Third volume in the Safeguard series, Contracted Defense is light on suspense and action and more focused on the couple, so it feels more like a contemporary than a romantic suspense.

Victoria is a long-standing agent in the security firm, but she’s nonetheless less self-assured than she seems. She’s been affected by a not very happy marriage and a divorce that drags on, as by her partner’s recent resignation. Very focused, she’s obsessed with details and wants to check everything several times, which is not quite pleasant for those she’s working with. She accepts criticism more or less easily but she reassesses herself several times throughout the book.

Adam, her new partner, had a problem when he was in the army, but we don’t know what except some vague details here and there, which is very frustrating as that has a very important part into who he is now. He’s eager to find his place and prove his worth, but in spite of this he’s ready to sacrifice his new job and his reputation to save Victoria’s ones. He has some zen attitude acquired after have spent some time in his New-Zealander family, but he’s afraid of the effect on the heroine of the episode in the army (of which she only almost nothing in fact).

Between them the attraction is immediate, and they hook up after their first meeting at a party with a steamy and well written sex scene. But the next day they learn they’ll have to work together and they first try to resist, even if Adam is quickly decided to win again Victoria’s favors as soon as possible. There are several sensual scenes and some sexual tension between them but I thought the feelings arrived a bit fast even if they seem to be a good match.

The plot in itself is reduced, we see mainly the couple learning to trust each other to work together on a mission to create a strengthened security at a private individual’s. Of course that allows to focus on the couple, but it’s frustrating when you’re expecting a RS. Likewise the traitor’s identity was obvious from his first apparition, and the “mortal secrets” promised in the synopsis aren’t really put forward. There are allusions to what happened in the previous volumes but that didn’t trouble my understanding of the story. The final action scene was lively and well written, but too late to rise my global impression, too bad.

What do you do when your job in security may be compromised by relationships? What do you do when you're aware comapnies ae out to take your company down? What do you do when your client's and your own life are on the line? Drake's newest novel is a fascinating story of relationships, truths and lies, security dangers, business, and achieving the means of attaining the best possible security you can give to save lives. Security is just not bodyguards!

The beginning of the book was great, and set the rest of the story up very well. Adam was a little surprised to find out who he was being partnered with for his new job. Victoria was as well. His first job he thought was going to be an too easy job of setting up security at a home. Things get serious fast. It takes both of their level thinking to find a way out.
The story moves along at a fast pace, which I liked. Adam adds a bit of humor to Victoria's seriousness.

Lots of action, lots of chemistry. Kudos for having a strong female character and a male character who isn't intimidated by that. There is a good story here that sometimes gets lost in the intimacy, but this is a winner.

I absolutely loved this story, it was intense, fast paced with great emotion and action. I just couldn't put it down, I want to read it again it's that brilliant of a book. Really looking forward to more by this author and hopefully more from the fantastic characters we learn about in this story. Would totally recommend

Oh, my. Adam and Victoria were smokin' hot together. Not just the sexy times, either. The way Adam challenged Victoria without tearing her down. His approach allowed her to reevaluate her way of doing things without forcing her into the knee-jerk reaction of defending herself against an attack.

*sigh* I do love a man who uses all his strengths to woo a lady.

Beyond Victoria and Adam's sexy back and forth, there's also some turmoil going on for Safeguard. With the reputation of the company being subtly maligned, they have to be very careful they don't make any missteps in their assignments. Which means, of course, Victoria and Adam's first assignment together is far more complicated than it looks on the surface.

We're given danger, a potential couple whose emotions are sometimes clouded by their pasts, and a deadly enemy who will stop at nothing to bring Safeguard down. Good thing the team is smart and deadly enough to hold their own against nefarious plots.

Adam and Victoria are a great couple, and overall I liked this book. It was a little predictable though, as obviously Jay was the obvious bad guy. Really liked Tegan, the funny dog who loved to sit on people's feet, and the action was good, especially towards the end. Never quite got interested in Roland and Manny though, as they tended to be on the sidelines and never shown much. Hard to care about them without much interaction. Besides these minor issues though I enjoyed the story and would recommend this book and author.

This story is not for me. If only the blurb had warned me that this romance is about two people who share a wild night of sex to then meet each other at their work place, I wouldn´t have requested it.

I hardly read the sample and found nothing I could like, so no rating, it would be unfair. I don´t think the story has to suffer because a pet-peeve of mine.

***

Esta historia no es para mí. Si en la descripción hubiese quedado claro que este romance es uno de esos en los que los protagonistas comparten una noche de sexo alucinante para luego encontrarse cara a cara en el lugar de trabajo, con todo lo que ello conlleva, no la hubiese solicitado.
Apenas leí la prueba y no encontré nada en la historia que me enganchase, así que no puntúo, no sería justo. Esto es una manía mía y la historia no tiene por qué pagar el pato.

excellent read. enjoyed this book.

LOVED this book! This started with Victoria having a drink alone in a bar, then moved onto a situation with drunk idiots that she defused - with an assist with a sexy stranger. After they tumble into bed and have a hot night - with a capital H - she leaves for home and knows she'll never see him again. The next day she reports to work to meet her new partner.....the same man from the night before. They chemistry between them is so sexy and hot that I'm surprised my kindle didn't ignite....

They're sent to improve security for a wealthy man living on an island, but aren't given all the facts. As they're reviewing and implementing changes, they realize that they're missing critical information. This leads to a very compelling story that kept moving faster and becoming more intense.

I loved the characters in this novel and especially loved their back stories - they were engaging and made me connect with the characters.

This is a must read for fans of the genre. The author is on my must read authors' list.