AT ANY COST by Mandy Baxter: Review

At Any Cost by Mandy Baxter
Series: U.S. Marshals #4
Published by Zebra
Publication Date: May 31st 2016
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

Fast, cunning, and driven, he’ll do whatever it takes to nail the most violent federal perps. But she is the one danger he’ll never see coming…

She can’t remember when she wasn’t afraid. She can’t go to the police. And “Olivia Gallagher” is only a day away from fleeing her Idaho wilderness life before biker gang leader Joel Meecum finally catches up with her. So keeping her rugged new neighbor at arm’s length is the only safe play. Until Livy can’t resist one last hungry chance to feel alive…

For U.S. Marshal Nick Brady, taking his vacation next door to Meecum’s ex-girlfriend seemed the smartest way to find him. But suddenly, nothing is making sense. How could this feisty, straight-talking brunette ever get mixed up with Meecum’s brutal crew? And why is he breaking his oath and getting so close that all he wants is to keep her safe? Now as the clock ticks, Nick and Livy’s only chance at escape may be the one they can’t survive…

 

Review

Each installment of the series gives us a new couple to love and this particular office of the USMS seems to have a concentration of the hottest guys the Marshals’ Service has to offer.

Nick Brady is a lone ranger and single-minded one at that, which is not compatible with what the Marshals stand for and after one too many reprimands for disobeying orders he is forced to take some time off to get his act together and learn the benefits of teamwork. Like that’s even possible. Nick joined the Marshals for one reason only: to apprehend fugitives and a forced vacation isn’t going to stop him. His time will be best spent following up on leads that could help him catch one of the most wanted fugitives, starting with tracking down his rumored ex-girlfriend.

Olivia Gallagher has been in hiding for the last four years, but not for the reason everyone expects. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time and in possession of information that could bring down several criminal enterprises, her best bet is to keep moving to avoid being found, but her new next door neighbor tempts her step out of her lonely existence and live a little. 

This book is actually slower than the previous books in the series as Nick and Livy circle each other for a bit as the story builds momentum, but once it takes off it’s non-stop until the end. Livy is not what Nick was expecting and he can’t reconcile the woman before him with the hardened biker he’s hunting. While he understands her need for caution he can’t help her unless she trusts him with the truth. How will their relationship be affected when Nick’s deception comes to light?

I don’t know about you, but knowing who the bad guy was and what his plans were did not lessen the tension for me. In fact, I was on tenterhooks waiting for the final showdown and Nick and Livy’s growing romance served to distract me. I was quite taken by surprise at the erotic and fairly explicit sexual encounters and the dirty talk that I went back to all three previous books to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything. No, I wasn’t. In addition to being the office with the highest number of hot deputy marshals, these guys have the art of dirty talking down pat.

Livy’s effect on Nick was very obvious and she did what a forced vacation could not: she made him understand the value of teamwork and shifted his intense focus on fugitive apprehension to her.

AT ANY COST was very entertaining and enjoyable and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully, there’ll be more after it.

 

 

 

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