Review: Midnight Games by Elle Kennedy

AMAZON | KINDLE

Midnight Games (Killer Instincts #3) by Elle Kennedy
Suspense
Signet (August 6, 2013)

Rating: B-
Heat: Hot

Heroine: Isabel Roma – Chameleon, Hiding
Hero: Trevor Callaghan – Mercenary, Relentless 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

She wears a thousand deadly identities. He sees through them all.

A master of disguise, Isabel Roma spends her life pretending to be other women. Normally, her emotions are reined in tight—but sexy mercenary Trevor Callaghan has a knack for getting under her skin. The elite operative’s quiet strength and raw magnetism affect her in ways she’s never felt before, a distraction that can quickly turn deadly in their dangerous line of work.

After putting his tragic past behind him, Trevor is ready to focus on his future—and he damn well intends for Isabel to be in it. When their entire operation is thrown into chaos, Trevor enlists Isabel’s talent for deception. And as they attempt to save their team in a world where the stakes are high and the danger is grave, Trevor must convince Isabel that the woman beneath all the disguises is the one worth having...

Review:

Isabel Roma, master of disguise, is an ex-Fed now working for an elite operative team. She excels at being other people and created a façade to keep people out in order to protect herself. She’s a compassionate and kind-hearted woman but, underneath the easygoing façade, she is a broken and vulnerable woman. She's running from a past that continues to haunt her every day. She has severe daddy issues that run deep. Her father is a mafia monster that exposed her to a lot of bad things. She couldn’t just run away from it, so instead she became someone else. Her charade worked until she met Trevor Callaghan during an operation where they worked undercover together. A powerful connection forms between them but, because they got too close, she got scared and ran. Five months later, she decides to seek out Trevor because she knows she owes him an explanation.

Trevor Callaghan was a broken and reckless man for two years after he lost his fiancée. Meeting Isabel changed him. He never thought he could feel anything for another woman again. Isabel hurt him when she ran but he wasn’t going to let her go that easily. So, for five months, he searched for her, determined to get to know Isabel, the real Isabel, and make her his. He finally has his opportunity when Isabel shows up at his team’s compound.

Before they get a chance to talk things out, the compound is attacked and destroyed. When they lose contact with Jim Morgan, Trevor’s boss, they turn to Isabel’s mercurial boss for help. The team is taken to Noelle’s compound where they start to plan and organize to find out who is behind the attack and who possibly kidnapped Morgan. The mission goes into effect and Isabel needs to go undercover as one of her personas to get information from a dangerous man they suspect is behind the hit. Trevor has a tough time letting Isabel do her job and almost blows Isabel’s cover when his protective instincts and jealousy comes roaring to the surface. Trevor must find a way to let go of his instincts to protect Isabel from danger and let her do her job before he blows the mission. The deeper they get into the operation, the more dangerous it becomes for Isabel and Trevor. They must risk their lives to get to the root of the twisted truth behind the attack.

As the stakes are raised, and the operation heats up, so does the relationship between Trevor and Isabel. Trevor is a bad ass mercenary who is also honorable, sweet, and very protective. He made my heart melt with his sweet words and smoldering touches. Trevor doesn’t make it easy for Isabel to hide from him. He relentlessly pulls her out of her shell. He’s not perfect in his pursuit to make Isabel his however. He makes a lot of mistakes but he quickly owns up to them. Isabel doesn’t exactly make things easy on Trevor though. She continues to hold back from opening up to him. But, as they grow closer, her walls start to crumble and she slowly starts to let Trevor get to know the real Isabel. This couple fit each other so well. I loved to see them let down their guard and get hot and heavy in the bedroom.

Midnight Games is the third book in the Killer Instincts series. I haven’t read the first two books in this series and I never felt lost in the story. This can read as a stand-alone. I do know that the relationship between Trevor and Isabel started in the second book. So, I may have missed out on the chemistry that brought them together when they first met. That didn’t really bother me too much. Now, while I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything, I could tell that there are layers upon layers to this story that flows from one book to the next. This book continues to build the storyline for the next book and I’m thinking it could be the ex-thief, Juliet, and the rookie, Ethan’s book – but that’s just a guess. What I’m really interested in is finding out more about the other secondary characters: Noelle, Jim, and D. They stole the show from Trevor and Isabel. There is history between those three that has spiked my curiosity. But who I’m most curious about is D… I want to know so much more about this mysterious, intense man that comes across as an asshole. I love assholes.

I really enjoyed this story that has a Mission Impossible tone to it. There is great mix of mystery, suspense, emotion, intrigue, and action that kept me enthralled. The romance is hot, but not as hot as it could’ve been. I wanted more sexy times with them. (I’m such a hussy.) I will admit to being more interested in reading the secondary characters parts in the story than the main characters. Trevor and Isabel may have been a little too sweet when I wanted a little more edginess with them. Now that I’ve read this story, my interest has been piqued enough to continue with the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.