#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh is back—with a vengeance—in her latest novel of passion and intrigue, Dagger’s Edge, featuring the men of Brute Force.Ivan Resnova wants nothing more than to escape his hard, brutal past. Starting over is not so easy once you’ve been a powerful crime boss but now, instead of being punished for his alleged crimes, Ivan fears that the one woman he … that the one woman he can’t forget is in danger of paying the price.
Crimsyn “Syn” Delaney thought the danger she’d faced was over, and that she could resume her life. She never imagined it would return with a vengeance and throw her back into Ivan’s world. But when an attempt is made on her life, she needs Ivan more than ever to keep her safe—even if she is in danger of falling deeply and dangerously in love. . .
“Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.”—RT Book Reviews
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Read in one day could not put it down
Ivan can’t forget the one woman he can’t forget is in danger of paying the price for his alleged crimes and Crimsyn “Syn” Delaney needs Ivan to keep her safe even if she is danger of falling deeply and dangerously in love.
Ivan and Syn are two strong and persuasive characters that really attract readers to them with their charismatic appeal and the electrical chemistry that flares between them. The relationship is full of ups and downs, emotional issues and secrets that not only threaten the relationship but also threatens their very lives, there also is some miscommunication or maybe misdirection is the better word which adds to the intense situation that revolves around this romance.
Readers can’t help but become caught up in all the intense thrills, intrigue and passion of this fast paced and smooth flowing plot as danger stalks Ivan and Syn with some surprising twist that readers won’t see coming. This story also tugs at heartstrings as family can be quite deadly in this story which adds to the powerful emotional turmoil that is felt by the characters during all of the forceful and conniving events that take place in order to keep Syn safe, so this romance takes readers on quite a thrilling and potent ride from the very beginning.
The readers are entertained with lots of characters as well in this well developed world full of alpha military men that have commanding presence and demand attention, and in Dagger’s Edge the heroine demands her own share of the attention with her never give up and courageous attitude.
I received this ARC from Net Galley for a honest review. I loved the second book in this series even more then the first. The sassy Syn made me proud. She finally figured out what she wanted and chose to stand up and get it. Ivan showed his true self, which I knew was more than met the eye. This book has pain and heartache. It also has joy and happiness. It shows you that you can come from a horrible childhood and still make your life a great one, maybe even a fairytale one. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. When do I get Ilya?? I really want Ilya!
3.5 Stars!
I truly love Lora Leigh and have been an avid reader for years. So I was a little saddened that Dagger’s Edge did not do it for me. I could not keep up with the story line and it took me about a month to get through, when usually Lora Leigh books will keep me up all night. Now the sexy and hot scenes were the bomb as I knew Lora would make it out to be. I guess I needed a little more twists and turns that would have my head spinning. Any Lora Leigh fans should still read this book. It may have not been it for me, but could be for you.
4.5 STARS!!
Dagger’s Edge is sizzling hot, romantic, suspenseful, action packed, passionate, and with enough hate and violence to keep you on the edge of you seat the entire time. Incredibly clever characters and the plot is fantastic and unpredictable.
This book has it all and it will rock your world. I just love it!
I really enjoyed following Ivan and Journey’s journey and learning about the side characters that are part of this amazing series. However, I highly recommend that you start from book 1!
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
4.5 stars
It was just supposed to be an illusion or was it? Crimsyn (aka Syn or Journey) has been on the run from a life that was fraught with danger thanks to her own family. The only way to protect herself was to become aligned with a seemingly more powerful man than her family’s reach. Enter Ivan, a formidable Russian with ties to those who can protect her, including himself. However, Syn was promised to another and cannot forget her young girl crush on the handsome man that she encountered a few times in her social circle. Fast forward a few years and Syn is still trying to stay one step ahead of those that would do her wrong and winds up with the one man who she truly wants, Ivan. Due to her past, Syn does not believe that Ivan can really care for her let alone ever love her. In an attempt to flesh out who is trying to harm Syn, Ivan comes up with a plan. How much will it cost them? Lora Leigh has written a riveting storyline that is action packed with drama, suspense and plenty of heat. This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone. If you are hungering for a book to pierce your heart, this one will quickly have you pinned in your seat until the last page is read.
I volunteered to read an advance copy provided by Netgalley.
3.5 Stars Daggers Edge is full of the passion, intrigue and suspense that we expect from Lora Leigh, but it was not a favorite of mine.
I hard time with the beginning. I felt like I was throw into the middle of a scene and had no idea what was going on but I powered through and the story picked up.
Ivan and Syn has good chemistry even with the differences in their ages and all of the obstacles thrown in their way.
Lies and deceit among your peers is bad but when it comes from those closest to you it’s so much worse. Family can do you like no one else. This erotic suspense has mafia and black ops, betrayal, human trafficking and more. There is plenty of intrigue and action to keep your heart rate up in between the erotic scenes. Virgin stories are not usually my thing but the story behind this one made up for it and made it worthwhile.
This is my first read by this author and it has been a pleasure checking out her style. It’s a good read that will keep you invested in the characters especially the red head vixen who proves she has some moxie, his Syn. She saw beyond what he showed to others. Broke through his walls of protection and gave him more than he knew he wanted.
Ivan Resnova is a hard man, he has had to be to survive his life. He has his daughter back in the previous book and her friend came home with her. This book begins where the last one ended and Syn wants to leave Colorado. She has secrets and wants to keep her identity a to herself and to keep running. She has been on the run for the past 4 years but Ivan sees through her “disguise” and their chemistry cannot be denied. Virgin no more after that night snowed in, Syn/Journey still runs at the first chance she gets until Ivan tracks her down a month later in California just before a strike team gets her. Now she is back with him and again the chemistry is just as strong. What starts as a bargain, or an illusion, turns into so much more when Ivan puts his grandmother’s ring on her finger to seal the deal. So much snark and sex and fighting. A score card is needed at times to keep the players straight to figure out who is who but the sex is outstanding.
4 Star Review Dagger’s Edge (Brute Force #2) by Lora Leigh
This is Ivan Resnova and Crimsyn “Syn” Delaney story.I read the first book in this series not realising that this series is a spin off from another of Ms Leigh’s series.
There was a great deal of chemistry between Ivan and Syn and it was scorchingly hot. Dagger’s Edge had action, suspense, danger and intrigue which kept me interested.
I had a hard time engaging with the characters but that is more me than them although I did like how feisty Syn/Journey was and that she held her own against the grumpy Russian.Will Ivan be able to keep Syn safe or will it all be in vain?
There were secrets, lies and surprises and Ms. Leigh wove an interesting story.
I received this book through the publisher and Netgalley.
3.5 stars–DAGGER’S EDGE is the second instalment in Lora Leigh’s contemporary, adult BRUTE FORCE erotic, romantic suspense series – a spin off from the author’s Elite Ops series. This is thirty-nine year old, Russian businessman and mob boss Ivan Resnova, and twenty-six year old Crimsyn ‘Syn’ Delaney aka Journey Taite’s story line. DAGGER’S EDGE can be read as a stand alone but some of the backstory was previously revealed in the Elite Ops series. I also recommend reading Collision Point (Brute Force #1) as it concerns Ivan’s relationship with his daughter Amara-a relationship that directly affects his relationship with Journey.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Ivan and Journey) DAGGER’S EDGE follows the forbidden relationship between thirty-nine year old, Russian businessman and mob boss Ivan Resnova, and twenty-six year old Crimsyn ‘Syn’ Delaney aka Journey Taite. Four years earlier, Journey Taite, along with her cousin Tehya, was imprisoned and held hostage by someone close to our story line heroine. Rescued by the group calling themselves Elite Ops, but now on the run, Journey finds herself a virtual prisoner of Russian mob boss Ivan Resnova, a man who has starred in her fantasies and dreams for close to a decade. What ensues is the building relationship and love between Ivan and Journey, and the potential fall-out as the people from her past, are determined to finish the job started years before.
Ivan Resnova knows betrayal and disappointment including the betrayal by the people who should have loved him the most but growing up as part of the Russian crime world Ivan forged ahead into a powerful, alpha male willing to do anything to protect the woman he loves. Crimsyn ‘Syn’ Delaney aka Journey Taite never felt more hurt than to discover the truth about the depth of betrayal perpetrated by her own family. Trusting her father’s number one enemy meant placing her heart and her life into the hands of a man who could easily kill Journey without a second thought. With most of the men who instigated her abduction in prison for trafficking a child sex ring, Journey intends to set out on her own but someone is desperate to end our heroine’s life.
The relationship between Ivan and Journey is one of forbidden love between warring factions of the US, British and Russian mobs. Journey’s attraction to Ivan began years before when a then sixteen year old Journey felt the palpable sexual need of a young woman just blossoming into her own but a woman ‘sold’ to one of her father’s business partners in return for fealty and power. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate, as per Lora Leigh’s usual style of romance writing.
The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Ivan’s right-hand man Ilya; Jordan and Tehya Malone (Live Wire / Elite Ops 6.5); as well as Journey’s former fiancé Beauregard Grant, a man with secrets of his own. The requisite evil has many faces but read like caricatures of cartoon villains.
DAGGER’S EDGE is an entertaining and intriguing story line but there are some questionable and cringe-worthy bits of information and plot points that seem almost incomprehensible –cue the eye rolling. The premise is engaging but primarily focuses on the sexual nature of Ivan and Journey’s relationship; the romance is steamy and hot. I will admit, I have not read the Elite Ops series, and thusly some confusion as to the history was not unexpected.
Dagger’s Edge (Brute Force #2) by Lora Leigh The most I can give this 3 1/2 stars…. I really enjoyed Collision Point and was so looking forward to this book. Ivan and Journey “Sin” continue the story with a lot of the same characters from the first book. Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. The journey is full of danger and a lot of steamy sex… to get to their HEA.
Intense story and intense main characters. The book does start with a bang and lets you feel the fear that’s being dealt with right from the Prologue. It really had a lot of twists and turns and plenty of danger in this story. Also some pretty dark people in the book, doing some pretty awful things. I am glad that it didn’t go real deep into that part. But it was enough to make you shiver. This is definitely a book for adults. Ivan and Syn both had some very dangerous enemies but at least Ivan had more resources when it came to fighting them.
I really did enjoy the mysteries in the book. The only thing I will say is that the sex scenes in the book probably put this in the erotic category. They had sex often and it was pretty detailed. I probably would have enjoyed the book at bit more if there had been less of it. The one good thing about their relationship was that there was one developing between them.
Syn was a really brave, creative woman when it came from escaping and hiding from her family and the fiancee that was being forced upon her. So many people had lied and betrayed her and family was right at the top of that list. At least two family members didn’t lie but that didn’t make them good. They were cruel and they tortured her with the truth of how little she mattered to them other than obeying what they told her to do. She wasn’t loved, she was a pawn to be used by them and they were smug about it when she did find out. But Journey Taite (her real name) was not going to go quietly into the night without a fight. Crimsyn Delaney was one of her running names but “Syn” was the nickname that Ivan gave her.
Ivan has quite the interesting surprises for the reader when more information comes out about his background. I’m not telling though, you can enjoy it like I did as it comes out. I will say though that there are good secondary people in this story too.
“I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion of it.
This was a great adventure with twists and turns until the very end. Tragic to want the readers to understand what life is like with criminal elements. Ivan had at a young age faced the rape and death of his mother and had to live with that image and became the man he is by knowing life isn’t always fair. Journey living under the controlling conditions of her father and grandfather wanted more out of life than they wanted her to have. A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start.
I came across this ARC on NetGalley and the premise sounded interesting, so I requested it. I have not read any other books by this author but thought I would give this one a try. I am not sure what I was expecting, but certainly not what I got out of it…confusion and disappointment. The idea of the book was good but the writing and execution not so much. I was confused from the beginning and never quite caught up to the story. There were a lot of gaps, unexplained tidbits, overlooked outcomes from incidents and the overall story just did not flow well. I actually ended up skimming quite a bit of the book because it was just not holding my interest. It just seemed like words were thrown together quickly trying to make it work but it just fell flat. There were some parts of the story that I did find intriguing and wish they would have been expanded on more, but the unexplained and silly seemed to have taken the lead. Sadly, I do not think I will be reading more of this series.
* ARC copy provided by NetGalley and I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Friend or foe? Journey assumed a new identity to remain hidden from her family. But after she tried to help a friend, she finds herself in the home of someone she believes may want to kill her more than her family if he figures out who she is. She decides that it’s better for her to leave than stay and take that chance.
Ivan knows that the woman calling herself Crimsyn is really Journey Taite, the daughter of his most hated enemy. But as in the past when he’s seen her, there is an attraction that he can’t explain. So instead of hurting or killing her like she thinks he wants to do, he finds himself wanting to act on that attraction. When she runs from him, he’s determined to get her back. And he’s not the only one looking for her.
Suspense, action, and maybe a surprise to two.
Dagger’s Edge is the edge of your seat book that makes you wonder what is going to happen next. Journey has never felt love from anyone not her parents, sister or brother and when he father and grandfather kidnap her and her friend she realizes that if she escapes she will have to run. Journey has been on the run now for four years but Ivan Resnova has been watching her in fact he has been watching her for years but now he has a chance to to have Journey and his enemies. Journey has been in love with Ivan since she met him but Ivan doesn’t do love, protection, honor but never love so when they agree to fake it a lot of feelings come into play but a lot of people are trying to kill them so they can’t really explore them. I loved how easygoing Journey was having lived her life as she has. Romance and danger perfect combination.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
Crimsyn left her former life of privilege and royalty-adjacent when she became aware of her father and grandfathers lack of humanity and entrenchment in human trafficking, especially as she realised she was one of the upper crust girls they bought and sold.
She wanted to run the very man her young heart dreamt of but her family had caused so much tragedy in his own that she ran and never looked back. When she found herself working with his daughter, she thought she had found salvation. But Amara was just niceness personified and she couldn’t user her friend to gain access to her father. But when she and Amara were kidnapped later found by Ivan, she did the unthinkable and fell for him!
Ivan is used to showing the world the tough, crime boss façade he has very carefully cultivated. Amara has always been his one weak point. Until he found Syn. When she runs from him he is determined to find her again. Just as well because just as he scoops her up another team arrived to kill her!
Crimsyn AKA Journey is naïve of her nefarious family’s dealings but I was glad that she had the backbone to stand up to them and flee. She wants them to rot and the frankly need to be locked in the nearest deep,deep dark hole! I always felt a bit skeezy when there is a huge gap between the main characters, but I managed to keep in mind that Ivan became a father to Amara at such a young age, against his will, that he was a victim as much as the trafficked girls Journey’s family traded in. He is macho to the core and I loved him!
Ilya again is the solid, imposing friend in the shadows. I almost keeled over when I found out more about his family! Elizaveta is her usual dangerous self.
I really need lots more books in this series!
I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this book. I’ve read almost all of Lora Leigh’s books, some I liked but a lot of the newer ones, not so much. Some of her previous works were disjointed and not a lot of continuity. The characters always alluding to hazards unknown to the readers. The writing in this book was similar to her Seal, Elite Ops, Nauti, and Breed series. Most especially the earlier books. So, I was pleasantly surprised that the story between Ivan and Journey/Crimsyn was better than I had expected. There’s a fine line between a good guy masquerading as a bad guy or vice versa. That’s what Ivan appeared to be. (The same with Beau, good or bad guy?). Journey has been fascinated with Ivan since she was a teenager. And he was fascinated with her as she becomes a young woman, even though he has vowed to never love any woman other than his daughter. Even though Journey has become stronger and more defiant due to her dysfunctional and despicable family, she doesn’t make rash, stupid decisions that make it more difficult to keep her safe. It was also nice that it didn’t take forever for Ivan to realize the depth of his feelings for her.
*I received this book from Netgalley for free for my honest opinion*
There was a lot going on in this story. It was an interesting premise. However, I felt no connection between the two main characters. There was a lot going on but still had time to insert 5 sex scenes in one chapter (may be exaggerating a bit).
It was confusing in certain parts where I had to go back and re-read. I noticed others that reviewed this book mentioned that as well.
If you are a fan of Russian crime world – you’ll enjoy it.