Intense suspense, brutal action, and slow-building romance; an explosive and entertaining start for a new series.
With an interesting twist of humanizing the villain and giving them nearly as much attention as the protagonists get, this story captured my attention. The timeframe is another intriguing factor, as marshal Nick McKenna has been guarding informant Lori Carpenter for a year but now they have fiery 24 hours to make it alive to the testimony.
The suspense and action are amazingly done, the action is savage and scary, the fight to stay alive is intense, nothing is guaranteed.
The marshals took some artistic liberties for the sake of the storyline, but nothing that dimmed the enjoyment of the tale. Nick was a complex hero, not the easiest to like. He considered the past year as a punishment for mixing personal and professional life before, his ex was still part of the team, and that was made into an issue at the beginning that was never solved in this book, probably coming up again later in the series, I am assuming, as the series cliffhanger at the end of this book gave me the impression the stories in this series are well entwined.
Lori and Nick had been getting to know each other over the past year while he was protecting her. I was mesmerized to find out how they could make this situation work for them in a long run, yet that solution was never presented to the readers, giving more of a happy-for-now moment that was suddenly interrupted as well...
An exciting and arresting start to a new series that promises to be filled with potent suspense and fervent action with a side of ardent romance.
~ Four Spoons

Pulse pounding and oh so exciting! A first-time reader for this author, and I can honestly say I can’t wait to get my hands on the next piece.

Nick is a marshal, sworn to protect his informant, that informant being a fiery woman by the name of Lori. With a small amount of time with her before she has to testify against one of the most powerful drug cartels in the country, Nick finds himself drawn to her in a way that catches him off guard. Nick must keep Lori alive to take them down, but the sexual tension is high, the danger even higher and the clock is against them both.

Hostile Pursuit is an edge of your seat book that you will not be able to put down. It’s jam packed with sexy goodness, romance and suspense, what better to spend this lovely quarantine doing but reading this awesome book!

I was really interested in this book because I enjoyed the romantic suspense that Juno Rushdon wrote in another series. It feels really nuanced and still fun to read.

Hostile Pursuit (Hard Core Justice #1). By Juno Rushdan. 2020. Harlequin Intrigue. (ARC eBook).

For the last year US Marshall Nick McKenna has provided witness protection to Lori Carpenter so that she’ll be able to provide testimony against a ruthless drug cartel. Now, with Lori’s court day only 24 hours out, Nick and his partner begin to mobilize Lori only to be set upon by assassins. With the enemy seemingly one step ahead of them, Nick must abandon protocol to do whatever it takes to keep Lori safe.

Rushdan’s Hostile Pursuit delivers a plot with good action and twists; and a couple readers will have no trouble rooting for. I look forward to more stories in this series and by this author.

Hostile Pursuit was a fast-paced read with an intriguing plot and an amazing romance.

With only twenty-four hours remaining until she testifies against a powerful drug cartel, Lori Carpenter is ready for her new life to begin. The one thing Lori will miss after the last year in WITSEC is marshal Nick McKenna, her irresistible protector. Nick has kept Lori safe the entire time she’s been hidden, but with time running out the cartel has decided to take one last shot at Lori to keep her from testifying. With assassins closing in, Nick and Lori must go on the run before the cartel stops Lori for good.

Lori and Nick’s relationship has been strictly professional for the last year despite the obvious attraction between them. It was only after the pair had to go off-book to save Lori that they let themselves give in to that attraction. I thought they had fantastic chemistry and the progression of their romance was believable for the situation they were in. My only complaint about their romance was that I didn’t like how Nick reacted after finding out what Lori’s life was like while she was connected to the cartel. His reaction was very judgemental and I would have preferred him to have handled the situation differently.

The plot of Lori and Nick being on the run from cartel assassins was very well done. The story begins with an attempt on Lori’s life the day before she is set to testify and the action never lets up. There were numerous encounters with the cartel to keep things interesting and I found the way Nick handled the situations to be believable. The main cartel assassin, Belladonna, was quite the character and I liked that the author chose to go the female assassin route. The ending of the book was action-packed and wrapped up in a way I didn’t expect.

Overall Hostile Pursuit was a great start to a romantic suspense series and I will definitely be checking out more books from this author in the future.

Only one day left till Lori has to testify against a drug cartel. Things were quiet for a while it was only a matter of time till someone comes to permanently silence her. Marshal Nick believes that there is someone on the inside letting the enemy know and can't trust any one as her works on keeping her safe in time for court.

Whew didn't realize this book was what I needed at the moment there was so much going on it was easy to just fall into this crazy book. I loved that there was so much going on that I just couldn't put the book down. There was so much twists and turns and just wow it was a ride. Then there was that attraction between the two and the issues that arises when thier pasts are revealed. Just read the book if you are looking for a action packed fast paced book that'll pretty much hook you from the start!

What an exhilarating ride this book was, the action and danger doesn’t let up for a minute and once I’d finished I was exhausted. Lori, about to give testimony in a massive trial, has been under the WITSEC protection of Marshall Nick McKenna. But someone will go to great lengths to stop her testifying. The romance was believable as Nick and Lori have gotten to know each other over the year that Lori was under Nicks protection, and it didn’t feel rushed amidst all the carnage that was unfolding between them. Can’t wait to read the next one in the series

Nick and Lori had me intrigued and rooting for them right from the start. Twists, turns, and scorching hot romance filled these pages, and I cannot wait for more from this series!

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Pulse pounding action from the first page to the last, well, except for the mushy parts. I'm going to warn you: you will not be able to but this book down. It's a good thing that you can read it in a day because the story is riveting. It isn't often that I like the baddie more than the hero and heroine. Belladonna is a rare breed and totally fascinating. A cold blooded cartel killer, no less.

Marshal Nick McKenna has gotten in over his head with the beautiful informant he is sworn to protect. He only has one more day with her and she will be gone into WITSEC after she testifies against the firm laundering the money for the most powerful drug cartel in the country.

Lori Carpenter has a lot of regrets in her life, this past year with Nick isn't one of them. Her biggest regret is that it will come to an end in a day. But, she has to live that long and with a team of trained murderers lead by one really cold-blooded assassin, who have tried numerous times to kill her, it isn't looking like she is going to make it.

4.5 Stars

This is the first book in the Hard Core Justice series by Juno Rushdan.

This was a pretty intense book. It begins when Lori Carpenter is hours away from testifying against Vargas, a man who is the head of a drug cartel. Vargas has hired assassins to stop Lori from ever getting to the courthouse. Her witness protection is Nick McKenna. He has spent nearly a year protecting Lori. But there is a mole in the witness protection program and every move they make to protect her, the bad guys always find them.

The second POV of this book is that of the killer, Belladonna. As the book wears on we are gifted with a bit of insight about her and her own struggles. We feel compassion for her and that is unusual in a book like this. I would certainly like to see her crop up in other books in a similar position.

This book was quite thrilling and ran at a break neck pace that really kept you interested and invested in discovering who was behind it all. The identity of the mole was pretty surprising and shocking. And the scenes with the McKenna family were some of my favorites.

I definitely want to read more from this author. I truly enjoyed this roller coaster ride.

If you love a good romantic suspense, you have to check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Mar 17, 2020

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher but all opinions provided are my own.

I have read several of Juno's books previously, and although I really enjoyed them. This by far was incredible, I stayed up way pass my bedtime and couldn't put this book down. Action packed this book was a wild ride that pulled me in from the very fist page and never turned me loose. I felt like I was right there along with Nick and Lori during the whole book. I believe anyone that enjoys romantic suspense will certainly fall in love with this author and book if you have never read her work before.

What a wild ride Hostile Pursuit was from the first page to the last! Lori and Nick were nonstop action and left you on the edge of your seat to find out if Lori would make it to the trial or die trying.

Lori Carpenter is a witness for the prosecution against a drug cartel. What she knows will put them away for good and end a lot of money flowing in and out of the country. The Jackals don't want her still sucking air by the time the trial date arrives. They send a deadly assassin, Belladonna, to take out Lori, but none of them are expecting US Marshall Nick McKenna's level of dedication to Lori. She's not just a witness to him, she's everything.

Only a day away from the trial all hell breaks loose and the only thing standing between Lori and death is Nick. With his partner dead, Nick is forced to think on his feet to keep her alive until he can get her somewhere safe. The US Marshall's office has been compromised and he doesn't know who to trust.

Nick and Lori are on the run but they still find time to share tender moments and show the reader that they truly do love each other after spending a year together in a safe house. Nick will do anything to protect Lori, even knowing he's going to lose her to witness protection after she testifies, and Lori trusts Nick with her life. She doesn't trust him because he's a US Marshall, she trusts him because he loves her. Their romance is sweet, and frantic, as they run for their lives, but their underlying love shines through on the pages.

For the first time in reading an intrigue, I actually felt a little bad for the villain. Belladonna was at the Jackal's mercy and as a mother, I understood how her hand was forced to do what she had to do.

All in all, I loved this book and the intrigue and action it offered. You have to suspend reality a little bit because some of the stuff they do doesn't make a lot of sense in regards to how a WITSEC witness would actually be dealt with. It will all make sense at the end, however. There was also some random Farsi words thrown in with no explanation as to why. Nick's family was brought into the story with so little explanation about they are (I know this is the first book and that will probably come later but it was a bit confusing). The reader had to assume that Nick's mom was the reason for the Farsi but we never really know for sure. So it's really random and feels forced and out of place.

I give Hostie Pursuit five stars for the intrigue, action, and sweet love story with a HEA that fits the story.

A pulse-pounding romantic thriller! This is technically my first Rushdan (although I've heard great things about her Final Hour series, so I have that to look forward to as well) and she writes a terrific category as well. I finished it over the course of a weekend and was thoroughly entertained by the journey. Given the length of the book itself, there's a lot of action jam-packed in and sometimes it feels a little too hectic, but the quieter, romantic moments between Nick and Lori landed really well for me since they also served as a chance for me to kind of catch my breath in between those high-octane scenes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After loving Juno Rushdan’s Nothing to Fear—check it out, if you haven’t already—I was really excited to see where she’d take a Harlequin book. My overall feelings? The action sequences are spectacular, the tension between leads is great, but I’m skeptical of the time frame and the hero’s not my fave.

Nick’s been one of two marshals tasked with keeping witness Lori safe. She’s due to appear in court tomorrow, only the very dangerous people she’s testifying against have hired an assassin to make sure she doesn’t show up.

Hostile Pursuit starts off with a bang. The action is immediate, the suspense is high, and it feels cinematic. Rushdan maintains that urgency throughout the book even though the events that take place are pretty unbelievable to me--in a fairly negative way that made me doubt other aspects of the book. The timeline is super condensed and so many HUGE things keep happening, and somehow in the midst of it all, the characters still find the energy/willpower to take their relationship to the next level.

Similarly, Nick’s eventual epiphany is not quite as effective as it could be given how quickly everything happens—though I was relieved to see him stop being so hypocritical about Lori’s past and become more self-aware of how he had romanticized her. (Also on the topic of the hero, Nick doesn’t always seem as cautious as he should be for a marshal on a huge case, but I think that’s probably related to the need to keep the romance moving ahead...and it probably bothered me more than it would have otherwise because of my aforementioned issues with the timeline.)

I really appreciated how Rushdan incorporates Farsi culture here,and the book ends on a really high note: an effective blend of drama and romance. This book’s entertaining and high-octane but in a final assessment, the hero and the pace just didn’t always do it for me.

CW: Pretty violent/gory action, past abuse and rape


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

4.5 stars

Hostile Pursuit was a suspenseful, jam-packed read!! I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen next-and it was a lot!

I loved getting the villain’s POV, helping show the mindset of a few decisions made. It was actually a little weird-in a good way-having the villain get almost as much attention as the H/h.

I also enjoyed getting to see what Nick and Lori were made of under pressure. Conclusion: determined!

Nick and Lori’s relationship wasn’t insta-lust by an stretch, since the attraction has been a year in the making, and I got a kick out of how much they unintentionally learned about one another.

Overall, this bite sized book satisfied on action, romance, and definitely suspense!

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Harlequin and this is my honest review.