ARC Review: HOT Storm (Hostile Operations Team - Strike Team 2 #4)

 HOT Storm (Hostile Operations Team - Strike Team 2 #4)

by Lynn Raye Harris

Blurb:

She changed her name. Her look. Her location. But what if running away isn’t enough to save her?

Physical therapist Scarlett Reed is looking for a fresh start when she takes a job in another state. Her rules are simple: don’t get close to anyone, and flee at the first sign of danger.

Wounded soldier Malcolm McCoy plans to work hard in rehab so he can get back to saving the world. He isn’t looking for a relationship, but something about prickly Scarlett intrigues him more than it should.

When she needs a place to stay, Mal offers her the apartment over his garage—and finds it nearly impossible to keep his hands off his sassy, sexy neighbor. Scarlett knows she shouldn’t get involved, but a little friends with benefits action can’t hurt.

Or can it? Someone in Scarlett’s past circles closer, waiting for a chance to strike. Mal will do whatever it takes to protect her—but it might not be enough to survive what’s coming…

As soon as they think they’ve weathered the storm, they’ll discover it’s only beginning.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 Finally Mal gets his story and what a doozy it was! Mal’s story has been a long time coming, one that we knew was going to be amazing and heartbreaking all at once, but I enjoyed every single moment of it.  This series has evolved and become one that cane always grab your heart and mind and not only make you wonder what will happen next but also remind you just how important love and life truly is, so much more important than the day-to-day mundane worries that we give priority in life these days. I have been a huge fan of this series since the very beginning and enjoy the spin-offs, sub stories and the overall plot as it has changed and become a huge family. Lynn has a way off dragging her heroes and heroines through hell before she gives them their HEA, obviously a proponent of the old adage—“the strongest blades are forged in the hottest fires”.  I am really dying to find out who loses their heart next and gets into trouble with their love story, but I know that whoever Ms. Harris choses to torture will end up being blissfully happy in the end.

Mal is recovering from a life-threatening injury, one that could have derailed his career with HOT, but one that he took in order to protect his buddy—who just also happens to be the man the woman he loves is engaged to.  Life has never been more complicated for him, but he knows that he needs to put in the works to get himself better and back to his team.  When he meets his new enigmatic and sassy physical therapist he likes her instantly and he is determined to be a friend to her when he sees just out of sorts she seems to be.  Scarlett is trying to settle into her new job and her new skin when she meets the sexiest and most dangerous—to her heart and her future—man she has ever come across.  She knows that she shouldn’t let herself grow attached to Mal, but the more she gets to know the grumpy soldier the harder he is to resist.  When she is suddenly in need of a new place to stay, Mal offers his “guest house” and she knows she won’t come across a better option, even though the danger to her mind and heart is higher.  Soon they are sending a lot more time together and their relationship is developing into something more than just friends, even if they both want to deny it. But when strange things start to happen, Scarlett fears her past has caught up with her, and if she is right, her life and Mal’s might be in much more danger than either could ever imagine.

Mal is the perfect tragic hero, one that steals your heart as he sacrifices himself to save his buddy, despite the fact he is in love with his buddy’s girl, but when you god below that surface you start to see that he is a little bit of a dufus when it comes to really understanding himself.  He has been pining for the girl he couldn’t have for a long time, instead of just working through his emotions and finding the truth, that he was envious of their love and connection and wanted something similar for himself.  I loved seeing his playful and sweet side as he pulled Scarlett out of her shell and brought her back to herself in so many ways.  He is, as always, a kick-butt operator that is willing to do anything to protect his friends and the woman he loves, but honestly I liked him the most in the moments when it was just him and Scarlett snuggling and talking out their problems.  I also enjoyed seeing him appreciate the sass and sarcasm that Scarlett threw at him, because let’s be honest, most people, especially men, just don’t appreciate that trait. Scarlett has had some serious crap thrown her way, but she found a way to cope and escape the trauma of her past.  While she plans to live a quiet life to protect herself and those around her, she feels the instant connection to the grumpy soldier and doesn’t fight their friendship too hard.  I enjoyed learning about Scarlett’s past, seeing how much she has overcome, and even though I cried my heart out, watching her overcome so much more; she truly is the kind of woman I want to be when I finally grow up.  She inner strength and beauty shines more brightly than any fire that she was forced to crawl through to reach the end of her danger and be in Mal’s arms in the end.  Her ability to still trust in Mal and the HOT guys, despite her past and the strikes against them, was amazing and it was heart wrenching watching her holding on for their help.  I loved the way she persevered and refused to allow the bastard stalking her to win, no matter what sick and sadistic trauma he put her through.  She really was one of my favorite heroines in the storyline so far.

I so very much enjoyed reading HOT Storm, every moment was packed with laughter, tears, and love, sometimes all at once, and the emotional roller coaster ride that these two put themselves through as they fell in love was a wild ride to be sure. Mal had some emotional growing he needed to do in this story before he could accept the love that grew so quickly between him and Scarlett, but I enjoyed watching him experience it and finding a way to not only let go of something that was never his to begin with, but learning that sometimes the best things in our lives are right in front of us.  Scarlett went through a lot in a short period of time, but she was stronger for the experiences and will always have that past to strengthen her as she moves forward in her new and thrilling life with the man she loves and who helped her finally find her freedom and happiness. The passion between these two was interesting from the very beginning, both of them feeling an immediate connection and denying it, one because they were in love with another and the other because they’d given up on love.  But once the friendship developed, offering comfort and safety along with the heat, Mal and Scarlett felt safe enough to give into their needs and the fire between them was irresistible to witness I can honestly say this was one of my favorite (only surpassed by the Col’s story really) in the series, mostly due to the fact that we finally had time to watch emotions develop and a deeper connection, not wrought of intensity and life or death, had time to come to fruition.  I cannot wait for the next in the series, though in the meantime I am more than thrilled that Ian Black, the crazy sexy cohort of the HOT guys will be getting his own story (Black Heart).  Lynn never ceases to amaze and overwhelm me with her imagination, writing, and heart as she gives us her all in her stories.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.