Million-Dollar Consequences - Jessica Lemmon (HD #2879 - June 2022)

Series: Dunn Brothers (Book 2)
 
From pretense to pregnancy…
things just got real!
 
Scoring an interview with actor Isaac Dunn is a dream come true for podcaster Meghan Squire. But when he asks her to be his pretend girlfriend, she has to pinch herself to see if she's dreaming! The arrangement is just for a while. Just to keep the press at bay. Easy enough. At least until their attraction proves anything but fake and results in a pregnancy. Suddenly the million-dollar question is if they're ready to make a real commitment…
 
This was a good fake relationship story. At the end of the previous book, Million-Dollar Mix-Up, Isaac tried to save face by claiming a secret girlfriend. A few months later and he is getting pressured to produce that girlfriend. He's starting to worry about what will happen if he doesn't when the perfect candidate practically drops in his lap.
 
When Isaac and his twin brother, Max, were kids, they starred in a sitcom, sharing the role of the son, Danny. When the series ended ten years later, Max couldn't wait to get out of Hollywood, while Isaac wanted to continue his career. This caused a split between the brothers, which is finally starting to heal. But Isaac's career was pretty lackluster until he was asked to star in a reboot of the old show. He's counting on the show to give his career a boost, hopefully into movies. He can't afford any negative publicity.
 
During dinner with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, Isaac's agent, Isaac meets Kendall's younger sister Meghan. Meghan is a podcaster whose shows deal with the tv programs that were popular when she was a kid. Her favorite was Isaac's show, and she had a massive crush on him then. She is excited to meet him and ask him to be on her show.
 
Meghan has a reputation in her family for being a bit flighty and irresponsible, so she isn't taken very seriously. Kendall tends to be a heavy-handed older sister, handing out advice and creating tension between them. They are just starting to repair that relationship, though Kendall is still a little slow about remembering that Meghan is an adult. Complicating matters, Meghan just left a relationship with a man who constantly put her down, affecting her self-confidence.
 
When Isaac and Meghan meet, their attraction is instant and intense. Isaac wastes no time asking Meghan if she'd be interested in pretending to be his girlfriend for a few weeks. He insists it would be good for both their careers. He would have that question of his girlfriend resolved, and she would have access to him and the other stars for her podcast - a win-win situation. The icing on the cake is their attraction will give it authenticity, and they can enjoy themselves together.
 
I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Besides their off-the-charts chemistry, they discover that they honestly like each other. They have a lot in common and enjoy spending time together. But the longer they are together, the harder it becomes to remember that the relationship isn't real. Isaac goes so far as to expect Meghan to uproot her life on the East Coast and follow him to California. He lost some points with me because he was a self-centered jerk. I didn't blame Meghan for being angry with him. I liked seeing her stand up to him.
 
Matters become complicated when Meghan discovers she's pregnant. By this time, she's realized she's in love with Isaac but has no idea how he feels about her. Once again, his reaction lands on the jerk side, with him seeming more concerned about the effect on his life than what it means for Meghan. Things fall apart when his attempt to make things right goes very wrong. I hurt for Meghan, who was hoping for his heart, not his head. I loved seeing the sibling discussions that helped the unhappy pair find their way back together. Isaac's big moment was sweet and emotional, and I liked seeing him finally get his priorities straight. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up for the series. I liked seeing both couples a few months down the road.
 
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was seeing more of Kendall and Max. They were a terrific example for Meghan and Isaac; if only they could see it.

Million-Dollar Mix-Up - Jessica Lemmon (HD #2855 - Feb 2022)

Series: Dunn Brothers (Book 1)

This twin switch will save her business -- as long as it doesn't get personal…
 
Talent agent Kendall Squire desperately needs actor Max Dunn to leave his self-imposed retirement. As the agent for his identical twin brother, Kendall may have signed up her client to do a commercial without finalizing one tiny detail: his availability. Max would be the perfect stand-in, but when she goes to his mountaintop cabin to pitch the idea, they end up trapped by a blizzard. Soon, convincing Max to pose as his twin gives way to a much more intimate negotiation…
 
Fun opposites attract story. Kendall is a Hollywood agent who is determined to make a success of her chosen career. Unfortunately, things aren't going so well for her. She mistakenly committed her client, Isaac Dunn, to doing a sponsor's commercial without checking with him first. With his upcoming part reprising the role that made him famous as a child actor, they can't afford the bad publicity if he doesn't follow through. So Kendall travels to snowy Virginia to convince Isaac's twin brother, Max, to play the part of Isaac.
 
Max walked away from Hollywood fifteen years ago, burned out on everything he experienced working as his brother's double. He swore he'd never go back and bluntly refused all attempts to convince him otherwise. He prefers the privacy of his mountaintop cabin and the friends who don't care about his former life. His relationship with Isaac is strained because of it.
 
I loved the first meeting between Max and Kendall. Kendall shows up on his doorstep in the middle of a snowstorm, obviously ill-prepared for the weather conditions. She immediately launches into her proposal that he returns to Hollywood with her to do the commercial, thereby helping his brother. Max tells her no. Every reason or incentive she comes up with, he flatly refuses. When he tells her to leave, she plans to return to the town, stay at the hotel, and then try again. However, fate has other plans. She doesn't get far before wrecking her car and walking back to Max's house, where she is snowed in with him for the next several days.
 
I enjoyed watching the relationship between them develop. The sparks between them fly fast and furious despite their differences. Max is settled on his mountain with the privacy he craves, but he can't deny that he finds Kendall fascinating, entertaining, and sexy. With her fashionable clothes and Hollywood career, Kendall is all California, but Max's sexy mountain man vibe sucks her in. I loved watching her try to convince Max to go along with the plan. It's not until she opens up about why it means so much to her that he begins to soften his stance. I loved watching their interactions, as both excel at teasing and innuendo while their attraction builds higher and higher.
 
The chemistry between them is explosive. Neither expects the depth of the connection they feel, and they try to ignore it. After all, their fling has an expiration date. When Max agrees to shoot the commercial himself with Kendall as his costar, the result is incredible. But trouble looms when someone at the sponsor's office leaks the commercial long before its release date. Suddenly everyone believes that Kendall is involved with Isaac, and Max doesn't like that. When Isaac shows up at the cabin, all hell breaks loose.
 
I felt terrible for Max and Kendall. He hates the idea that people think Kendall is with Isaac. He hasn't quite accepted that he's in love with her, but he knows he's in deep. Kendall knows she's in love with Max, but her work is essential to her. She feels it is vital to do damage control, which means pretending with Isaac for a while. I feel as though if they had just told each other how they felt, Max would have been okay with the pretense. Instead, Max refuses to go with them and lets Kendall walk away. And Kendall chooses Isaac over Max because of her career. Each of them deserved the misery they felt. While Kendall tried to make the best of it, Max wallowed in his unhappiness. I loved the advice from his friend Luca, "Woman like that comes into your life, one who makes you tromp out in the snow and kick your own a$$ for her bonking her car into a tree, you don't let her leave. You drop to your knees and beg her to stay." Max's big moment at the end was sweet, romantic, and fun to watch.
 
I loved the setting of the book. Stranded together by a blizzard gives them plenty of time to get to know each other. Kendall sees a different side to Max when she visits the small town with him. The people accept Max for who he is without making a big deal over him, and he returns the favor by investing in the town itself. I also loved Max's pleasure in showing Kendall around his world and his surprise at how well she fits.
 
I liked the few secondary characters. Luca knows Max well and is one of the few people who can call him out when he's being stupid. One that I surprisingly liked a lot was Max's ex-wife, Bunny. Though she has a bit of a one-track mind, she was unexpectedly loyal to him. At first, Isaac rubbed me the wrong way, as he seemed all about himself. Hearing about how he treated Max when they were younger didn't help. I feel like he's got some growing up to do and can't wait to see how the author makes it happen.

 
 

An Operative's Last Stand - Juno Rushdan (HI #2052 - Feb 2022)

Series: Fugitive Heroes: Topaz Unit (Book 4)

A kill squad is closing in…
Now this team leader must risk everything for answers
 
Barely escaping CIA mercenaries, ex-agent Hunter Wright is after the person he thinks targeted his ops team, Topaz, for treason. Deputy director Kelly Russell is still the one woman he can't resist, but she believes Hunter went rogue. Now she's his only shot at getting the answers they need. Can they trust each other enough to save Topaz -- and each other?
 
Terrific conclusion to the series. For the last eighteen months, the members of the Topaz Unit have been on the run. Accused of betraying their country for money, they know they are innocents of the charges and are desperate to clear their names. Meanwhile, the powers-that-be at the CIA have sent hit squad after hit squad to silence them. Hunter Wright, Topaz's team leader, has done his best to protect his teammates who have barely escaped their pursuers. All of them and their significant others have joined Hunter on his sanctuary island, where they decide it is time to return to the US and get the answers they need.
 
Two years earlier, Hunter and the team's handler, Kelly Russell, grew very close. After one passion-filled night, Kelly pulled back, insisting on returning to a professional relationship. Not long after that, Topaz Unit was sent on the mission that started their troubles. They suspected something was off but carried out their orders, only to discover that they had killed the wrong person. When they were declared traitors, Hunter believed that Kelly had set them up, and when he learned of her promotion, he was sure of it. In previous books, we have seen Kelly's determination to exterminate the team vehement in her characterization of them as traitors. Hunter is understandably hurt and angry that she could believe him capable of such heinous behavior.
 
Thanks to discovering a tracking device at the end of the previous book, the team knows their days on the island are numbered. As the story opens, they await the next attack. I was on the edge of my seat as they lay in wait, trap baited. I loved watching them kick butt while Kelly and the others followed the events in horrified disbelief. Kelly's frustration is palpable, and her frustration with her coworker is evident. That was my first inkling that everything might not be what it seemed. I loved seeing the team make a clean getaway, and advance their plans to discover the truth.
 
The story's suspense built from event to event, chapter to chapter, as the team grew closer to uncovering the truth. Hunter's first step was a confrontation with Kelly, and I loved how he set that up. Face-to-face for the first time since that fateful mission, their exchange was heartbreaking and satisfying. Though she was skeptical of Hunter's claims, he raised just enough doubt that she promised to look into it. Those inquiries stirred up a hornets' nest, and the team worked hard to protect themselves and, eventually, Kelly. Bombs, snipers, mass shootings, made for non-stop action as Hunter and Kelly raced to uncover the who and why of the set-up. Just when I thought I knew who was behind it, an unexpected twist proved me wrong. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with Kelly caught in the clutches of the mastermind. The motivations behind it all shocked me, and the steps taken to ensure success were horrifying. I was glued to the pages as Hunter, the other Topaz members, and some of John's SEAL friends arrived in time to save the day.
 
Much of the relationship between Hunter and Kelly happened off-page at the beginning of the book. Despite her being his boss, their time together deepened the attraction that grew between them. I was as frustrated as Hunter was at Kelly's lack of faith in Hunter's honor. I'm not sure I could be as forgiving as he was. I could feel Hunter's pain when he kidnapped Kelly and tortured her to get her to listen. Kelly's guilt was evident as she uncovered the manipulations that made her believe in Hunter's treachery. Once she saw the truth, she allowed herself to pursue her growing feelings for him. The epilogue was terrific with finding out the results of their work and seeing the happiness of the four couples. I loved the twist in the big moment between Hunter and Kelly.