From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series… feel so empty?
Nina Blunt is pretty sure she’s cursed. She worked her way up through the ranks at Interpol, fighting for every step with hard work and discipline. Then she lost it all because she loved the wrong person. Rebuilding her career with McKay-Taggart, she can’t help but feel lonely. It seems everyone around her is finding love and starting families. But she knows that isn’t for her. She has vowed never to make the mistake of falling in love again.
JT comes to McKay-Taggart for assistance rooting out a corporate spy, and Nina signs on to the job. Their working relationship becomes tricky, however, as their personal chemistry flares like a wildfire. Completing the assignment without giving in to the attraction that threatens to overwhelm them seems like it might be the most difficult part of the job. When danger strikes, will they be able to count on each other when the bullets are flying? If not, JT’s charmed life might just come to an end.
Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.
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The MM series has added on another charming novella within the 1001 Dark Night series with great additions to the McKay-Taggert gang. Nina Blunt comes head to head with JT Malone to figure out whose selling secrets of Malone Oil to North Korea. Even though both of them have hard set lines as work colleagues, those lines become blurred.
“She hoped he was every bit the Cowboy Prince Charming he seemed to be.”
Lexi Blake could write 100 novels with the Masters and Mercenaries heroes/heroines and everyone of those books would be filled with dynamite humor, exceptional angst and emotional lust that flies off the pages in a heartbeat. I would love for her to keeping writing these suspense, angsty stories with loads of witty humor — Please keep writing Ian Taggert!
Be ready to be swept up in a Charmed ride with delightful characters of the McKay-Taggert team.
5 Fabulous Stars!!!
I always love getting a new Masters and Mercenaries book written by Ms. Blake because not only do I get to see some favorite characters but I get to fall in love with new ones! And oh my stars Nina and JT are quite a pair.
Their initial meeting is all hot and sexy and unforgettable….until she finds out the next morning that she’ll be working with him to find an internal corporate spy…then she wishes she could forget everything they did and said!
The problem is, is that their chemistry is off the charts and so working together, while maybe a little difficult just makes her mission that much better in my opinion. They work well together and while they’re getting closer to solving the mystery, they realize that sometimes feelings have to win over doing the “right thing.”
This is a perfect novella in this amazing series! I love how I can never figure out who the bad guys are until the mystery is solved and getting to spend a couple of hours in one of my favorite worlds is always so exciting!
I have loved the Masters and Mercenaries series from its inception and this novella is a welcome addition. There is no way to avoid getting swept up in this stupefying read. JT is a dominant, sexy billionaire who gets caught up in catching a company spy to protect his property. However, a last-minute change in plans caused by his father’s health have his twin questioning whether JT is up for the operation. Nina is a former Interpol agent who now works for McKay-Taggert Security assigned to the case. Originally, Nina was going into the operation as the new assistant to the CEO but due to an unexpected intrusion by JT’s staff, she became JT’s fake fiancée. Not one to let a man call the shots when it comes to her job, Nina puts her foot down. However, JT is not one to be cow towed as he is a definite Dom but he acquiesces to only exert his prowess in the bedroom. What begins as a farce, begins to morph into real feelings as they work together making the original agreement of who is in charge blur. Making things more complicated is JT’s urge to protect Nina, when she is quite capable of doing her job. Overall, this is one storyline that flows flawlessly and feels like eating melting ice cream on a hot day. It is entertaining, sexy and will have you hypnotized as you delve deeper into this world. I highly recommend this book.
Colour me completely charmed by this latest foray into the world of Tag and his wonderful, motley band of bad asses, their significant others, and the bad guys. Loved it. JT is just a dream, Nina a brilliant combination of tough and tender, and Michael…he is in the Tag mould and I look forward to him falling hard .
With one liners and ridiculously funny conversations, I was completely won over and loved every moment of this long novella…oh, and it’s . An all round great read
JT and Nina were a lot of fun. It was a little bit of an insta-love story, but it was also one that was built on a mutual attraction that was well-developed, so it worked for me.
I loved that she was the spy/bodyguard and he was the one worried about her, and wondering if she was getting herself into situations she shouldn’t. It was a fun switch and I loved that it was a full role reversal and that there really wasn’t ever the moment where the man has to step in to save the woman.
This is a shorter book, so by nature of the length there’s a little less character development than usual for books by this author, but nothing that would make me have issues with the book.
I enjoyed and recommend this title.
CHARMED is a delightful addition to both the 1001 Dark Knights series of books and Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries world. Familiar characters fill the pages of CHARMED and Nina and JT sizzle as they work to find out who in Malone Oil is selling information to North Korea.
The romance was quick-as expected-with not a whole lot of time to work through what would have been some hurdles in a full-length novel. Despite this, it’s easy to see why Nina and JT fall in love. More so, watching both of them recognize that there may be things more important than their careers was wonderful.
The mystery of who has betrayed JT and his company drives the plot and kept this reader guessing, if not a little breathless. Lexi Blake, in my opinion, is one of the better romantic suspense authors in series romance. Her story arcs are intricate, enjoyable, and each book leaves you wanting more.
As always, I enjoyed seeing former M&M characters. Big Tag had me laughing out loud a few times, as did Sandra (Roni Croft’s mother).
Thank you to the author for an early copy of CHARMED in exchange for honest feedback. 3.5/5 stars.
CHARMED was published in June 2020 by 1001 Dark Nights Press.
I’m thrilled that Nina was able to get her own HEA, if you have read the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series you know Nina if not no worries this story can be read as a standalone.
Nina is former Interpol but has been working with McKay-Taggart for a while now and her new assignment is to find out who is trying to commit corporate espionage in an billion dollar petroleum empire. Sounds easy enough for Nina to do only she didn’t plan on JT, the owners son becoming a distraction.
JT Malone has lead a Charmed life but things can change quickly if someone steals a prototype that he and his late partner have been working on. So JT enlists his cousin Simon (A View to a Thrill ) for some help, little did he know Nina would be the person sent to do the job and steal his heart in the process.
This was a fast paced, steamy read that will have you aching for more. New to Lexi Blake no worries this book can be read as a standalone, have you read some of her books before and are looking for a quick steamy read then look no further because you can gobble this up in an afternoon.
Thank you Lexi Blake and 1,001 Dark Nights for continuing to bring us readers these little gems I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us next.
Happy Reading!!!
Who is JT Malone? What does he do for a living? Who is Nina Blunt? What does she do or did she do for a living or both? Who are Ava, Michael, Deanna, Patrick, Jordan, Drake, and more? What do they each do? What has happened that has brought in the Taggart-McKay group? This story truly captured my attention and did not let it go! You have to read this story with an infusion of new blood coming into the Taggart-McKay family! So much fun!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
Nina’s hot one night stand turns out to be the man she’s working with on her new gig, and it’s as if she’s in the past all over again. Can she keep her attraction to JT from clouding her mind when she’s supposed to be working with him trying to find out who’s trying to steal his company’s technology? Or will their fake engagement become all too real and ruin her job?
For a short time frame like a novella, Charmed packed a ton of story into it! The whole read is suspenseful and action packed and the relationship between Nina and JT, though it developed really quickly, never felt to be too much. The Masters and Mercenaries series just gave us another super sexy couple with JT, a man in charge in the bedroom, and Nina, a woman in charge out of it.
Lexi Blake consistently strikes the right balance of romance and suspense with a good measure of humor thrown in. Her characters always rank among my favorites. And the action? It can be hard hitting with gripping moments or evenly paced with a build up to a mind blowing revelation. In Charmed there are lots of McKay-Taggart operators woven throughout and that always makes everything so much better.
Having JT Malone thrown into the corporate espionage op at the last minute isn’t ideal. Nina Blunt was assigned on the op to act as a Texas billionaire’s new assistant. Instead she has to quickly adapt and become the fake fiancée of a gorgeous, sexy billionaire. They agree that when when the bullets start to fly she’s the in charge. He may not be an operative but he’s a Dom and he’s definitely the one in charge, at least in the bedroom. Unfortunately living up to that agreement is tough once things get dicey because these two develop real feelings for each other. His need to protect is as strong as her need to do her job.
I loved JT and Nina’s story. The entire story sucked me in and I wanted to know who and why. JT was strong enough to realize what he had with Nina, even as he screwed up by trying to protect her. I adored seeing some of my favorite M&M characters and learning a bit more about their lives. Lexi has a way of making sure you don’t want to leave the world she has created.
Charmed is the newest novella in the Masters and Mercenaries series by Lexi Blake. You don’t have to read all of the books in this series before reading this one. I loved Nina and JT, and this whole story. JT has felt like a background friend for this series for so long, it was great to finally get his story. Nina was the perfect counterpart for him. As usual, Lexi Blake brought the romance and the suspense in this book. I loved every minute of it. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
5 Star Review of Charmed (Masters and Mercenaries: # 20.5) by Lexi Blake
Lexi Blake’s Masters & Mercenaries series is one of my all-time favourite series. I couldn’t wait to dive in to Charmed. Although not a particularly long book, Ms. Blake certainly packs a lot int it.
If you like hot alpha males, steamy scenes and characters that will melt your heart and then some, then look no further. Nobody does sexy suspense books like Lexi Blake. This book was as I have come to expect, well written, with strong characters and I was riveted from the first to the last chapter.
This is JT Malone and Nina Blunt’s story. It is a story filled with suspense, danger, intrigue and the growth of a deep and committed love; one that made my heart pound at times. This book just flows on so many levels; not to mention the humour that comes out in some extremely interesting situations.
One of the things that I love about Lexi Blake is that her characters are never one dimensional, there are always so many layers and JT and Nina were no exception. It was also fun to see a few familiar faces make an appearance.
5 stars
Nina is former Interpol and was fired after her ex used her to keep his drug boss out of trouble. She works for McKay-Taggert now and she’s about to get the assignment that could change her life. JT is the heir to a billion dollar petroleum company and loves working there but feels like something is missing. When a prototype JT developed has been stolen, Nina is sent in to find the culprit. Nina goes in undercover as the assistant until she sleeps with JT, not knowing who he is, and at the last minute, she’s his fiancée. They are heading to an island retreat that the company throws every year. The three they’ve narrowed it down to is going and planning to hand off the prototype. Can they figure out who the spy is and stop them before it’s too late?
Funny, sexy, and suspenseful. JT is the handsome, protective type and Nina is able to take care of herself and scared to get close to any man. I love that the old friends show up and am hoping JT’s twin Mike gets a story.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed for the author *