Security consultant Vic Andrews fears nothing. Except emotional entanglements. He lives on the edge and by his own rules. Never mess with your best friend’s sister, for one. Especially when that sister is sweet and sexy goddess Gina Delgado. Vic is strictly a “no strings attached” kind of guy, and a young widow with three kids is guaranteed to tie his heart in all sorts of knots. Too bad other parts of his anatomy aren’t as easily deterred.
Gina is no stranger to men like Vic. Men in love with their dangerous professions. Her firefighter husband may have been a hero, but his bravery is little comfort to Gina now. She refuses to face that kind of loss ever again. Still, a girl has needs. And Vic, with his military-hardened body and tender touch, is just the thing she needs to fulfill them. As long as they can keep things casual.
But getting involved with Vic puts Gina at the risk of more than heartbreak. When Vic becomes the target of a terrorist seeking revenge, no one around him is safe. With Gina and her family in a madman’s sights, Vic will break all the rules to keep her close…and keep them all alive.
Review:
Vic Andrews is still my book boyfriend.
Even when I wanted to throttle the guy, I absolutely loved him. His “man laws” at the beginning of each chapter were laugh-out-loud funny, especially since they gave you a clue as to what was going to happen that chapter (i.e., he’d end up breaking it–usually in a pretty spectacular fashion). Sadly, poor Vic had no such warning of what was to come. 😉
Vic’s childhood was less than ideal, and it–or to be more specific, his perceptions of it–still affected how he was living his life as an adult. He saw himself as a loner, only truly trusting two people–his best friend and boss Micheal and his cousin Tiny. He stays as far away from relationships as he can get, and as soon as a woman even begins to think about those three little words in reference to him, he is out of there.
But he can’t seem to get Gina Delgado, his best friend’s little sister, out of his head–a clear violation of on of the biggest Man Laws out there–the sister rule. Their first encounter was obviously a moment of weakness–there was a blown washing machine hose, a nearly transparent white top and a lacy bra–clearly, it couldn’t have been avoided. The second time? Blame it on the moonlight and an empty beach. But the time after that…? And the next time? And… you get the idea 😉
I really liked Gina’s character too–she didn’t take any crap from anyone, and had no trouble speaking her mind. A widow of four years, she always put her kids first but also wanted to do what was best for her. She liked Vic–really cared about him a lot, but if he wasn’t going to be the stand up guy she and her kids deserved in their lives, then she was ready to move on. She needed to move on.
Watching Vic all but obliterate his Man Laws was so much fun (“Never get suckered into watching a chick flick”? Two words: Dirty Dancing–LOL!), and seeing him get close to not just Gina but her kids was fantastic. He’s so far in before he even realizes it’s happening, and there goes his “Never get attached” law…
I re-read this book (after originally listening to the audiobook 6 years ago while attempting to shovel out of what was then the latest winter nightmare–FIVE FEET of snow overnight, thankyouverymuch) while on he vacation of a lifetime during which it just. Kept. Raining. Having a book to look forward to while I couldn’t get to the beach? Priceless. The dialogue was snappy, the characters fun, and the action entertaining. I’ll definitely be reading more from this series, and soon! I’m so glad Ms Giordano is re-releasing it 🙂
My only issue–and this is totally a “me” thing here–is that Gina never gets over her I-can’t-get-involved-with-another-guy-with-a-dangerous-job-because-he-could-die-on-me mindset. Until the end, it’s Vic who has to change for her. Don’t get me wrong, I think Vic was ready to make a change and he makes the right decision in the end. I completely understand her feelings here, but I was really hoping she’d manage to come to the realization that even if she’d ended up (God forbid!) with the accountant in the end, she could still lose him at any time and with no warning. Sure, she wouldn’t spend her time while he was at his “nine to fiver” job worrying if he’d make it home okay, but the truth is that you never know any given day what’s going to happen. So–I’d just have liked Gina to have made that connection.
But, hey–any day I reconnect with a book boyfriend is a good day, and if he can (mostly!) keep me distracted from the rain we’ve been having all. Vacation. Long? Even better!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.