Judith’s review of Relentless Pursuit (Private Protectors #4) by Adrienne Giordano.
You call this a mission?
Yeah, ex-Army Ranger and Taylor Securities operative Billy Tripp screwed up. So instead of being assigned to a dangerous international mission, he’s sent to babysit a pricey necklace at a trendy South Beach hotel. The only bright side to the assignment is working with the manager, smoking-hot hotel heiress Kristen Dante.
Kristen’s worked hard to build her father’s Miami hotel into a jet-set destination. She’s confident in business but not so much with men. What could a sexy guy like Billy want with her when he could have someone like her beautiful, party-girl sister?
There’s a reason Billy’s known as Mr. Relentless. He doesn’t give up. Not on a job, or on the woman he wants. So when three luxury cars go missing from the hotel’s lot, Billy sets out to find the thief. Suddenly, he has a case with the risks he thrives on. But when his investigation leads to Kristen being threatened, the real danger is losing his heart.
This novel is a continuation of a series by this author that is built around a security firm’s personnel, based in Chicago, and taking on tasks of both local and international importance. Operative Billy Tripp has shown up in a previous novel and has found himself in deep doo doo because of his ADD, a mind that is really far too quick and active for most people to control, and an inability to keep from saying the first thing that comes to mind. In a word, Billy Tripp is a real “trip.” And his near downfall is hovering and may well become final if he doesn’t follow the directions of his boss to take some down time, get his mind back in focus, and learn to control his responses. His present assignment is a slap in the face of a powerful and capable man whose past successes are of hero proportions.
This is a book about a man who has known the heights of success in a job he loves and the depth of personal distress when his own inner demons make take that job and his future away from him. But the gods-that-be have heard someone’s prayer on Billy’s behalf, because coming to South Beach, poopy job and all, may just be the situation that will be his salvation–that, and meeting a woman who struggles with her own demons but whose business success is undeniable.
I am absolutely sold on this series of stories and am absolutely delighted to be able to read this newest novel in the stories about the personnel of Taylor Security. This author keeps the reader glued to the page, It is a story that has a deeply emotional love story at its core, one that ebbs and flows as these two troubled people try to find a rhythm in their budding relationship, a place where they each are at home in their own skin, their own heads, a place where they can be transparent with one another about the challenges they face in any relationship and in dealing with their own insecurities. Yet both are expert in their own fields and each comes to their encounters with a mutual respect for that expertise. So it is a novel that is edgy and complex, with supporting characters who are not necessarily easy to take but who flesh out the reader’s “picture” of the main characters. It is a story that is fun and sexy on several levels, but it is not necessarily all that erotic, but that sexual tension is very much present in the story. Billy is a really funny man yet there are times his great sense of humor covers up a vulnerability that he has learned to hide with great aplomb and readers become increasingly aware that Billy is a really great guy who needs to be just as confident within himself as he wants Kristin to be.
I found this novel another great read from this author and one that lovers of romance mixed with mystery;/international terrorism will find compelling. It is a book that is never lagging in its narrative, that moves the story and actions of the characters relentlessly, just as the hero known as “Mr Relentless” refuses to back away from his professional and personal challenges. It is a book that is simply a wonderfully satisfying reading experience. I hope you don’t miss it.
I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5
The Series:
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This novel was released by Carina Press in August, 2012. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
