Remy Guidry doesn’t do relationships. He tried the marriage thing once, back in Louisiana, and learned the hard way that all he really needs in life is a cold beer, some good friends, and the occasional hookup. His job as a bodyguard with McKay-Taggart gives him purpose and lovely perks, like access to Sanctum. The last thing he needs in his life is a woman with stars in her eyes and babies in … her future.
Lisa Daley’s life is going in the right direction. She has graduated from college after years of putting herself through school. She’s got a new job at an accounting firm and she’s finished her Sanctum training. Finally on her own and having fun, her life seems pretty perfect. Except she’s lonely and the one man she wants won’t give her a second look.
There is one other little glitch. Apparently, her new firm is really a front for the mob and now they want her dead. Assassins can really ruin a fun girls’ night out. Suddenly strapped to the very same six-foot-five-inch hunk of a bodyguard who makes her heart pound, Lisa can’t decide if this situation is a blessing or a curse.
As the mob closes in, Remy takes his tempting new charge back to the safest place he knows—his home in the bayou. Surrounded by his past, he can’t help wondering if Lisa is his future. To answer that question, he just has to keep her alive.
The Lexi Blake Crossover Collection features a new novel by Lexi Blake and five books by some of her favorite writers:
Lexi Blake – Close Cover
Larissa Ione – Her Guardian Angel
J. Kenner – Justify Me
Corinne Michaels – Say You Won’t Let Go
Carly Phillips – His to Protect
Susan Stoker – Rescuing Sadie
more
Another hot read from a traffic author!
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Ruthie –
This is the sixteenth book in the series and introduces the crossover series that is being released with a number of super talented authors. I am so happy to be reading these books and reviewing them. I am huge M&M fan, and this was a wonderful addition to the series. I love that we have been reading the last few books in preparation for these stories.
Remy is nearly ready to go back to his family business and leave the team. But he takes one more bodyguarding job to get the funds together – but looking out for Lisa Daley could be the job to break him. He has been attracted to her for a very long time, but after he rejected her at Sanctum, to protect himself from another mistake, she has been distant to say the least.
This is such a great set up for an emerging love story, what with the mafia involvement in Lisa’s case, the bayou business being rescued, the hoodoo and family issues, and the delicious D/s dynamics. I also absolutely loved the humour – some of it is really laugh out loud funny. Ms. Blake is such a talented author and has delivered another winning novel – with lots of catch up time with all the team and their families (plus a huge hint as to Dec’s future too!).
Avid Reader –
4.5 stars
M/F BDSM (light) romance
Triggers: Attempted Murder
Remy is a tough nut. He is the most stoic character in these crossover books that I’ve come across, thus far. He is rugged, determined, and takes on a lot of responsibility. Despite having dominating tendencies, he was burned very badly by a woman before and he intends to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
Then you have Lisa. She is talented and worked very hard to give herself a great life. She grew up with siblings who care deeply about her and her well-being, but she has always kind of felt a little left out. Money was something that they all aspired to make and when her dream job turned out to be a nightmare in disguise, her family steps in to protect her – something that she doesn’t take to lightly.
There is mistrust, and communication between Remy and Lisa is terrible. I really felt bad for Lisa in a lot of this story because despite her attempts to show people she was more than capable of making decisions for herself, they don’t really see her. Remy finally wakes up enough to show her that she is capable, but not before she sees a side of him that makes her question her lust and love for him.
I really enjoyed this story, and the chemistry between the two characters was great. You got to see their relationship develop and see how each character worked through the same situation. I can’t wait for more!
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Close Cover (Masters & Mercenaries #16) by Lexi Blake to read and review for this tour.
I have been waiting for this book for what feels like a MILLION YEARS!!! Ok, so not that long but ever since we met Lisa and Remy in Adored I have wanted them to have a book. Remy is a strong Alpha male who has a poet’s soul and Lisa is a strong heroine who wants to stand on her own. There is mystery and suspense plus some hilarious scenes! Both Remy and Lisa have had to overcome some major obstacles in their lives. Remy is the classic hero who does not think he is good enough for Lisa and misjudges her at the beginning of the story. The poetry ( yes ,you read that right! Remy has some spoken word poetry in the book) and the imagery is off the charts. The emotion in the scenes is beautiful and sometime heartbreaking, this is a book that will make you feel the emotion being described. There is a scene at the end that of the book is so beautiful it reads like a painting. Oh did I also say this book is HILARIOUS! Lexi Blake has a way to write sarcasm like a love language. You need this book in your life!
Lexi Blake is a must buy for me and this book is no different. Great characters that you care about with a new spin.
Make sure to have a extra set of panties while you read this SCORCHING HOT read! I LOVE the fact that Lexi Blake put together an amazing set of authors for her Crossover series. But in a way, I feel like no one does her Masters & Mercenaries quite like the leading lady herself! Don’t get me wrong, ALL these authors did a great job but Close Cover was BETTER, SEXIER, PANTIE MELTING GOOD! Lexi Blake did a superb job with her BDSM..I felt on edge and aroused with Remy and his Dom ways. And what he does with a rope…mmmm. And Lisa, she cracked me up! I loved her spirit, her sass, the way she submitted with Remy and add in all the amazing highly intense suspense and we have ourselves a MUST DROP WHAT YOUR READING AND READ CLOSE COVER RIGHT NOW STORY!
Lexi Blake gave her ALL with this particular story. I loved the way everything was described…from the characters and the accents, to the scents, sounds and scenes. It was exhilarating! And there was a great amount of action and suspense that kept my heart rate up and kept me on my toes. And sex…oh the sex left me with FANTASIES I NEVER HAD BEFORE AND CRAVING MORE! And of course its fast paced, whats not to like about that?!
Close Cover gets a DAZZLING FIVE SHOOTING STARS!
Another phenomenal read by Lexi Blake!!!! This book sucked me in from the beginning, and keeps you there til the very last page. I loved Remy and Lisa. Lisa may come off as a shy sub at first, but that girl has more sass and spunk than a lot of women, and I love Remy’s reaction to it the first time it comes out. The sparks fly between these two, and it’s not long before they are heating up the pages. The suspense elements were fantastic, and will have you on the edge of your seat.
This is definitely a must read!!!
Lexi Blake weaves tales like no other. Her romantic suspense is top of the line with sizzle of the page steamy scenes; delicious alpha males; strong, feisty, resilient females; the requisite scheming bad guys; forays into the BDSM lifestyle and enough danger, mystery and intrigue to hold your interest and keep you turning the page to find out what happens next. Add in well placed touches of humor and it just doesn’t get any better than a Lexi Blake book.
Remy Guidry is a Cajun “sex on a stick’ bodyguard and Dom. Lisa Daley set her sights on the gorgeous Dom once, only to be rejected. Now he’s back and she’s getting a second chance to make her move. This time the outcome is different but Lisa’s in trouble and what she doesn’t know is that Remy is working as her bodyguard. While things work well between them and real feelings develop, the truth comes out after Lisa’s life is endangered. Trust is broken and Remy must prove that she’s not just a job to him. He takes to his home in the bayou where she meets his delightful and quirky family. Lisa’s heart slowly thaws but it takes another dangerous incident to show her that loving Remy is all that matters. He is her destiny.
Not only does this book set up for the Kindle World, giving just a glimpse of the rest of the stories. It also has one of the Masters and Mercenary bodyguards leaving to return to his roots.
When Remy looks at Lisa he sees what the world sees, a beautiful, educated, and wealthy self-assured woman. He also feels an insane attraction to her which is his reason for refusing to dominate her a Sanctum.
Lisa has some problems, she just blew the whistle on the accounting firm she worked for. Her first job since getting her Master’s degree. No one want’s to hire her, and she’s the only one who can testify about the content of some missing pages from the confiscated books.
Her family decided she needs a bodyguard, but she can’t know about it. She has battled with her brother Will over it and isn’t likely to give in. Needing money she decides to take a job offered her by one of her neighbors. Bartending at a strip club wouldn’t be a problem for her, that’s how she made money in college.
The way Remy calls her ma crevette, the dominance clear in his actions and words. Words that become even more romantic when he does a suspension scene with her.
Danger, suspense, attraction, family drama, alligators, assassins, plenty of heat in more ways than one and so much more!
I confess to only having read the first of the Masters and Mercenaries Series. Unable to resist, I bought Masters and Mercenaries Bundle: The Early Ops (Books 1-5) to learn all about some of the other players in this book.
What every you do, don’t miss these Crossovers or the Masters and Mercenaries Series!
I’m a huge fan of Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series; there’s just something about dominant alpha males who kick bad people’s asses for a living and then let off steam in deliciously decadent and kinky ways.
But what I also like about these heroes is that they aren’t one-dimensional; it’s not all about sex and violence for them…don’t get me wrong, those two things are a significant part of their identity but there’s another side to them and it seems like only their ‘potential’ leading lady can bring it out of them because regardless of their past…their current path in life and their current outlook on what they want in life, once these domineering men allow themselves the one person who seems to be made for them, they can’t help but find a way to claim her, even when they mess up in frustratingly life-altering ways and boy do these guys know how to fuck things up!
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure how Remy Guidry would redeem himself after he messed up so epically when he rejected Lisa Daley’s invitation to play at Sanctum, humiliating her and making any interaction between them extremely awkward. But Blake forces Remy and Lisa to face what happened between them as Remy takes one last job before he heads back to the Bayou, his home, to run the family business, and Lisa just so happens to be his close cover assignment, and while Remy’s a fantastic covert bodyguard, what he feels for Lisa and what he allows himself to get from her spells trouble in very significant ways because not only is he leaving Dallas but he also refuses to accept just how much she means to him, setting both of them up for one hell of a fall amidst the danger that already threatening her.
Despite all of his mistakes and manwhore tendencies, Remy is an extremely likable hero. There’s reasons for the way he has chosen to live his life and Blake helps readers understand Remy’s issues. I really can’t fault Remy for misjudging Lisa’s background and ‘princess’ lifestyle; he thinks he knows her ‘type,’ so his preconceived notions about her are based on stereotypical assumptions, but when he does learn who Lisa is and what her life was like, he admits his mistakes and then finds himself inadequate for her because of where he comes from and what he doesn’t have to offer her that she so obviously deserves.
Lisa may be a submissive in sexual play, but she’s definitely a strong and independent woman outside of Sanctum. She may wear her heart on her sleeve and struggle with demons from her past, but she refuses to be anyone’s doormat, regardless of her attraction to him or her desire to be with him. She’s a sweet, beautiful, and classy woman who deserves the best in life, so when she feels used and burned by the man who initially rejected her, it’s difficult for her to come back from that…to reconsider her anger and give Remy a second chance to make things right, and based on what she endured as a child and the scary situation she’s currently in, she needs to guard herself because everything is too overwhelming and too up in the air for her at the moment, which not only has her at a disadvantage but it also requires her to trust the man who broke her heart twice.
Close Cover is a great read; it has action, suspense, angst, and steam. I loved how Remy and Lisa’s relationship evolved and the way Remy fought for her once he realized just how much she meant to him. The secondary characters complemented the story line well because their insights allowed Lisa to gather much needed information about Remy and find a place where she truly felt she belonged.
4.5 Poison Apples
This book…..I don’t even know where to begin! This is Lexi Blake’s book in the Crossover Series that she is doing with several other authors. It is book 16 in her Masters and Mercenaries series, and I knew going in, that I’d love it, because I’ve adored all of the other books in the series. But Remy…..
Remy begins the story with a hard ass persona, you know what I’m talking about, all gruff, and closed off, not making a connection with anyone and holding himself apart. And the initial interaction with Lisa…well I kinda can’t blame her for not wanting anything to do with him. He was kinda a jerk. But, he is a total alpha male, and that is how they roll when they don’t really know what to do with what they are feeling.
Lisa is a strong independent woman, who grew up in a less than perfect setting. She worked hard to become who she is, but has gotten in over her head with some pretty bad people. She doesn’t really even realize how bad they are. Her life is spiraling out of control, and she is quickly running out of options to take that control back.
Remy and Lisa are so perfect for each other! She is everything he thinks he can’t have, and he is everything she wants and needs. And the scenes between Remy and Lisa! OMG so swoon-worthy and HOT! The way they are together makes me just want to melt!
This book has elements of BDSM, specifically a D/s relationship, but doesn’t include much in the way of the more hardcore stuff. It really highlights some of the more beautiful aspects of this type of relationship. This story is packed full of not only the development of this relationship, along with all of its ups and downs, but also lots of the familial relationship we’ve come to expect from the McKay-Taggart Clan, bad guys, suspense, and all of the action to keep everything moving. There were parts that I couldn’t help but laugh at the group dynamics, and parts that were so beautiful, I had to hold back tears. All of the makings of a truly superb book that totally took my breath away and kept me hooked from first page to last!
4.25 stars–CLOSE COVER is the sixteenth full-length instalment in Lexi Blake’s contemporary, adult MASTERS AND MERCENARIES erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women who work for the McKay-Taggart and Knight Security Agency. This is security specialist Remy Guidry, and twenty-nine year old accountant Lisa Daley’s story line. CLOSE COVER is part of the Lexi Blake multi-authored cross-over series. CLOSE COVER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: CLOSE COVER is an erotic romance story line with sexually explicit, light BDSM scenarios that may not be suited for all readers.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Lisa and Remy) CLOSE COVER focuses on the building relationship, a second chance romance between accountant / submissive Lisa Daley, and security specialist /Dominant Remy Guidry. Months earlier Lisa offered herself as submissive to Remy Guidry but our hero wasn’t interested breaking Lisa’s heart in the process but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Lisa is the primary witness in a money laundering case, and Remy has drawn the short straw to protect the woman that calls to his heart. What ensues is the re-building relationship between Remy and Lisa, and the potential fall-out as their time together draws to a close.
Remy doesn’t do relationships: with a failed marriage, and a crazy family back in the Bayou of Louisiana, Remy was putting in time until he could return home and take over the family bar. Lisa has struggled since reporting her boss for laundering money for the mob, struggled in more ways than one, and with no money our heroine was desperate to make ends meet but what she never expected was to find the man that she loved offering her a second chance-with an end date and short term contract.
The relationship between Lisa and Remy is one of second chances. Lisa was humiliated and heartbroken when Remy refused her offer of submission but Remy knows his time in Texas is limited as he heads back to the Bayou, and the family he left behind. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense with some light BDSM scenarios including rope play.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many of the couples from the earlier instalments as well as DS Maia Brighton, Dom and Top’s bar manager Lincm and bodyguard Shane Landon. CLOSE COVER brings together the characters we love as the author heads into her new spin –off focusing on the Lost Boys.
CLOSE COVER is an edgy and sexy story line with a sassy heroine, and a driven hero. The premise is intense and dramatic; the romance is emotional and provocative; the characters are familiar, sensual and inspiring. CLOSE COVER is a thrilling and exquisite ride.
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
So I’ll admit I went into this one with a bit of trepidation. Remy was another of this author’s uber whores. At least that is pretty much all I remembered about him (lol). I seem to have the memory of an elephant when it comes to this stuff, unfortunately. In any case, it actually ended up being better than I anticipated. Much better. In fact, I would go so far as to say probably one of the best Masters & Mercenaries books this author has written in AGES. The writing was fantastic. It was a LONG book so I will admit the pace was a little slow in parts. That said, the plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. I would probably suggest reading this one last out of all the crossover books. Mainly because the prologue and the epilogue take place after all the characters have found their happily ever afters. That is just “MY” suggestion and you won’t be lost reading it before the others.
~HERO~
REMY…I went into this one expecting not to love Remy. I am a little over the whole uber manwhore thing. Especially when it is brought up over and over in a book. There was some of that in this one and honestly, most of it was unnecessary (IMO), but it wasn’t as over the top as some of this author’s previous books. Plus it helped that the heroine’s past was thrown a bit in the heroes face when he finds out she slept with LINC her training partner. Anyways…I ended up really liking Remy a lot. He was alpha. He was sweet. He was funny. He spoke French. He recited poetry. He was a bonehead at times. He made mistakes. He apologized for said mistakes. He groveled. Surprisingly, he was a pretty decent hero.
~HEROINE~
LISA…She was a great character as well. She was feisty. She was funny. She was strong. She wore her heart on her sleeve. I loved that she wasn’t a doormat. She made Remy work to get her back. She was maybe a TAD overly stubborn, but it was a nice change from the doormat heroines of the last few books for sure. I really liked Lisa a lot.
~FAVORITE QUOTE~
“You should get to the dining room, Remy. We had a bus pull up ten minutes ago. They’re on a swamp tour. Seraphina said it was thirty hungry, ancient people. Like really old. I bet it looks like the walking dead out there.”
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This book was jam-packed with excellent secondary characters. We get tons of Ian and some other M&M originals. We get brief appearances from most of the crossover bodyguards. We get glimpses of Remy’s family and people from his town in the Bayou <--- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me we are going to get books (or a series) set in Remy's hometown and featuring his family??!! I was also VAWRY intrigued by Biondo. I *think* maybe he is from another series by a different author? Maybe a paranormal one? I don't know, but I want to read more about this guy for sure. ~HEAT LEVEL~ Medium. This one was fairly hot and had a few BDSM elements. I think we have one club scene and then a few more outside the club sex scenes. It could have used maybe a bit more kink, but I wasn't too bothered by the lack of that in this book. ~ANGST LEVEL~ Medium. This one was fairly angsty for me. Mostly because I knew the other shoe was going to drop at some point because Lisa wasn't privy to some information that she should have been. On top of that, add in some confused feelings, some hurt when the truth comes out, some pushing away, and finally, some groveling and you have the basis for some pretty decent angst. There was also a bit of OW drama in the form of Remy's ex-wife. But OMG I laughed my butt off at that scene. I wouldn't say there was any OM drama, but Remy gets a bit jealous about Linc and Lisa having slept together <--- personally, I was thinking "YAY finally the heroines past getting thrown in the hero's face. *lol* ~IN THE END~ I enjoyed this one WAY more than I thought I would that is for sure. It felt more like the Masters & Mercenaries books of old. The writing (as always) was great. The plot was engaging. It was full of humor and great banter between the characters (both primary and secondary). Both main characters were likable. We got introduced to some great secondary characters. I loved the setting of Remy's hometown and hope we see more books from there. Honestly, I don't have much more to say. I loved it and therefore yours truly is going to be giving this one two very solid thumbs up.