MIDNIGHT PURSUITS - Elle Kennedy
Killer Instincts , Book 4
Signet Eclipse
ISBN: 978-0-451-46569-6
April 2014
Romantic Suspense

Belarus - Present Day

Ethan Hayes is settling into his friends' home for his mandatory vacation when a phone rings.  Isabel left her cell behind when she and Trevor left for their honeymoon, and when Ethan sees the caller's name, he answers.  Juliet Mason is one of the assassins who work for Noelle, as does Isabel, and a year ago both women helped bring down the man trying to take down Ethan's boss, Jim Morgan.  He remembers Juliet as the sarcastic woman who kept teasing him about his age.  The weak, shaky voice on the other end of the line begging for Isabel's help is so far from what Ethan knows of Juliet that he immediately realizes something is very wrong. Not wanting to disrupt Isabel and Trevor's honeymoon, Ethan decides that his vacation has just ended, and he heads to Belarus to help Juliet.

The call informing her that her brother was shot sends Juliet to Belarus immediately.  His fiancée was assassinated, and when Henry walked into the apartment, he too was shot.  Henry and Juliet had ended up in the same abusive foster home as children, and though they aren't related, since then they've been the only family the other has.  Knowing he's dying, Henry has one last request of Juliet: find and kill the man responsible for his death.  She manages to do that with a little help, but before killing him she learns that the paid assassin is behind several other deaths, all on the orders of a government official. Injured, Juliet is forced to rely on Ethan for help, and when it becomes clear that her enemy is planning even worse crimes, it will be up to Juliet and Ethan to stop him.

The fourth book in the Killer Instincts series, MIDNIGHT PURSUITS once again brings together one of Jim Morgan's mercenaries with one of Noelle's assassins on a shared mission to save the world – or at least a little part of it.  Throughout the series readers have come to understand that there's a deep-seated hatred between Morgan and Noelle, but in spite of that, their teams work well together.  Juliet has relied on herself, trusting almost no one since she was a child, Henry being one of the exceptions.  Two people couldn't be more different: Juliet left foster care and became a thief before being recruited to be one of Noelle's assassins; Henry works for the Red Cross, helping people around the world. If she hadn't been injured, she would have figured out how to take down the man responsible for Henry's death on her own, and having Ethan's help is not easy for her.  In some ways, the man – who is six years younger than she is – reminds her of Henry: someone willing to put his life on the line to help other people.  But Ethan has a few surprises in store for Juliet.  Ethan is young, and seems to be the sweet, kind “kid” on the team, yet he's a former Marine, and more than capable of taking on whatever life throws at him.

Full of action, MIDNIGHT PURSUITS is also funny and has some sizzling hot sex scenes.  The attraction between Ethan and Juliet is obvious, and when she realizes Ethan's not quite the pushover she thought him to be, she's willing to entertain the idea of another kind of partnership.  Secondary characters include Noelle and Derek “D” Pratt, who have been carrying on a sexual relationship and end up working together to help Ethan and Juliet.  When Morgan joins Noelle and D, there are a few more hints concerning a shared past between Morgan and Noelle, and hopefully we will see a story about them soon.

A thrilling adventure that will keep you glued to the pages until the very end, I highly recommend MIDNIGHT PURSUITS.

Jennifer Bishop