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New Release Review! BLACK HEARTED by Julie Ann Walker (Black Knights Inc: Reloaded #2)

Black Hearted by Julie Ann Walker is out now! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy of the gorgeous romantic suspense today!

When someone sabotages her entire life, he's the first person she turns to.
BLACK HEARTED promo graphic

Title: Black Hearted
Author:
Julie Ann Walker
Genre: Romantic Suspense

He’s everything she ever wanted. She’s everything he never knew he needed. Can she convince him she’s the one?

The Black Knights are back and better than ever!

Samuel Harwood has spent his entire career working in the black and gray areas of international intrigue. Living in the shadows for so long has made him forget who he was and where he came from. Then a blast from the past, in the form of his ex-girlfriend’s kid sister, arrives on the front steps of Black Knights Inc, reminding him of everything he left behind. Except, she’s no longer a kid. And she’s in serious trouble.

Hannah Blue has been in love with Sam Harwood since she was in braces. When someone sabotages her entire life, he’s the first person she turns to. She has critical information about a potential cyber-attack on the U.S. power grid that could end in catastrophic financial damage and loss of life. But the FBI thinks she’s a traitor. And now she’s on the run to save herself and the fate of the entire nation.

Who does Samuel trust? The smart, sexy woman he’s known since he was a teenager? Or the government authorities who give him his orders and cut his paychecks? He’ll make one desperate play to find out. A play that could cost him everything…including his heart.

“A first-rate thrill ride.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review for Thrill Ride

“This razor-sharp, sensual, and intriguing tale will get hearts pounding”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review for Wild Ride

“Deft characterization, skillful pacing, touches of humor, and red-hot love scenes rev up this highly recommended roller-coaster.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review for In Rides Trouble

black hearted cover

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Review:

Another page turner!

We were introduced to both Hannah and Sam in the first book, when Sam brought her in to BKI to help out when Ozzie, their resident computer guy, was out of the country on a mission. Sam and Hannah had grown up together–her older sister was his first girlfriend–and though Hannah had a bit of a crush on him, he’d always seen her as a younger sister. It was clear in book one, though, that Sam was having a hard time keeping Hannah in the she’s just a kid box that he’d always had her in. Obviously, when she’s on the run for her life and turns to him for help, his best intentions of staying away from her will be toast…

I thought the danger that Hannah, Sam, and the rest of the gang were fighting here felt all too real–not going to lie, the fact that this could be an actual threat is chilling. I enjoyed watching Sam, Hannah, Ozzie, Fisher, and Eliza (yep, Fisher and Eliza are going to take center stage in book 3; can’t wait!) as they figured out what was going on and what to do about it.

Once again, they saved the world (yay!) and once again, the true bad guy remains unknown and still plotting against democracy behind the scenes at the end (unfortunate, except that it means more books to come so I can’t be too mad about it).

My only real complaint this time around was the dreaded misunderstanding that kept our hero and heroine apart for six months after they all save the day–it seemed a bit of a stretch that they wouldn’t have had more of a conversation before both giving up on their newfound relationship, especially since they’d both already admitted to themselves that they were in love. On the plus side, we don’t have to actually *see* that six month time on the page, though they each do enough wallowing in the beginning of the six month later chapter to make up for it. Still, they do get over themselves and get to their HEA in the end…and now we have Fisher and Eliza’s story to look forward to, and I am here for it!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Catching Up with the Series:

Black Knights Inc: Reloaded series graphic

Back In Black:
Amazon | AppleBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | BAM!

Man in Black:
Amazon | AppleBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the Author:

 Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Julie grew up in a house full of women – she has three older sisters. As you can imagine, there was no lack of drama… or romance. Her mother enrolled her in a book club as soon as she began to read and it was the small spark that ignited her voracious appetite for the written word.

Because of Julie’s early immersion in literature, she found writing came quite naturally. In high school, she won multiple writing contests and was the proud senior editor of The Tiger’s Tale – her school newspaper.

During her college years, however, she longed for a challenge. “Reading and writing felt like second nature to me, so I looked for a way to flex my mental muscles,” she recalls. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree, Julie began teaching advanced high school mathematics.

“I loved working with the students and facing the challenges of the classroom, but I longed for the occasional snow day when I could race to the local book store, buy two or three new novels, and curl up in front of the fire to read.”

It wasn’t until a fortuitous move to Chicago that Julie once more returned to her first passion.

Now Julie loves to travel the world looking for views to compete with her deadlines. When she’s not writing, she enjoys camping, hiking, cycling, cooking, petting every dog that walks by her, and… reading, of course!

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