He’s used to being in the driver’s seat…until the girl he rescues makes him lose control.

Shane Sullivan, a.k.a. the Transporter, channels his need for speed into top-secret delivery runs for the Hudson Kings, an elite band of mercenaries. His precious cargo has never talked back—until now. He’s riding to the rescue of his fellow team member’s sister, who’s fleeing her abusive boyfriend. His job: steer clear of trouble and get her to New York City in one piece. But he didn’t count on her driving him to distraction. Now he needs to keep both hands on the wheel—and off his best friend’s sister.

Cecily Keegan has a poor track record when it comes to falling for charming bad guys. So although she’s grateful for this hard-bodied wheelman’s protection, she’s terrified of listening to her heart, which has been racing since she got into his backseat. But when she learns that the danger is far greater than a possessive ex, she has to trust Shane—because sometimes the bad guys turn out to be good after all.



* * * * *



First off, let me say that this book is well written. The pacing was smooth and the dialogue spot on which makes for an enjoyable book. I really think that this is a book that a lot of readers will love.


That being said, I didn't fall in love with this book. There was a sense of remove, a glass wall between me and the characters. This really affected my being able to care about the characters which in turn affected the tension that the author was trying to build up. I think that a part of it is the fact that I didn't find it realistic that Cecily is running from an abusive relationship yet is immediately ready to jump right back into one fraught with danger. I have had an abusive relationship in the past and it took me a while to gain back my sense of self worth. Sure I had some rebound flings but those were filled with self doubt. And that self doubt just isn't apparent in her when it comes to Shane.


Like I said, I am sure that many of my readers will enjoy this book and it is the start of a new series so jump into the story of the Hudson Kings from the beginning. This book does contain violence and some rather hot sex scenes so be forewarned.


*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

Cecily is happily going about her life, until her boyfriend, James, becomes abusive and hits her one day. Stunned, she turns to her brother, who lives across the country for help. Dex sends help in the form of Shane, a huge, muscled bad ass. Cecily, penniless and scared after running from James, takes one look at Shane as he pulls up and runs for her life.

Shane is not a bad guy though, even though he looks like one. After running her down and reassuring her that he is indeed her brother’s friend, Cecily gets in his beloved truck and off they go across the country to New York. Cecily loves her brother dearly, but she has no idea that he is part of The Hudson Kings, a black-ops group who takes government contracts and hunts down bad guys with their fancy weapons and stealthy computer skills. They all live together in a compound (I love when alpha men live together!) and Shane is in charge of getting Cecily back to New York safe. He is the Hudson King’s transporter – and he takes it seriously. Shane may be all muscled, abs, and dark jeans on the outside, but on the inside he is a bit of a softy. He starts to fall hard for Cecily, but keeps it in check since she was just hit by her boyfriend and is the sister of Dex, his good buddy. When he realizes someone is following them, he slowly starts to tell Cecily who her brother really is – and that her ex boyfriend is a Russian spy, not the all-american boy she thought he was.

This is a fun, over the top suspense book that had a ton of action that kept me engaged the entire time. Brotherly camaraderie is my candy, and this book has plenty of it. The road trip across the country with just Shane and Cecily was my favorite part though. I love a silent, intense, hero who is capable of cutting down any bad guy that gets in his way. While Cecily is a bit naive about who her brother really is, her weakness for the big, bad Shane was fun to watch unfold. He is bossy, and arrogant, but then gives her hugs when it’s all too overwhelming for her.

Now, he sat in a chair across the room from the bed which Cecily sat wrapped in a hotel robe after washing a man out of her hair with some kind of epically fantastic orange-scented shampoo, and the most coherent thought he could keep in his head was: Not. Gonna. Touch. Her.

[…]

She smells like an orange. Never gonna look at an orange the same way ever again. I had an orange right now, I’ma take that orange. Gonna caress that orange, roll it between my hands. I’m going to peel that MOTHERFUCKING ORANGE and suck each and every part of it until her juice is running off my tongue and down my chin, and I can smell her scent all over me for days. I’m gonna–

“Shane?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re staring into space.”

Trust me, I’m not staring into space.

Once they get back to New York, Cecily gets quickly introduced to what her brother really does – and who her ex really is. He has followed her to New York, and this presents a danger to her. They all go into alpha mode – with Dex and Shane squaring off over the fact that Shane has “touched” Cecily in a way her brother doesn’t approve of. There is a lot of grunting and harsh words…I licked it up.

My one complaint is about the suspense. Cecily’s ex boyfriend started dating her because he knew her brother Dex was part of the Hudson Kings and wanted dirt on them. After he hits her, and she runs to her brother, he follows. The Kings believe he still is in the dark about Cecily knowing who is who and they feel like their cover isn’t blown. It just didn’t make sense to me. If James is a Russian spy, I think he would catch on about the Kings, and I think they gave him too much leeway – leaving an opening for him to cause trouble to Cecily towards the end of the book. It was a little weak.

Overall the fun alpha Shane and his buddies sets up what I hope it a fun series.

Enjoyable, lots of abs, a hero who knows how to kiss:

A flash of sudden comprehension had Shane giving a small shake of his head: No. He looked mesmerized, his gaze pinned to her mouth.

Stop thinking, sweet boy. Let’s both stop all this thinking and just let it happen. She licked her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and leaned into him, feeling his cock press against her thigh.

“F-u-u-u-ck,” Shane whispered.

I’ll end with that ;)

Grade: B

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This is a fast-paced book with a lot of moving parts. There are also a lot of secondary characters that I hope will all get their own stories because there is a lot of tension and storylines that hint at a much bigger story for everyone!

Shane is just what the title says – he's a transporter. Just like that Jason Statham movie, it has similar characteristics. Shane has this brooding, impenetrable personality and ultimate loyalty to his band of brothers, the Hudson Kings, and is completely taken aback when he's asked to do his brother, Dex, a personal favor. He is only to pick up Dex's little sister and bring her back in to the safety of the Hudson Kings.

Cecily has had a bad run, as of late. Her boyfriend wasn't the man she believed and despite her anger at herself, she's also hurt by him. When she learns the true extent of James' betrayal, she handles it fairly level headed. I think that she was more upset with Dex's omissions and felt betrayal there too. I think that we could have had a lot more drama from Cecily, but instead, we were given a much broader picture of the Hudson Kings as a group.

You have all of the brothers and even a few sisters in this group who are trying to do the right thing, even if it skirts the line of legal. Shane has never let emotion cloud his ability to do his job, but somehow, Cecily was able to penetrate through to his core and now he will stop at nothing to make sure that she's safe, even if he's not able to be on the ground with her.

This has a good underlying story between the members of the group and an unanswered question about James and his group. I hope that as the series moves on, we get more answers and get to continue to see where Cecily and Shane go.

A fast paced and packed story that will keep you reading long into the night. Liz Maverick has done an amazing job with this book. It's well worth a read and a try by this author, you won't be let down by the book or the author, go and give it a go

The Transporter by Liz Maverick
Hudson Kings #1

All I can say is WOW and when is book two going to be released? It was THAT good!

I know, I know, the alpha male has a few moments where he questions his ability to be the best option for the girl he falls for and she wonders if they are a good match BUT they really are good together and it plays out well and is believable – for them – so – great job and kudos to the author!

This book immediately reminded me of Jason Statham in “The Transporter” but it is different and a great beginning to a new series that I will want to read. The merc group, Hudson Kings, is filled with gorgeous males that are a brotherhood working together on various clandestine projects. There are enough crumbs left about each of the men and two women that made me feel invested and eager to read what comes next. Each character is attractive, interesting and different but together the camaraderie is great and made me want to get to know them all better.

As for the story? Shane is sent by Cecily’s brother, Dex, to pick her up after she leaves an abusive relationship. He has a package to drop off somewhere along the way. There is attraction even though both realize she is on the rebound. There is minimal action taken on the attraction, though. Their arrival in New York at the home base is when the reader meets most of the team and finds out quite a bit more about the Hudson Kings and a bit about another group called 6th Ward. There are mistimings between Shane and Cecily and some times that really work for them with a HEA for the couple by the end of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

3.5 Stars * * * 1/2

This was an excellent start to a new series about mercenary security men and the women who challenge them. We have the set up of Shane Sullivan, a.k.a. the Transporter, being asked to take care of one of his band of brothers' sister. She is fleeing an abusive ex and he gets more than he bargained for...
A woman who captivates him
A woman who has more to be concerned about then just her ex...
and his heart is in major trouble.

With this entry, you get all you could want for a first book in a series... all the groundwork has been laid and we will benefit from it in the books to come.

Woah! Liz Maverick is back in a big way for me. And Shane Sullivan can transport the goods any time, any place. Despite feeling like I should know who Shane was and who the Hudson Kings were (like they were in a previous book somewhere that I just hadn't read), this book hit all my sweet spots.

Tortured hero? Check.
Sweet woman? Check.
Band of brothers? Check.
Serious shit going down? Check and check.
Issues in the group? Check.
And a mystery for a later book? Check!!

When Dex asks The Transporter to transport his sister to safety, that's what Shane does. But how was he to know that Dex's sister Cecily was going to turn him inside out in just a couple of days? And so begins a wild ride into the world of the Hudson Kings and all their crazy badassery.

I forsee a long and wonderful series out of this and with The Financier already announced, I can't wait for the next installment. Because the band of brothers is awesome but when you add the kickass ladies and the extra special tension between some of them, it gets hot real fast. I loved the boys - Chase, Roth, and Romeo especially - but Missy and Ally just take the whole thing up a few notches.

This is an adrenaline ride and the action definitely dominates, but there is plenty of angsty times and enough character ars to make this a nicely rounded book. Heck, even secondary characters get an arc, so yeah. I'll be reading these as quickly as I can get my hands on them.

THE TRANSPORTER, which kicks off the new Hudson Kings romantic suspense series, is my first Liz Maverick book. While it didn’t totally blow me away, it’s a solid, well-written, and fast-paced read with the right amount of exposition to set up the series, heroes who operate steadily in the grey, and off-the-charts chemistry between the hero and heroine. Heroes that blow hot one second and cold the next, changing their mind so fast they give you whiplash, are a pet peeve of mine so Shane rubbed me the wrong way for the bulk of the book, but I enjoyed Cecily’s arc and the camaraderie between the Kings.
Overall, a good way to kill a few hours on a hot summer day, and while I won’t be waiting with bated breath for the next instalment in the series, I definitely won’t turn my nose up at it either and will pick it up when it’s released.

**ARC courtesy of publisher via NetGalley