NO ESCAPE FROM WAR is the first book in Cynthia Eden’s “Trouble for Hire” series. I love the way that Cynthia Eden takes classic romance tropes and weaves them around a tale of suspense. In NO ESCAPE FROM WAR, Warren “War” Channing is a veteran and general badass hottie, but his weak spot is his ex, Rose Shadow. I’m glad this story is told from alternating perspectives, because both this hero and this heroine believe themselves to be the wronged party in their former relationship. Getting both sides help round out the true picture of what actually happened for the reader. They meet up again when Rose gets in some hot water and is wrongly accused of murder. War is hired to nab her. It’s obvious from almost the first moment they are reunited that they never stopped loving each other, no matter how hurt they are.
Even though the mystery surrounding who the unknown killer is, and who is out to get Rose, is a huge part of this book, Cynthia Eden never lets the central relationship take a back seat in NO ESCAPE FROM WAR. Because War and Rose each believe the other betrayed them in some way, reestablishing trust is crucial in the evolution of their relationship. Although they’re both hurt, I like how they never get too nasty verbally with each other and it doesn’t take long before they make themselves vulnerable again. With a dangerous lunatic hunting them, they must trust and rely on each other for safety and to stop the killer. Cynthia Eden writes some of the best sex scenes, but I think that’s because she does a fantastic job of building the sexual tension and conveying the strength of the characters’ feelings. The sexuality doesn’t have a hollow quality to it like some books by other authors. In addition to expertly building the sexual tension, Cynthia Eden ratchets up the suspense and feeling of danger from the first chapter on. As the reader, you can easily put yourself in the place of the main characters and get that spark of adrenaline as you realize no place is truly safe.
NO ESCAPE FROM WAR is a fab second chance-at-love story mixed in with an enthralling thriller. I like the introduction of War’s friend Odin. I look forward to reading more books in this exciting new “Trouble for Hire” series – or just about anything by Cynthia Eden.
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…
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