Beautifully written, compelling and thought provoking, I was drawn by the cover and blurb, not one I would normally read but I’m glad I did, im recommending this to my book club as I’d love to chat about this to others, thanks to net galley for the advanced copy.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had light suspense, intrigue, mystery, romance, hot hot hot!, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I loved this book, it was a fast paced story that had I didn’t want to put down

I thought that it was well written with a brilliant storyline that had me well and truly hooked!

There was action, romance and a sexy underlying theme too – the book had it all!

It is 5 stars from me, a great will she, won’t she story – very highly recommended and a fab read!

Dang what a good read, ready for more. When Cole is completing a hit on a target, he runs into Sophia. Sophia is detective whose been on Coles trail. She has him or does he have her?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

What a great book!! I loved the evolution of Cole...what a man!!

Detective Sophia Aldridge has been after a killer for some time now and this one night as a call goes out she happens to be in the right place to apprehend the killer she and everyone else has been after. After the struggle with him though he gets away and she is left confused for now she must put aside the feelings she got for him as their bodies were together during the struggle.
Cole Holmes knows he can’t have Detective Aldrige but it was nice having her underneath him during their struggle, now he would like her to be there again. He knows that won’t happen, yet he is surprised when she searches him for help when her daughter is kidnapped for she had no one else to turn to, hopefully, he will help with finding the people that took her, but will she be able to live with his rules when he finds the people. A good story with good characters, very much worth the read. There are a few surprising twists along the way as well.

This was a great book. Lots of tension and packed with action. These two characters are perfect! Now i need the nest book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting intruiging read this book is an excellent addition to the series.

An interesting dynamic of characters that operated at such different ends of the spectrum having to move in shades of gray, Sophia the detective who lives for rules and law is drawn in a devastating way to ask for the help of the man she has vowed to bring to justice, the same man who promises to help recover her daughter.

Both characters by the end are different, Sophia more pragmatic and Cole more demonstrably softer

A strong (perhaps triggering) storyline with lots of drama.

This was a great book, for a Romanic Suspense, it checks all the boxes: hot scary*ss hero, action, spice, fast pace... I just wish I enjoyed it more. I didn't quite connect to the heroine and the plot felt pretty standard and cheesy at the end. But that's just me, as this is not my usual genre and I prefer to listen to audiobooks, when the narrator gives more dimension and that tone of suspense.

I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced, quick read, where bullets and sparks fly - sometimes at the same time. Cole is the epitome of hot, scarred, gruff, alpha hero who will kill for his lady if it came to it.

Marked is a very good story that kept me hooked from the start. Good well-balanced characters. Enjoyed

Loved it! Sophia is a detective who runs into Cole while off duty--a physical altercation ensues as she's been trying to track him down and bring him in for murder. Fast forward, and we have the pair having to work together to save Sophia's daughter, Bella.

Sophia and Cole make a great pair. While Sophia is upright and moral being on the police force, she has to bite her conscience and accept help from a person whom she considers in a criminal. Certainly Cole falls under the morally grey area as he does commit murder, but he is the lesser of two evils since his targets are also criminals. Cole couldn't care less about others besides his family, so when this firecracker gets in his space, he is resistant to helping her but cannot turn his back on a child. This makes for an interesting dynamic between the two of them. Additionally, I really liked their characters. Sophia is smart and strong, not backing down from a challenge. She is full mama bear when it comes to her daughter, but we also see a vulnerable side to her after Sophia is taken and the desperation and loss Sophia feels. I wanted to hug her the whole time. Cole himself is somewhat callous and grumpy, never getting close to others and not understanding how his brothers have all fallen for their respective partners, but seeing how Sophia keeping him on his toes and Bella has him wrapped around her little finger, he is actually a ferocious teddy bear.

We also see Cole's brothers and their respective partners jumping in to help out. I actually haven't read the previous books and I think this could serve as a stand alone and provides just enough detail for you to understand who the characters are, I definitely will be going back to read the others now. There is enough action and suspense and great character interaction to keep the pages flying, all leading to a satisfying resolution. However, in the epilogue, we get a tidbit of what's in store. I can't wait!

4.25stars--MARKED is the fifth instalment in Samantha Wilde’s contemporary, adult BLOOD BROTHERS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on the Holmes brothers-Nash, Cole, Dallas and Dare. This is assassin for hire Cole Holmes, and detective Sophia Aldridge’s story line. MARKED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Cole and Sophia), covering a few days in the life, MARKED follows the search for a killer. Detective Sophia Aldridge has been searching for assassin Cole Holmes believing he is someone connected to a child-trafficking ring aka Lionsgate Kinship. Walking into a murder scene, Sophia finds herself facing down our story line hero, but Sophia’s life is about to spiral when the people at Lionsgate Kinship set their sights on our story line heroine. With the authorities following the rules, Sophia needs someone to cross the lines when her only child is abducted, and the police have few if no leads to follow. As Cole and his brothers begin a search for the child, secrets reveal a connection to Lionsgate and our story line heroine. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Cole and Sophia, and the potential fall-out as a search and rescue turns deadly, leaving Sophia wondering where everything went wrong.

The relationship between Cole and Sophia is forbidden as Cole is a wanted man, and Sophia has been charged with taking him down but Cole only kills those deserving to die, and Sophia is caught between head and heart knowing to get involved could mean the end of her career. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate.

The secondary and supporting characters include Sophia’s boss, and police chief Kenneth; Sophia’s ex Bart, and their daughter Bella. We are reintroduced to Cole’s brothers and their other halves: Nash and Lexi (Bound 1), Dare and Tessa (Traced 2), Dallas and Gemma (Extracted 4).

MARKED is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family and relationships. The fast paced premise is intriguing and engaging;the romance is seductive and intense; the characters are broken, desperate and determined.


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I totally love this blood brothers series. If you like romantic suspense, then this series is a must. While this one was more of a slow burn, it had just the right amount of steam for the intense story line. I so loved Cole. I think he was misunderstood and while he did vigilante justice, he did it for the overall good and I can’t fault him for that. Especially given the type of criminals he was trying to fight. Heck, for that, he deserves a medal! I received an advanced copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This is the first book that I have read with this series of brothers but I was able to feel right at home and not clueless as the book went along.

Wow, what an opposite couple that you just would not expect to make it to a HEA! Cole was an assassin and Sophia was a cop when the book started and she was trying her hardest to bring this evil criminal to justice until her daughter was kidnapped.

At that point, she did not care who helped her as long as she got her daughter back unharmed. Without the restrictions that the police must follow, Cole and his brothers were able to track down who took Bella and quickly get a rescued group prepared.

Since, I don't want to give away an twists in the plot, I won't give any more details!

This was an action packed romance and loved that they were so different but overcame their reservations to get their HEA!

Just like Unchained, this book needs a suspense warning! This story is about Cole and as we had already read, Cole is no mister nice guy. He has seen and done things that will get you locked up. For life.

And while he is nearly a ghost, Sophia Aldridge has found him. Determined to tell her to stay out of his way, Cole decides to visit her home. And find out she is a cop and a mom… Now, he can’t get her out of her head. And he certainly can’t hurt her. Because he might be a coldhearted killer, he is no animal.

When Sophia’s baby girl is kidnapped an nobody seem to be able to help her, it is ironically Cole who can find her. Desperate to save her baby, she makes a deal with Cole: he will save her daughter and she will let him walk. And although it goes against her moral code, her baby is her everything.

But while on a hunt against the clock, Sophia learns that the world isn’t as black and white as she believed. There are all kinds of shades of grey. Hot shades of grey, if you know what I mean 😉

As usual, Samantha twists your heart inside out and then puts it back together again. Not for the faint of heart, but totally awesome! Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Suspense Action Romance

Sophia Aldridge is a detective hot on the trail of dangerous assassin, Cole Holmes. She’s on a mission to put the criminal killer away for good and a chance encounter where he beats her only reinforces that drive.

When her little daughter is kidnapped, she suspects Cole and goes after him full force only to find out he’s not responsible and that he’s most likely the only one who can help her find her daughter. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and the unlikely pair forge on together.

Marked was a fast-paced romantic action, suspense thrill ride full of twists and turns! The characters were dynamic and the storyline was written in the enemies-to-lovers trope. Very well done and enjoyable!

I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily left an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the fifth book in the series and can be read as a stand alone, though there are mentions back to previous books.
Sophia is a detective and is currently working on two different cases. When her daughter gets kidnapped, she goes after Cole personally. Cole isn't a kidnapper and can't stand people who harm children so against her better logic, she lets Cole help her find her daughter.
Opinion
Wow! This book was so good that when I woke in the middle of the night, I had to finish it. Thankfully, it was over vacation and I could without worrying about work the next day. I did look up the other books and sadly have not read them. This is something I plan to remedy.
What I loved about this book is that Cole, the "bad" guy, is actually not as evil as the good cop thinks he is. I'm quite sure that if the rest of the books were written like this one that this will be a series I could read again and again.
Many thanks to Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Detective Sophia Aldridge has made it her mission to find and arrest contract killer Cole Holmes. After a chance encounter with him when he left her disarmed but alive, she's on his tail, more determined than ever. When her little girl is kidnapped, Cole is her first suspect, but when she confronts him she realizes she needs his help and his brothers to rescue Bella in time.
I've been anticipating this book since their first encounter in book one, but not sure how it would play out between an assassin and a cop. Although he's the most elusive and secretive brother, Cole has been my favorite from the first and I was so happy with the conclusion of this book. And the hint of another book when I thought this series was done just makes my reader's heart squeal like a teenage boy band groupie!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Marked is the fifth book in the Blood Brothers series by Samantha Wilde. Detective Sophia Aldridge has a mission: to arrest contract killer Cole Holmes. The sparks fly when the couple encounters each other at the scene of one of Cole’s hits. Cole does the unthinkable and lets the detective live when she sees his face. Later, Sophia’s daughter, Bella, is kidnapped, and Sophia knows it has to be Cole who did it. After a confrontation that proves Cole is innocent of the kidnapping, Sophia makes a deal with the devil to get Cole to help bring Bella home before it is too late. What the couple doesn’t expect is the fiery, undeniable attraction that consumes them.

Cole is the best villain-to-hero I have read in a while. I like that Cole does try to be a better man eventually, but he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep. Cole is a cold-blooded killer, yet his mesmerizing personality almost made me forget that fact! I loved Cole’s journey in finding comfort and love when he had never had them. Cole changed during this journey, yet he always stayed true to himself.

Sophia is an excellent detective. I could feel her heartbreak and turmoil when she discovered Bella had been kidnapped. Her desperation when asking Cole to help is palpable. Sophia is strong and has a fierce moral compass, yet she can also see the grey areas when what she loves most is taken from her.

The connection between Cole and Sophia was hot, hot, hot! They both knew growing closer was a monumental mistake, yet they were helpless to stop the growing attraction and burgeoning feelings. Even though Cole is on the wrong side of the law, he makes Sophia stronger, just as Sophia makes Cole a better man.

This is a fast-paced, action-heavy contemporary romance. I couldn’t put this book down! This was my first Samantha Wilde book, and I am going back to read the previous books in the series. Marked grabbed my attention instantly and ruthlessly and led me through an action-packed, passionate, intelligent romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I requested this book, I had never had of the author so I had nothing to compare to. I didn't really want to research the author, I wanted the book to capture and captive me. As someone who has just got back into reading, I ABSOLUTELY STRUGGLED TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. Simply amazing, so well written, and the author really does take you on an adventure of ups and downs, but leaves you intrigued and wanting me, her writing style is fantastic.
From the moment Cole and Sophie world collided, you just knew it was going to be a bumpy ride of good guy bad guy but the plot makes it easy to choose which team you would pick.
I was a little bit concerned when one of the characters changed race from having "mocha-coloured skin to Olive-toned skin to having pink nipples". This didn't really affect the character as I already had an image from the initial description, but it confused me a little. Other than that, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get back into reading, is in a slump or just wants to try a different genre. I have now discovered the rest of the books in this series and have included them to my Christmas wish list.