Book Review, Military, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series, Suspense

Midnight Man (Midnight #1) by Lisa Marie Rice

ABOUT THE BOOK

Interior designer Suzanne Barron always thought she’d fall in love slowly with a suitable man, a safe man. Former navy SEAL John Huntington—aka the Midnight Man– is anything but safe. The day they meet, Suzanne shocks herself by having no holds barred sex with John. But her panic goes into overdrive when danger strikes. John will protect her, but who’s going to protect her heart from him?

John is a SEAL, and he never backs down. The Midnight Man is used to fighting for what he wants, but the fight turns deadly when unknown enemies attack. Suddenly, Suzanne’s life is on the line.

Once John’s had a taste of her, there’s no doubt that Suzanne belongs to him,  and whoever is after her will have to go through him first . . .

MY REVIEW

This book was recommended to me by a colleague and it didn’t disappoint. It is my first Lisa Marie Rice novel and it is filled with suspense and tons of sexual tension.

Former navy SEAL John Huntington, The Midnight Man, is a dangerous man. He is now a civilian, a lifelong serviceman who is now head of security for a large corporation. A civilian with a warrior’s mind. Good at action, but bad at words. His next mission is to get his new landlady in bed, but his lack of charm is going to be a problem.

Suzanne Barron is an up-and-coming designer who has a new client for her office space. She thought he would be a safe bet for the part of town they were in, but the last thing she felt was safe. He’s like a crouching tiger ready to pounce and in his own words, she was his prey. He’s not her type, but the attraction is strong and his protective instincts are lethal as he saves her life from an extremely dangerous man.

The sexual tension is powerful between John and Suzanne right from the start. John is an uncompromising alpha male who knows what he wants and he wants Suzanne from the minute he meets her. Unfortunately, John is a man of little words and plenty of action. In fact, his tactics are caveman-like at best while he immediately invades Suzanne’s personal space and tells her he plans to sleep with her. It’s so hot how intense and focused he is and their first sexual encounter is animalistic and scorching. As she pushes him away, he only pursues her even harder until her life is in danger and he is all she has to keep her safe. Protective John is even hotter and seeing these two opposites slowly fall for each other is a pleasure to watch.

Suzanne is at a loss when John walks into her life. She’s used to dating charming gentlemen with a slow build-up to dinner and sex. What she gets is a relentless pursuer, a quick dinner, and steamy sex in her entryway. Her immediate attraction is frightening and exciting at the same time. Apparently, opposites do attract and her softer nurturing side brings out some sweet moments with John. 

This story has some suspense as well as romance when Suzanne is targeted by an assassin. It’s John’s training as a SEAL that keeps her safe as he uses his skills to save her life. It’s that private time together on the run that brings them closer only to be ripped apart by Suzanne’s decision to do the right thing. No worries. There is a HEA, though abrupt, and left me wanting more.

I recommend you read this fast-paced, romantic suspense with intriguing characters and a gripping storyline.

BUY THE BOOK

Midnight Man

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Marie Rice is eternally 30 years old and will never age. She is tall and willowy and beautiful. Men drop at her feet like ripe pears. She has won every major book prize in the world. She is a black belt with advanced degrees in archaeology, nuclear physics, and Tibetan literature. She is a concert pianist. Did I mention her Nobel Prize? Of course, Lisa Marie Rice is a virtual woman and exists only at the keyboard when writing romantic suspense. She disappears when the monitor winks off.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Now isn’t that an interesting bio to have? Isn’t that a thousand times better than saying that I’m a middle-aged, er…woman, no longer in the very, very first flush of youth, who basically sits in front of a computer screen all day in her pajamas?

I am so lucky to be Lisa Marie Rice! There is no literary genre anywhere remotely as exciting and thrilling as erotic romantic suspense. It has absolutely everything: red-hot passion, danger, adventure, heart-stopping love. I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy sitting down to the keyboard and bleeding…er, writing my heart out, falling in love with my men over and over and over again.

Well, why not? My men are brave and smart and built. And boy do they love their women! Their women are much more interesting than new weaponry, sports cars, and even plasma TVs in their eyes, and the fascination will last their entire lifetimes, I promise. It’s sex, of course, but also a whole lot more. My heroes genuinely like and admire their women, though in the beginning this is sometimes obscured by blinding lust. Once that first sharp edge of desire is over and they settle down a little—and that will take several years and a kid or two—they’re so bonded with their women that they couldn’t live without them.

And it is so much fun “being” my heroines while writing about them. You may have noticed that most, if not all, of my heroines are artsy in some way, just like me. It just sort of comes out that way. There’s not much calculation when creating my characters: They literally become alive for me and when my character says—I’m a singer or a designer or I love books—well, that’s that.

It’s fabulous sitting here in my not-perfect body and becoming the beautiful young woman that that ornery alpha male is glomming on to. Of course, my heroines are also in dire peril, which is not so much fun. And which is why I’m the writer and not the heroine (give or take a few years and a few pounds).

One true fact: Looking out of my study across my wonderful terrace I see a bright blue line which is the Ionian Sea. And if I had a powerful enough telescope I could see the Greek temple where Pythagoras taught.

Follow Lisa Marie on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Bookbub, and Goodreads.