Review: Wild Ride (Black Knights Inc. #9)

Wild Ride (Black Knights Inc. #9)

by Julie Ann Walker

Blurb:

Ethan "Ozzie" Sykes

Former Navy SEAL

Underground operator for Black Knights Inc., the covert government defense firm disguised as a custom motorcycle shop.

In a black-on-black international mission that went seriously sideways, Ozzie was badly injured—now he's stuck at BKI headquarters in Chicago, champing at the bit to get out into the field again. To his disgust, he's tasked with distracting Chicago Tribune ace reporter Samantha Tate, who's been trying to dig up the dirt on BKI for years. Turns out Samantha's beauty, intelligence and sense of humor are a seriously big distraction, and Ozzie's losing his desire to keep her at bay.

Ozzie's tired of hiding, and Samantha may be the best-and worst—person to share his secrets with...

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

 Finally everyone’s favorite Black Knight has found his own love and they are living a wild and crazy HEA. So let’s be honest here ladies, the one thing that is every woman’s Kryptonite is a sexy, sweet, super intelligent and brave guy.  Those qualities are so rare in the male population as is, but to have more than one—or heaven forbid all of those traits, a woman has no chance of keeping her heart safe from that kind of man. Fans of this series have known for a very long time that the woman to steal Ozzie's heart would have to be equally intelligent brave and a perfect foil for his sweet endearing qualities, and that their love story would be off-the-charts awesome.  Walker definitely manages to include action, craziness, silliness and the lasting love that make these stories worth the read, and still let us see the emotional attachment that two people really need in order to have a lasting and loving relationship. Ozzie is currently benched due to an unfortunate series of events that left not only his body broken, but also his emotional calm in danger of cracking.  Left behind at the home base instead of being allowed in the field leaves Ozzie itching for some action and definitely more than willing to find a way to kick some ass. He has been “dating” Samantha for a few months now, originally planning to monitor the intrepid reporter to keep her out of BKI business, but more and more she is working her way into his heart and mind and he is coming to a point where his feelings for her are making him unable to lie to her anymore.  Samantha knows there is more to her boyfriend’s job, and to the company he works for;  her reporter instincts are always on high alert, but when she receives information that Ozzie and his friends are dangerous criminals, she isn’t sure exactly how she feels about it, but she knows she can’t let a story like that go.  When her life is in danger, Ozzie and his group are the only thing standing between her and certain death, but can she learn to trust in time to keep them all alive or will she lose her chance to love the most extraordinary man she’s ever known? Ozzie has been a favorite Knight since the beginning of this series, with his slight geekiness, sweet kindness, and bad ass skills he is the whole package. But truly nobody is perfect and Ozzie has a few issues to work through in order to find his HEA and he is determined that he make Samantha his,  once and for all.  Samantha is the kind of heroine that you start out thinking will be in the TSTL category, though once she breaks through her preconceived notions about BKI she is smart enough to know she needs their help to stay alive. She is definitely an intelligent lady, but she is also tough enough to protect herself under most circumstances, making her perfect for Ozzie.  The passion between these two has been a long time coming and when they finally give in there is no denying the heat, or the possibility for true chemistry between two very different people.  I loved seeing Ozzie and Samantha battling each other as well as working together to keep her safe, with plenty of laughter to keep their courting from being too serious, especially considering the seriousness of their daily lives.  Ozzie remains one of my favorite Knights and I enjoyed seeing him kicking ass again, while Samantha did irritate me at first I came to love her, just as Ozzie did, because there really is no other woman that would come close to filling the whole in Ozzie's heart meant for his soul mate.  The action was interesting even if I was surprised by a few of the twists, and of course I loved the way Walker briefed Samantha on the true nature of the work BKI does and the greatness that is Ozzie.  I also enjoyed the hints at future love for our sexy British friend and the newest member of BKI and cannot wait to see their story continue to unfold.  That being said, I have a feeling there won’t be many more stories in this series, which makes me sad, but at the same time I know this series will be reread many times.  As always,  a fabulous foray into the world of special operators, the danger they can get into, and the women that always manage to steal their hearts in the most unexpected of ways.  Keep up the amazing work Ms. Walker so I can  continue to tell the world of your greatness. 

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.