Final Siege

Scarlett Cole

Jan 2018 · Love Over Duty Book 2 · Sold by St. Martin's Paperbacks

About this ebook

"Cole is a genius at weaving together heart-racing, suspenseful moments with scorching intimacy and real characters." - USA Today

Hard, hot, and exhilarating, a sexy ex-Navy SEAL and a headstrong investigative journalist get a second chance at love in Final Siege by Scarlett Cole.

IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
Former SEAL Malachai “Mac” MacCarrick is all about the future he’s created with his Navy brothers in Eagle Securities, taking assignments in the most dangerous places, and doing things no one but ex-military would attempt. But when an urgent phone call brings his troubled past—and the woman he once loved—into the present, it’s a chance to redeem himself that he can’t refuse.

STRAIGHT TO THE HEART...
An investigative journalist researching an explosive story, Delaney Shapiro tells herself she got over Mac—and his role in her brother’s death—a long time ago. But the first moment she sees him at her bedside in an overseas hospital, she knows it’s not true. Every moment together rekindles the desire that once burned between them, and now that she’s a target for an emerging Russian arms dealer, Mac won’t let her out of his sight. To protect her, he’ll risk it all—including his life...


“Non-stop action and heart-pounding romance...a must-read for romantic suspense fans!”
—Cynthia Eden, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author on Under Fire

Ratings and reviews

Two and a half stars. So I quite liked the first book in this new series, the heroine had a brain and was unusual, I didn't really warm to the hero and heroine but the first book in a new series can often be a bit 'off' as the author finds their feet so I was looking forward to the second book. Delaney Shapiro was madly in love with her older brother Brock's best friend Malachi 'Mac' MacCarrick until the day her brother died, being goaded to jump off a cliff by Mac. Her father died shortly afterwards and her mother became an alcoholic. Fourteen years later and she has not seen or spoken to Mac since her brother's funeral. Mac is now a former Navy SEAL who has set up Eagle Securities with Brock's other friends. As usual, these are all military and do super secret security stuff. One day Mac gets a call from a military hospital in Germany, Delaney is a journalist and had been kidnapped, drugged and tortured in Tajikistan following a story about US companies being complicit in arming the Taliban. In her delirium Delaney asks for Mac and he comes to her aid. Reunited after fourteen years Mac is still just as much in love with Delaney as he ever was, but she can never forgive him for causing the deaths of her beloved brother and father. Delaney comes back to San Diego but soon believes that she is being followed and a man tries to break into her apartment whilst she is in there. Obviously she is on to something with her investigation but irritatingly she doesn't know what. I didn't really enjoy this book, although I read it through to the end. Delaney (as many others have said) acts like a petulant teenager, refusing to listen to Mac's explanation of what really happened that day and insisting on hating him, whilst also relying upon Mac to keep her safe from the men following her. I didn't really understand why Mac loved her still, and if he called her Buttons once he called her it 49 times (okay all 49 instances in the book might not all be the annoying nickname) - it's a stupid nickname. This book sat uneasily in that grey area between true romantic suspense and light-weight romance with a bit of a mystery. The plot was all over the place (and had to stop for frequent bouts of bonking as Delaney and Mac had sex on every available surface), I still don't have a grasp on WHY the men were chasing Delaney, because frankly until a source gives the team A REALLY BIG CLUE they are totally in the dark. So there was too much sex and feelings for a romantic suspense but too much plot for a mystery romance. I don't think it helped that I have also confused the arc in the first book with another book (which I now have to try and find) where there are mysterious goings on in the town where the good guys have created their compound - I was looking for that arc! I still love Scarlett Cole as an author, her recent book Nikan Rebuilt was a rollercoaster of emotions, but I'm afraid this book didn't do it for me. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is book 2 of Ms Cole’s appropriately titled, Love Over Duty. But if like me , you have not read book one, rest assure it’s a stand alone and the author gives you enough background information that you get the gist of book one. Mac’s and Delaney’s story is a second chance story filled with a suspenseful, intriguing , but a plot that is at times faced paced and at other times slow paced. That is , when it wasn’t inconsistent and hard to follow. The characters were interesting. An example of the inconsistency is when Delaney refers to an incident that happened the day before, then says it happened 3 days before and back to one day prior. When the author jumps abruptly from one scene to another it distracts the reader. This all became distracting and took away from the two main plots of the book, the story of a second chance, and the reason why Delaney was kidnapped. I was gifted this copy by Netgalley and St Martin’s Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Years ago Delaney and Mac were everything to each other. Their futures were laid out and their love was the enduring kind that would last through the years. However, that was before Delaney’s brother died. Before her brother died and Mac essentially killed him. Now over a decade later Delaney has been injured during a kidnapping. As an investigative journalist, Delaney is hungry for the story that will bring a madman and a group of terrorist to justice. What she doesn’t want or need is Mac coming to her rescue as she recovers from her injuries. Mac has tried to move on with his life without Delaney but now that he’s got his foot back in the door he’s not going anywhere. This book covers a lot of ground concerning illegal weapons, drugs and the money trail that helps to finance fanatical groups. It became just a bit too much for me at times and I found myself skimming. There were also times when the characters were outlining who would be doing what on the current assignment and those paragraphs became long and drawn out so I skipped them as well. However, the true story of this couple finding a way back to each other after each of them had lost their brother/best friend and all the years of hate and resentment that followed was worth the read. There is a lot of push from Delaney as she cannot let go of the fact that her brother is dead because of Mac. On the other hand, Mac is prepared to do anything to protect her even if it means killing someone. The pace is a bit slow, the connection between the men is incredible with lots of humor, the showdown is explosive and the sex is steamy. Overall, a very nice read. This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Dual POV Safe – both h/H have been in relationships since their separation; H is not a manho; no om/ow drama Possible triggers – h was kidnapped off page but not raped; some violence

About the author

Born in England, Scarlett Cole traveled the world, living in Japan and the United States before settling in Canada where she met her own personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. She now lives with her husband and children in Manchester, England where she's at work on her next book. She is the author of The Strongest Steel.