They train to serve their country.They strive to be the best.But only a select few can be…The Elite* * MATEO MORGANCALL SIGN: SOLOReckless, arrogant, and bold, Solo is as known in the U.S. Navy for his bad-boy reputation as he is for his skills as a fighter pilot. It’s a surprise to his peers, then, when he’s chosen to train and compete at the most prestigious naval aviation academy in the … and compete at the most prestigious naval aviation academy in the world.
MISSION RULES:
1.Kick everyone’s ass.
2.Do whatever it takes to win.
3.Do your best to distract the competition.
4.Especially when that competition is a gorgeous blue-eyed perfectionist who makes your blood run hot.
* *
GRANT HUGHES
CALL SIGN: PANTHER
Disciplined, smart, and confident, Panther can’t afford not to play by the rules. As the son of a top Navy commander, all eyes are on him, and being anything less than number one is unacceptable.
MISSION RULES:
1.Keep it safe in the air.
2.Prove you’re more than Commander Hughes’s son.
3.No distractions. Stay focused.
4.Don’t fall for your competition—especially not the rebellious heartbreaker with lips made for sinning.
In the heat of the hot California sun, tempers flare and desires ignite as Solo and Panther try to resist their attraction while fighting to be number one.
With passion this intense, the question remains:
Who’s gonna come out on top?
Danger Zone is book one of The Elite series and is not a standalone. Book two, Need for Speed, will release 3.27.20, followed by the final book, Classified, on 4.27.20.
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REVIEW 4.5 EXHILARATING STARS
“He was the perfect combination of sin, sex, and man.”
I’m in the Danger Zone!! Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine are going to make it so I have to have an entire bookshelf dedicated to them and their books, I can tell. A new series, a new need – my shelf will be heavy with their books. Grant and Mateo, referred to as Panther and Solo by their fellow pilots, or affectionately known as Sexy AF and Naughty AF by their new favorite reader (moi), have definitely put me on edge with not only their grittiness that shuffled between the two of them, but with their story that pulled me in – not that I am complaining. I was definitely along for the ride.
“Solo was the same guy whether he was flying or fucking – cocky but with the skills to back it up, aggressive…and unpredictable. It would be hazardous to my health to get addicted to a guy like him.”
Mateo had a lofty sense of self confidence and was quite playful. To top it all off, he was sexy AF – just enough to back up all that cockiness. Did I like his straightforwardness? I did. I most assuredly did. His mouth had me smiling on more than one occasion. His comebacks were so cocksure and so bold, I actually had wide eyes a few times. I loved that he knew what he wanted and he went after it. He also saw the truth behind Grant’s eyes – and that made him that much more attractive to me – he pays attention to the little details. I love a confident man. Aggravatingly sexy, annoying and fun – Solo had the kind of personality anyone would love to hate. Or hate to love. I personally loved him but I feel like he is hiding something, so I know there’s more to him. Something deeper. I want to figure him out SO bad.
Grant is broody, well-contained, and responsible – just all around serious, but with an adrenaline seeking soul living deep within him. He lives by his rules and is on the straight and narrow, but with the thrill he seeks, that wild side comes out and that, my friends, was delicious to watch. My favorite part was watching their differences colliding at every turn, producing an epic….result. The push and pull between these two could make anyone go mad, orrrr it could provide a titillating story that provided the needed challenge to line the pages for the battle that I know is coming. I’m ready for this one!! *rubs hands together*
Solo was the fun to Panther’s straight and narrow. Their warring personalities took me for a ride a few times. I liked their hearty banter – but the way they regard each other is all sorts of tingly fun. The ribbing alone with the other characters definitely gave the cocky vibe I would only accept from these two characters – or any of the other pilots in this story. They have to have that sort of unwavering confidence in their life just to survive the type of job they have. Balls to the walls. I sorta felt like I was one of the guys in that training room – banter, ribbing, teasing. The taunting was genuine and it didn’t feel forced, but that’s the brotherhood they’re in and it was like being one of the guys. Or Whiplash. I like her.
Here is the crazy thing: I love instalove. Especially if it’s done well. If I get the thrill and the excitement from the words with the buildup, I’m all in. Even though this wasn’t instalove, it sure was instalust. There was a charge in the air when they were near and it was palpable just from reading the book. That battle of wills is what actually made the book for me. Yes, I like the storyline that’s building behind their love story, but I’m actually enjoying the inner workings of the feud that’s brewing between these guys because someone is going to have to inevitably give in.
Who knew cocky could have so many names and personalities, that it could be written so many ways and still hold my attention? Frank and Blaine always give me a new story with a cocky MF’r like nobody’s business. I feel like they have confidence and sexiness in their characters because they clearly write that well, but I love that they have different personalities and different stories/backgrounds to keep me coming back. I have loved everything I’ve read by them so far, so I am going to be here waiting patiently for the next book in this series, because that cliffhanger has me discussing my theories.
I seriously can only complain about ONE thing: it’s too damn short. You hear me?? Ugh! Too short because I want MORE of them and I want it NOW. I love them, and I want to snuggle them and I want to squeeze them and I….oh wait. Sorry, I got carried away. Just saying, I wouldn’t mind being stuck to my reading chair for a few days reading it all in one fell swoop. They were highly addicting, the two of them, and they have me hanging around for more.
These authors definitely know how to give me that adrenaline rush I want in an action packed book. The feeling of being in the cockpit with Grant and Mateo, that was exhilarating and fun to read. I know I will never be able to watch an airshow again without these guys popping up in my head, that much I can tell you. This book was a rush. It was a lot of fun to read and I found myself completely invested in what was going on. All in all, this gave me everything I want in a book. A scorching attraction that is all degrees of hotness, a flow in the words that makes it easy to read, and a story that has me turning the pages because I cannot imagine putting it down. I love these kinds of books because they confirm that my favorites comes in all shapes and sizes. I loved this one and cannot wait for more.
“He looked like a man barely holding on to his control, and I wanted to be the one to make him lose it.”
~BEE
4.25 Stars
Before I write my review I have to admit that I have never watched Top Gun. Plus, I kinda hate Tom Cruise – mostly for being part of that horrible cult and for destroying the image of Jack Reacher Killing FloorI had in my head.
All that kinda made me not love this book in the beginning. No idea why. I kind of always had those clips in my head. Those images from the Take My Breath Away video maybe or the pics I’ve seen of Tom Cruise in his uniform. I don’t know. The book just didn’t grab me at all in the beginning. Even though I usually love military/SEAL romances and all that stuff.
And as always with M/M romances – it takes me ages to know who is who. Even with the chapters named Solo and Panther – I still always had to think about things before I knew who was talking. I loved that it was told in first person – I hate nothing more than all those HE’s in a gay romance – that is way too complicated for my little reader brain!
But now about the story.
It’s a gay insta-lust-hate or enemies-to-lovers romance set in the world of Navy pilots. Which is cool. I really liked that idea!
We’re in California for a 10 week training to find out who’s the best of the best. The Elite.
And Grant and Mateo are the best of the best.
But who’s the bestestest???
Grant is not really openly gay. His dad knows. But his dad is a Navy pilot legend and he won’t be happy to find out his son is not taking this class seriously. Grant was planning on taking it all very seriously – until Mateo showed up …
Mateo is more open with his love life and he makes it verrry known that he wants Grant.
Let’s see where those two will take us in this and the next two books!
I really liked reading it in the end. It was funny and exciting and sparky and flirty and sexy.
Not very long though – so I wouldn’t have minded all three books in one book. I don’t really like to wait. Even if it’s just a month. One book would’ve been better.
We have a really great group of supporting cast – I just hope nobody will die!!!
We definitely get a very cliffy ending!
You always know a series by Brooke and Ella is going to be amazing but The Elite series is next level. I love the chemistry between Panther and Solo! If you haven’t read one of these authors series before, beware the epic cliffhanger. I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. I love them so much but the waiting is always killer. Can’t wait for book two and see where these two end up. Excellent series!
Overall Rating – .5
My favourite MM authors have a new trilogy, based on fighter pilots and this is book one, ‘Danger Zone’!
Grant (Panther) meets Matteo (Solo) at a bar while he is waiting for his date to show up and when their eyes meet all his senses light up and he can tell Matteo is also interested but knows something between them can only lead to trouble. Before things can go any further, Grants date appears.
The next day, they come face to face, now as work colleagues and in direct competition with each other. Panther is glad of his decision to stay away from Solo knowing things would only get complicated and he needs to focus on doing his dad proud to become the number one fighter pilot like he was.
Fate doesn’t do Panther any favours, partnering him up with Solo and finding out they are neighbours. Panther needs to stay strong in his decision not to go near Solo, but Solo has other ideas and isn’t afraid to let him know how often he thinks of him. I loved Solo, he was fun, flirty, confident and unapologetic about who he was.
The angst and sexual tension between this pair builds and builds until Panther is pushed too far and pounces on him – so sexy! This pair are explosive and I loved the chemistry between them, although both opposites – quiet/outgoing, they were also so similar, dominant, passionate and pure alpha.
I was so engrossed with this read I didn’t realise I was at the end when that cliffhanger dropped and I’m now desperate to see what’s next for them!
Roll on, Need for Speed, coming March 27th!
____________________
Overall Ratings;u2063
First Sex Scene – 82%
POV – Duel
Hero (P) –
Hero (S) –
Story –
Angst –
Steam –
Chemistry –
4.5 stars Mateo and Grant aka Solo and Panther
Mateo likes the look of the man beside him at the bar, just how he likes his men.
Grant feels a strong attraction but thinks it’s wiser to back off.
And he’s so glad because the next time he sees the beauty, it seems he’s a colleague and he will never ever get involved with a colleague, period!
They are both Lieutenants and participants of The Naval Aviation Fighter Academy and are to follow a 10-week competition. After graduation, the best jobs will be resting at their feet.
Grant is thankful he didn’t get involved with Solo! He doesn’t want anything to get in the way of his career. It seems Solo is irresponsible, reckless, and immature.
Of course, they have to work together ugh!
Solo’s attitude makes Panther furious. Solo takes the opportunity to poke Panther, to challenge him and to get him on his knees or in his bed.
There is an electrifying and scorching hot sexual tension between both men. A push and pull. Two alpha’s fighting to be on top. Grant battles against Mateo until he can’t resist him anymore.
A big challenge is waiting above in the air, they can show off and prove who is the fastest, sharpest, and very best.
A great story with a lot of testosterone, strong, passionate and cocky characters and a lot of sexual tension.
We get to know a bit from Panther’s character, he is more open than Solo. I so wanted to see the vulnerable side of Solo, there are some painful facts about his past. I think with his big mouth it overrules his vulnerability. I hope part two will show more of Solo, so we get to know him better.
The whole main scenery was dynamic, fast, tight and solid. All well thought out and smoothly put together, the story alternating between job and private lives was awesome.
Thank goodness I know the next part will be there within a month because it ended with a HUGE cliffhanger
Danger Zone is book one of the brand new Elite series by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine. IT IS INCREDIBLE!! It takes place at the Naval base in California where the elite pilots of the Navy gather for their take no prisoners flying competition. This is the story of Mateo-Solo, and Grant- Panther.
Oh my gosh! I loved this from the start! It is very Top Gun style so if you are a fan of that, you will LOVE Danger Zone! Mateo is all sorts of cocky and confident. He is has a bad boy reputation that everybody is aware of. He knows he has the skills as well as the looks, and he is not shy to push boundaries. Grant was smitten with Solo from the beginning, but he needs to be on the straight and narrow. As the son of a highly decorated, retired commander, he has a monkey on his shoulder at all times. He can’t let a distraction derail his goal-and that is to win this competition. Only Solo is not going to let Panther off that easy. They have some insane chemistry and since they are partners in the sky, they are with each other constantly. How they handle one another and winning the competition is what they need to figure out!
This is one spicy read! I loved reading every bit of it! Very angsty! Solo and Panther give off some serious vibes so you know its only a matter of time to keep it all contained. I love how they are quite different and the authors do a phenomenal job of detailing these characters so we know exactly what makes them tick. Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine give us seamless writing, you cannot tell who writes what! They are that good!!
Danger Zone is a kicking start to the Elite series and I can not wait to get my hands on the next book!
I was gifted a copy of the this book by the author. The rating and review are my opinion.
4.5 Stars!!!
Let me start by saying that I adored Mateo/Solo from the start! He was such a charismatic jerk and I can’t wait to get to know him better in the next books in the series. Now, it took me longer to warm up to Grant/Panther, mostly because he was buttoned up so much at the start, but it sure was fun watching Mateo get under his skin and rile him up. After meeting Grant’s father, I could see why he acted the way he did. Mateo and Grant had explosive chemistry and I loved seeing the fireworks go off in all their interactions.
Danger Zone was intense, fast-paced, with heart-pounding action and the evilest cliffhanger I’ve ever read, and that’s saying something considering Ms. Frank loves her cliffies, hahahahaha. As collabs go, this one was seamless. Brooke and Ella’s writing styles just mesh so well with each other that you can’t even tell who wrote what or whom. While I definitely recommend this book, if you’re not fond of cliffhangers, I suggest waiting until the series is done, because let me tell you waiting one month for the next one and then another one for the conclusion is sure to be hell. LOL
*** Copy provided for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***
Holy mother of cliffhangers !!!!
I know.. I know… I could have waited until all books are released, but did you read that blurb?? Right, so you see I had no choice but to jump into this one.
And I am glad I did, because, despite that major cliffy, it was pretty freaking good.
Oh, how I love me some badass alpha men, and Navy jet pilots.. sign me the hell up!!
Grant (call sign Panther) and Matteo (call sign Solo) were both accepted into The Elite. The most prestigious naval aviation academy in the world. Only the best of the best are attending and they will have to fight hard and give it their all to be nr.1.
Both come from completely different worlds and opposites in a lot of ways. Where Grant is a “by the book” and “follow the rules” kind of person, Matteo is more a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of man.
I absolutely loved both of them and the delicious slow burn had me on the edge of my seat…drooling.
Now if I could just get my grabby little hands on book 2, all would be awesome!!!
Thankfully the wait won’t be too long 😉
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review
Fuuuck!! What a ride!! To say I devoured it would be an understatement. I finished it in half a day!!!!
What is THAT ending?!! The authors are sooooo evil!! Mateo (Solo) and Grant (Panther) are scorching hot together.
The chemistry is sky high! Mateo is full of cocky swagger and his charming and devil-may-care attitude pushes all of Grant’s buttons. And Mateo can’t keep his eyes off Grant. I adored them both. Maybe Mateo a bit more. ( What can I say? He grows on you!)
The banter is top notch and who doesn’t love a good rivals to lovers book with some amazing UST sprinkled throughout? Also Mateo is the king of innuendo.
I loved how the pilots got their names, especially Gucci. That tidbit in the beginning is hilarious. I know this series is going to be one of my favourites!
Bloody hell! What a cliffhanger! I need the next book, like yesterday! Can’t wait for a month!!
If you love fighter pilots, scorching UST and explosive sexy times and awesome bestfriends, then what are you waiting for??
*ARC provided by the authors via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
OMG I was NOT expecting that ending!!! But seriously would I expect anything less from this duo?
I think fans of Top Gun would love this one. Its a great intro for the trilogy (which I believe Solo and Panther are the main couple for the series? but I might be wrong). This was such a fast read and of course I need the next one now lol. Super excited!
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
***5 Stars***
*Shoots a dark look at the authors and then sighs heavily*
Ladies, I love your minds and your words and I KNOW that this is just the start of the extremely smexy Solo and Panther…but seriously?!?
THAT is where you leave things.
UGH
Fine…I will deal…
*Takes another breath and prepares to dive into a very vague non spoilery review*
This baby was all KINDS of fun. I swear I had ‘Highway to the Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggins playing in my head the entire time because this book had all the goodness of Top Gun but with a hell of a lot more smexyness. I mean nuclear level smexy woven throughout the entire book and add in a whole slew of fun characters. And this baby was like crack. Putting it down simply wasn’t an option.
As this is book only the first of Solo and Panther’s journey ~ in more ways than one ~ Imma keep this part brief. I adored them both. They are, at their very cores, good, honorable men who have just the right amount of Alpha to make you all kinds of melty. Their journey, thus far, has been an interesting one and I found myself not favoring one over the other when things got rocky between them. They both have their way of dealing and it only upp’d the chemistry between them and made it quite easy to see how they could both be so much more.
As was quite obvious at the start of this book, the ending has me not so happy, BUT I trust these ladies and will #practicepatience. And I have to put this out there, but the info drop before things got started was all kinds of awesome. It definitely got me ready to dive into this book and meet a whole bunch of new characters that I cannot wait to hang out with again.
~ Copy provided by the authors & voluntarily reviewed ~
WOW is all I can say. This book was MAGNIFICENT!!! I fell in love with Panther and Solo from the very first chapter! You could feel their chemistry from a mile away. And Panthers frustration as well. Solo is a wild one and he fits perfectly with how cool and calm Panther is. I couldn’t give this book any less than 5 stars. And HOLY CLIFFHANGER! I am so so anxious to see what happens in the next book!
I loved this series from Ella Frank. Her stories are so wicked that you can not stop reading until the end. Love love it.
The series is another for authors Frank and Blaine. Get the Audible!
Aiden Snow and Christian Fox blow it out of the water in this book. Their performances are everything. This is such a great book and in diving right into the next one.
Cliffhangers are seriously going to be the death of me.
Be prepared to have book two on hand SERIOUSLY!
This trilogy at first really didn’t interest me. Not sure why but it didn’t. I must have read the blurb for this book 3 or 4 times before I took the plunge. Now I am a bit disappointed I waited because both Solo and Panther were delicious.
Mateo (Solo) got on my nerves for the first part of the book because he was a bit like a dog with a bone. Never letting up and while that did end up working in his favor something about it kind of bothered me. To be in the position he is in you would think that he would have a bit more respect. He is at the top of his game and he acts like it is all a joke. Saying that, I do think we will get more of his story in the next couple of books and it is going to be some sort of defense mechanism.
Grant (Panther) was perfection from the moment we meet him! He really stole my heart. All he wants is to get through the next ten weeks of his training so that he can prove to everyone he deserves to be where he is on his own merit and not because he is his father’s son. On top of that he isn’t “out” around base and that comes with its own set of issues.
Danger Zone felt more like a teaser of what was to come because it was a bit short sitting at a little over 200 pages. Now because of the cliffhanger and I can’t let anything go I am diving right in to Need for Speed. I hope with this next book we see Grant finally letting go of all the things he carries on his shoulders and Mateo ever the joker being the one to do that for Grant.
Exciting thrill ride with sky high tense ending
The book was exciting and evokes memories of Top Gun. You can almost hear the noise as the action sequences play out. The MCs Solo and Panther are compelling. I’d have liked a bit more background on Solo as there is clearly a story there but I guess we’ll get it later.
This is not a standalone book. It ends on a cliffhanger with the romance just beginning. So be ready to commit to the follow up books. I’m glad as I read this all the follow ups are out so I can binge them.
The story bogs down a bit in the middle as the back and forth gets a little redundant but overall it’s a fun read and definitely has me moving on to book two immediately.
So much hotness. Loved this story. The chemistry between Panther & Solo was off the charts. Outstanding Narration by Aiden Snow & Christian Fox.
So, I was expecting a cliffhanger, but wow and I am hanging!! First, I love Solo! He is a great character. He is so confident and he knows how to get under Panther’s skin. Panther is the typical straight-laced military guy you would probably stereotype, but then he is sooo much more. It was reminiscent of Top Gun, which I loved…and would love to have Maverick and Iceman get together on there too! Re-make should definitely happen with that story line! So ya, Solo would be Maverick and Iceman would be Panther. Let’s make this happen:) The audio of this book is phenomenal, and I knew it would be with two of my favorite narrators: Aiden Snow & Christian Fox. So, cannot wait for Need for Speed!!
This first book in the trilogy was hot and steamy as Mateo and Grant went from enemies to lovers in the speed of two weeks. The chemistry between the men was fantastic and the nerve wracking, heart stopping ending was absolutely a perfect cliff hanger!