Review: Deadly Dorian by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

Title: Deadly Dorian

Series: Ward Security: Book Three

Authors: Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

Length: 251 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Suspense/Thriller

At a Glance: What really made this a page-turner for me was Drake and Elliott offering up lots of action, suspense, and danger. There’s no holding back once the line is crossed.

Reviewed By: Maryann

Blurb: Someone is trying to kill Marc Foster.

Attempted poisoning was bad enough, but when the would-be killer messes with the brakes on Marc’s precious Porsche, the art dealer admits he needs help. He just wasn’t expecting help to be quite so dark and sexy.

Royce Karras loves his job at Ward Security. He’s making up for a lifetime of bad decisions and a bloody past he’d rather forget. But Marc isn’t the spoiled rich boy he thought he’d be protecting. Sticking close to Marc as his “boyfriend” gives Royce insight into his toxic family, but it also reveals a brilliant, compassionate man who completely disarms Royce. Against his better judgment, Royce finds himself falling.

But can they find a way to make it work when Royce’s past threatens to tear their lives apart? Their futures hinges on a lost Renaissance painting, six Bichon Frises, and a pornographic Robin Hood.

No worries, right?

Review: Royce Karras is a bodyguard on assignment for Ward Security. He gives his all to his assignments, but he has secrets and pain from a sordid past that follow him. His past also has him living in fear for others, so he keeps his distance and his heart protected. The only Ward Security member he’s made a substantial friendship with is Quinn.

Marc Foster also has a sordid past, but he has turned his life around and is now a wealthy art gallery owner. He has a talent that he neglects because of his own self-confidence. When he finds himself the object of too many ‘accidents’, he concludes someone is trying to murder him and seeks out Ward Security—even though he’s had a very shaky past with Snow, Rowe and Lucas.

Marc and Royce get caught up in each other, but is it all just part of the job? Marc realizes a family member is out to murder him, and Royce’s ugly family past brings danger to everyone around him. Marc’s character was fairly good. It was impressive when he stood up to Royce, but it also led me to wonder if they could really have a HEA. It was great to have Royce’s story brought to the forefront. There are secrets revealed and circumstances that cause him to make wrong decisions. I also found his background story involving the mafia a surprise, which really turned the plot around. Since he’s been mentioned throughout the Ward Security series, it never crossed my mind that the mafia was involved.

I still like the solid friendship that steadily grows between Royce and Quinn. It’s especially interesting to watch Quinn lose his temper, but also being somewhat of a mother hen to other members of Ward Security. Royce has to learn a lesson the hard way—that Rowe and the team of Ward Security want him to be part of their family.

What really made this a page-turner for me was Drake and Elliott offering up lots of action, suspense, and danger. There’s no holding back once the line is crossed. In the words of Rowe Ward, “Just making sure you and everyone is ready to take lives.”

You can buy Deadly Dorian here:
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