Author: S.J. Frost
Publisher: MLR Books
Length: 151 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: The story is predictable and the mystery just isn’t one, but I still enjoyed reading this book.
Reviewed By: Carrie
Blurb: Conrad Dane is a mercenary of many talents, but Lucas Hartman brings out his softer side, reminding him of good in the world, and to protect him, Conrad’s willing to use all his skills, including his most deadly.
Mercenary. Gun for hire. Soldier of fortune. That’s Conrad Dane. Maybe he hasn’t always done things the right way in his life, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. And sometimes, it takes doing the wrong thing, to get the right results. These days, he’s backing out of the underworld, taking more jobs in the open in personal protection. He’s contracted to protect a rising politician and gets more than he expected. Not from bad guys, but from the politician’s son, Lucas.
Lucas likes the good guys, both in his favorite comic book superheroes and the men he forges relationships with. Conrad isn’t the kind of man he goes for, but that’s not stopping Lucas from being drawn to him, wanting to be closer to him.
Conrad and Lucas can’t deny their attraction toward each other. When someone targeting Lucas’s father pulls Lucas into danger as well, Conrad will do whatever it takes to keep Lucas safe.
Review: I loved the cover on this book… I mean, just look at it. It promises all kinds of badass hotness inside. Unfortunately, the book didn’t deliver on the cover. I am a fan of S.J. Frost; I have really enjoyed some of her works and was looking forward to this one. On the whole, it isn’t a bad story concept. I loved the chemistry between the main characters. I loved the pace of the book; it’s on the shorter side, so that means the action happens pretty quickly. The sex is hot, not over the top, just a good, spicy injection into the storyline every now and then. So, why the ambivalence? Well, the plot had holes, and I pegged the bad guy the minute the man appeared on the page. Conrad really doesn’t act like a mercenary, and he can’t be really good at protection with the way he is portrayed. The bad guy has just been in Lucas’s office—by himself—with a key Lucas didn’t know he had, and Conrad goes in and promptly lays down on the couch for a nap. No checking for bugs, no checking for bombs, no checking for what the man wanted in said office? Makes no sense to me.
Conrad Dane is a cocky, totally irreverent mercenary. Yes, he has made some bad decisions in his life, but anyone he killed deserved it. He got in good with the bad guys to take out the really bad guys, because that makes sense in a twisted kind of way. He’s tired of killing and is trying to move his business into more protection work. When the head of a green renewable energy firm decides to run for the Senate seat in Florida, Conrad is hired to protect both him and his son, Lucas.
Lucas is a nerd. He’s been sheltered and has a naïve viewpoint of the world. He seems to hold very lofty ideals; that is, until he meets a certain sexy gun-for-hire, and then his morals and ideals go out the window faster than a fly in a moving car. Lucas is obsessed with superheroes, and really Conrad fits that bill to a T—think Iron Man in Captain America’s body, a morally ambiguous hero with a body that Lucas just can’t resist.
Remember when you said, you might be the kind of good I need in my life?”
Lifting his head, Lucas gazed down at him. “Yeah.”
“You were right.”
A smile slowly spread over Lucas’s lips. “Same with you being the kind of bad that I needed.”
I liked how these two men were together; their banter and their inner dialogue about each other was entertaining. In the end, they get their HEA, and it is even somewhat/maybe believable. Yes, the story is predictable and the mystery just isn’t one, but I still enjoyed reading this book. It was light and, for the most part, made me smile. If you are looking for some total mind candy, just a hot light read that you don’t have to put too much mental energy into, then this is the book for you.
You can buy Soldier of Fortune here:
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