j'ai aimé le contexte de cette histoire, la façon dont il est amené par l'autrice et les personnages qui y évoluent. Six et Louisa sont très différents l'un de l'autre mais ils ont tous les deux une envie d'aller de l'avant et de se battre très forte. J'ai apprécié la manière dont leur relation évolue et si j'aurais parfois aimé que certaines choses soient plus détaillées, j'ai trouvé que le tout se dévorait, qu'on ne s'ennuyait pas une seconde et que la tension était bien présente du début à la fin. Mention spéciale pour l'épilogue et les sourires qu'il nous apporte !

An Invigorating Love Story!
Under Fire centers around an ex-navy seal and a bright scientist. These characters are unique and refreshing. I fell in love with Louisa just as much as I fell in love with Six. These characters are simply special! Six is extremely observant, sexy, strong, loyal and compassionate. Louisa is intelligent, socially quirky, highly motivated, and astute. The progression of their relationship is endearing and crackles with electricity. As their connection builds, so does the danger. Louisa's latest lab results have caught the interest of a nefarious group. Six is determined to protect Louisa at all costs! The race to unravel the threat and keep Louisa from the enemy is filled with action, mystery, angst, and drama. I couldn't wait to turn the page and see what happened next! Great characters, intriguing plot, fast paced action, and sizzling chemistry! A heart pounding experience and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Under Fire is the first volume in the Love Over Duty series by Scarlett Cole. It’s a romantic suspense, a trendy genre some publishers here in France have decided to abandon, and it’s the second book by this author I’ve read. I found again everything I already appreciate in this author while reading Strong, a book that is part of another series: characters all in all likeable, a great hero, a plausible story, a fluid style and a beautiful ending.

However, I had a problem with the book at the beginning. Indeed there’s a difference between the synopsis and what really happens in the novel, so I had some expectations that were not satisfied. Afterwards, I preferred to completely forget about the synopsis to focus on the story.

Six (yes, it’s his name) and Louisa meet at a charity and immediately feel an attraction for each other. They meet again by accident some time later, which allow them to learn to know one another more. Louisa is working in pharmaceutical research, and tries to find a cure for Huntington disease. However, while seeing the hero, she notices some strange facts in her workspace following her last discoveries. Six was a Navy SEAL, and when he retired he created a security firm with two of his friends. When he meets Louisa his firm is young and just begins to spread. The series title, Love Over Duty, is well found. Indeed our heroine is going to become one of the firm’s clients and our hero is going to be faced to a dilemma: his feelings for Louisa which are becoming deeper and deeper, and the professional detachment he needs to have toward a client. I really appreciated this angle of the story. Most often, in this kind of situation, our heroes don’t care about moral code, but here the author preferred having a call to order. Not that I won’t ever read stories where the professional quickly conclude with his soul mate client LOL.
When our heroine explains her problem, the hero first decides to help her personally, before having to have his team intervene after some events.
So the hero will have to investigate on what’s happening at the heroine’s workplace, protect her, and end by really choosing what he wants despite all opposition. Once we close the book, we have all the answers to our questions, and even if I wasn’t really surprised by the whys and the wherefores of the plot, I was really satisfied by the resolution of the investigation and the heroine’s choices.
Like in Strong, we see that the author made some researches. The action scenes, in particular, were especially well written.

I really loved the heroes. Six is determined, protective, and nice. However his years as a Navy SEAL left some consequences and he doesn’t want to appear as a victim; Our heroine is the one who understands him instantly, and she’s there for him. I really loved Louisa. She’s really kind, attentive. Her big problem is her pathological shyness which prevents her to live normally in society. Even if there’s not much sex scenes, the sexual tension between our heroes is palpable from the start.

The secondary characters are all in all likeable, and we see directly who will be the next heroes, it’s a trilogy. But the firm employs a plethora of other potential heroes. So let’s wait and see.
The only character I found unpleasant for now is Cabe, one of the three friends, and I’m dying for him to meet a heroine who will give him a hard time. So I’m waiting for his story while hoping to appreciate it.

In any case, I had a really good moment with Under Fire and I recommend it. The second volume is titled Final Siege and should be published in January 2018. We have a little glimpse of it at the end of Under Fire.

I read about 75 % of the book before I could no longer stand the story. I was bored with the book. I usually love to read stories by this author. I felt like the story jumped too much between the thoughts / fears of the two main characters. I already know who stole the vial from Tess's lab.

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

J'ai découvert Scarlett Cole en France avec les deux premiers tomes de sa saga Second Tatto Circle et après avoir eu la chance de la rencontrer lors du festival du roman féminin en mai dernier à Paris, j'avais vraiment hâte de découvrir sa toute nouvelle saga bien loin de l'univers des tatouages ou de la musique. La saga Love over Duty nous fait donc découvrir un groupe d'amis qui ont décidé de monter leur propre agence de sécurité. Six, Cabe et Mac ne sont pas des novices dans la matière car leur passé dans les commandos leur a prodigué un entraînement pointu et militaire qui les a conduit dans des missions à haut risque. De retour à la vie civile, ils veulent faire de Eagle Security une entreprise florissante et dynamique.

Tout d'abord , je dois dire que j'ai adoré l'univers que nous fait découvrir Scarlett Cole. Ces frères d'armes ont vécu des choses ensembles et leur amitié est sans failles. La testostérone est donc présente mais on ne sent en aucun cas le côté macho de ces hommes. Ils ont vécu de nombreuses aventures au coeur du danger et ont frôlé la mort de très près. De retour à la vie civile, ils veulent oublier les fantômes du passé mais tout en continuant de sentir l'adrénaline vibrer dans leur veine. On ne peut donc que succomber au charme de Sixton "Six" Rapp. C'est un homme loyal pour qui le sens de l'honneur est primordial. On sent dès le début qu'on peut compter sur lui , et même ses amis , pour nous sortir des situations les plus délicates. Ce ne sont pas uniquement des Mr Muscles car ils réfléchissent parfaitement et intelligemment. Tous les angles d'une mission sont abordés et leur ancien contact avec le FBI , la CIA ou d'autres organismes de grande envergure leur permettent de mener leur mission à bien. Ce que j'ai aimé découvrir chez Six est la force et le calme qui se dégagent de lui. Il a des failles et il n'aura pas peur de les montrer face à Louisa notamment. Il n'est pas revenu dans la vie civile sans fardeaux à porter ou sans traumastismes et pourtant , il ne se trompera jamais de voie.

Si on l'adore en le découvrant , ce n'est rien comparé aux scènes qu'ils partagent avec Louisa. Six va définitivement rejoindre la longue liste de mes book boyfriends car il a toutes les qualités idéales pour nous faire rêver. J'ai beau encore chercher , je ne parviens pas à lui trouver de défaut. Il a le don de comprendre Louisa et de trouver en elle quelque chose qui le charme. Il comprend ses failles et tout comme elle accepte ses failles, lui n'est pas en reste. Le duo qu'ils vont alors former peut paraître inédit et improbable sur le papier et pourtant on sent dès les premières pages qu'ils sont faits l'un pour l'autre et que leur vie ne sera plus jamais la même après leur rencontre. Ils parviennent à s'apaiser mutuellement et Louisa est incontestablement différente des autres femmes qu'il a pu fréquenter. Avec elle , il ne s'agit pas simplement de partager du sexe pour du sexe mais il y a un truc en plus qui les connecte et les rend parfait ensemble. Ce que j'ai également apprécié chez ce personnage est le fait qu'il est à l'écoute de l'héroïne : il ne la juge pas, il prend le temps d'écouter ses arguments et de les entendre. Il accepte de se livrer sur certains points comme il ne l'a jamais fait avec d'autres. Scarlett Cole nous plonge donc au coeur du danger ce qui rend l'intrigue d'autant plus palpitante. Les scènes d'action sont cohérentes et logiques et font monter la tension. Les scènes de sexe arrivent à point nommer et sont distillées avec brio au fil de l'histoire. La romance entre Six et Louisa monte crescendo pour notre plus grand plaisir et nous attendons de savoir ce que l'avenir leur réserve. Qu'adviendra t-il d'eux après leur fameuse mission? La coeur prendra t-il le dessus sur la raison?

Louisa North est donc une scientifique qui travaille pour le laboratoire de Vassilli et Ivan Popov. Louisa est ce qu'on pourrait désigner comme un rat de la boratoire. Elle a du mal à s'ouvrir au monde extérieur et la paix que lui procure son labo lui suffit amplement. D'une timidité maladive , elle a beaucoup de mal à accepter le contact des autres et le stress voire les crises de paniques sont souvent au rendez vous. Cela pourrait faire d'elle une associale mais quand elle rencontre Six, une nouvelle page s'ouvre. Ce qui est fortement appréciable est le fait que la situation ne change pas radicalement et de ce fait c'est Six ou le lecteur qui s'adaptent à Louisa et non l'inverse. Souvent dans les romances, un des héros change et même si l'amour exige des compromis , j'adore quand les héros restent égaux à eux mêmes et nous prouve que leurs singularités font toute la différence. Louisa n'est pas comme les héroïnes lambas et cela permet justement au lecteur de s'identifier à elle. Il ne se dégage pas d'elle une beauté à couper le souffle mais bien une beauté naturelle , elle a une intelligence adorable car particulière. Je ne saurais vous la décrire mais elle fait des blagues qui pourraient ne pas faire rire certaines personnes et pourtant sa maladresse et ses tics la rendent encore plus adorables. Quand on est à ses côtés , on sent la passion et la flamme qui l'anime car l'échantillon sur lequel elle travaille pourrait venir en aider aux patients souffrant de la maladie d'Huntington. C'est une cause qui lui est chère et c'est en apprenant à la découvrir qu'on comprendra pourquoi.

Mais ne pensez pas qu'elle soit une femme faible et fragile car les événéments auxquels elle devra faire face prouveront son courage et sa détermination. Elle va affronter le danger de plein fouet et sa façon de gérer cela ne peut que forcer l'admiration. En effet, on ne la voit que rarement craquer et c'est vraiment agréable de ne pas voir une femme perde ses moyens à chaque scène éprouvante. Elle gère ses peurs , ses angoisses comme elle le peut et met tout en oeuvre pour parvenir à dépasser la situation. J'ai donc naturellemen adoré sa rencontre avec Six et les moments où ils vont faire connaissance. Six et Louisa c'est comme deux aimants qui s'attirent. Ils ne peuvent lutter contre la force qui les pousse à aller l'un vers l'autre et en même temps c'est comme si le destin les avait poussé dans les bras l'un de l'autre. L'enquête entourant le vol d'échantillon est donc des plus palpitantes car nous échaffaudons des hypothèses pour déterminer qui est l'ennemi. La tension monte crescendo tout comme le sens du danger et on en redemande. Les bases sont posées, la Eagle Security et ses membres vont nous assurer des heures palpitantes et addictives de lecture et j'ai plus que hâte de découvrir le prochain tome sur Cabe et Delaney.

Bref, je ne peux que vous encourager à vous lancer dans cette saga en VO car vous ne le regretterez pas un seul instant. Les chapitres sont certes longs mais ne traînent jamais en longeur. Scarlett Cole fait monter le suspense et la tension au fil des pages. Louisa et Six sont des personnages attachants et on sent que cette saga n'a pas fini de nous surprendre avec des héros secondaires qui vont aller sur le devant de la scène dans les prochains tomes

I really enjoyed reading Scarlett Cole's newest series, Under Fire. It was quick romance book that had me reading all day. I really enjoyed that the characters in the book were different. Louisa, our heroine, was amazingly smart and beautiful from the inside out. Six was this ex-Seal that is trying to overcome the struggles of being a civilian. These two had a spark from the moment they bumped into each other. Little did we know that Louisa was going to need Six more than we could imagine.

I liked how the story shows the inner struggles that Louisa and Six battle on their own. How Six can not stay away from Louisa and lets his feelings grow. The story was able to show you how love can set people free if they let it in.

Under Fire had amazing dramatic and action scenes. I could not figure out who the real culprit was but I did have my suspicions. Under Fire is a great romance book to read. I truly enjoyed it!

Cole works her magic again! Six and Louisa bonded over an attempted kidnapping and gun fire. She is a brilliant scientist working on a cure for Huntington's when she feels something is sketchy with the samples. While she is intelligent she also suffers from social anxieties. Six has an immediate connection with Louisa, she understands his PTSD and doesn't sugarcoat anything while he gets her phobias and helps her overcome it. Six and his brothers have started a new security firm and Louisa is their first big protection job. This has the makings of another great series with tough heroes and smart sassy women, great suspense and beautifully written scenes of intimacy. Cole is a go to author, always. I was lucky to have received an early copy from Netgalley and wrote my review voluntarily.

What a fantastic way to kick off a new series! I adored this book and it gives us a different side to Scarlett Cole's writing. I must say she nailed it! The perfect blend of romance and suspense to keep me turning page after page.

Sixten "Six" Rapp is a former Navy SEAL starting up a security firm with his buddies. His first assignment is protecting Dr. Louisa North. A scientist researching a treatment for a previously incurable disease. She develops an chemical agent that is so powerful the wrong people want to get their hands on it for all the wrong reasons. Six is skeptical at first but quickly sees that the threat against Louisa is real. And the more he gets to know how the more he wants to make sure she stays safe.

A great fast paced story that you won't want to put down. This is one for the must read list. I highly recommend it.

Under Fire is part ex-military action, part cutting edge medical research combined in a fast paced romance between 2 total opposites. Louisa is the type of heroine I enjoy in a story. She is brilliant, driven, goal oriented, caring, and shy. For some reason, I adore shy characters. Maybe because I can empathize so much? Who knows. I also was drawn to her area of study: Huntington's disease. I have a friend with the disease and, like Louisa, I know there is not enough research on the disease and it is so difficult to watch someone you love suffer.

Six has just left the Navy and with a couple of his SEAL buddies started a security firm. They are trying to get it off the ground and Six is assigned a security job at a benefit gala. The meet-cute between Six and Louisa was adorable. She is having a bit of a panic about having to give a speech in front of everyone and he manages to talk her down a bit. Their second meeting included Louisa seeing Six at his moment of weakness. I loved that the author included a meeting where both the hero and the heroine were showing a weakness. It helped show them both as realistic characters.

Louisa begins to notice that things in her lab are off. Its nothing obvious, but she knows that her notes have been touched and a petri dish goes missing. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Louisa doesn't realize what she is getting into. Cole did a great job with the medical information in the story. As a science nerd (former Science teacher!), I enjoyed reading about Louisa's work; however, it was written in a way that wouldn't scare away non-science loving people.

Six was hot and cold for me. There were times I loved him; he didn't push too much with Lou and was accepting of her struggles and treated her with kindness. Then, he would get closed off and push her away. I hate when heroes (or heroines) are wishy washy! Its such an unappealing characteristic.

What I appreciated most in Under Fire though was that Cole didn't 'dumb it down' to make the science more accessible. I hate with authors 'man-splaine' things because it not only offends those who understand a given concept, but it offends those who don't by coming off as condescending. So, kudos to Cole for not going that route. I love that I had to look up a few things as I was reading. I loved the casual references to scientific things that Lou would throw out when she was nervous (Linnaeus for example!). To me, THAT is great writing.
Link live 8-4-17

What a great start to a new series! It was a great blend of suspense and romance, where neither one overshadowed the other.

I'm such a fan of the nerd/hottie pairing. It shows that it isn't all about looks, but a true connection a couple feels for each other. Scarlett Cole did a wonderful job of taking a playboy like Six and turning him into a complete gentlemen where Louisa was concerned. He read her social cues with accuracy and not only accommodated her but also bolstered her.

The plot was believable and put an exciting twist to the story. It also kept Six's buddies and co-owners to the new security business in direct involvement so we could learn more about the future H's in this series.

I recommend this to all romantic suspense lovers and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. ARC provided by NetGalley.

Under fire is the first book of a new series of author Scarlett Cole, and while the rest of her books the romance has a predominant role in this new series to mystery, action and romance. A promising start.Like all her books, the narration is done in third person and I confess that it bothered me a little here, I think I could have a little more dialogues between them than monologue. That's not a problem, just a preference for first-person narration.

Six and Louisa are great characters and I loved watching how slowly and with the help of Six louisa couldn't let shyness and open up to other people. The chemistry between the two is also undeniable and despite having rolled a love among them, thought the history and dynamics of two was Well crafted and believable.Like I said before Under Fire started well and I can't wait to see Mac and Cole win your own story.

A SEAL and a shy researcher…

This is the first book in the Love Over duty series that can be read as a stand-alone.

Navy SEAL Sixten Rapp and a group of friends planned for when they would leave the service and open their own security company. They’re just beginning to get established and have much yet to put in place. Working security at a medical fund-raiser is a way for them to earn cash towards their goals while still in set-up mode. At the gala event Six runs into a lone woman, one of the presenters, who’s suffering from extreme nervousness which keen observation shows him is more than just jitters, he’s supportive and also very much intrigued by this woman who avoids eye contact and hides behind long bangs.

A long time sufferer of severe shyness, Dr. Louisa North can be overwhelmed by the presence of people. She’s a researcher for Huntington’s disease medications, driven by the death of a father who died from the side-effects of the medicines against this genetic illness. Having to make a presentation at a fund-raiser she finds unexpected support from one of the men assigned as security to the event when he finds her alone and stressing before she’s to speak. He’s a gorgeous man who showed her understanding and compassion and she finds herself thinking about him afterwards.

There’s a mystery that placed the heroine in danger that the hero had to solve. A failed research experiment led to the creation of a drug sample that could be weaponized but before Louisa could destroy it her notes and a sample were stolen from her laboratory. Though she reported the thefts to management something wasn’t right. Not sure how to handle the situation she talked to Six about it because of the friend he had started to become and his profession and skillsets.

This story was suspenseful and emotional, the protagonists an interesting pairing with great dynamics and an undeniable sexual attraction, their cute banter made this reader smile. The relationship, though steamy from the onset, unfolded as a slow burn, they became friends who got each other then looked to see what they had which was a refreshing change. We were given an intelligent, quirky, sometimes sassy (when not nervous) heroine who elicits our compassion and a protective alpha hero who fathoms the heroine as she does him, they are two very relatable characters, so human in their flaws, and they help each other grow.

This was a new author to me that I’ve been meaning to read and this lover of romantic suspense was quite pleased and not disappointed. The storyline captured my attention from the beginning and kept it, I became easily invested in the characters. I look forward to reading more by this author.

An advanced reading copy was obtained from the publisher via NetGalley.

4.5 stars

Scarlett Cole kicks off a new series in all guns blazing glory with Under Fire and after devouring this book, I can’t wait for more. I loved it.

If you love romantic suspense, you better not pass this story up because you will be kicking yourself if you do.

This story grabbed my from the opening pages and sucked me in and had me glued to the pages till the very end that left me with a goofy grin, satisfied and craving the next book.

Just wait till you meet the main characters who really shouldn’t go together but they do and it’s so brilliantly perfect. The returned soldier and the lab geek, odd pairing right? WRONG !!!! Six and Lou are made for each other. It’s not often you see characters gel so perfectly, so quick but they do and let me tell you this as soon as they meet you will be addicted to their story.

Seriously, every woman needs a hero like Sixten Rapp in their lives. He gives new meaning to perfect book boyfriend material. It’s not just his looks that make him so damn fine, it’s the whole package that had me swooning for him. The fact that he never judges Lou for her being her had me melting in puddle more than once. Oh and when he goes all alpha……totally gone.

I loved Louisa almost as much as Six, (I’m not kidding, Six is awesome). As someone who also suffers from chronic shyness, it was so good to see her condition in a story, but how she deals with it, while dealing with a major threat to her career and life while opening up to Six had me majorly girl crushing on her.

Throw these two together and you have major sparks and chemistry that only gets hotter the closer the threat to Lou comes and the closer they become to each other. And once that line is crossed there’s no going back despite the flashback it might cause. Feelings like theirs are too strong not to fight for.

Add in Six’s brothers in arms (hello hotness overload) and their new business Eagle Securities, a potential life saver gone wrong that’s suddenly the wrong hands, action, suspense and of course a fantastic HEA and you have the first outing for the new Love Over Duty series that this reader hopes doesn’t keep me waiting for the next book. I need it now!!!!

***5 ‘I Got Your Six’ Stars***

When an author I already fangirl over announces that a new series will be coming out I get all kinds of giddy and excited, as well anxious over if I will love it as much as the ones already out there. I always tell myself to trust the author, but one never knows. But in this case I had no need to worry, because Under Fire was a great read and start to this new series. It has a balanced mix of action, suspense and romance with humor, heart and heat that kept me turning the pages and making me want the next in the series right now.

I absolutely adored Louisa. In fact I’m pretty much girl crushing on her. She’s an enigma. In certain situations she is assertive, determined and quite a force to be reckoned with. In others she’s uncertain, shy and awkward. That in and of itself was a huge draw, but the biggest pull was her mind and how it worked. It was fascinating to see how she worked through everything thrown at her and how despite all the crazy going on around she actually kept a level head even when her emotions were all over the place.

While I was girl crushing on Louisa, I was also crushing on Six. He’s got that all American good guy vibe going on around, but still has his little quirks that make him approachable. His time as a SEAL has honed his observation skills so that he can pick up on the tiniest shift, but it’s how he approaches those shifts that show how genuine and compassionate his heart is.

Six and Louisa’s opposites attract relationship was fun to watch. What I found the most entertaining was that while Six did things that Louisa didn’t always know how to handle, it was Louisa who kept Six on his toes throughout the book, even when he figured her out, she didn’t always do what he expected her to do. I had to laugh at the whole “we need to keep things professional” phase of their relationship, because even I knew it was too late for it due to the sparks already flying between them. While there was drama going on around them, the drama between them was relatively low, which I liked and I’m happy with where they were at in the end.

The writing was engaging, as always, the pacing was good and I enjoyed the dual 3rd person POV. I did guess at who was behind the crazyness early on, but it didn’t take anything away from the story for me. I liked seeing how everything played out and the fact that while there were some twists, nothing got overly complicated or confusing and I thought that everything worked out the way it was supposed to. As for the secondary characters, I’m looking forward to getting to know the guys at Eagle Securities a lot better. While we only got glimpses into some of their backgrounds, it was more than enough to peak my interest and want more. So when does the next book come out??

Great read, love Scarlet Cole! The characters were real and their connection believable. There is action, romance and love.

Incredible roller coaster ride of suspense and intense chemistry between Six and Louisa!
I have been a fan of Ms. Cole ever since I discovered her book and she never ceases to amaze me with her incredible story telling. She has a way of sucking you right in and endearing the characters to you so you want to get to know them and live their journey right beside them. Six is as alpha and protective as they come and Lou is unbelievably shy and quirky yet strong and beautiful. They are the unlikeliness of couples yet fit together perfectly. When Lou's life becomes endangered Six steps up to protect her and as they get to know each other danger threatens to tear them apart. Their chemistry is off the charts and the suspense is palpable, I couldn't put the book down and finished it in one sitting. No one writes romantic suspense like Scarlett Cole and I can't wait for book 2 in the series!
5 suspenseful sexy stars!

Under Fire is the perfect combination of romance and action. Sixten “Six” Rapp is a retired Navy SEAL turned security specialist. He meets super-shy biologist, Dr. Louisa North at a conference and is compelled to get to know her better. The book is filled with action packed scenes that have you holding your breath, along with special moments between the main characters. This is the first book in what is sure to be a hit series by Scarlett Cole.

In her new action packed series Ms. Cole introduces us to the men of Eagle Security. All former SEALs, a band of Brothers who left the military behind but want to continue their role of protectors and honorable men. Sexton Rapp known as Six, has just retired and looking forward to his new job with Eagle. They're hoping to provide high end discreet security for the rich and famous.

Louisa North is a brilliant scientist in medical research looking for the cure for
Huntington's Disease. She and her partner Ivan had developed a drug they had hoped would be a break through, but after testing with very poor results realize it could actually become a dangerous chemical weapon. Louisa keeps a very close eye on her research and samples, and becomes disturbed when she sees things have been moved around. When reporting it, everyone feels she is mistaken, but she is worried.
Part of Louisa's job is speaking at fund raisers which is particularly frightening for her. She has Anthropophobia , which is the fear of people. She is hiding on a balcony giving herself a pep talk when she is found by Six, who just so happens to be there providing security for the event, his first assignment. He is intrigued by this beautiful woman with an affliction he has never heard of, never mind couldn't spell.

Suspense, action, and danger will keep you reading, not to mention a hot, sexy romance. I couldn't put it down and wish I could rate it with more stars! Can't wait to read the next in the series.

I received this e-Arc from the publisher and Netgalley for review.
Pat Fordyce

Three and a half stars. Half a star added because the heroine is most definitely not TSTL.

Dr Louisa North is a scientist,dedicated to finding something to help alleviate some of the worst symptoms of Huntington's disease. Suffering from chronic anthropophobia (fear of other people, or social phobia) and extreme shyness, she owes her job to her mother's money smoothing the way. Alongside her fear of other people and shyness sits a large dose of OCD-like behaviour, so when she sees pages in one of her files sitting askew she just knows that someone has been touching her things. Then as she leaves her lab she notices that some of her drug tests samples look a little off-centre. Feeling not a little paranoid, Louisa switches labels on two samples putting her latest failure, a drug which keeps the subject paralysed but able to feel pain, to the back of the lab fridge.

Sixton "Six" Rapp has just left the SEALs and joined two of his best friends in setting up their own security business. Providing security at some charity fundraiser Six runs into Louisa backstage trying to calm her nerves before presenting to the audience. Despite being complete opposites, both Six and Louisa feel some kind of connection, so when they run into each other a few days later while Six is out jogging it seems like fate. As Six and Louisa bond over his PTSD and her social anxiety they slowly become friends, but Louisa's notes and samples are going missing at the lab and her boss doesn't seem to be treating it seriously. Then Louisa is almost kidnapped one night, and would have been if Six hadn't arrived in time to save her. Can Six keep her safe and find out who is behind the thefts at the lab?

This is a real change of pace for Scarlett Cole and Six is very different hero from her bad boy tatttoo artists and rockers. There are some similarities between Louisa and some of her heroines, Scarlett does like to give her heroines some 'issues', whether physical, mental or traumatic. Lots about this book had me punching my fist in the air and shouting "Yes, finally a heroine in a romantic suspense who behaves sensibly", no going off alone to explore abandoned mine shafts for our Louisa (metaphorically speaking)! Also, Louisa's anxieties and OCD behaviour doesn't go away, she doesn't start dressing like a Victoria's Secret model or suddenly become Chatty Cathy. But, I didn't really warm to either Six or Louisa, the suspense was lacking because it seemed obvious who was behind the thefts at the lab (although not necessarily why) and overall it felt a little flat, not the high-octane novel I've come to expect from Scarlett Cole.

I'd definitely read more in this series, the set up for what I expect to be the next book seems intriguing, and hopefully the characters will pull me in a bit more.