3 Stars - 3 Flames

Ex-Military theme? Check. Suspense? Check. Drama? Check.

If you're in to Military, damsel in distress stories, I'm pretty sure that you'll enjoy this one. It might not be the "best" Military book you'll read, but it's still entertaining.

Although I was completely pulled in by Jack's character, I found Callie's character to be extremely annoying. I could understand Jack's attitude and macho demeanor, but the stubborn, careless and down right defiant demeanor of Callie kept pulling me from the story so much that it was hard to enjoy it.

Was the underlining meaning of the story good? Yes. But getting there was sometimes difficult to read through. Especially when the stories were told over and over again. So let's move on. Let's talk about the series title for a second. Because now that this story has been read, I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Hello, Kellan!

reviewed by Chris

**My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is the first book in a new series in which retired former soldiers get a second chance with a job that is not entirely legal, but not illegal either.

Jack King was injured in the line of duty and has not been able to get a job, until now, when a woman hands him a card for the 11th Hour.

Jack has a protective streak and when his first assignment is for Callie Hawthorne his sensors go on red alert from the beginning. One for the responses that she brings out from him and the second with her situation.

Callie is fed up of being her fathers pawn and with the arrival of Jack initially believes that he is there to take away her had won freedom. However her simmering attraction to Jack has her acting herself for the first time in forever.

The chemistry between the two is explosive and their pasts are not light hearted at all.

We get our happy ever after and introductions to the rest of the team, however the secretive Mr Night has me captivated, so i hope we get a story with him at the helm.

A brilliant start to the new series.

A good romantic suspense story and the first book in a series. Jack was the alpha hero with serious scarring from a grenade while Force Recon. He's given the assignment to protect Callie, who isn't scared off by said scars or his dark demeanor. I would have liked to know more about the 11th hour team, but I'm assuming more will be revealed with each new book in the series. The overall feel was a little darker than I typically like, but the story itself was great, and I'm looking forward to see what comes next.

3.5 Stars!

Raw Power is the beginning to a new series about a security firm employed with ex-miliatry. Jack is newly recruited and he isn't impressed with his first job of babysitting a Senators daughter, Callie.

At first look, this is your typical bodyguard falling for the a rich socialite trope. However, Jackie Ashenden did a great job of taking a common trope and giving it a little twist.

Overall, it's a great start. I do wish we got more information on the security team....very little is revealed and I felt Jack just jumped in with out investigating if they were the real deal.

The focus was more on Jack and Callie which normally is not a bad thing but I actually think it would have benefited to bigger picture of the whole team, as well as the couple.

The next book is about a current team member so I will be curious if we do get more information about thew team as a whole in Kellan's book.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Another solid story by Ms. Ashenden. I so enjoy her books. It was a steamy and entertaining story. I liked Callie and enjoyed reading about her and Jack. Jack is a hero but is now regulated to keeping an eye on Callie. Sparks fly. A good plot with a HEA. Enjoyed!

Great start to a series! Passion, Emotional and Engaging!
Raw Power is a well written story with excellent depth and power to the characters. By far one of my favorite stories by this author I look forward to reading many more to come. I will definitely recommend this book to readers

This one sadly didn't work for me. It was very descriptive and in the characters minds too much. I need dialogue. The story just wasn't pulling me in and probably had to do with "telling" vs. "showing." Also, I felt some things were repetitive. I also didn't really care for Callie's character.

Whew.....

Emotional, angsty and intense with a beautiful, healing ending.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

A fabulous book to kick off what should be an exciting new series. The operatives of the 11th Power are all the best of the best. Exceptionally trained and fully committed to helping those who have no one else. That's why Jack King doesn't understand the first assignment he's given. Babysitting the privileged daughter of a high powered politician is not what he was expecting and it's not what he signed up for. The last thing Callie Hawthorne wants is a bodyguard. Thanks to her father there are always threats. What makes this latest round any different? Well she's not going to put up with the over the top, bossy Jack King following her around 24/7. When the threats prove to be real Jack takes the drastic measure of kidnapping Callie to keep her safe. On the run and on their own the pull between these two will surely be explosive!

This book has it all. Suspense, action, steamy hot passion and panty melting characters. Put this on the must read list, you don't want to miss it. I can't wait to read the next book!

So good! Lots of action and suspense! Also a lot of heat! I loved it! Jackie always knows what to write to make you addicted! I can't wait for more!

Raw Power would definitely have to be my favourite read to date by Jackie Ashenden. The first in a brand new series, it promises to be the intro to an exciting and well-developed world of complex, scarred and emotionally distant heroes

I loved all the characters and Ms Ashenden provided some seriously touching and passionate moments that drew more than one tear from this reader. A beautifully written story with depth, action and romance to die for; I can’t wait to see what will happen with Kellan.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This book had me right from the beginning. The past of Jack caught up with him when he met Callie. These two had more in common than they thought. Overcoming their past and the fears that came out of their past was a milestone they both had to overcome.

The raw need these two felt for each other was evident and pulled you in to the story. Both not realizing that fear can not touch love. Love overcame in this story. Definite 5 stars for me.

"There was that wildness in her that called to the darkness in him."

I first discovered this author because she was part of a group project with other authors called The Deacons of Bourbon Street. It was an MC Romance which is my favorite genre and what caused me to take a chance on some new authors. Of the four authors/books in the series, hers was my favorite. She's convinced me of her talent and now I'm happy to read whatever subject she decides to tackle, I've not been disappointed so far.

What drew me to Jack was that he was so damaged, both physically and emotionally. His demons chased him through hell and they won't leave him alone. Broken bad boys are my kryptonite, I can't resist them. Jack is all buff and badass, scars and all. While they tend to scare most people, for some reason they don't bother Callie. Actually, they are what made him interesting to her when she first saw him. She found him to be, "Horrifying and yet completely mesmerizing both at once."

Jack was not thrilled with his new assignment to babysit the politician's daughter, but he had to follow orders and prove himself to the team if he wanted to be part of the 11th Hour. He was surprised that such a tiny thing would stand up to him like she did. She did not want his protection and fought hard to get away from him. Seeing that fire in her made her even more attractive to him which was not something he wanted. But apparently, his body was resistant to following his orders too. It fought him just as hard as she did. "She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know that with each choice she made, she fed that beast and one day he wouldn't be able to leash it." That's what I was waiting for, and I encouraged her to keep feeding that sexy beast!

When Jack determined that Callie wasn't safe, he snatched her away from the danger, escaping to another location to evaluate the situation. Things are not as they appear and it's important to learn who the players are if he wants to win the game. I really enjoyed the secrets and suspense of this new series. There's still so much that hasn't been revealed yet about the members of this covert team and I can't wait to get to know the rest of them better. The line forms here...

There's a lot to like in this romance, especially for fans of strong, Alpha males and strong, fierce women. Callie is under the thumb of her abusive father, a senator and aspiring Presidential hopeful. He's hired a bodyguard to be with her 24/7, and that man is Jack King, who is trying out to be part of an elite team of mercenaries.

There's lots of sizzling sex, but I didn't feel like the mysterious band of mercenaries was all that believable---I don't know that it ruined the enjoyment of their relationship, but I felt like the "suspense" part of the plot wasn't all that suspenseful.

The chemistry between Callie and Jack is off the charts, but they both have huge demons to deal with. This read kind of like "sex and one good convo can solve all your problems", but I found myself finishing the book while I hoping these two find a good quality therapist with their next box of condoms.

Review of Raw Power by Jackie Ashenden

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review



5 +++++ Off THE CHART STARS



Jack & Callie's story is one amazing read - I read this book in less than 24 hrs !!! Loved this book !!



Jack is sent to Boston to be Callie's new bodyguard after she begins to receive death threats.

As you get into the book we find out that the person Callie needs the most protection from is her abusive father.

At the age of 22 she has not lived a normal life by any means - always under the possessive & watchful eye of a domineering father - who wants to have the world see them all playing "happy family" when they are anything but .. all for the sake of his political aspirations.



Callie is stubborn - willful at times - but her spirit is not broken. She finds solace in the occasional escape & thru her music. Jack is ex-military having survived a grenade attack that had him fighting for his life - left with permanent injuries he was unable to continue his work in the military. He carries the pain and heartache from childhood that he sees reflected in Callie's actions.



Their attraction is immediate ... let me just say there is also one super - sizzling hot sex ( did I say in a private jet ?? ) scene when they first get together! Thank you Jackie !!



I was cheering for Jack & Callie's HEA from the get go !!



Awesome read !!!

4.5 stars.
Jackie Ashenden at her finest! The unapologetic wounded warrior, a former Marine, is a fascinating character, an Alpha through and through, even his language, full of cursing, which I usually abhor, is deeply genuine and in tune with his personality. Jack’s inner monologues and thoughts whilst trying to resist Callie are just delicious to read. He doesn’t understand his emotions towards Callie, but he’s so honest that he doesn’t avoid them.
Sometimes I felt the author was playing with the conventions and clichés of romance novel, delivering a tall, dark and dangerous scarred hero, fiercely possessive and protective, yet adding lots of humor and some irony too. I loved it!

Another great start to a new series. Jack is scarred, protective and oh so alpha. What is not to love. The parallel between Jack and Callie’s backstories and the way they came together to learn that it is not what happened in the past but who you become is beautifully told and yes, again, Ms. Ashenden knows how to pull the tear card.

Definitely need to read about the other members of the 11th Hour. Next up, Kellan.

There were parts of Callie and Jack's romance that I enjoyed and disliked. I liked how protective of Callie that Jack was. He was able to see what was going on in her life where most people took,what she said at face value. I liked that they both helped heal,each other as both have trauma from their pasts and present. What I disliked were that parts of their romance felt unhealthy, like "maybe you should go to therapy" unhealthy. Maybe I don't have enough knowledge of abuse and the like, but I just have to say that some of the story was awkward to read and felt like they didn't have the most healthy start to their relationship. This wasn't a bad read, it just didn't appeal to me as much as I'd hoped.

Jack is a Marine, first and foremost, so when he's gravely injured and has to leave the service he doesn't know what to do. He can't find a job until someone approaches him and offers him a chance to work with a covert team of other ex-military people. His first assignment is to "babysit" a politician's daughter, Callie. He quickly discovers that she is truly in danger and he is determined to keep her safe. Lots of action, suspense, and romance make this a great read.

Callie is a senators daughter who is running for president and says his family is receiving death threats. Callie has been under her father’s thumb for years and just wants freedom. She’s beautiful, strong, and loves music. Jack is a former Marine and after being wounded by a grenade, they tell him he’s no longer fit for duty. He has been hunting for a job when a woman gives him a card for the 11th Hour company.
Jack goes and his trial assignment is protecting Callie. He’s attracted to her but he’s a rough man who’s past was not a good one. More is going on than they first believed. Jack has he’s suspicions about the Senator, so Jack takes Callie away. But once they are away from Boston, the clothes start flying. When the Senator finds Callie, can Jack get to her in time to save her from her father?
First book in a new series ( I hope ). A scarred hero and a beautiful socialite. Two people who’s past might be the thing that keeps them apart. The sex is smoking hot. The story will keep you coming back for more.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed for Netgalley *