Someone to watch over her . . . Her life in beautiful Arrowhead Bay seems like paradise. But for former CIA operative Marissa Hayes, it’s a deep cover she’s forced to live under after daring to take down a powerful enemy with strong terrorist ties. Out of necessity, she keeps her emotions as guarded as her life, even as she finds herself drawn to Justin Kelly, the most arousing man she’s ever … arousing man she’s ever met. But when Marissa must find a new place to hide, the able-bodied Vigilance agent is the first man she turns to . . .
Justin can’t get close to Marissa, if he hopes to keep her alive. Which only makes sharing a villa with her at a remote island resort all the more challenging. The passion rising between them is exquisite—and excruciating. Even more so when terrorists infiltrate the island, putting Marissa in the crosshairs. Now Justin will do anything to protect the woman he cares about more deeply than he dares to admit. . . .
“Sexy, intelligent, pulse-pounding!”
—USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb
“Desiree Holt is the queen of sizzling romantic suspense!”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of the Lucy Kincaid series
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Talk about heroes you can fall for? Desiree weaves a sexy tale that makes you want to jump into her world of intrigue, love and HEA.
Marissa goes undercover as an accountant for the CIA to take down a man connected to terrorist. After three years they have most of what they need and her cover is blown. Now she’s been hiding in Arrowhead Bay for two years running an art gallery. Justin is a former SEAL and now works for Vigilance, a security business. He starts teaching Marissa kickboxing and falls for her but he doesn’t know about her past. When Marissa feels like she’s being watched, she finds out that the guy she took down knows where she’s at. So the owner of Vigilance send Marissa and Justin to a secluded island where only vetted people are allowed there. Justin goes as her bodyguard and the attraction is finally acted on. They’re relaxing and having sex all the time. Until someone shows up on the island, kills several of the guards, and holding most of the guest hostage in the restaurant. When Marissa sees it’s the man she went undercover to take down, she thinks he’s found her. He doesn’t even know she’s there, he’s after the men who left him when he was taken down. He wants all their money and will kill anyone who gets in his way. Marissa and Justin try to slow him down until a team can get there. But will the team get there in time?
Great story with plenty of action, suspense and sex. The characters are romantic and very good together. Needed a little more background on Justin. Will leave you on the edge of your seat.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *
Even this is a third instalment of the series it is perfect as a standalone too.
The characters from the first 2 books are making their appearances shortly but the book is only for Marissa and Justin. I loved the story and the main characters kept my attention and I stayed late reading it all the way to the end.
I am really enjoying this series! Justin & Marissa are both wonderful characters who are strong and capable making for a very smart and sexy read! They have such sizzling chemistry but will their intense attraction and passion continue once the danger passes or is it fueled by their situation?
This is such a great story with edge of your seat suspense and hot sexy times making it the perfect romantic suspense.
A Deadly Business is the third installment in the Vigilance series and just as awesome as the first two. It is a fast-paced romantic suspense that will hold you in its grasp from beginning to end. We once again get to visit Arrowhead Bay and the team from Vigilance as they work to protect a former CIA operative now in hiding from the bad guys she tried to take down while undercover for the agency.
Changing her name to hide, Marissa moves to Arrowhead Bay to get lost in the quiet life. With only a few people knowing her true identity she tries to start over and blend into the background of the quiet community. She is glad to be done with her old life of constant lies and deceit and rubbing shoulders with the bad guys but she knows not to let down her guard because there is still a price on her head and the enemy who wants her takes no prisoners. He wants her life for the destruction she caused him and his organization. Trying to settle into her new life Marris still has to be on guard, always looking over her shoulder and ready to run in an instant. Even the friendships she forms are light and there is definitely no time for attraction or romance. But with her interaction with Justin, her instincts, head, and heart are in constant battle. She knows their attraction is mutual but he will not act on it without her say so and she is hesitant due to her past. When she decides to take a chance on a relationship, her spidey senses kick in and she knows danger is coming. When Justin learns the whole truth of her past will that have an effect on the budding attraction? Marissa trusts him completely and knows he will do his job and keep her safe but can she let down her guard enough to trust him with her heart? While trying to hide her away to plan and prepare to end the threat against her once and for all, unforeseen coincidences put Marissa and Justin directly in the path of her enemy. Secluded, without help and running out of time will she and Justin survive until his team arrives or has her time finally run out?
This book is full of action, suspense, danger, and romance. The chemistry between Marissa and Justin is explosive and the pulse-pounding suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. Even though this book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone since each story focuses on one couple and their happy ending. Holt once again pulls us into an exciting world of intrigue and adventure with this compelling read. You do not want to miss this exciting installment of the Vigilance series.
*I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. I have also purchased a copy to add to my collection; gotta have the whole series. 😉
A Deadly Business is an adrenaline pumping and thrilling romantic suspense read that keeps readers hanging on the edge of their seat. Marissa Hayes is a former CIA operative hiding from a powerful enemies with terrorist ties and Justine Kelly is the Vigilance man that has to keep her alive.
These two strong, gripping characters are easily connected to and pulls readers into their story with ease as they fight to stay alive while trying to keep a handle on the exquisite and excruciating passion that is rising between them. Because of Marissa’s life and her past, she is quite reluctant to embark on a serious relationship and Justin knows that he shouldn’t mix business with pleasure if he wants to keep her alive, but the passion burns hot and fast throughout the story adding to the intensity of the dangerous thrills of the plot and making it extremely hard for this couple to fight their attraction.
The plot is fast paced, smooth flowing and filled with a passionate romance and an exciting fight for survival against an enemy that will stop at nothing to bring down everyone in his caught in his crosshairs. Surprising twists and high tension events keeps readers glued to the pages and ensures that there is never a dull moment.
I couldn’t quit turning the pages of this thrilling Vigilance read and I found that this particular story in this series had an overall realistic feel to the way the characters reacted and handled the intense situation that they found themselves in which made the story even more enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Marissa Hayes has lived a life in hiding for 3 years overseas. It was a pretty good life all things considered. But nothing stays a secret for long and Marissa’s life is in danger. Justin and Marissa have been fighting their feelings for each other, until he is assigned to protect her. But of course the bad guy is still after her, so Justin steps up to protect her. Desiree Holt writes such intriguing books, that you just can’t put down. I received this book from the author to read and review.
A fake life lived overseas for 3 years. A life lived in hiding today. Still, it’s a really nice life that Marissa Hayes has in Arrowhead Bay. Until the day she’s discovered and her life is put in danger. Justin has been fighting his feelings for Marissa and he’s pretty sure she’s been doing the same. Then, she’s assigned to him to protect and they are spirited away to a couple’s paradise. Things could be a lot worse. Ooops. Sexy time gets interrupted when the man who is hunting her decides to crash the island during his payback rampage on his buddies that turned their backs on him when Marissa took him down while living her fake life overseas. Unbeknownst to our bad guy (for awhile anyway), everyone he wants to kills is right there on the island.
Anything more would just be spoilers and we can’t have that. This was an amazing book that I literally could not put down. It flew by and so did the hours of real life but when you have a book THIS good, it’s pretty tempting not to care. It’s a great thing there are crockpots or my kitchen would be in flames. Desiree Holt is an absolute genius at taking a story and weaving it all around you until you are completely caught up in the world she has created.
A sexy and fast-paced suspense/romance. Justin and Marissa are thrust into a situation they might not live through. I was on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. A definite page-turner.
5 stars!
A Deadly Business, by Desireè Holt, is full of action, mystery, crime syndicates and love interests. Desireè Holt’s style of writing will keep you on the edge of your seat as you stay riveted to this book. A must read!
A Deadly Business by Desiree Holt is my favorite of this series so far. I totally loved this book from the first page to the last. Ms. Holt has given us a well-written book. The characters are outstanding. Marissa moved to Arrowhead Bay when her cover with the CIA was blown and a price put on her head. Justin is a Vigilance operative and is teaching Marissa self-defense. Justin and Marissa’s story is packed with drama, humor, action, sizzle and suspense. I was glued to my Kindle for this one. This is a fairly quick read, a perfect choice for those with limited time for reading. I look forward to reading my next book from Desiree Holt. A Deadly Business is book 3 of the Vigilance Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I won from Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really, really enjoyed the story in this book -the bad guy was just, so, bad, and colourful, he made it for me!
Marissa had her cover blown while working as a financial analyst for the CIA to take down a bad guy. She did get enough on said bad guy to take him down, but not all the way. She has been in hiding with Vigilance keeping her cover. Justin works for vigilance, and he and Marissa have been dancing around their attraction for a while. Once it looks like the bad guy has found her, Justin is the one to keep watch over her on a secluded caribbean island. Sparks fly between Justin and Marissa, and all is going well for them, then bad guy shows up and wreaks all sorts of havoc. Justin holds down the fort until vigilance can back them up, then, he and Marissa face the ‘what if’ of a holiday romance, queue the HEA 🙂