
But when he befriends sexy property manager Shay Alexander in hopes of finding
her cousin, a known national security threat, Ford crosses the line, getting to
know her better . . . in bed.
After
being burned by her last relationship, Shay wants to take things slow. Yet she
can't keep her hands off the drop-dead gorgeous hottie who's moved into her
apartment building. So when Ford's identity as an undercover agent is exposed,
his betrayal cuts deep. Shay never wants to see him again, but Ford can't let
her go, not when her life is still in danger. He will sacrifice everything to
protect her, then be prepared to walk away from the only woman he's ever loved,
even if it breaks him.
Wow! This book is a thrill ride! It sucks you in from
the very first moment and doesn’t stop until the last page. The storyline is
along the lines of the Shield, so I was a little worried that it would end up
being cliché. However, the author really did a fantastic job of keeping it down
to earth, much more believable. Along with the action and steamy moments, the
author also had me chucking several times at the dry wit of the characters.
Ford is faced with a pretty impossible situation. He
falls for Shay almost immediately and therefore, can’t bring himself to be
taken off of the assignment, even though he knows the longer he carries on with
the lies, the less likely it is she will forgive him. He the best kind of hero
in a novel. An ingrained sense of justice, a protector, and just a little bit
of a rule breaker. But, he also, deliciously sexy, caring, sweet, and loving.
His struggle in merging all of those characteristics is one of the things that
makes him more realistic and draws the reader in.
Shay is one of the most solid female heroines I’ve
encountered in a novel. I don’t mean this is a negative way, but there is
nothing really special about her. She works hard, loves her family, and lives
her life day to day, just like most of the world. It’s this ordinariness that
connects the reader with Shay because she seems so real. As a person, I would
want to be friends with her and that says a lot about the character. She has a
positive outlook on life, isn’t whiney, and though her trust issues were a tad
frustrating for me, I had to admit, they were totally warranted.
The book is definitely full of nonstop action and
while the storyline was just the slightest bit predictable, the author threw in
a few twists and turns that kept me guessing. The love story is sweet and
steamy, soft moments to rest from all the intensity in the rest of the book.
This is apparently the first in a series and I’ll be watching for the following
books as well as looking into this author’s other works!
It
was almost four o’clock in the afternoon when Ford walked into her
apartment. One firm knock, then the keys jingled in the lock before she could
get up from the kitchen table. Seeing him walk in—was that a beer ad on his
shirt?—had her brain misfiring.
His biceps bunched under the edge of his tee. Be- tween the scruff around his
chin, big smile, and dark brooding good looks, she felt something gurgle in her
throat. It was as if she were treading water and getting tugged under. She’d
talked about having someone steal her breath before. With Ford she lived the
sensation.
While she loved seeing him, she had no idea why she was right now. He worked
long hours and four o’clockqualified more as lunch than his quitting time.
With one leg crossed over the other and her foot bouncing against the floor,
she stared him down. She held her pen in a death grip to keep from fidgeting
and flinging it around.
The more still he stood there, leaning in the doorway, the more nervous she
became. Energy rolled through her, all jumbled and making her twitchy. Maybe if
he’d stop staring back. “Ford?”
“That’s hot.”
She followed his gaze to her hands. The edge of her checkbook dug into her palm
from where she clenched it. With her elbows balanced on the table, she tried to
ease the tension in her shoulders and relax, though that rarely worked with him
around. “What?”
This time he gestured with his chin. “You. Right there.”
She lifted her hand and pointed the bottom of the pen in his general direction.
“I’m writing a check.”
“Exactly.”
“You should see me vacuum.” She wanted to laugh but no sound came out. His
effect on her scared her sometimes.
“Are you trying to break my concentration?”
“I don’t even know what you’re doing here at this time of the day.” Standing,
leaning, generally making her insides jump and jiggle.
“Staring.”
She noticed that, too. “Okay . . . why?”
“All that traveling, all those times I leave . . .” His voice trailed off as he
pushed away from the door and came toward her. “I want to remember your face.”
That sounded like a goodbye or a break. Like some- thing she did not want and
would fight to fend off. “Are you telling me you’re leaving again?”
He kept walking until she stood next to her chair. “Just for twenty-four
hours.”
Just. “Honestly, Ford. Who needs this type of non- stop computer service?”
He made a face. “Uh, everyone?”
HelenKay Dimon is a former divorce attorney turned full-time
romance author. Odd transition, right? She has sold over thirty novels,
novellas and shorts to numerous publishers, including Kensington, Harlequin and
Penguin, Samhain, Carina Press, and HarperCollins. Her nationally bestselling
and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books
have twice been named "Red-Hot Reads" and excerpted in Cosmopolitan
magazine. But the best part of the job is never having to wear pantyhose.
No comments:
Post a Comment