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.
Website: http://www.charliecochet.com
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http://www.facebook.com/charliecochet
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