Hotter Than Wildfire: A Protectors Novel: Delta Force [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I won't tell the story-- because that's secondary to how the story is told, how you relate to the characters and if the book keeps your attention. I will tell my fellow readers what I liked and(and didn't like) about the book. And for the most part, I loved it--- the story is well told, the characters hit all the right emotions and I couldn't put the book down...even the super graphic painful parts that I really wanted to peak through my fingers to read.

Harry is one of LMR's gentler Alphas, though the first chapter of the book make be brutal enough to make you wonder how he could keep his heart and sanity after it all. It will have you wincing, anxious and heartsick all at once. But it's necessary in creating the foundation for who he would become. He could have chosen another path but somehow, he chose to be a protector, defender, shield instead of a predator or monster.

Eve (Ellen) is another survivor of a super rotten childhood, super-talented in both Geekatude and music. Granted, she's also a good person and like most/all of LMR's heroines, a kind, gentle person at heart. Oh, and she's beautiful too (though, as LMR points out, you just don't notice it all at once). She just has the misfortune of having the 'Most Evil Man in the Country'---aka, the classic LMR Villain, after her. Oh, and he hires a friend 'Most Evil Man in the World' --aka, classic LMR Villain 2.0, to help. She survives on her own and with her own quick wits to help her...she simply is at the end of her energy and resources when she turns to Harry and the group.

For those who hate TSTL moments, there are none. Even the one point where she ends up in the hands of the villains makes sense. Better yet is her own bit in saving herself. Both cases I could see myself doing the same thing.

Like all of LMR's books, everything is slightly over the top, larger than life, badder than bad, gooder than good. The sex is super steamy, lasts forever and is emotional all at once, yippee! And I don't have an issue with any of it one iota. Like reading a comic book super heros and bad guys, you find yourself drawn in, caring tremendously and yes, identifying with the characters on some of the most basic levels.

Yes, good sex can be nearly nuclear and all consuming...especially with emotions in the mix.
Yes, a simple walk on the beach with friends can be a jewel in time that you know you'll cling to forever.
Yes, there are some evil 'effs in this world who like hurting weaker folks.... and I mean get off on it.

Like in all good series, you'll also get to see/hang out with characters from previous books. Sam and Nicole for example, are a cute couple, Nicole far more 3-D and relatable than in the first book. You get to know Mike a bit more and coolest of cool, there is a bombshell dropped at the end of the book as to who his love interest in the 3rd book will be.

My nits to pick.....repetition of sentences very close to each other. At first, it reads as if she can't think of anything else to say. But, it could also be taken as repetition means emphasis. Tiny plot holes or inconsistances (the h saying she doesn't drink then asking for whiskey later). And a moment or two of 'Could that be done'--- as in could a music star be anonymous in this world? Then I think about Mutt Lang and move on. Lastly, I wish someone, somewhere would write about foster care in a positive light....it's too easy to always paint it as an bad than a good. But....Otherwise, they're nits and while there, they're like nits--- a few tiny ones can go without notice.

If you're a fan of her previous books, this one won't disappoint, in fact, it'll be a very pleasant, sweet (with brutal parts mixed in) surprise.

Just as another reviewer wrote, Harry is a gentler alpha hero, not quite over the top like Sam in Into the Crossfire. Harry's more the strong, silent type. He seems more controlled and restrained, but in the tradition of LMR heroes, Harry is a protective, possessive, my-woman kind of man. Harry's in a rush to get inside; he just won't have you up against the wall like Sam or John Huntington (Midnight Man) would.

I would have liked the story to have been a little more erotic. Harry and Ellen have sex about halfway through the book. So if that's going to happen, then I need a bit more of the 'I can't stop thinking about you' stuff. I needed more of the big blue steeler effect. But when they did get down to business, it was sweet, sexy, and even endearing. There is definite chemistry between Harry and Ellen.

I loved seeing Sam and Nicole again. Nicole still has him wrapped around her finger. I loved when Nicole told Harry that Ellen was spending the day with her, bossing the men and expecting compliance. Harry looks to Sam to intervene, Sam just chokes and coughs, knowing he doesn't want on the bad side of Nicole, and all the while, Mike is watching and laughing at how whipped both Harry and Sam are.

I may be wrong about this, but I enjoyed what seemed to be a wink at Shannon McKenna and her character Tam, when Kerry uses a weapon disguised as a ring. I also loved the epilogue, really sweet seeing them all together with the baby. And that last part at the end? I hope that's a hint about Mike's story.

I love LMR, one of my very favorite authors. When she is on top of her game, she's unbeatable, and even when she is not exactly at her best, she still delivers for me. So, while this story is not one of my top LMR favorites, it is still a good read.

Ellen is on the run after realizing that the boss at her job has been embezzling his company funds. With her background in accounting and her sharp head for numbers, there's no way she can pretend she doesnt know whats going on. To make money during the year she's on the loose, Ellen creates the alter ego Eve. A singer that is taking the music industry by storm. Her notoriety and mysterious background make everyone interested in discovering this singers true identity. Ellen/Eve's boss recognizes the sultry voice on the radio and decides to send hit man to take care of the loose end.

Harry is the computer expert from Sam and Nicole's story Into the Crossfire. Harry's got a soft spot for delicate women on the run. Helping Ellen disappear from her boss' radar is right up his alley.

While I love the formula Lisa Marie Rice uses for her novels this particular novel almost read just like her midnight series with the "scarred" hero and his fascination for the blind pianist heroine. The heroine's music saved that heros sanity as well. Harry may not have physical scars but he has emotional ones from his childhood. The three military friends, the security agency are also elements straight from her other novels. I wish for once she would shake it up a bit. I love her hot sex scenes and I love the protective warrior too but I need a little difference in my plot than the heroine constantly running to the security agency and having the ex military partner/owner vow to protect her and save her because she is so soft, so innocent and so in need of help