AGAINST THE SUN - Kat Martin
Part of Against the …Series
HQN
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1350-2
June 2012
Romantic Suspense

Houston, Texas – Present Day

With a huge million dollar deal on the line, business executive Sage Dumont doesn't want anything to go wrong, especially since a Saudi Arabian sheikh is involved and people are upset at her company for taking their business overseas. When Sage's grandfather (and company CEO), Ian Dumont, hires security expert Jake Cantrell to provide assistance, Sage is infuriated that anyone would think she needs a bodyguard. Add in that Jake is insufferably annoying and, well, Sage is doing a slow burn. But even as his macho arrogance overpowers Sage, the sizzling desire she feels for him leaves her breathless. How can she feel this way when she's engaged to another man? Protests and threats during the business negotiations force them to beef up security, yet even that isn't enough when a car Sage was to ride in explodes from a bomb. Jake brooks no arguments from Sage as he goes into super bodyguard mode.

Jake Cantrell learned early on not to form any lasting relationships because no good ever comes from them. So he's spent most of his life moving around, barely sticking in one town long enough to get settled. Jake's been in Houston helping out his friend Trace Rawlins in his security company and is thinking of leaving when he gets the assignment to act as Sage's bodyguard. His body immediately goes on alert, but he can't afford to analyze why he's attracted to a woman who probably got her job because she's related to the boss. Yet, Jake soon realizes there's more to Sage than a pretty face. She's not afraid of working hard, facing people down when she has to, and she's a darn good shooter with a gun. After the car bomb, he plasters himself to her side 24/7. Yeah, he's also hoping to get lucky…especially when she tells him she broke off her engagement. Can Jake and Sage avoid letting their scorching affair get in the way of the business deal and keep them both alive?

Kat Martin has once again provided readers with a thrilling, action-packed tale with AGAINST THE SUN. Sage isn't a helpless female waiting for her hero to ride in to rescue her. In fact, she doesn't want Jake to help her at all. But with a huge business deal on the line, her grandfather insists that she needs Jake's knowledge of Arabian culture and business rules to succeed, as well as his protection due to the protests the deal is garnering. Sage is in line to succeed her grandfather at the helm of the company—if she can snag the sheikh's business. The sheikh is old-fashioned, and Jake assists Sage with suggestions in how to act around the man. Also, part of the sheikh's entourage is his son, who is annoying and sexist, while the daughter is beautiful and young…and someone Sage immediately takes a liking to. But the talks come to a screeching halt when the swirling controversy of the protests and a car explosion make it clear someone doesn't want the deal to go through and is willing to kill.

Jake is a loner and makes it clear to Sage that he's not the man for her to be looking at for a forever kind of relationship. But the two hit it off in bed and, despite the danger and tense situation surrounding them, can't resist acting on the desire pulsating between them. The more they make the love, the harder it may prove for either to say goodbye to the other. Yet Jake is determined to not fall in love with a woman who couldn't possibly be his perfect match. But love has a way of pushing aside the resistance…

In AGAINST THE SUN, there are several subplots going on. Jake stumbles onto a conversation he probably shouldn't have heard and one he can't ignore. He'll have to call in his friends to help him discover the truth and bring down the bad guys before something bad happens. Sage's friendship with the sheikh's daughter provides a catalyst for a break for freedom. Will Sage's helping the other woman endanger the business deal? But ultimately, AGAINST THE SUN is about the smoldering and hard to resist attraction between the “hard as nails” Jake and the “business comes first” Sage.

Readers who enjoy a fast paced, never a dull moment tale that has you guessing who the bad guys are will thoroughly enjoy AGAINST THE SUN as much as I did.

Patti Fischer