No Escape From War: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romantic Suspense

Cynthia Eden

May 2021 · Trouble For Hire Book 1 · Hocus Pocus Publishing, Inc.

About this ebook

A free series starter! A hot, enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance with plenty of suspense and action.

Revenge. Oh, it was going to be sweet.

Warren “War” Channing finally has the chance to nail his beautiful, lying ex. And, no, he doesn’t mean “nail” in the down and dirty sexual way…War means he has the opportunity to send the lovely and infuriating Rose Shadow to jail. Turned out, the woman who had shattered his heart beneath her high heeled shoes was wanted for murder. She was on the run, and he was just the man to hunt her down and toss her into the nearest cell…War could hardly wait. 

 He was the last man she expected to need.

The breakup had been ugly. Painful. It had ripped out her heart and left her in a sad, crying heap as she ate her ice cream, but Rose had moved the hell on, and she had sworn to never, ever need War again. Except, well, now she did need him and his sneaky skills because Rose was in trouble up to her eyes. The kind of trouble that could wreck a woman’s life.

He’ll make her pay.

Rose has cracked the story of a lifetime. She’s uncovered a brutal serial killer who has been hiding in the shadows—only now, she is his next target. The cops think she’s involved in the string of murders because maybe her DNA had been at a crime scene and maybe she’d been spotted by witnesses at another location, but Rose is a reporter—she’d been at the scenes because she was tracking down the real killer. Now, though, because War has caught her, Rose is out of time and options. War is former special ops. He’s the best PI in town. And he’s the man who gave her more pleasure than should be legal…Too bad that he’s also the man who hates her the most.

Forty-eight hours…then jail.

They make a grudging deal—she’ll pay him anything he wants if he just gives her forty-eight hours before he turns her over to the cops. During that forty-eight hours, he will help her track the real killer. When the clock runs down, she’ll be out of his life for good.  Except…a whole lot can change for two people in forty-eight hours. Hate can turn into desire. Need can rage out of control. And a love that you thought was long dead? It just might flash to life again.

Provided, of course, that the murderer hunting Rose doesn’t manage to kill her before she and War can catch him.  Forty-eight hours. The countdown starts now…

Author’s note: The “Trouble For Hire” romance series features hot, former military heroes…and these guys truly are the best kind of trouble. All of the books are stand-alones with guaranteed happy endings. Danger, romance, action, suspense, humor…oh, it’s definitely time to find some trouble…

Ratings and reviews

Oh my gosh! It just doesn’t get any better than this! I’m not a huge fan of the second chance trope but holy heck, this was amazing! Rose and War set my Kindle on fire with their chemistry. After a bad breakup they are at ground zero when it comes to getting along with each other. The banter as they argued was electric and had me squirming in my seat as I devoured every delicious taunt. This truly has never been something I enjoy but Rose and War together are addictive! While I loved Rose, it was War that stole my heart completely. I loved the way his thoughts imagined certain things in the beginning and the expected glee he would derive from those thoughts alone. Once he realizes that Rose is in serious trouble, the turn around into full on protective mode was like catnip to my alpha loving heart. Gah! He was delicious in every way. This has a lot of action, plenty of humor, and enough steam to require a furtive look around in case someone was watching me read (and respond to) all of this deliciousness. With the addition of War’s best friend Odin, I feel as though I’m floating in the clouds in anticipation for his book next. Surely I’ve done something wonderful in a previous life to be awarded the chance to read this.

NO ESCAPE FROM WAR is the first instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult TROUBLE FOR HIRE erotic, romantic suspense series. This is former US Navy SEAL turned private investigator and bar owner Warren ‘War’ Channing, and journalist/broadcaster Rose Shadow’s story line. Told from several third person perspectives including Rose and War, NO ESCAPE FROM WAR follows several months after the breakdown of the relationship between former US Navy SEAL and PI Warren ‘War’ Channing, and journalist/broadcaster Rose Shadow’s. Rose Shadow is in trouble-she is a person of interest in the murders of several local women, and has not one but two potential stalkers who are forcing our heroine on the run. Hired to locate our story line heroine, Warren ‘War’ Channing, owner and operators of TROUBLE FOR HIRE Investigations, easily finds the woman he once loved but lets her know that he has no problem turning her in as a potential serial killer. An attack against our heroine finds Warren both protector and guardian, as the hunt for a killer hits too close to home, a serial killer who may have help finding his next victim. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between War and Rose, and the fall-out as our couple is targeted by a killer whose focus is now on our story line couple. Warren Channing believed Rose Shadow betrayed his love, and with issues of trust, War wasn’t having anything to do with our story line heroine-his inability to forgive led to a growing hate of the woman he wanted to call his forever. Unable to defend herself, Rose was pushed out of Warren’s life knowing that she was innocent of the charges all around but War’s reappearance in her life coincides with the murder investigation that points the finger at our story line heroine, and a potential stalker, leaving our Rose vulnerable to old feelings, feelings she knows will lead her to another broken heart. As War works overtime to protect our story line heroine, the list of potential stalkers and killers begins to climb. The relationship between Rose and War is a second chance romance; a love destroyed by perceived betrayal and issues of trust. War struggles with his renewed attraction to the woman he believes did him ‘wrong’, and Rose wants nothing to do with a man who is unable to see the truth through the forgery of lies. As War and Rose find themselves on the run, the killer/stalker is always one step behind forcing our couple to look long and hard at potential suspects. The $ex scenes are intimate, seductive and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. We are introduced to fellow US Navy SEAL and War’s friend Odin Shaw; Detective Lynn Slater ; Rose’s co-worker and boss Dylan Nelson, informant Billy, and PI Gary Strom. Odin’s story is next in DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN. NO ESCAPE FROM WAR is a story of rekindling romance, forgiveness and love; a tale of obsession and hate, power and control. The premise is fast paced, intense and intriguing; the romance is sensual, captivating and intimate; the characters are energetic and emotional. NO ESCAPE FROM WAR is a wonderful and powerful start to Cynthia Eden’s new TROUBLE FOR HIRE.

Love this author. Love everything about the way she writes. Pace, characters, settings, humour, suspense/mystery, HEA, heat. Just everything! I read the second book in this series first and it's still my fave, but this couple are by no means slobs in the set haha! We meet our couple after an aborted attempt at a relationship, which was apparently upset by a failure to communicate and trust (those little keys to any successful relationship), but never fear, they sort themselves put relatively quickly and with great satisfaction for this reader. Always easy to recommend this author if you enjoy alpha men, strong clever women, suspense/mystery, sass, tasteful heat and a genuinely good ride. Well written and edited (can't thank them enough for this!), dual pov, open door sexy times.

About the author

Cynthia Eden is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia writes sexy tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over one hundred novels and novellas.