review || NOWHERE TO HIDE { blog tour } by Lindsay McKenna

Blue Turtle Publishing | October 13, 2015 | Romantic Suspense
Delos, book 1
★★★★

SOURCE: TASTY BOOK TOURS

Lia Cassidy left the Army scarred physically and emotionally after a vicious attack by two fellow soldiers. She turns to helping others, working at a Delos Home School Charity in Costa Rica that provides schooling for children. But when the deadly drug lord, La Arana, attacks the school, Lia finds herself on the run for her life. The only person she can trust is the ex-SEAL sent to protect her.

Cav Jordan is strong, honorable and gorgeous…and intrigued by Lia. He knows she has suffered pain in her past, and he is determined to break through her barriers and earn her trust. But as Cav slowly chips away at the walls Lia has built, ghosts from her past threaten to destroy their fragile relationship.

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{ about lindsay mckenna } .

Lindsay McKenna lives her life as a risk taker, and it shines through the books she loves to write: romance, adventure and suspense. She started writing at age thirteen and continues to hone her writing skills to this day. She sold her first romance novel in 1981. The rest is history.

Because she went into the military, this experience became the backbone of her writing—she is credited with writing the first military romance novel (Captive of Fate, 1983, Silhouette Special Edition) and has created a thriving sub-genre within the romance field! As a New York Times Best Selling author, she has sold 23 million books and in 32 foreign languages in her career thus far. Her many experiences in the U.S. Navy are backdrop for her understanding of the military in general, and also her very successful Morgan’s Mercenaries, which is an ongoing series in Silhouette to this day! Forty-five books strong!

Lindsay has gone Indie in 2015 and has created a new family saga on par with Morgan’s Mercenaries It is known as the DELOS SERIES. There will be paperback and eBooks created under Blue Turtle Publishing, her company for her fans. Readers who love Morgan and his family are bound to fall in love with the Culver family. Delos is romantic suspense, which Lindsay is well known for. It took her five years to create and bring DELOS to her readers. It was worth the wait, but we’ll let you decide that.

Lindsay loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they’d like to see her write next. Stay up with the latest on the Delos Series here. Please visit her Web site at www.lindsaymckenna.com. And be sure to sign up for her free quarterly newsletter. It contains exclusive content found nowhere else on the Net. Plus, giveaways and other surprises, to her loyal and faithful subscribers!

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{ excerpt } .

Lia took a quick peek at Cav’s profile as he drove. One corner of his mouth had turned upward in a half-grin, and he had both hands on the wheel. She imagined his eyes were constantly moving, looking for potential trouble. While she didn’t think there was any trouble here in the busy, prosperous city of San José, Cav was getting paid to be alert and ever watchful.

It felt nice, actually, to have a guard dog, but Cav was a truly handsome species, in her eyes.

Noticing the white scars and nicks over his large, long fingered hands, and the deep tan, she figured he had been outdoors a lot, probably in the Middle East. She noted his well muscled back. He probably worked out daily, but he wasn’t excessively muscular.

As she took glances at him from time to time as he drove, she realized how many scars he had on the arm nearest her. Hah! She’d thought she had scars? This guy had her beat!

“I’ve never had a bodyguard before. Is there a protocol to it?” she asked, clearly wanting some guidance from him.

“Some,” he murmured, checking his rear view mirror. The whole armada, and it was certainly that, was now on a freeway heading north toward the Monte Verde Cloud Forest Reserve. “General Culver wants me in close proximity to you at all times.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning. She was still jumpy as hell from the attack on the school, which spilled over to extreme nervousness around men. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Cav. She just hadn’t expected him to be so...polite. What man nowadays helped a woman into a car? Or shut her door for her?

While unexpected, Lia was enjoying that little bit of pampering. It was actually very nice.

“I go everywhere with you. If you have to go to the grocery store, I’m with you. If you need to go anywhere, I drive you to and from your destination.”

“I hope you don’t go into the women’s restroom with me!” She laughed, joking. “I’ve been known to do that, too.” She stared open-mouthed at him. “You’re kidding—aren’t you?” She saw amusement gleaming in his hazel eyes. “Not at all.”

“But,” she sputtered, “That’s awful!” This man had been very close to her earlier, and Lia had felt the coiled power in Cav’s body as he stood waiting for her at the open van door.

“What’s awful,” he said, raising his dark brows. “Is taking a bullet while you’re in a stall.” Then, he turned his head, pinning her with a dark look. “And General Culver wants you tailed. That’s what a tail does...they’re your shadow.”

Snorting, she muttered, “Well, we’ll see about that. I don’t want a strange man with me in a woman’s restroom, bullets or no bullets.” Lia could swear he was smiling, but damned if his face wasn’t absolutely expressionless. And whether she wanted to or not, she enjoyed looking at him. He’d stirred her lower body into a new awakening, just like that!

{ review } .

Something that Lindsay McKenna has done incredibly well is bring a genre she started writing in years ago, and bring it to this generation of romance readers. Sure, she has her lifelong fans that started when she did, but with new fans in a new age, she's brought hot, relevant covers into today. Her writing style has remained mostly the same -- many of her romantic elements, phrases, and ways of writing do revert back to early-'90s romance writing, but once you're past that and simply understand that's the way of Lindsay McKenna, it's easy to focus on the story.

Her ability to think out the entire Delos operation was extremely evident in this first book. I would like to add that I did read the prequel story (link at the bottom of entire post) before reading this one and will review it with it's blast in a few weeks' time. That little chunk of words takes place between chapters one and two of this book. If you're looking for more information on Delos, read that one first. It almost borders on info-dumping, but it is great information -- as well as a great insight into Lia Cassidy. If you're looking for a fast-paced, adrenaline rushing quick read, go straight for that prequel. Granted, the prologue of this puppy will get you there, too.

Both Lia and Cav wear their scars on the inside, as well as the outside. Lia is extremely self-conscious about hers, but that's due to reactions she's received from everyone she's encountered, her parents included. She was a strong military woman who has been reduced to fears and insecurities. She chose to help out with Delos because the organization was close to her heart, but it also allowed her to isolate herself from her world -- the women she worked with and the children she helped mentor would never look at her sideways.

I loved that Cav didn't look twice at her scars. From the beginning, he was interested in her mind and simply her. He didn't necessarily want this detail -- he felt he was better off drinking his memories away -- but something about the sadness in Lia's eyes made him want more.

Their courtship was a bit quick -- circumstances and all that -- but I loved that Cav's first priority, as a man more than a protector, was to get Lia in a safe place. Once he had her in a safe location, though, he worked extremely hard to get her mind to a safe place -- and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these scenes. His caring attitude most certainly helped Lia jump her hurdles.

I loved this Delos group and can't wait to read more!

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LAST CHANCE

The Prequel Novella to NOWHERE TO HIDE

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