Saturday, April 28, 2018

Release Blitz: Love In Spades by Charlie Cochet #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway




LOVE IN SPADES
CHARLIE COCHET
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 04.24.18







COVER DESIGN: REESE DANTE

BLURB
Ex-Special Forces soldier Anston “Ace” Sharpe is fighting a different battle these days—one involving the world of private security across the state of Florida. As part owner of Four Kings Security, Ace and his fellow Kings tackle everything from armed transport and investigations to cyber intelligence and executive protection. Cocky, fearless, and brash, Ace isn’t afraid to take risks.

After years of working alongside his father, Colton Connolly is ready to take the helm at Connolly Maritime, but his father’s retirement is put on hold when Colton begins receiving death threats. If that isn’t bad enough, his father signs a contract with Four Kings Security to provide Colton with round-the-clock protection, despite his adamant refusal. Colton’s life has been turned upside down, the last thing he needs is a shadow, especially in the form of infuriating, sexy-as-sin Ace Sharpe, who seems to be on a mission to drive Colton mad.

Sparks fly the moment Colton and Ace meet on a sultry night club dance floor. But getting involved with a client, even one as fiery and beautiful as Colton Connolly, is a line Ace is unwilling to cross. Colton might be attracted to Ace, but he’d been burned before. He might be willing to put his life in Ace’s hands, but not his heart.
As the Florida nights heat up, so does their passion, and Ace and Colton are faced with a difficult choice—take the plunge and risk it all, or play it safe and walk away?

If Ace can keep a deadly threat from robbing Colton of a future….






REVIEW

A new series by Charlie Cochet makes this girl very, very happy! I was so looking forward to the release of Charlie's new book, Love in Spades. Romantic suspense? Yes please and thank you, sign me the hell up! Then to find out it's a series, that the guys are all in security, are badass ex-military men, and it's set in Florida? Well, I knew I was going to be in for one roller coaster of a ride (and I wouldn't expect anything else from the one what gave us the THIRDS series!) and boy was I NOT wrong! 

Anston "Ace" Sharpe is one badass dude. He growls and frowns, has a death glare that makes people stop in their tracks, and has no time for bullshit. But he's a professional now, and as part owner of Four Kings Security  with his brothers in arms, he takes his job seriously. Even if that job is protecting the most annoying, infuriating man in existence ... Colton Connolly. Colton is all set to take over for his father and run the powerful and prestigious Connolly Maritime but when he starts receiving death threats, his father wants to put off retiring and then hires the best security around--Four Kings Security. Ace, King, Lucky, and Red are the best at what they do, their reputation is stellar, and there's no one better to protect Colton than the Kings, the only problem is Coloton doesn't want to be protected. Like at all. Especially when it's decided that Ace will be his primary bodyguard. He does everything he can think of to make Ace's job as difficult as he can and yeah, you guessed it, the sparks start flying from the word go. 

I really enjoyed the back and forth between Colton and Ace. It was witty and funny and flirty. Sometimes it got a teeny bit old when it went on and on, but Charlie is a master of the snarky banter and Colton and Ace have it in spades. (see what I did there?) I have to say, the one issue I have with Love in Spades is for all that it was presented that Colton's life was in imminent danger, there wasn't a whole lot of action until about 70% into the book. I mean there were thumbprint scanners installed, armed guards walking around Colton's property, armored limousines stocked with food, water, first aid kits and satellite phones--just in case--but for all that, not a whole lot happened. Oh, I enjoyed watching Ace and Colton go from sniping to flirting and liked getting to know a bit about the other King's but as for action ... it was sorely lacking. There were also a lot of characters introduced that didn't seem like they really belonged (which by the end I got, but in the interim was a bit frustrating) so for me, Love in Spades wasn't a complete win. But definitely a great start and I can't wait for the rest of the books in the series. 

Fans of Charlie Cochet are going to eat this up, no doubt. And if you're new to Charlie's work, then Love in Spades will be a great place to begin. The pace was quick, the writing tight, and the characters were all extremely likable and sexy. I am always a huge fan of friends that are more like family and knowing we get more of Ace, King, Lucky, and Red is something to look forward to. I'm excited to see what comes next for the Four Kings!






EXCERPT
“We’d be honored to represent you and Connolly Maritime. First, why don’t you tell us a little about your son,” King said. “I’m assigning your son’s protection to Ace, Lucky, and Red.” He motioned to the three of them. “But one of them will personally provide round-the-clock protection to your son. To determine which one of them would be the best fit, I need to know a little more about Colton.”
Paxton nodded. “I love my son. He’s a good man, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. Speaking frankly, he can also be a little shit. Stubborn as the day is long. I wish I could say he gets it from his mother, but that would be unfair of me since he gets his stubbornness from me. From his mother, he gets his temper. His business sense is second to none, and he has a way with people, but when you get on his bad side, look out. He despises insincere flattery and personal questions, warm one minute and freezing your balls off the next. I already approached him with the idea of hiring private security for him over this, and he was completely against it. This is going to piss him off to no end. If there’s one thing my son won’t stand is loss of control. Whoever you send in, he’ll see as a threat to that control, and he will fight it with everything he has.”
Ace cleared his throat. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Ace,” King warned.
“It’s okay,” Paxton said, putting up a hand. “You boys say what you need to say. No minced words.”
“Your son sounds like a pain in the ass.” Ace ignored King’s heavy sigh and the way he closed his eyes, clearly summing patience.
Paxton scoffed. “Understatement.”
“That’s why I’d be perfect for the job.”
King sat back and moved his gaze to the ceiling. It was clear he agreed, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. The room was quiet, all eyes on King. Several heartbeats later, he leaned forward, his gaze meeting Paxton’s and his fingers laced together on his desk.
“I won’t lie to you, Mr. Connolly. Ace’s methods are somewhat… unorthodox.”
“Meaning?”
Ace grinned. “Sir, I’m an asshole at the best of times, but I’m damn good at what I do. My job will be to protect your son, not coddle him or kiss his ass. If he wants a fight, he’ll get one, and believe me, he won’t win. I will protect him, by any means necessary.”
“In other words, you’re not going to take his bullshit.”
“Not if it interferes with me doing my job.”
“Good. We’ve already established a way to make this contract watertight, with an added clause stating he can’t fire you or cancel the contract. Anything and everything will have to be authorized by me.”
“Yes, sir.”
They all turned their attention to King, and Ace held back his smile. He could see the exact moment King made the decision. His friend actually flinched. It was subtle, but it had been there.
“Ace is correct. If your son is difficult to work with, Ace is the best King for the job. He’ll take lead on this, be your son’s personal security, assemble a team, and get started as soon as the contract is signed.”
“Excellent. I’ve forced him to take some time off under the guise he’s got vacation time he needs to use, but because he’s a stubborn pain in the ass, he’s informed me he’ll be working from home a good deal of the time. For all I know, he’ll show up at the office. Kid’s always done whatever the hell he wanted anyway.”
Ace liked the guy already. Too bad Colton was going to hate Ace. It seemed like the guy had finally met his match.









Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters, to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Twitter: @charliecochet










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