a splendidly written story with a compelling storyline. Good dialogue and characters. Enjoyed it. The ending was wrapped up quite well.

This was an enjoyable story. That had a nice mix of family drama and romance. Along with a sprinkling of suspense and I liked how all of it blended together. Yet I did find the story a little slow at times, particularly during the first half. And if I'm honest, I would of liked a lot more action. But then again, Kellen is investigating his own dad who is something of a hero to him. So I do understand why this story isn't action packed and I did enjoy the best friends Sabrina and Kellen. As it had heat, sweetness and angst. And I also never once felt at a disadvantage having not read the first book in the 11th Hour Series. But I'd certainly check it out and I would happily recommend this story to others.

4.5Stars
Another great book from the series in this one two of the 11th Hour fell in love. Sabrina and Kellan are best friends since they were kids little that everyone's knows Sabrina is also in love with Kellan for years. In new assignment they are on a mission to discover is Kellan's father really involved in gun trafficking. So for the assignment, they have to pretend that they are engaged. For Sabrina that is pure torture, for Kellan is eyes opening in everything, how he sees Sabrina, start to feel for her, her relationship with the family, and he sees who his father truly is. Both characters well developed, likable. The story flows through the pages, chemistry between Sabrina and Kellan hot. I can't wait for for the next one.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly.

Friends to lovers story to!d by a great storyteller. Sabrina and Kellan are characters easy to fall in love with. The story has plenty of suspense and the tension climbs as the situation with Kellen's family evolves. From the very beginning you find yourself rooting for Sabrina to move from friend status to lover. The glimpses of the secondary characters served to increase my interest in pursuing other books by the author.

This book was really good! Kellan was hot if a little annoying at first. The story was great! Lots of action, suspense and sexy romance. I love that Sabrina is more like a normal woman and not perfect. I don't like heroines who are too perfect and beautiful. The story does start a little slow but not does it pick up. Kellan's family is something else that's for sure. Like they say in the description, a nest of vipers. I loved the action and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat! I really hope there will be more to this series because I think I'm hooked.

I would literally read a furnace manual if Ms Ashenden wrote it - I'm that much of a fan. But Kellan was just NOT my guy. He was almost willfully ignorant, spoiled, and obtuse. I don't *love* military romances as a rule, so I wasn't expecting a ton from this series, but there was very little "military" to this - and it still didn't wow me. I like her heroes - flawed and alpha and a little broody, usually - but I just couldn't warm up to Kellan. Sabrina was alright - but again, no warm-and-fuzzies there either... her relationship with the family seemed bizarre and inexplicable to begin with. All in all, the sex was Ashenden-quality (yay!) but the characters themselves and the plot were mediocre at best.

Book 2 in the 11th Hour series, Total Control is another great romantic suspense by Jackie Ashenden. The characters interaction and the engaging storyline held me from the beginning. I look forward to reading more.

Mmmmmmmmm. Oh, I'm sorry. I can't stop looking at the cover. Daaaaaaaaaang, right?

Kellan is a member of the 11th Hour. The team of ex-military who still protect civilians even though they no longer serve their branch. Kellan has been hit over the head, because the next mission assignment couldn't really be happening, right? He's just learned that the man he's idolized his entire life could be behind an legal arms ring. WHAT?! No. Way. And there's no way he's gonna let someone else investigate this, because he's determined to prove his boss wrong. His dad's innocent. Right?

Sabrina is Kellan's best friend and although not ex-military, works with the 11th Hour Team. She's also been in love with Kellan since she was ten years old. After her mother died and father left her, Kellan's family made her a part of the family. At least that's what everyone thinks. Truth be told, she hasn't really felt like part of the family. And now with this new mission, the past is rearing it's ugly head.

OMG! I'm in love with this couple. Best friends turned lovers is THE BEST chemistry, ever!!! The mission takes on a whole new meaning when these two are forced to lie to Kellan's parents, stating they're engaged. Having to "act" the role forced Kellan to finally see Sabrina in a different light. And boy oh boy, the sparks don't just fly, they soar!!! The tension of the mission also brings up the past for both characters. Each one having to come to terms with it in order to move forward.

And that EPILOGUE!!!!!! Hurry up! I'm dyin' ova here!!!!!!!!!!!

reviewed by Chris

I am a longtime reader and lover of Ms. Ashenden’s stories. They are highly emotional and I love every minute of them (with the exception of a couple). Yeah, totally love the angst. In reading the first book in this series I got the impression that Kellan was a happy go lucky kind of guy. He is not. He is full of self-recrimination regarding both his military career and his personal life. When he and Sabrina go on a mission he discovers that she has “liked” him for many years but just could not commit. Her issue is with abandonment. I like how the stories of their growing up were intertwined to show their differences and really how they enable each other. I cried a lot while reading this story. That is always a good sign I like the story. Their interaction and journey are beautifully written. I am not usually one to talk about sensuality in books but damn, this book is freaking off-the-charts hot from the first kiss scene to the end.

Next up Night and Faith…I am betting it is a good one!

I received an arc from Netgalley. Kellan and Sabrina are sent together on a mission and while they have been friends for years attraction sparks while on the mission.

Lies, deception and overcoming past hurts is layered throughout this book. A roller coaster you don’t want to get off! Great read. 4.5 stars

This book was ok. Not exactly what I was expecting. Sabrina loved Kel for years and he only saw her as a friend. When they go on a mission to investigate his father for gun-running they pretend to be engaged to throw off suspicion. All the sudden he seems to realize that he sees her as more than a friend. It was just a little too quick and far-fetched from going from friend to more so quickly. There was very little suspens or action in the book. It was an okay read just nothing that thrilled me.

Jackie Ashenden gives another contribution to the trope of the arrogant alpha hero fiercely protective of the heroine she seems to be so fond of and whom I can’t decide whether to love or slap.
Kellan’s blond and boyish good looks make him appealing, but using sex to extract information from Sabrina, the heroine, and all that avoiding the big issues (his parents, the secret), his naiveté (about his family and Sabrina), the blurring between the mission and the familial situation are a bit hard to take.
I liked the take on the “I’ve-loved-you-for-years” theme (although one-sided) and meeting Jack King (hero from the previous story) again and I’m looking forward for the next book, featuring the mysterious Jacob Night.
I thought the story was a bit too heavy on family matters and sex, and I'm not sure about them interfering with the mission, but I’ve enjoyed Kellan and Sabrina new romantic relationship buildup.

I am a fan of this author and pretty much like anything she writes. This was a great story with likeable characters and an intriguing plot. There was also a GREAT foreshadow to the next story -- can't wait for that one!

So we are back with the 11th hour and we get Kellan and Sabrina's book. They are best friends but Kellan never knew that Sabrina has loved him for years. Now they are assigned to work together on a new assignment he figures out that he also has some feelings for her after she admitted her feelings and also when her life is put in danger while he is trying to get information to prove his father's innocence and her to prove that he is guilty. But nothing goes as planned, why? well you need to read!

Total Control was awesome. It was right blend of suspense and naughty. It's friends to lovers and centers around Sabrina and Kellan. I loved going on this journey with them and watching them deal with both internal and external conflicts. I also loved that a piece of the overall story arc was revealed it has so excited not only about it but also the illusive Mr. Night. I cannot wait to see where the author is taking this revelation.

I recommend this to lovers of romantic suspense.

Secrets sometimes need to be told. The question is which ones and who do you tell? Sabrina and Kellan have been keeping secrets thinking that they were keeping the other safe by doing so. Hind sight is 20/20. I really enjoyed, Total Control.

Kellan and Sabrina grew up together and are now part of the 11th Hour Squad, a type of Black OPS group. This time the person they ordered to investigate is Kellan's father. Kellan knows he's innocent and is determined to prove it but Sabrina isn't so sure. Sabrina's unrequited love for Kellan makes her hope she's wrong but she knows his family better than he does. Lots of action, suspense and romance make this a great read.

Sabrina is very smart and works for the 11th Hour company as a computer specialist. Kellan is former Marine and Army, from a wealthy family and took Sabrina in when her father left her at ten years old. She has been in love with Kellan for as long as she’s known him. Kellan’s father is suspected of selling arms to cartels. Kellan doesn’t believe it, so he and Sabrina go undercover as a couple to find the information that will prove he’s guilty or find nothing just like Kellan thinks. While at his childhood home secrets are revealed and he finds out everything Sabrina has been keeping from him. They’ve always been best friends but when they become lovers, Sabrina gets scared and tries to push Kellan away. Kellan has to choose the woman he’s fallen for or the man who was his hero.
A sexy, suspenseful story with friends to lovers. Secrets and a woman who’s learned to keep everyone’s secrets. The only thing that bothered me was when she finally gets what she’s always wanted, she doesn’t think she’s good enough for him.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - especially Sabrina's character. She's the classic best friend that's been in love with her friend (Kellan) for years, however there are a number of twists to her story that made her an interesting character. That they both work together at 11th Hour makes their pairing more challenging and quickly shows them their relative value to the organization. To me, Kellan wasn't as likable a character as Sabrina was. While I wanted them to get their HEA, Kellan seemed a bit too focused on himself to me - to the point of vacillating between hero and martyr.

I loved that we finally get to meet the illusive Mr. Knight in this book. He's an interesting character and the exact opposite of how I'd pictured him in my head, although the author's description works and makes more sense.

Fans of the genre will enjoy this book and want to put it at the top of their TBR list. I'd give this one 4.5 stars, but am rounding up. The author is on my must read authors' list.

‘Total Control’ started out fantastically, I have to say. The conflict was established early on, as Kellan Blake went all out to prove his father’s innocence when the 11th Hour crew had all but deemed his guilty of crimes too horrific to imagine. But it was the undercover mission involving him and fellow operative and best friend Sabrina however, that had things going completely awry for me, along with a set of revelations and corresponding behaviour that made me think twice about rooting for this pairing.

Combining the unrequited love, best friends-to-lovers trope here, Jackie Ashenden focuses less on the action and more on the drama surrounding both Kellan and Sabrina, though it’s the former’s intrusive past that has been brought to light in a very unpleasant way, overshadowing the original mission. And that was what spoiled the broth for me, so to speak. I wanted to see how Ashenden addressed his inability to see Sabrina for who she was given she was under his nose all these years, but this didn’t happen; instead, all I got was more of Kellan bulldozing his way through to proclaim Sabrina was what he wanted after 2 weeks undercover and several nights of hot sex.

In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to find a more emotionally-manipulative and controlling ‘hero’ than Kellan, who uses every weapon in his arsenal to get his way (that includes sex) to railroad his best friend under the guise of wanting to protect her. His inability to see her as an operative, his unquestioning acceptance of the his sudden but inexplicable attraction to her despite the fixation on anything and everything else but her didn’t make him a protagonist deserving of a woman who was insecure enough in measuring her self-worth in terms of usefulness to him and whose only crime was to stupidly let herself be controlled by him.

The constant repetition of what Kellan did years ago grated on me—a character who made her presence felt without appearing nonetheless—made the story like a lopsided love triangle when that became the focus at the end instead of the mission that we started out with. The result was an ending scene that became an emotional mess and both Sabrina and Kellan tried different ways to rationalise what they’d done…until I failed to see any logic in their arguments.

In essence, the direction the story took was immensely disappointing, particularly after the pretty cool build-up from the start. And more’s the pity, because ‘Total Control’ could have gone down so differently for me but ultimately didn’t.