Shanti and Connor take the reader on a fast paced ride that is intense and interesting. I love the sort of slow burn of their relationship and the heat. The writing is absolutely great and the scene setting and circle building is nice and tight. I really like the suspense and the intense feeling I get while reading this story. Very, very good and so glad I was able to read this one.

Pamela Clare writes some of the best suspense/action romances and this one is just as heart pounding and fun as all of her other ones. The characters are likeable and I really found myself rooting for their romance!

I definitely miss Pamela Clare's historical romance novels but these are tons of fun as well.

ARC received from netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own!

**I received a copy of Hard Assets from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are mine and not solicited in any way.**

Why do they only let you give a book 5 stars when they are well worth that and many more? Trust me this book is so fantastic and the plot is so important now as it was when in 2018 Myanmar soldiers and rebels decided that ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas people.

Hard Assets brings to light how The Hague and Shanti Lahiri is determined to bring those affected some justice. With that being said this is one heck of a book that was thoroughly researched and written with care. Okay I'm taking my soapbox and writing my review now.

Shanti Lahiri is one high powered lawyer with The Hague who is in Bangladesh taking statements from survivors to and also to find proof that General Naing lead his men to murder their families and burn their homes. But her boss is determined to hire security for her while she's in the refugee camps. Cobra Securities sends their best man Connor O'Neal who is former Delta Force (The Unit) to guard Shanti but little do they know that one of the refugees will have something that will lead Shanti and Connor on the run. I was impressed by Shanti (Who is Bengal by birth) strong will to run and trek thru the jungle to safety and also save Connor when she's injured and offers her life so he can take the proof to the team and the Hague to prosecute General Naing.

I'm not going to give away anymore of the plot but I will say what Kathy Bates said in Fried Green Tomatoes "Tawanda" because Shanti truly is one kick a** heroine as well as Connor O'Neal would say "Hooah!!"

Hard Asset was a gripping story with injustices happening across a country that lead Shanti on a mission to uncover the leadership responsible. Connor is part of the Cobra Elite Security team sent to protect Shanti on her mission. Both Shanti and Connor are dedicated to their jobs and soon find their attraction hard to deny.

While this story was also emotional read centered around a tragic story of genocide and torture, the happenings are enlightening to horrific true to life active occuring across the world.

I loved these two together. The story was intense and page turning and I loved it!

Can't wait for the next in the series!

Book two in the Cobra Elite, Hard Asset, is a thrilling romantic suspense. Shanti and Connor are strong, well suited characters and the well delivered story keep me engaged throughout. I will definitely be looking to read more and recommending this book and series to others.

There was a lot to process in this story, and it had an emotional pain that made me want to turn away. It was needed, to understand Shanti, and her drive. To understand Connor and his internal conflict, with how he saw himself, and how he really was. To see Shanti through Connor’s eyes, and Conner through Shanti’s eyes, the world and the conflicts that shaped them needed to be understood. While parts were wrenching to read, they set the heart of our characters. They gave the backdrop for the reasons for Shanti and Connor to be who they were. It let them find love and comfort in the cruel world that exists. It told us that the reasons for fighting the fight is so much richer and meaningful when you have the person you love by your side

This story had everything! There was action, excitement, romance and much more!

The author had an excellent writing style and the book was written so that you felt as though you were there.

I thought that the detail was amazing and she really brought the book to life for me.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, I thought it was fantastic!! Very highly recommended!!

Pamela Clare continues her Cobra Elite series with a gripping, page turning romance between two polar opposites, a human rights lawyer and a hardened soldier.

Shanti Lahiri has dedicated her life to fight for justice. Her latest assignment as a prosecutor in the International Criminal Court requires her to interview survivors of unspeakable violence in refugee camps in Bangladesh. An armed guard is the last thing she wants but her safety and the success of her assignment requires it. It doesn’t matter that the man in charge is gorgeous.

After a decade of serving his country, Connor O’Neal has taken a job with Cobra International Security. So far the most difficult part of his job is coming back from assignment, but nothing would have prepared him for Shanti. His attraction to her is immediate and intense. Neither can afford to cross the line that keeps them safe, but their passion and desire is impossible to ignore. Can they survive the jungles of Myanmar while being chased by merciless assassin?

I devoured this incredibly thrilling romance! Clare produces an exciting story with a gritty backdrop exposing unimaginable atrocities, while showcasing human resilience, hope and will to survive. It felt very real and well researched, with details expertly woven in creating an action-thriller movie in my mind’s eye. I loved sitting at the edge of my seat reading this sizzling jungle romance.
Something stirred inside Connor at the sight of her, something beyond sexual desire, something more primal. Shanti was Eve. She was a goddess. She was life itself.

Connor and Shanti were and unlikely couple but both equally compelling characters who with their palpable chemistry found common ground in their own survival, bravery and the pursuit of justice. Shanti tenderly helps Connor heal old wounds and move forward to welcome love and happiness.
He respected and admired her for her resilience and determination. This wasn’t just a job for her. She truly cared about people.

Clare writes stirringly of the sad circumstances the Rohingya people face. Tyranny and injustice were the motivators, but in the end, Clare rewards readers with a sizzling and heartfelt love story. I loved getting updated about past and future characters and I can’t wait to read more.

Hard Asset is book #2 of the Cobra Elite series by author Pamela Clare. It’s written from both points of view with a happy ending and no cliffhanger.

An improbable romance between a seasoned warrior and a Human Rights attorney blooms in “Hard Asset”, by Pamela Clare, proving that love can overcome social, cultural and religious barriers.
Shanti is a brave, educated woman, with a dual heritage, and Connor is the ultimate tough military man. They come from different backgrounds, their jobs can have clashing goals, and Connor is lead to believe they have little in common.
I liked the way the author somehow evades conventions/expectations, writing a hero with a strong moral compass and a conscience, competent and fierce but not the average fictional Alpha male, ready to kill without looking back. Connor is hot, but his compassion is a strong magnet, too. The fact he’s a bit tortured adds to his charisma.
I also liked that, despite the instant sexual attraction, they didn’t jump to bed immediately, although they surely exercised during their difficult, tortuous escape, when sometimes sex scenes feel more like filler.
Against a backdrop of violence, brutality and genocide, showing a world not usually depicted in romance novels, and in a beautiful yet dangerous scenery, Connor and Shanti find that they’re not so different after all and that they do have a chance.

4 stars!

Heart ache, emotion, drama and suspense all wrapped up in a well written plot.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Refreshingly for this Brit Asian, this tale features a part-Asian female lead with a... backbone! Yay!!

This is my first, but not last, contemp tale from this author. Her historicals are pretty amazing and this comes close.

Oh how refreshing it was to see a half Bangladeshi Asian, half Caucasian American as a female lead, and one who had a mind of her own, a plan of her own and a will of her own, and wasn't afraid to use any of it. No simpering, air-headed female here, which was so, so refreshing, even if the tale did end in a bit of a Bollywood fairy tale. I am so impressed at the author's research (or maybe discussions with Asian friends/colleagues, because some of the stuff she talks about isn't written in books).

This was a really intelligent tale, and though I'm no longer a massive fan of MF romances, this was good enough for me to want to check out book 1 (they can be read as standalones, though previous characters are mentioned and have cameo appearances) and whatever may come in the series. I loved how serious the tone of the tale was, but it was hard reading, too, as the war atrocities against the Rohingya people aren't shied away from here, and there's death, horror, sickening actions and more. But, there's also a believable romance, with the leads able to find time together whilst thrashing through a jungle on their way back to (hopefully) civilisation and safety. Yes, it was the tiniest bit tropey but I rolled my eyes and went with the flow. The bigger thing for me was believing that Shanti didn't know what an RPG is! Seriously, this woman had done her research, was aware of the dangers that she was going into, and didn't know what to look out for and had to be briefed about two things that did make her sound the littlest bit living on rarefied air in the ICC/Hague, but that was minimal in an otherwise really good tale. Here's to the next!

Oh, and the wedding at the end was pretty much perfectly described - I've sat through enough of them to know the ceremony and vows/actions/performance by heart, and this was spot on. So glad I didn't end up with one of my own with my non-Asian hubs!

ARC courtesy of Leap Day Productions and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Hard Asset by Pamela Clare is the second book in the Cobra Elite series. This time we follow Connor O'Neil and the team, who is tasked to protect Shanti Lahiri, a a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court, on her mission to Rohingya refugee camps. Connor and Shanti feel an instant connection but both know it is not a right time to even think about a relationship. However, when both of their lives are in danger, they have to work together to escape with their lives.

I have loved Pamela Clare's novels because they have just the right amount of suspense and steamy love. I think she can write chemistry between characters well and I was reader always end up rooting for the Hero and heroine. I felt deeply for the people of Rohingya and what they suffered. Pamela Clare does not hold back when describing the awful inhumane conditions they have had to live in ant the tragedies in their lives. Even if she does write fiction, these things really happen in real life and it made me interested in researching it more. Themes like these definitely open my eyes on the struggles some people face every day.

Another fabulous read by Pamela Clare. She always writes heart pounding stories and this was no exception. It was another book I read all in one sitting. I could not put it down. Loved Connor and Shanti. Connor all hard edges from Delta Force and now the Cobra Elite, and Shanti, a beautiful half Brahmin Hindu Woman who is a lawyer with the UN and is trying to help the people who were escaping the genocide of the Hindu. I must confess of knowing very little about this region, and although this is fiction, I am sure Ms. Clare researched it well as the New York Times has an article on this very region. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful, rollercoaster action packed ride of a read, and if you like your romance with a great this story, this is it!

Full review to be published online in mid September.

HARD ASSET is the second book in Pamela Clare’s new ‘Cobra Elite’ series. It was a good read as always, with well drawn characters; but there’s something about Clare’s newer books that are a little formulaic. Plus, the sexual tension and then the sex tend to overpower the storyline...towards the end, any pretense at realism pretty much went out the window to neatly bow-tie the HEA.

What a powerful story, it brought out all the emotions. Shanti and Connor had a nightmare of an experience. While on the run for their lives the story gave me many heart stopping moments. I was fascinated to read the horrific history of the country they were stranded in and at the same time did not feel preached to which was good. The author interspersed some romance to lighten the mood. I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to see what this author does next.

Hard Asset is the second in the hard hitting Cobra Elite series written by Pamela Clare. These books are like a visit to some of the most beautiful but most dangerous parts of the world. Through these stories my eyes have been opened to how real people may be suffering. Yet there is hope, romance and love too. This is believable fiction that is compassionate, credible and sincere. It is remarkable that it can do all this without skimping on character development and the relationship between the characters.

This time it is refugee camps long the Bangladesh borders. Ethnic cleansing has long been a problem in many of the developing countries and it is brought into the stark light of day along with the many, many ways in which these victims are also exploited by others. This is a story that is not making a political statement but there is politics, along with villains and heroes. Shanti Lahiri is a true heroine with Connor O’Neal and his team by her side. Action packed story with volatile events, it is also a passionate emotional romance. Another complex extraordinary read that is equally suspense, danger and romance. Highly recommend Hard Asset.

This is the second book in this series and just like the first book it is a break neck thrill ride that starts almost from the first page and never slows down until you turn that last page This led to another late night of reading for me because I just didn't want to put it down

Shanti Lahiri is investigating an Bangladeshi general for genocide on behalf of the International Criminal Court This case is close to her heart after all her father is Hindu even if her mother is an American and she was born and raised there. The Commission knows that she will be in danger so they employ Cobra Elite to provide protection for her after all they have a reputation for been the best in the field. Connor O’Neal former Delta Force is placed in charge of her security contingent but they clash from the word go Shanti chafes at the constant monitoring and but when an attempt is made on her life she knows that she will have to except it. She knows she is also in trouble because she can't stop watching her new bodyguard but Connor is always professional he has seen many of his friends marriages implode under the pressure of their jobs and he has no intention of been a statistic so why can't he forget how brave and strong Shanti is and why is she burrowing her way behind his walls. As danger grows ever closer he will have to keep her safe and acknowledge just how much he has grown to love her

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing to read an advance reader’s copy of Hard Asset for an honest review.

1. I did not have my expectations very high.
2. I enjoyed the romance.
3. The banter is quite fantastic.
4. Very realistic world-building.
5. My brain is still processing everything.

Book Description:

Hard Asset is the story of Shanti Lahiri, a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court. When an investigation takes her to the Rohingya refugee camps in her father’s homeland of Bangladesh, the last thing she wants is an armed security team following her everywhere and frightening her already traumatized witnesses. But others who’ve tried to investigate these crimes have gone missing, and Shanti doesn’t want to be the next one to disappear. Despite her misgivings, she has no choice but to accept their protection. And, no, the fact that the team’s leader is lethally sexy has nothing to do with her decision.

Connor O’Neal left the Unit—Delta Force—after a decade of war, scarred both inside and out. Now an operative with Cobra International Security, he’s been tasked with protecting Shanti in one of the most dangerous parts of the world. He can handle anything the bad guys throw at him, but nothing prepares him for the instant attraction he feels to Shanti. From the first moment he sees her, he wants her. Too bad, because clients are strictly off-limits, and he’s a man who follows the rules—most of the time. Besides, he can’t afford any distractions when Shanti’s life is on the line.

Review:

The story stems from reality I would say. There's history, of war crimes, the effect of the United States invasion on these lands. There are refugee camps, invaded countries denying refuge and citizenship to people that have right to that land or those who fleed their countries terrorism towards because of the discrimination and racism by standards that the militia created because of their religion and ethnicity.

¡Content Warning: Mentions of rape, child hunger, food, and water rationing, refugees death, warfare, graphics retellings of the history of these lands, military men, military ass-kissing words, gun violence, killing, mention of blood, the third party of characters dying, religion, guilt, PTSD!

There are mentions as well of what happens in these refugees camps, the way women get treated. How they’re killed and stripped of the only hope, they have left.

Shanti, the main female character, sees a window opportunity to work in one of the most significant cases she has ever done, that could provide potential peace to those affected by the trafficking and military invasion of other close countries. As a prosecutor for the Criminal International Court, she does her job to find evidence, probable cause, and stories by refugees that could endanger her life. Shanti’s strong and focused on the goal: find peace for these refugees by incarcerating the leader of this militant group to end the abuse.

But what she doesn't expect is to feel any attraction to her bodyguard, -Connor O’Neal- as she follows along her journey to find the evidence she needs.

I really enjoyed the Romance in the story, it was particularly the type of insta-attraction, quick “I love yous” I enjoy reading. Connor O’Neal was a great character, from his knowledge to his respectfulness and decisions. Shanti’s character is fantastic; I was afraid she would be played as the damsel in distress, but it didn't play that way, so I'm pleased about it. Another thing, the jungle scenes after she was [SPOILERS AHEAD] abducted, were so well written, I wanted to keep reading more of it. [END OF SPOILERS]

The pace of the story was right; it never got boring, and it didn't piss me off like usually military!men or military!stories would. That’s why I couldn’t put the book down. I’m grateful for NetGalley and the Leap Day Productions for giving the opportunity to enjoy such a wonderful book with my small following.

Connor is quietly suffering with PTSD, lurching from one adrenaline fuelled situation to another. He doesn't feel "normal" when he's home and the nightmares still stalk him. He is selected to head up the personal protection team for a prosecutor who is going after a dictator. When he meets Shanti his body responds to her in ways he didn't imagine!

Shanti could have been such a one dimensional character. The cliché rich girl, Harvard Educated lawyer, do-gooder. But she is so much more. She has deep memories of atrocities carried out on her family and she will do all she can to eradicate as much violence as she can from the world. She is a bit of an idealist, refusing to admit to herself that sometimes the only way to defeat violence is to meet it head on with violence.

Shanti may be a peace lover but she has a spine of steel, willing to forget her own pacifist stance to protect those she cares about. Connor is revealed as more than just a brutish soldier. He is thoughtful, caring and has a great big gooey centre!

Although the story takes place over a short-ish period of time, it is not rushed and is well-paced. The epilogue was a great way to drop in on them at various points, catching up in their lives.

There is a certain Glaswegian popping up in this story, causing mayhem as usual. My fellow Glaswegian needs his story - soon please!!!!!

Hard Asset is deep and emotional as you get further into the story it is non-stop suspense and romance all rolled into one. This is true romantic suspense and not to be missed.