A great read! Filled with emotions, suspense, action, and love, I enjoyed every moment of Delaney and Mac's story. This is my first read in this series and even though it's the second book, I don't feel like I missed a beat while reading it. I will say that I will be getting the first book, Under Fire, because I am so curious about Six and Louise' s story. Lol. This book was well written, informative, detailed without being boring and a bit of a tear jerker. I'm glad that Mac was able to finally tell his side of the story, in the events that led to Brock's death. Malachi, I have to say, is one of the best heroes that I have read in a while. He is strong and resilient and even though him and Delaney had been separated for over a decade, he never stopped loving her. When she called his name, he came running, even knowing that he could get hurt. I just felt for him on an emotional level. He is just awesome! Delaney was able to move on and make her peace with her brother and with herself, knowing that Mac was always the right choice. I'm glad that Mac and Delaney got their HEA! 4.5 stars!!!

This was an emotional and sexy second chance romance!I loved the first in this series and I found it also great! It wasn't my favorite by her but still it was good! I loved Mac and Delaney’s story. Mac & Delaney were teenage sweethearts. She was his best friend's little sister. When her brother dies, she blames Mac and decides that their love story doesn't deserve an HEA. Fourteen years later, Mac receives a phone call from a hospital overseas. He can't imagine why they are calling him, but he's not passing up the opportunity for another chance at the one who got away. Maybe time has softened her heart towards him and she will listen to his side of what happened.

"She was his. Always had been. And somebody had tried to hurt her. He couldn’t stay away from her a moment longer, and he prayed she wouldn’t make him."

Their romance is emotional and intense, and a little bit angsty!It has so many great moments.My feelings for both of them were so many!!!I couldn't get enough of these two!

Overall it was a great story!

In Scarlett Cole’s Love Over Duty series, the death of a friend is the tie that binds three friends together from childhood, through years of military life, and now in the formation of the company they own together, Eagle Securities. Six (the hero from UNDER FIRE, book one), Mac and Cabe were finishing college when their friend Brock died. It was Brock’s dream to be a Navy SEAL, but it was the surviving three who lived it, changing the trajectory of their own lives to see his dream become a reality. Brock is a constant in their memories and a driving force in their shared accomplishments.

The second book in the series, FINAL SIEGE, focuses on Malachai “Mac” MacCarrick and Brock’s sister, Delaney Shapiro, who loved each other once upon a time. Delaney, in her own way, has continued Brock’s dream of serving justice as an investigative journalist. Her job is dangerous and often takes her to dangerous places, with dangerous people, where survival is iffy at best. For a soldier, it’s an acceptable risk … for an investigative journalist tracking someone in the United States “providing funds and weapons to insurgents”? Ditto.

Mac bounds back into Delaney’s life after learning she’s a patient at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and has been asking for him during “moments of lucidity.” Captured in Afghanistan, taken hostage and beaten, Delaney barely survived. Mac drops everything to go to her, because he never thought he’d have the chance to make things right between them.

But second chances are as unpredictable as the dangerous situations Delaney and Mac have faced in their 14 years apart. FINAL SIEGE is a shoot-’em-up-whiz-bang suspense, where bad guys and terrorists are in pursuit and survival is on the lam, but it’s also an intense second-chance romance.

In all their years apart, Mac still turned to Delaney in his mind. Memories of their time together kept him sane and alive, and present. So much turmoil is tied up in the past, for both of them. Delaney has always blamed Mac for Brock’s death — but, then again, she didn’t know the whole truth of the situation.

They both lost a lot that day. She lost her brother and the man she loved; Mac lost his best friend and the woman he loved. If only he’d told the truth, the whole story of why Brock was up on the cliff that day, their lives would have been different. ALL of their lives. Forgiveness is an integral part of second chances, whether you’re forgiving the man you thought killed your brother, or you’re the man who carried the secret of a friend that rivaled the weight of Atlas. Cole is a genius at weaving together heart-racing, suspenseful moments with scorching intimacy and real characters. I can’t wait for Cabe’s story!

Final Siege is part second chance romance and part terrorist suspense story. Mac and Delaney were in love as teens. However, Mac's involvement in Delaney's brother's death caused a rift they couldn't overcome. Now, 14 years later, Delaney is in trouble. She is an investigative reporter whose story has put her in danger. Mac, a former SEAL who now runs a security firm, wants to help her but she is adamant that he leave her alone.

Mac and Delaney's story is so sad. Brock's death was such a tragedy that many couples might not have survived; add in Delaney's feeling that Mac is responsible and you have an end that no couple could survive. I admired Delaney's determination to her job. She is passionate about honest media and reporting. She wants to root out terrorists and those supporting them. Mac spent years as a SEAL trying to do the same thing. Both Mac and Delaney are smart and loyal which makes them engaging characters that you care about.

I admit-I struggled to get into this book. With a relatively explosive start, it really slowed down and got a bit boring. Once Delaney is back in San Diego, things just sort of got boring for a while. It was odd pacing and it threw me off. Normally I don't feel this way about Cole's books. Things pick up again but by then, I was just not invested. It took me days to finish this book. That is unusual for me-once I start a book I am usually done in 24 hours! Maybe it was just me and not the story at all. Its possible!

There is some connection to plot in the previous book, so it might be helpful to read them in order!
(link live on blog on feb 7)

I am enjoying this series immensely, I loved the first book but this one has become my favorite so far. Mac and Delaney had so much emotion, passion and heat. Their past made my heart hurt and I was curious as to how everything would unfold so they could get their HEA. Scarlett Cole Does not disappoint as the queen of romantic suspense!! She can always weave just the right amount of romance and angst along with that edge of your seat suspense. I don’t like too heavy on the suspense preferring to focus more on the couple and she does that beautifully. I was intrigued from the first chapter and unable too put the book down. The secondary characters are well developed and I love everyone’s inter relationships. Plus Mac is just the perfect sexy Alpha with a sweet side. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!! Another 5 star for this super talented author.

Scarlett Cole has written an impressive second book in her Love Over Duty series. First off, Final Siege is the first book I have read in the series, so I know it read well as a stand-alone. After reading this book, I know this is an author I want to see more books by, so now I have the first book on my TBR list

This story has all the elements I enjoy in romance suspense books, along with a balance between the romance and action too. There is danger and suspense but also the tender moments too. There are complex characters who are flawed but admirable, they have regrets, desires and the tenacity to do something about both. The plot is tightly written convincing dialogue and events. Just an all-around remarkable book.

Final Siege

*received an arc in exchange for an honest review**

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once again Scarlett Cole does an amazing job with her newest romantic suspense book Final Siege. She continually keeps you on your edge waiting to see what will happen next and then the sexual tension between the two main characters pulls you in. They have a great dynamic together and the entire time you are hoping that Delaney will give just a little to let Max back in. She also knows just how to pull in the other characters so you know what’s going on with them without being over powered with their stories. If you are looking for your next romantic suspense book Final Siege is your book.


Mac has been in love with Delaney for years but that all changed when her brother dies and Mac was to blame. But when Delaney is hurt, she asks for Mac.

When they are thrust back into each other’s lives they both have different ideas, Mac feels like this is his chance to win her back where Delaney feels like she needs to stop this reunion before she gets hurt.

But soon Delaney realizes that her trouble might have followed her and Mac might be the only one who can help her. Will they be able to put aside their differences and help each other? Or is the past too much to overcome?

Okay, I have to warn readers that this will be a highly ranty review of Scarlett Cole’s Final Siege, the second book in the Love Over Duty series. But before I get to the ranting, I want to say that I was LOVING this romantic suspense story in which two one-time lovers are reunited when the heroine finds herself in danger. I so engrossed in this story that I was already making plans to go back to read the first book in the series - not because I was lost but because I was very into the characters, the series arc, etc. My love for this book lasted until I was 71% into the story and read one exchange between the hero and the heroine:



“Yeah. Well. Couldn’t you have grown up to be a librarian, Buttons? Life would be a lot simpler.”



Delaney shook her head. “And what? Die of boredom before I turn thirty?”



So, you know how something can pull you out of a book? Well, in this case, I felt as if I were yanked out of the story with the force of the entire universe. I was yanked so far out of the story that I thought I was on my way past the boundaries of the Milky Way into unchartered space. I was at a total stand still while I tried to process what I had just read.



Important disclosure number one: I am a librarian - a systems librarian to be specific which means that I work with library technology and try to keep everything in my library working. I have worked in a library for most of my professional career about 27 years in total.



Important disclosure number two: I am female.



Important disclosure number three: I am currently 47 yrs old.



Important disclosure number four: I am not dead via boredom from my chosen profession (or from any other method, although the concept of writing ghostly reviews is intriguing).



Important disclosure number five: Librarianship can be tedious at times, exciting at others. There may be boring days, but working in a library is not boring. It is often fast paced and filled with problems that require fast thinking and fancy footwork to resolve.



I had enough invested in this book and the story that I did not stop reading. I chose to rant a bit on twitter and continue on to find out how Mac and Delaney resolved their issues (which were weighty. They had been in love in their late teens until Mac and Delaney’s brother jumped off a cliff together; sadly Delaney’s brother did not survive and Delaney blamed Mac). I thought the author did an excellent job with resolving this conflict and with the suspense plot. There was lots of action, the supporting characters were great and the romance was engaging. 98.5% of the book was wonderful. But that one exchange mostly ruined the book for me, and in all honestly will be the one thing that I remember about this book.



So for my rants: There were so many ways that the author could have had Delaney respond to Mac’s comment. “And what? Go stir crazy from sitting at a desk all day?” is one that comes to mind (This isn’t necessarily true but wouldn’t actually imply that librarianship is boring enough to cause death; It would rather imply that Delaney just wasn’t cut out for the job which would’ve been a better way to go). I mean it is true that not everyone would enjoy being a librarian. I get that (and just for edification purposes there are many, many different types of librarian jobs from working with technology, to working with the public, to working in public libraries, to working in academic ones, to working with documents, to working with metadata, to working with social media and marketing and to working so many other things).



Delaney is an investigative reporter working a big, important story about arms dealers and corruption. One would think that she would understand the value of research and the value of the role that librarians play in research (whether in helping reporters find information they need or in helping to organize the resources that they might be searching). It seems counterintuitive for an investigative journalist to diss librarians, IMHO. It is fine for her to prefer reporting over librarianship but her comment is dismissive.



And I mean I get that this is a throwaway comment. We all say things in the heat of the moment based upon prejudices and assumptions. I do not want to let this one phrase define this book, especially since there is much about this book to recommend it. But by the same token, I have to say that this one is hurtful. I take pride in my work as a librarian and honestly feel as if the things I do every day are helping people. I am not on the front lines like many librarians who deal directly with patrons, but without my work people wouldn’t be able to find anything that they need. Being a librarian is extremely fulfilling and rewarding. There is nothing boring about it.



After mulling over my thoughts and reactions to the death by being bored as a librarian quote, I also realized that there was another reason that I was so bothered by the comment being made in a romance novel. Librarianship is a female dominated profession (in 2009 83% of librarians were female - https://blog.oup.com/2011/06/librarian-census/) much like that of the romance novelist and in all honesty I can’t help but think that librarianship (and romance) is an easy target because of this fact. I would like to think that romance writers and readers would be a bit more sensitive to the types of bizarre wholescale assumptions that people make about female-dominated professions. It was especially painful to read such a denigrating comment in romance novel. I do not care for such comments about the romance genre any more than I do about librarians.



Final Siege has everything I want in a romantic suspense plot: a strong romance, an intriguing cast of characters and a solid suspense plot. But a cavalier comment about the boringness of being a librarian ruined this book for me. DON’T DISS LIBRARIANS!

4 stars

Final Siege by Scarlett is a well written, second chance romance and I really enjoyed it.

I found the storyline entertaining all throughout the book, my interest was captured from the first few pages and I ended up reading it in one sitting.
Mac and Delaney were once inseparable, they were friends who fell hard for each other and life was good. Until one day everything changed, grief and blame tore them apart and it's been years since they've seen each other.
All it takes is one phone call to have Mac flying across the world to get to Delaney and help her in any way he can.

I loved Mac, I loved his honesty, his passion and his patience. He has never forgotten his one true love and nothing is going to stop him from making Delaney he's again.
Delaney was a little harder for me to connect with. While I understood her grief I didn't like how stubborn she was with Mac. She was so determined not to open her heart she kept pushing him away :(

But with time and a lot of patience from Mac, Delaney realises how much she still feels for him and going back to life without him in it isn't an option.
These two truly deserved their happily ever after.

The Love Over Duty series is turning out to be a very good read, I'm loving the friendships between all the men and can't wait to read Cabe's book next in Deep Cover.

Get your copy now!
Amazon → http://amzn.to/2zVgxg0
Amazon UK → http://amzn.to/2xsfrGE
Chapters → http://bit.ly/2BcF2Wl
B&N → http://bit.ly/2BfBnYa
iBooks → http://apple.co/2B39GR7

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

For fourteen years Mac has felt guilty about the accidental death of one of his best friends. It was double the devastation as he not only lost Brock but he lost Delaney, Brock’s sister and the only woman he has ever loved. He went on to a career as a Navy SEAL and after retiring formed Eagle Security with his two best friends.

When he gets a call from a hospital in Germany saying that Delaney was injured and was asking for him he couldn’t get there fast enough. Delany is an investigative reporter who has been working in Afghanistan and she has attracted the attentions of the wrong people. When she finds out that Mac is there she is less than impressed as due to their history she can’t believe she was asking for him.

Mac brings Delaney home to stay with him and he is willing to do whatever is necessary to work through the past and win her back but will he be able to keep her safe when the danger follows her home.

This is a wonderful story about a second chance at love for two people who were always meant to be together. Delaney is strong and independent while Mac is loyal and protective. It has a great combination of suspense, twists and romance. I am loving this series and am looking forward to the next story. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader's copy of this book.

Ms Cole does it again.
I loved this second chance romance ao much I devoured it in a day.
I volunteered to read a copy of this book

When Mac, Malachai MacCarrick receives a phone call that the one woman he could never forget is badly wounded and asking for him, nothing could stop him from rushing to her side. And once there, well, seals are known for their persistence, right? Now that she is back in his life, he will do anything to keep Delaney there. If she wants it or not.

While slowly recovering from her traumatizing experience, Delaney also has to find out if she is willing to forgive or if she wants to let go of the one person who means everything to her. Between fighting their attraction, fighting her own demons and getting attacked, she is rather busy - and having a hard time being successful at denying their attraction.

I loved "Under Fire" a lot and I'm absolutely thrilled that this second installment in the series turned out to be just as good and captivating as "Under Fire".
I love the seals and their dynamic and I loved Mac and Delaney together and, of course, I also loved meeting Six and Louisa again.
This amazing and thrilling story sucked me in and kept me reading ...and reading...and reading..... I love this book and I can#t wait to read the other books in this series.

This is book 2 in the Love Over Duty series. It absolutely can be read as a standalone book as I didn't read the first book and fully understood the story. This book is about Malachai “Mac” MacCarrick and Delaney Shapiro. Mac and Delaney were childhood sweethearts until a horrible accident brought about the end of the relationship. Mac never thought he would have a chance to make things right with Delaney until he receives a phone call saying she is in the hospital and asked for him. Delaney thought she was over Mac a long time ago. And doesn't even remember asking the hospital to call him. She doesn't want to grow to depend on him or care again but the circumstances of her injuries forces them into proximity. And they both realize how much they still care about each other.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read any other books by Scarlett Cole but this one was very good. There were parts that were slightly slow for me and parts where I really didn't like Delaney as a person, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. But on a whole I liked it. Mac is a very sweet, loyal, and loving man. He will do anything and everything for his friends, including give up his own wants and dreams. Delaney is obsessed with the truth, to the point of ignoring her own safety. But once she realizes how wrong she was about certain things, she begins to understand Mac and why he is like he is. I really liked how they reconnected and grew to love the people they are now instead of the kids they were. Including loving some of the differences between then and now. This was definitely a good read. Now I can't wait for Cabe's story!!

This was a good read for me. Delaney blames Mac for her brother’s death but after she was kidnapped and she is recovering, she asks for Mac. He instantly goes to be by her side but she continues to push him away. When she discovers someone is after her, Mac is the only one she turns to. The chemistry is still their but can they get past what happened to her brother? This read moved a bit slow in the beginning but does pick up towards the middle and the end. Mac seemed like a great guy but Delaney could be a bit annoying at times. Overall the story has plenty of drama and suspense and kept me entertaining throughout. A good read.

My 4 star review is posted on Goodreads and will go live on blog and social media on release date Jan. 30 and full links will be updated at that time.: UPDATED 1/30/18
4 stars
When Malachai "Mac" MacCarrick gets a call that his his former love, Delaney Shapiro, is in a German hospital, he takes off to help without question. He has not seen her in fourteen years after she blamed him for her brother's death. But now she has survived trauma and is injured.

Mac has never got over losing not only his best friend and feeling responsible for it, and losing the love of his life. He went in the military to honor her brother, and now owns Eagle Securities with their other two friends. He is strong, dependable, and still cares, but is also haunted by the past.

No matter what has happened in their history, he feels protective of her and his feelings have not changed...even if she does still hate him and does not want his help. She is bitter, stubborn, independent minded, tenacious, and is determined to keep him at arm's length.

But Delaney has no choice but to rely on Mac when they get home and realizes that she is still a target. As she tries to continue her investigation, it becomes even clearer that she is in danger and she needs more professional help than they realized. Mac has the skills and resources to fight for her, and he is determined to keep her safe...and hopefully find a way to earn her forgiveness and get to keep her in his life.

But miscommunication and issues from their past, unresolved feelings, guilt, and resentment still put up walls between them that Mac is trying to break down as Delaney keeps fortifying them. Mac is torn between duty and love. But right now it is most important for him to keep her alive so he has a chance of winning her back for good. And the mess they find themselves in is dangerous and unpredictable.

This installment pulled me right in and kept up the sexual tension, suspense, action, and emotion. It is a second chance love story based on forgiveness, redemption, and healing all mixed up in an action-packed, romantic suspense story. It brings back all of the Eagle Securities guys from the first book including his partners, Six and his new love, Louisa, and Cabe. These guys and Delaney all have history and that also adds depth to the story. There are plenty more team members and they all share a strong team ethic and also have funny rapport too. I am looking forward to Cabe's book, Deep Cover next.

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Book two in the Love Over Duty series doesn't disappoint as I dived into another suspenseful novel featuring the hot guys at Eagle Securities.

The tragic death of his best friend Brock shaped the man Malachai 'Mac' MacCarrick became when he decided to live his friend's dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. Fifteen years later, he and his brothers have set up Eagle Securities to continue the legacy. When he received a phone call from a military hospital in Germany about Brock's sister, he doesn't hesitate to go to her bedside because, after all these years, she's still the woman who holds his heart even if she's his ex-girlfriend.

Investigative journalist Delaney Shapiro doesn't understand why her ex, Mac MacCarrick is at her bedside when she wakes up in hospital. Once over her confusion, his commanding presence makes her realises, despite the passing of years she still has feelings for him; a fact she doesn't want to acknowledge. When her investigation causes her to be a target, she reluctantly accepts Mac's assistance to keep her safe, only the more time they spend together, the closer they become.

Both protagonists were deeply affected by the death of Brock, but one of them holds the key to a secret that has been withheld out of loyalty all these years. However, when the past is preventing Mac and Delaney from rekindling their relationship, one of them decides to tell the truth in the hope the new information it is sufficient knowledge to lay the foundations to rebuild a future together.

The tension and explosive chemistry between Mac and 'Button's' are palpable, as both realise their feelings for each other run far deeper than they thought. This second chance romance highlights time hasn't eroded the love they once shared as fate brings them together once more.

Just like Under Fire, book one in the series, I loved the pace and suspense of the narrative and particularly enjoyed the continuity plot from book one, although both are standalone novels. One fact I hope we discover in book three is the fate of Ghost as well as Cabe's story.

5 stars

***arc generously received courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley***

So this story has a lot going on. We have danger and romance, a lost love and a deep seated regret. But still the story flows smoothly and i have t say i loved Mac he is just the right side of alpha with Delaney. Tough and strong when he needs to be and gentle but firm when its called for. Delaney i totally could see how your feelings are all over the place for Mac but let me tell you sometimes you are asking for trouble though i love her independance and brains. Danger and suspense add another level to the story but the thing that gives this story five stars is the reminiscing of the past and learning to leave it behind. Not a need to read the others in the series but if you do you get a greater understanding of some of the secondary characters who are just as interesting to read.

Captain Malachai « Mac » MacCarrick flies all the way to Germany to get his ex-girlfriend, Delaney Shapiro, home safely. Delaney is an investigative journalist working in dangerous areas of the world. Kidnapped and held hostage in Afghanistan, in a Taliban stronghold, she was freed by members of the Special Forces but has sustained significant injuries.

Things are complicated between Mac and Delaney, they share painful memories. Delaney was the one who got away. But this time around, she needs Mac’s help. And yet, she deeply resents him for her brother’s death. The bad decisions he made led to a tragedy. Mac lives in atonement, and doesn’t want to allow himself hope Delaney will eventually forgive him. His tenderness tugged at my heartstrings, he is determined to seize every opportunity to make things right with her and explain his actions. He wants to comfort and protect her from a very real threat. Delaney was investigating drug and gun routes, someone is worried about what she might uncover and wants her dead. Mac is trained to face the sort of danger headed their way, and I liked that he treated Delaney like an equal instead of making all the decisions to keep her safe.

The combination of danger, suspense and chemistry makes this an entertaining adrenaline-inducing read. I loved the angsty and thrilling ride of suspense, the steady rise in tension! The writing is well-paced, the story was interesting and intriguing. Mac and Delaney have history and what happens between them is nothing short of intense. They are likeable characters and easy to root for.

Mac and Delaney are strong, compelling characters that reach out and grab readers’ attention from the very beginning. Their relationship is a rocky road full of emotional turmoil and suspense throughout the story and the author has brought them to vivid life ensuring that the readers want to get know Mac and Delaney and their story. The attraction between the hero and heroine sizzles with lots of burning passion as the romance heats up the pages.

Anticipation builds and gets the adrenaline pumping throughout the story as danger stalks Delaney while Mac and his Eagle Security team members try to keep her alive and help fit the pieces of her story together to bring down a bunch of bad guys. The story has lots of twists and turns to keep readers on their toes along with thrills that add lots of excitement throughout the pages of this steady to fast paced story.

Final Siege is the first book that I have read of Scarlett Coles and I have to say that she does a great job of bring her world and her characters to life. She also provided just enough information to spark my curiosity and ensure that I am want to read the first book to find out what happened and since she had me ensnared by the Eagle Security team, of course I can’t wait to read the next book as well.