I thought that this book was excellent!

The characters were well developed and I loved getting to know them as the book progressed, the mix of different personalities worked really well in bringing the story to life.

I loved the pace of the book, the length of the chapters and the author’s writing style was perfect and just brought it all together

It had action, romance, trust and sexy scenes – a book for me that had everything I was looking for

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

[Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]

//REVIEW IN ENGLISH SOON//

Un gustito volver a la Pamela Clare que más me gusta, la que te llena el libro de maromazos dispuestos a defenderte. Me lo he leído rapidísimo (para mis niveles actuales de rapidez) y me ha tenido muy entretenida. Me ha faltado de todo, eso sí, pero básicamente porque el libro me ha parecido corto.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A fun steamy read with military men which I think is even better and a nice story.

Great book!! I'm not sure what took me so long to read this book?! But it was great!! It has plenty of action, suspense, drama, and 🔥! The story flowed seamlessly the only reason I took a star off because she talked about other characters from I'm assuming previous books? And I have no idea who they are?! That's always one of my pet peeves lol when they talk like we should know who they are but this is my first book from this author. So I took a star off for that but m pretty sure I'm going to go back and read all of them! Lol that's how good it was! Definitely don't miss out on this book and series! They are well worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Fantastic way to start off a new series. There is so much goodness going on in this book I don’t know where to begin. Derek Tower is a perfect alpha male character while Jenna is his perfect compliment. The action is fast paced with plenty of twists of turns. I look forward to book 2.

Pamela Clare’s Hard Target’s a fast-paced, sexy read set against the volatile backdrop of Afghanistan.

Jenna’s a midwife currently living in Afghanistan, working as an instructor for Afghan future midwives. She’s also the daughter of a famous senator who’s a secret control freak (& possessor of other highly undesirable qualities). The senator bullies Derek Tower, CEO of Cobra, a private military company, to retrieve Jenna, with or without her permission. Derek agrees to share his own concerns about working in such a dangerous environment with Jenna, but only because her older brother is the reason that he’s still alive.

But Jenna doesn’t want to leave the Afghan women she’s helping, even when she comes under attack. Derek must muster all of his resources to keep her safe—which becomes even more important than the usual “job” the longer he’s around her.

Hard Target is smart but also approachable & seems to have a capable handle on the political and social tensions in Afghanistan while Jenna’s teaching there. Those complicated factors amp up the tension in the book as it becomes clear that someone wants Jenna, but who and why isn’t.

The background drama also raises the stakes for Jenna and Derek’s relationship, which neither person can resist but which could also hamper Derek’s success for the mission (and Cobra’s overall success).

But since we’re talking about a romance, the real star of the book is Jenna & Derek’s relationship. As Derek comments on throughout the book, Jenna’s an admirable heroine who wants to help women at any cost, and that kind of devotion is inspiring…and makes her HEA all the sweeter. Though I was kind of surprised that Clare spends so much time on their relationship at the end of the book (it has the potential to feel a bit anticlimactic after the thrill of getting Jenna & Derek out of Afghanistan), I also appreciated how Derek’s able to work through his emotions in his “normal” life, rather than experiencing some epiphany.

Be warned that because Clare does such a good job of painting the backdrop for readers, some passages are violent, disturbing, etc., particularly in regards to the treatment of women. But I respect how she’s tackling such upsetting topics, and how she’s crafted a heroine of compassion & strength who wants to help people and does so as intelligently & practically as she can.

4 stars.

This is book one in the Cobra Elite series and it features Derek and Jenna. Her brother was Derek‘s best friend. He took a bullet for Derek and lost his life. Now, years later, her senator father wants Derek to bring her back from doing aid work in Afghanistan, before something happens to her. The action and suspense are fantastic! The chemistry between these two is sizzling! He really has a HARD attitude about not being built for love or relationships. It was heart wrenching knowing why.

This is a great series opener! I can’t wait to read more about these amazing men.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this one. I have heard about this author for a long time. I'm shocked this is the first time I'm reading one of her books. I couldn't read this book fast enough I just found myself trying to not put it down.

If you love military ops romance this book is for you and if you don't this book is for you as well. Derrick is a co founder of a private security company with former military. He receives a call that he couldn't not answer. His best friend sister Jenny was working in Afghanistan in a dangerous area. People were getting murdered and women getting raped. She refused to leave so they wanted him to go. As soon as they saw eachother the Romance has started.

This book is filled with suspense, action, steamy sex scenes, sexual tension and more.

Pamela Clare’s new series features the men and women of Cobra International Security, a private military company. The first book follows Derek Tower, the owner of the company, as he travels to Afghanistan to try and persuade Jenna Hamilton to return home. Jenna is in the country working as a midwife and her controlling father, a US Senator, sends Derek to bring her home. Jenna is staying put though, and so it seems, is Derek. The two have a history together. Jenna is the sister of Derek’s best friend, who was killed while serving with Derek. Their relationship is cautious at first. Jenna sees Derek initially as a man taking orders from her father, but she soon sees there is much more to him. And Derek can’t help but respect the work Jenna is doing, even if she is is constant danger.
I was really impressed with the amount of research the author obviously did, not only to accurately portray midwives and the vital work they do, but also the innumerable struggles and dangers they face when working in a country like Afghanistan. The patriarchy of the country is maddening to me, but the author managed to convey the frustrations the characters obviously felt while being respectful of the views of the Afghan people. The book could have become preachy but wasn’t. I learned a lot and came to a better understanding of the hard life the people of Afghanistan live and the efforts they are making to move forward, as well as the difficult and dangerous work of all those willing to risk their own safety in the quest to help others.
Derek and Jenna had an immediate attraction, but their relationship built slowly and you could see how they slowly came to respect one another and appreciate the work they both were doing.
I really enjoyed this new start to the Cobra Elite series and am looking forward to more adventures from Pamela Clare.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Derek is a former member of the military and the owner of Cobra International. He is pushed into guarding a senator's daughter in Afghanistan. Jenna is doing work in Afghanistan, helping women with childbirth and teaching them about their bodies. The last thing she wants is her dead brother's best friend Derek around due to her overprotective father. Derek and Jenna will go through so much together especially when a warlord shows interest in her. A read full of suspense, romance, danger and intrigue like only this author can write.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

I love Pamela Clare's books. This one was a bit more intense for me, but I loved it.

I truly learned sooo much from this book pertaining to women's rights and health care in the middle east.

There was a great story in there too.

I've been a fan of this author's works for a while now, but I honestly don't remember seeing much of Derek Tower in those books. Therefore, reading this was a very pleasant surprise!

First off, I have to say that I found this to be a very illuminating read! It was interesting to read about how the Afghani women lived, and I felt is was a story that needed to be told. As a Western woman, I had no idea just how suppressed and repressed they were! That was definitely an eye opener!

Secondly, I liked Jenna's passion for her work! I liked her devotion to the women and how courageous she acted under the various pressures she encountered. I also enjoyed Derek's protective nature, as well as his willingness to let Jenna be her independent self.

However, their romance felt a little too insta-lovey to me. It didn't feel truly believable, partly because the stress of their situation wasn't addressed in their relationship. The romance was very steamy, no doubt about it, but I think it would have worked better if we had seen more of it when they weren't in a life and death situation.

This was definitely an engaging and enjoyable read! I can't wait to read the next one!

This was a fast paced read. It started bit slow, but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. I loved both Jenna and Derek. The plot was very well written and kept me intrigued. I can't wait to read more in the series.

Hard Target is the newest book from Pamela Clare. This is the first title in the Cobra Elite Series and we finally get to read about Derek Tower and watch him get his own HEA. We've seen Derek pop up many times in different Pamela Clare books and I'm happy to finally get to read his story. Derek was a Green Beret who now works in private security, he goes undercover posing as Jenna Hamilton's brother in Afghanistan. Jenna refuses to come back to the safety of home and would rather stay in rural Afghanistan providing the women there with medical needs. Her father would do anything to have Jenna come home and even threatens Derek and Cobra's company.

Oh boy, you can see the sparks coming off of Derek and Jenna and there's no way you can mistake their feelings for anything sibling like. It starts off a bit slow where Jenna isn't interested in what Derek wants and that want is to bring her home safely and get her father off his back!

Interesting story from Pamela Clare about a midwife who goes to Afghanistan to teach other women to be midwives. Her father, a senator who is a jerk (of course...aren’t they always in these stories?) blackmails Derek into going over to try to get her to come back to the US.

I always like it when an author does her research, and that shows in this book. The part that irritated me is how Jenna ignores calls to act safely and responsibly, which predictably backfired and they are taken hostage.

Derek is a wonderful character.

If you read the I-team books, you’ll see a few familiar faces.

Jenna Hamilton is a midwife volunteering in Afghanistan. For Jenny, teaching midwifery to Afghan women is so rewarding and fulfilling in a place where women don’t have any rights and where many women don’t survive during childbirth. Jenny’s father, Senator Hamilton is adamant his daughter come back home and will do anything in his power to ensure she does what he wants. Senator Hamilton hires Derek Tower, co-owner of a private black ops company, Cobra International Security. Derek is a former Green Beret and owes his life to Jenna’s brother, who took bullets meant for him. So, he feels obligated to help Jenna come home safely. But when a warlord sets his sights on Jenna, Derek will do everything in his power to keep Jenna safe. Will Derek and Jenna make it out of Afghanistan alive?

I found Hard Target such an emotional story to read at times especially since three-quarters of the book takes place in Afghanistan and seeing how women were treated by men. It is so hard to imagine how these women have suffered especially through pregnancies where often the mother or unborn baby never make it full term because of treatable complications and a lack of general prenatal healthcare. Pamela Clare really did her research and this shows in her author notes where she takes the time to let her readers know the research she has put into writing this story.

Pamela Clare easily pulls you into each scene of this story with her writing with such detailed scenes that make you feel as if you are right in the thick of the story feeling everything the characters feel. I was immersed right from the beginning and could not put this book down at all. I fell in love with Derek, who did not believe in relationships or love for that matter. Jenna is so passionate about what she is doing in Afghanistan to help women in need and with the background between Jenna and Derek I can see why they are the perfect couple for each other.

Hard Target is gripping and emotional. Pamela Clare has created such amazing, heartwarming characters along with some super sexy members of the Cobra team and I am so looking forward to reading their stories next. If you are a fan of romantic suspense, then you definitely do not want to miss this one. Five stars all the way!

I love a book with an interesting, unique subject matter and therefore enjoyed this plot that centers around a midwife. The setting, Afghanistan, lends itself to the likelihood of danger, particularly for an American woman who advocates for other women. And yes...there is plenty of danger and trouble for this woman and those who attempt to protect her.

As always, Pamela Clare delivered a fantastic new book with ample action and suspense! I can't wait for the next in the series.

Can we please have more????

OMG I loved the book and can't wait until we get some of the stories about the other characters. I had no idea how Derek was going to get Jenna back to the states given how strong willed she was about staying in Afghanistan. It was a pretty interesting twist just how the author made this happen.

Definitely a book that kept you on the edge of your seat and for once didn't portray the female character as weak.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

This is Book 1 in the Cobra Elite series. What a good book! Derek was a Green Beret and now owns an international security agency. He’s asked to protect Jenna who is a midwife volunteering in Afghanistan. She’s also the sister of the man who died protecting Derek. The only thing is Jenna doesn’t think she needs a bodyguard. This was so good. They became friends in a country where men and women aren’t friends. There’s a lot of excitement happening when they find out Jenna does need a bodyguard. Also, a bad situation involving Jenna’s dad. I highly recommend you read this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book that I received from Netgalley.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley & author.

Derek & Jenna are serious relationship goals. What a great couple. This book was EVERYTHING. The cover is gorgeous... the characters are so easy to love... and the book was well written.. I can't wait to read more by this author.