Midnight Man

Interior decorator Suzanne Barron’s new tenant is the most dangerously sexy man she’s ever met. Navy Commander John Huntington, a former SEAL (aka ‘Midnight Man’) works best under cover of darkness. Within hours of meeting him, Suzanne has wild, no-holds barred sex with John, then panics at the depth of her passionate response to such a powerful and dangerous warrior. Suzanne doesn’t do sex like that. John is definitely someone she needs to avoid for her own peace of mind. But when killers come for her, Suzanne known she can turn to only one man. John will guard and protect her body. But who will guard and protect her body against John?

This was my first taste of Lisa Marie Rice and I admit I enjoyed it. Although the characters hopped into bed (and love) quickly, it was still a good read. Suzanne is a cool cat, very collected and put-together. Into her office comes this extremely alpha, ex-military, testosterone ridden man that shakes her up in a way she has difficulty dealing with.

John’s protective instincts come roaring to life when he meets Suzanne. He wants to keep her safe and happy and he goes berserker when someone tries to kill her. He spirits her away to a remote cabin while the police find the who called out the hit on Suzanne. This makes for some interesting reading – John and Suzanne in a cabin…I’m surprised the cabin didn’t burn down. LOL Needless to say, these two are very combustible.

C+

Midnight Run

Claire Parks has been very sick, but she’s fine now-just fine-and ready to paint the town red. Well, pink. On her first excursion into the wild world of dating, she nets Bud, a tall, sexy, good-looking lumberjack. She won him fair and square, her prize for not dying. But after a weekend of wild sex, she discovers he’s not what she thinks he is. Undercover police officer Lieutenant Tyler “Bud” Morrison can’t believe his eyes. What’s a ‘princess’ doing in a dance club known for its rough trade? She needs rescuing, and rescuing women is what Bud does best. He saw Claire first-finders keepers. After a weekend of the hottest sex he’s ever had, he’s definitely keeping this one. When trouble comes her way, he pulls out all the stops to protect her. Except Claire doesn’t want Bud at her back. She wants him in her bed.

Ok, I was a bit confused when I started reading this one. I thought I was reading the books out of order – but these three are intricately woven together but still separated for each female character. Claire is Suzanne’s friend, and there’s a scene in Midnight Man that features Claire and Bud together…and yet Midnight Run starts with Bud seeing Claire in a bar. So that threw me for a second, but then I got it. Haha

So yeah, Claire was extremely sick as a child and had to fight to stay alive. Her father is some crazy rich guy who spared no expense on his little girl and he sheltered her from the world while she was trapped in the hell of her sick body. But Claire is healthy now and eager to get out from under Daddy’s thumb. So she decides to quit her job and get a new one, doing something she truly enjoys. One night she decides to go out with one of her new coworkers and meets Bud – who is undercover at the moment. When her coworker ditches her, Bud offers Claire a ride home – and Claire, instantly attracted to Bud, invites him into her home and bed so she can truly begin living (yeah, she was a virgin, but its understandable with how sick she was).

Claire hides her true identity from Bud because right now he’s treating like her a 100% healthy woman (which she is) but she knows as soon as he knows about her sick past, he’s going to treat her with kid gloves. And she’s right – he does. After discovering the truth about Claire’s past (and that he had actually rescued her from a kidnapper early in his career) Bud begins to temper his need for Claire, which frustrates the hell out of Claire. The conflict here is all internal – can Bud get over Claire’s past illness?

I think is my favorite out of the three. A B for Midnight Run.

Midnight Angel

Her nightmares don’t stop when she opens her eyes… In one night, talented musician Allegra Ennis lost her sight, her father and her career in a brutal attack she can’t remember. Now she’s alone in a world of darkness, her only company the nightmares in her head…and a killer is stalking her every move. Scarred and disfigured by war, tough former SEAL Douglas Kowalski never thought a beauty like Allegra could love someone like him. He doesn’t expect more than a one-night stand. But when Allegra’s life is threatened, Kowalski realizes he will do anything to keep her safe – and by his side.

I enjoyed Midnight Angel but one thing bothered me soooo much. What military man calls a villain a “bad guy”?? The bad guy this, the bad guy that. I don’t think so!

Aside from that, good book. I don’t think I ever read about a blind heroine before and LMR does a good job, imo, of placing the reader inside Allegra’s head. What her worries are, how her life has changed due to her blindness.

Allegra was heading to the top with her singing career when her ass-hat manager decided to take her in the wrong direction. When she decides to break contract, her manager attacks her and kills her father. Which is why Allegra is blind. And her manager is not in jail, but in a psychiatric facility, plotting his revenge.

Douglas Kowalski is an ugly man. Or so he believes. He has a scar on his face, a reminder from one of his missions. When he hears Allegra singing for the first time, he’s immediately in awe and wishes to meet her. He doesn’t realize she’s blind at first, so when she doesn’t look at him, he’s kind of put off. But when he speaks, Allegra falls for his sexy-ass voice and after rescuing her from some “bad guys,” Kowalski and Allegra light up the sheets. Hubba hubba.

LOL A B- for Midnight Angel.

I enjoyed LMR’s writing, although her heroes come off as a bit too alpha. Her love scenes are hot stuff though, and that’s always a good thing in my books. LMR is pure escapism.

Her next release is Dangerous Secrets, out July 1.