Scarlett Cole

Harper had to relocate because of a crazy ex-boyfriend. Prison would only keep him away for so long and then Harper knew he'd come after her, as he'd always threatened. The scars on her back led her to Second Circle, a tattoo parlor owned by well-known tattoo artist, Trent Andrews. He specialized in inking over scars and she needed to see if he could help her with her own scars so she could move on with her life. Not only will he help Harper, but he's immediately attracted to her and can't show more turn her away. Harper is also attracted to him, but she's been badly burned before and balks at anything that has to do with men. Trent won't let her hide away from life so he's determined to help her.

I was completely glued to every single page of this heartwarming and extremely romantic book. "I couldn't get enough" is such an understatement! Right away I knew this one's a keeper and I'll be spouting off about The Strongest Steel for a very long time to come. Ms. Cole's plot is unique and thought provoking and the hero and heroine are a perfect fit. I love a lot of romance book heroes, but Trent has to be one of my top favorites. Every interaction between Harper and Trent made my heart shudder and tickled my tummy. I absolutely, without a shred of doubt, loved The Strongest Steel and Ms. Cole is my new favorite author! Her writing style is superb and she brings the love across as plain as day. This is not only an emotional story, but one with sex, romance, and the ultimate love. I won't have any rest in me until I get to read more from Ms. Scarlett Cole. Woo hoo, this is not only a Must Read, but a Keeper too, without a shadow of a doubt! 5 Stars show less

Under Fire by Scarlett Cole
Book #1: Love Over Duty Series
Source: Netgalley and Purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:

Louisa North, thanks to a life-long struggle with pathological shyness, craves the order and solitude of her perfectly controlled world. Her lab has only one other employee and is organized to the point of perfection and her home is her solace. She has dedicated her life to her research, been reasonably successful in her efforts, and has had few regrets. It isn’t until her show more peaceful and ordered world is disturbed that Louisa begins to think there may be more to life than just work.

Louisa’s last round of experiments and samples were proving to be quite promising right up until the treacherous side effects cropped up. With nothing left to do but start again, Louisa stores the samples and prepares to move forward with the next round of testing. In a secure facility with strict rules and regulations, Louisa expects her work to be safe. That expectation is shattered the morning Louisa notices one of her stored samples has been tampered with and another is missing. Though she goes through the proper in-house channels to report the disturbance, Louisa quickly discovers it isn’t enough, she’s being lied to, and her life is in danger.

Helping individuals like Louisa North isn’t at all what Six’s new security firm is meant to do. Staffed with highly skilled, well-trained ex-military, Six’s firm is meant to work on overseas ops and protection details; things the regular military isn’t always able to do and less skilled firms can’t handle. From the moment he meets her, Six knows Louisa is different and he can feel her fear, anger, and discomfort over her missing sample. Bound and determined to help her, Six calls in his crew and though they don’t initially think her case is one they should take on, they become convinced when she begins using phrases and words like “biological weapon” and “weaponized.” As the situation continues to escalate, Six and Louisa are drawn closer together until each realizes their respective worlds just weren’t complete without the other. If they survive the awful, there may just be a future for the two of them.

The Bottom Line: Well, this is one of those reads that makes me angry about having to have a real job and responsibilities. You know, things that take me away from reading a damn good book 😊 I got sucked into this on page one and the book didn’t let me go until the very end. There’s something for everyone here including a team of hard-bodied, highly-trained, dangerous men led by Six and his best-friend, a scary let’s kill a lot of people with a biological weapon plot, just enough action to warrant some seriously intense naughty bits, and a slightly damaged woman whose life is turned upside down. With all that being said, my favorite part of this entire read is Cole’s treatment of Louisa. Louisa has a legitimate issue which has kept her from living a totally full and rewarding life. I LOVE that those issues don’t miraculously disappear when Louisa starts getting some! Six doesn’t cure Louisa, he loves her, supports her, and gives her more tools to work with her issues rather than hide from them. Louisa grows as a character yet still must deal with the hand life has dealt her; it’s just a bit easier now that Six is in her life. In all, Under Fire is an excellent start to an exciting new action-packed contemporary romance series by one of my favorite authors. If you aren’t reading Scarlett Cole, you need to be and Under Fire would be an excellent place to start! show less

My, oh my, oh my…what a story! I was up till 2am reading and then my brain wouldn’t turn off as I continued to think about Lia and Reid and what a wonderful couple they made!

Julianna “Lia” Carlisle has money and is from old money but has managed to create a life that is hers and hers alone that has definitely put her at odds with her father. On her way to deliver a talk at a tattoo convention her wonderful car, Cherry, breaks down and as she stands by the side of the road a rather show more scruffy knight on a motorcycle comes to her rescue and that encounter is just the beginning of the story.

I loved, loved, LOVED this story! Why? Because Lia and Reid were great people and great together…their chemistry was off the charts and they were so good for one another. Lia was bigger than life in her vintage clothes, red lipstick and victory rolls (which I had to look up). I could just see her swinging hips as she walked or twirled an umbrella or licked her lips. I really liked Lia and wished I could be as distinctive and interesting as she was in the book.

And Reid…whoa Nelly…what a hottie! He was the perfect book boyfriend with his charm, sensitivity, caring, expertise in this and that and some of the things he said and did…oh my!

This was book four in the series and I just did some sleuthing to see that the author has three more books in mind for this series BUT is busy with four new books in the Preload series as well as a book having to do with Navy SEALS she says has to be written before she can return to finish with Second Circle Tattoos. I can’t wait till the next book she writes comes out and am so glad to have been lucky enough to find and read her first book and all that have been published since

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Nikan Rebuilt by Scarlett Cole
Book #3: Preload Series
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

I am never going to get tired of this series and assigning 5 stars to Scarlett Cole’s books! Nikan Rebuilt isn’t just another book in the series, the next installment, but a fantastic read about a broken man looking for something he’s been able to give so many others in his life for so many years.

From the moment the Preload boys came together as friends in their group home, Nikan has been the show more center of the group, the one who mediates the disputes, the one who brings peace, and keeps the boys in line and on track. From the very beginning, Nikan has taken his “mother hen” role seriously, but lately, it has become more exhausting, more trying, and he simply doesn’t know how to tell his family he’s had enough.

As Nikan is struggling with his present, his past also come screaming back in the form of the only woman he has ever loved, Jenny. After a seriously ill-conceived incident in their youth, Nikan lost Jenny and for nearly a decade has had no contact with her. Jenny’s reentry into Nikan’s world hasn’t turned it upside at all, but presented him with an opportunity to set things right and win back the woman he simply can’t live without. But, like everything else in Nikan’s life, wooing Jenny is going to take time, effort, and sincere dedication to the task at hand. Like everything else in Nikan’s life that he’s earned, the time, effort, and dedication are absolutely worth it!

Wanting and needing Jenny are like wanting and needing his next breath and Nikan throws all that he is into making up for his mistakes and apologizing to her. With every interaction/encounter they deal with a bit more of their shared past, the hurts that have brought them to the present, and the possibility of a real future together. Jenny is the only thing that truly makes sense to Nikan in his current state and when things go sideways with her, yet again, the volcano that is Nikan and has been dormant for so many years erupts. The explosion is incredible to behold and takes everyone in Nikan’s life by surprise. The thread that has always held the group together has come unraveled and if some serious adjustments aren’t made, Nikan is prepared to leave it all behind.

The Bottom Line: I totally appreciate there are others in this series beyond the Preload boys, but the reads always have been and always will about the boys for me. Seriously, Scarlett Cole, what happened to you in your life to be able to write such damaged, broken, near-defeated yet kind, caring, and somehow still emotionally available characters? That is one hell of a combination and Nikan seems to epitomize the description. From the moment this book opens, you expect a spectacular explosion from Nikan and he certainly doesn’t disappoint. What’s even better than the explosion? The love, friendship, and compassion found among his friends to hear Nikan out and adjust to help their friend. What could have been horribly selfish behavior is instead a pure moment of what family is all about and that is why I continue to adore this series. I can’t make you read Scarlett Cole, but I can tell you she’s on my top ten list every year and so, so worth your dollars and cents! Go forth and one-click, dear reader, it will be worth it 😊 show less