Code Name: Ghost

After a mission gone wrong,plus being held in captivity Malik returns home to friends and family a ghost of his former self. Newly widowed Anna is slowly coming out of her grief while juggling being a single mom. Together Malik and Anna discover a soul deep connection that goes far beyond heartache.
A story that’s heartbreakingly beautiful, delicious chemistry and one sinful hero, makes for one totally feel good romance.

This is the 5th book in the Jameson Force Security series and I would recommend reading the previous books so that you know some of Malik’s back story before reading this one. And if you have read this author’s Cold Fury Hockey series then you know that this is one of the Fournier brothers! Malik was a marine and then joined Jameson Force Security after he got out. He knew there was danger involved in his job but he never expected to watch his teammates be killed nor for him to be a hostage for over 5 months. Now he has been rescued and is home but is battling with guilt and nightmares while trying to find himself again. And while he is healing, he didn’t expect to find comfort from the one person who he believes should hate him. Anna lost her husband on that mission that went wrong. Now she is a widow and a single mother just trying to find her new normal and make a life for herself and her daughter. Neither expect to find that the things they need in each other, but now they need to decide if they are the best thing for each other.

I absolutely loved this one!!! Malik has been something that no one ever wants to think about, especially if you have anyone that is or has been in the military. It is one of your worst nightmares come to life. Reading about the things he went through and how hard he is fighting to make himself well just made me love him all the more. Especially when you realize the true depth of his issues and why he feels so guilty! Anna is this beautiful soul who lost something before it ever truly began. But she is strong in a way most women aren’t. And the way she is not only with her daughter but Malik just makes her character just that much more to me. I loved not only how they were with each other but the growth they made as individuals because they had the support of each other. I don’t think there could have been a more perfect way for this story to be written!

4.5+ stars

Malik has returned home after months in captivity, though he has a long way to go until he is back to his full strength. He was prepared for most of what he experienced during captivity, due to his Marine training, but he wasn’t prepared for emotions he’d face after he returned home. Now that he is back, he has to face the widow of one of his fallen teammates daily, as she is now working at Jameson.

Anna grieves for her husband, who died during a Jameson Force Security mission while she was pregnant with their daughter, but she has processed his loss and is settling into her new normal. Her mother doesn’t understand why she wants to do so much on her own, but Anna needs to feel like she can be independent. She just needs to keep busy, and working for Kynan at Jameson has her busy, earning her own income, and feeling the independence she is determined to show the world and her daughter.

Through the common bond of Jimmy, Anna and Malik form a friendship. Their friendship helps both of them, as Anna learns about Jimmy’s last mission and Malik can see the strength Anna has to overcome. As their friendship develops, they also begin feeling more: something that causes Malik to question his actions once again.

I was afraid this story would break me because of Malik’s ordeal, but I loved every moment of it. I was afraid that nothing that happened between them could make me believe Anna was already over losing Jimmy, or that Anna and Malik wouldn’t make a believable couple. I should never have doubted Sawyer Bennett or these characters. I loved the arc that had both of them healing, and encouraging each other. Through helping Anna, Malik saw a different side of the things he felt guilty for. Neither even played the weak link, instead they were the perfect balance of strength and vulnerability.

I love seeing all the Jameson crew and hearing where their lives are. Because Malik’s brothers play for the Cold Fury, there is also a little crossover from that series as well. This is a group of people who become family through the work they do, and it’s always fun to see where familiar couples are in their own stories, but keeping the focus squarely on the primary couple.

I have been anticipating Malik’s story for some time (especially after the mission that went sideways and landed him captured), and this did not disappoint! I loved the bond between Malik and Anna, the way they communicated their needs, and the support they showed each other through Malik’s return to work.

Code Name: Ghost, is book 5 in the Jameson Force Security series. It is refreshingly unexpected and heart wrenchingly good. It is the best military book of the year with a surprise character twist that you won’t be expecting. This book has so much depth of feeling that it will draw you in and leave you exhausted and sighing happily. This will be on my re-read shelf for a long time.
Malik was born to be a soldier. After serving his country, he continues deadly search and rescue missions for Jameson Force Security. The search and rescue mission goes bad and he is captured and reported missing. After suffering at the hands of the enemy, his team finds and rescues him. But, despite his own pain and anguish, he isn’t happy. He has survivor’s guilt, when his mission team mates fail to return home with him.
Anna is widowed with a brand-new baby when her husband is killed on a Jameson Security mission. She is determined to raise her baby on her own. With support from her late husband’s employer, the Jameson Security team, they envelop her into their lives and business operations. Their support and care help her cope with the loss of her husband. When Malik returns to work, they develop a bond over their common tragedy. Neither expects to fall in love. The story is a lovely reminder that sometimes love is unexpected and beautiful things can come from tragedy.

I have been looking forward to Malik’s book and it was worth the anticipation!

The story opens with Malik’s rescue, setting the tone by explaining the circumstances of his imprisonment and his subsequent relief at being rescued when he had all but resigned himself to dying there. Once he returns to North America, his focus shifts to regaining his strength and finding a way to rejoin his Jameson team as an active member.

Anna is a very independent woman, and she has been focused on making her own in life for the past five months after Jimmy’s death and Avery’s birth. Kynan offered her a position with Jameson which gives her an opportunity to keep Jimmy’s spirit alive in some way. She has become invested in Malik’s rescue and seeing him come back to Pittsburgh so they can all help him heal.

I have to say, this story had a much more mellow vibe than I anticipated. I expected high emotions as Anna deals with Malik’s return when her husband didn’t make it back, but she was very accepting and grateful to have him around. Malik felt guilty and responsible for Jimmy’s death, but he was very matter of fact when dealing with it most of the time as well. They form a bond over a shared set of horrible circumstances, and I enjoyed the natural progression of their relationship.

Of course it all can’t be sunshine and roses, and there are a few minor bumps in the road. Once things really heat up between them, Anna’s feelings for Malik are very different than the love she had for her husband, so it is a bit of a struggle to deal with her confusion at that realization. Malik also has to deal with his survivor’s guilt and worry about the bro code which essentially says thou shalt not get involved with your dead teammate’s wife. Fortunately Kynan and team doctor Corinne are guiding forces for them- and oh this story just gave me so many more reasons to love Kynan! Fans of the Cold Fury series will be happy to see some familiar faces in Malik’s brothers and sister, and there is an amusing side plot involving Cage (one of the Jameson team members) that I can’t wait to find out more about in future books. All in all, Code Name Ghost made me smile and was a great read!

ARC received from author

This book was so good! It is one that readers of the Jameson Force series have been waiting for since like the second book. Honestly, it seems to have been forever in the making. This book is Malik’s and he is finally found in the Syrian desert and returned home. The story of how he starts is life again after being a prisoner is not only interesting but takes you on an emotional roller coaster. You feel for him but you also feel for the heroine of the story Anna. Her husband was lost the night Malik was taken and though we’ve seen glimpses of her this book really gives us an insight into her character. This book wasn’t a quick read but it didn’t drag on either. It was enjoyable and heavy in all the right places. I definitely suggest it!
*I received an ARC for an honest review*

4.5 stars– CODE NAME: GHOST is the fifth instalment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult JAMESON FORCE SECURITY romantics suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Jameson Force Security. This is former US Marine Malik Fournier, and PA Anna Tate’s storyline. CODE NAME: GHOST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Malik’s story has been building for several instalments. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Cold Fury Hockey series.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Anna and Malik) CODE NAME: GHOST follows in the wake of Malik Fournier’s imprisonment and torture in the Middle East in the aftermath of a mission that went all to h*ll. Five months would pass before Malik is rescued and our hero struggles to move on with his life. Riddled with survivor’s guilt, Malik begins to fall for his late friend’s wife, a woman who lost her husband just months before giving birth. Blaming himself for the death of his friends and Anna’s husband, Malik battles between head and heart when Anna makes it known she would like to take their friendship and relationship to the next level. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Anna and Malik, and the potential fall-out as Anna begins to struggle with the reality of Malik’s job.

Malik Fournier was captured and tortured for close to five months, and never expected to survive. His rescue and return home came with the grief and remorse of losing his friends, and the guilt that he takes upon himself. Weeks of counselling and talks with family and friends slowly begins to pull Malik out of his own mind, and into a world where the woman he loves is willing and waiting. Anna Tate lost her husband the day Malik went missing but Anna never once suspected that Malik was to blame for her loss. A single mother, working for Jameson Force Security, Anna is up close and personal with the men and women who have traversed a world of evil and war.

The relationship between Anna and Malik begins as friends and co-workers to lovers but Malik continues to struggle with survivor’s remorse as well as the unwritten ‘bro-code’ of dating his late friend’s available wife. Anna is the first to make a move on our story line hero, and in this Malik continues to battle between head and heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including Jameson Force security owner Kynan McGrath, psychiatrist Corinne Ellery, security specialists Tank Richardson, Merritt Gables, and Cage Murdock, as well as Malik’s siblings Max, Lucas, Simone and her husband Van (Cold Fury Hockey), and their parents Marilyn and Laurence Fournier Cage and Jaime’s story line is next in Code Name: Rook.

CODE NAME: GHOST is a story of loss and love; forgiveness and acceptance; second chances, relationships and falling in love. The premise is emotional and haunting; the characters are inspiring and spirited; the romance is passionate and dramatic. CODE NAME: GHOST is an encouraging and inspiring look at survival and grief.

I have to admit, I wasn’t so sure how I would feel about Anna’s story. She just lost her husband 6 months ago! And I totally thought, based on previous books, that she would be linked with Cage, not Malik. But there needed to be chemistry and their needed to be some emotional turmoil (which she and Cage didn’t really have) so actually, Malik was the perfect choice. After seeing how much chemistry Anna and Malik have, I was 100% sure that Anna should find love again.
5 stars!!!

Code Name: Ghost by Sawyer Bennett is book 5 in the Jameson Security Force series, can be read as a stand-alone and tells the story of Malik and Anna.

Malik is rescued after months of capture by Isis. Anna is a widow who lost her husband, while pregnant. Her daughter is now 4 ½ months old and she is managing as best she can. She works as a secretary at Jameson.

They both build a strong relationship when he returns, but Malik has immense guilt over the death of Anna’s husband. Will that get in the way of their strong attraction to one another?

Both Malik and Anna are mature, independent individuals who are honest and open and work through their issues together. There is no need for drama, which was quite refreshing in their relationship and a truly beautiful story of two individuals finding their way together.

Next comes Cage’s story and we get hints as to what is going on in Ghost’s book. This one should be a real doozy, as Cage is quite the character. Can’t wait to read it!

Malik’s been missing, and it’s been brought up in a few books now, building to this moment. I was dying to read about him. I was super surprised to see him matched up with Anna, who’s story has also been mentioned in other books. But these two are drawn together through their experiences and a connection that’s hard to explain.

It’s not easy for them, and he still has a lot to work through to be okay with his job, his life, and especially a bidding relationship. But when you’ve gone through as much as they have, you gotta hold on to happiness and love as it comes. I loved it, especially seeing him interact with his family, and also how Malik and Anna were just comfortable with one another so quickly. And her having a baby didn’t hold him back at all either.

Not a lot of fighting action in this one, but they’ve had enough of that. Time for calm and happiness, they earned it.