ARC Review: HOT Angel (Hostile Operations Team #12)

HOT Angel (Hostile Operations Team #12)

by Lynn Raye Harris 

Blurb:

She's damaged...

Brooke Sullivan's carefully ordered existence is spiraling out of control. Two years ago, she was violently abducted by a terrorist group and nearly killed. She's worked hard to get her life back on track--moving to a new house, changing careers, going on a couple of dates. When she witnesses a murder, she's plunged into a new nightmare. And as the past threatens to repeat itself, she's not sure she'll survive this time.

He's ruthless...

Cade "Saint" Rodgers never forgot the beautiful girl he talked to at the wedding of his commanding officer. Now she's in trouble, and he's the one tasked with protecting her. Brooke is terrified of men like him--a Black Ops soldier for whom violence is a way of life--which makes falling for her a terrible idea. But that won't stop Cade from using every sensual trick he's got to make her believe anything is possible if only she wants it badly enough.

Together, they're combustible...

As danger draws closer, it'll take all of Cade's strength--and all of Brooke's determination--to learn how to let go of the past and trust each other. But it might not be enough. To keep her safe, he may have to let her go forever...

The Hostile Operations Team is a covert military Black Ops unit. Their motto is Where None Dare. H.O.T. operators come from all branches of the military. The only criteria for membership: they must be the best of the best!

Themes: Contemporary, Military

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 WOW, with all the heat, magic and sexiness you come to expect from a HOT adventure plus the laughter and silliness needed to make this story truly endearing, HOT Angel is beyond any reading experience of the spring.

When I first learned that Brooke Sullivan, the damaged and truly emotionally traumatized victim of one of the previous novels in this series would be getting her very own HOT operator I was truly interested in how Ms. Harris would work that one out.  With so many issues and so much to work through I thought for sure that Brooke would have to be wooed for a long and slow courtship that just couldn’t live up to the awesomeness that we expect from the HOT guys.  Boy do I need to keep my speculations to myself in the future.  Cade “Saint” Rodgers was definitely the man to bring Brooke out of the darkness and show her the way back to life.  For longtime readers of the story, we all know the pain that Brooke has gone through and understand how hard a relationship will be for her with one of these men, but new readers get plenty of background and will not feel like they are left out of the loop. HOT is represented in a big way and we get to see some of our favorite previous couples living life to the fullest, plus some of the new team guys that will someday soon get their own books we hope.  This series continues to amaze me with the way it touches on so many different issues and how the characters are so varied and interesting without ever seeming to be copies of previous folks, even if I can safely say every single operator at HOT is seriously badass and sexy as hell.  If you love an emotion and action packed story with plenty of drama, feels, passion and the ultimate healing power of love, then HOT Angel is the book for you.  I cannot wait for whatever comes our way next in this series and am dying to see Kat and Mendez’s little junior operator!

Cade has had his eyes on Brooke for a while, ever since she basically hit on him in a moment of drunken vulnerability at his friend’s wedding, but he knows she is not ready yet for the kind of relationship he wants and needs from her.  However, nothing says they can’t start off slow and ease into the more physical stuff right?  With that thought in mind, Cade is determined to get Brooke to accept his friendship, and when they quickly become text buddies Cade decides that he will spend whatever time he needs to in order to get Brooke to trust him enough to go out with him, because this woman has snared him in a big way.  Just when Brooke is beginning to open up and thinks she might be ready for a date with Cade, she is thrust back into the deep underbelly of the world of danger and death when she stumbles across her neighbor’s dead body.   When Cade is the first call she makes, he rushes to her side and she’s going to have to work harder than ever to resist him when he decides that she needs him with her to keep her safe.  Now together every moment, will she be able to resist the pull between them or is it time to let go of her fears and finally understand that Cade is the one man in all the world made not just to protect and love her, but to heal her and bring her back into the world of the living where he will make her his.

Cade was so damn hot in this story and there is no way that I would have been able to resist him a third as long as Brooke did.  Seriously, I would have dropped my panties for him by the end of chapter three, so I don’t know how she resisted.  So that being said, his character and his sweetness definitely made him the type of guy to make sure that Brooke not only doesn’t jump into anything too quick, but that she really understands the consequences of her choices.  I loved seeing how deep he fell for her so quickly and that he wasn’t afraid to admit, to himself or his boys, that she had him wrapped around her little finger.  Even as the danger around them escalated, he took his time with her and made sure that she never took on more than she was ready for and that she was always cared for physically AND emotionally.  If I could find a guy like this I would tie him to my bed and make sure he didn’t leave until he was as in love with me as Cade was with Brooke.  Sadly, Brooke was still dealing with a lot of trauma and fear from her kidnapping two years earlier and had not yet fully come to terms with all that had happened to her.  I liked that she was so determined to put up a good front for her friends, but by not fully admitting all that happened I think she hurt herself more than helped.  Perhaps had she found Cade a little sooner, he would have shown her the inner strength she didn’t realize she had much earlier and they could have had that much more time together.  I loved it too how she became such a protective mother bear, even though her own fears when someone younger or weaker than her was in need alongside her. That shows me the type of woman she is and I know I would like her if I met her in person.

For those that are newer to this series, HOT Angel is a good place to begin, with introductions to most of the teams, lots of insight into new characters, and a love story with all the feels and passion they can expect from a HOT story.  But for the rest of us, it was just another masterful continuation in a series we are obsessed with and cannot wait to continue.  I loved seeing Cade and Brooke work through their issues together and find a way to not only deal with the outer drama but the inner pain and turmoil that was making them both so standoffish.  Cade was a regular captain America and I found myself enjoying every moment he was the focus of the story.  Not only was he sexy, but his sweetness, thoughtfulness, and gentle ways were well countered by his gruff sensuality and badassery when he put on his operator hat.  Brooke, who I mostly thought of as a wilting hothouse flower, in the beginning, showed some real backbone in this story and proved she was truly ready to be the woman of a HOT operator and earned my respect several times over.  Not to mention she had an awesome dog with a kickass name too (sorry dog-lovers unite and all).  The passion between Cade and Brooke burned right off the pages, whether they were in the same room or connecting through virtual means, and there was no way to get through a single session of their loving without a cold shower. I loved every second of this story and just might go back and re-read it now that I have revisited to write my review, but I am also dying for whatever comes next.  Whether it is a simple love story for a HOT guy and an everyday woman or even two operators coming together, the heat is always on and Ms. Harris never lets us down!

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