Need for Speed is the continuation of Solo and Panther’s story and should only be read after book one, Danger Zone.
They train to serve their country.
They strive to be the best.
But only a select few can be…
The Elite
***
MATEO MORGAN
CALL SIGN: SOLO
Reckless, 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 … 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 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?
more
REVIEW: 4.5 Fabulous Stars
“He was simply too beautiful and too good.”
OMGosh!! Again, way too damn short! I got wrapped up in this world and I read through so quickly that by the time I got to the end, I was left scrambling for more!! A blessing in disguise, for sure, but now I miss them!! Gimme more Solo and Panther!! Ella and Brooke have given me yet another couple and series to get lost in. I am absolutely, hands down, in love with them. Undeniably!!!
You know those kinds of books that reaffirm why you love reading. Why you love falling in love with love. Why you hide out and read books when you could be social with your family? This book and series is exactly why. It definitely provided a very necessary smile. A very warm snuggly feeling in my heart. Grant and Mateo are everything I needed at this very moment. The smile on my face the entire time I was reading was genuine and I am still smiling while thinking about them days later.
“Don’t you know by now? I’m the luckiest motherfucker around.”
I feel like this book actually showcased the budding friendship that grew outside of the physical attraction for Grant and Mateo. I giggled at the jokes and swooned at the looks passed between them in the quiet time, but I melted at the honesty in the acceptance of what the heart truly wanted and needed. The transition – the morph – from this hot and sexy, can’t-keep-their-hands-off-each-other attraction to something deeper, more meaningful, was bliss to read. Not only that, though. There was still this alpha side to them, this cajoling, this arrogance that you can only possess with confidence with this type of job that requires NO FEAR. Because you cannot be in the sky doing barrel rolls with niggling fear!! I loved the adrenaline rush I seemed to get while sitting in the cockpit with these guys. Once again, it was just a rush to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
—> To be able to descriptively make someone fall in love on a page has to be difficult – but to make a reader ‘realize it’ and feel it – that is simply amazing. I can’t imagine trying to share those feelings through words and having readers understand it….but they seem to excel at this with ease. I am blown away at how much I feel when I read their books. This was no different. I did feel it all. I did fall in love with the love that is their story. I just loved this one so much!!
I DO realize I’ll just be one of those glowing reviews that praises this duo and series, but it’s the truth – and thankfully subjective. There is just something about this duo’s voice that works for me and they always suck me in, give me a story I can get lost in, and ignore the outside world for. After being away from the reading world for a few weeks, this was the most welcome book I have come back to. I had put a few books down before this one thinking I wasn’t ready to focus on a book, but I’ve come to realize it was the voice I was reading, and not me. I love the ease in which they flip the switch in their books. I love the smooth layer of alpha sexiness they smother on their characters. But I love the way they tell me a story. I get so caught up in their words, and it’s always an escape. They’re quick and easy reads, but they pack a lot of emotion and entertainment.
This was definitely the reading experience I needed. No expectations, no requirements, just easy, great reading. The excitement, the giddiness, it was all there. It was just great being able to settle into a book and just enjoy it. I know many times in a book, let alone a second book in a series, we always expect something or want more or need more… but I love that I was able to settle into this one knowing I was going to come out with a good second part and accept that there was more coming, but not knowing what was to come – it was everything I needed from this book. Unmasked Joy and relevance – this book offered it all.
I actually liked this cliffhanger. It made me smile. I’m still smiling. But now the cravings start all over again….
“How did you stop your heart from falling over someone like that?”
~BEE
4.5 Stars
Book #2!
You NEED to have read book #1 to read this second one!
We start right where we left Solo & Panther in the first book.
Panther just had to eject out of his jet….
He survived relatively uninjured. Just a few very bad bruises.
And now the poor guy needs to be supervised for the next three days. And that’s a job for Solo.
He moves into Panther’s room to keep an eye on him. Lol!
And again Panther can’t resist Solo’s constant über-flirting and the guys become even closer than before…
But they still don’t want to be ‘out’ for the whole military world to see … and there’s a ball coming up. What to do??
I loved reading this second book. The two guys are just adorable. The whole fly-gang is adorable and hilarious.
This book was so sweet and funny and sunny and sexy and Top Gunny.
I can’t wait to see how their story will end next month!
No real cliff-hanging cliffy this time – more of an exciting and scary and sweet one!
Somehow, the second book is even better than the first! I love Panther and Solo in this book and seeing them finally open up and let the other in is amazing. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book! As always, these authors have created a must read series!
Oh my, my emotions are going crazy with these two. I adore the amazing feels the developing relationship brings out, I’m sure my heart stuttered several times throughout this book. I always believe that the feels/emotions of the first book cannot be maintained through a series but these two authors excel at making me become so invested in the relationship as they face each new challenge/change good or bad, I love their writing style and am always enthralled with the results. Panther and Solo are no exception and I’m so eager for the next book.
This is the second book in the Elite series and absolutely cannot be read as a standalone. We pick up right where the first book ended and I heaved a huge sigh of relief because you know how Danger Zone ended.
Panther and Solo are scorching hot together. Sexual frustration, thy name is Solo! Poor guy ’cause Panther kept teasing him! I love them so much. This book is so full of feels and they are simply adorable.
Also I loved the whole gang. Their banter and snark is on point and Houdini is so whipped for Whiplash!
Obviously this ends in a cliffhanger and this time I was expecting it. It is better than the previous one though. Yes, I can’t wait to read the next book but also I’m really happy about the ending!!
This series is highly recommended!! Mateo and Grant are perfect together. What are you guys waiting for???
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
I have been a fan of Solo and Panther since I started the first book and fell in love with their flirtiness. What I didn’t love about the first book was that huge cliffy I was left with. Thankfully though, the wait wasn’t too long and this one picked up right where the first book left us.
One thing is for sure though… Panther and Solo were as shocked by that cliffhanger as I was and they are both coming to terms that maybe there is more to life than just being a fighter pilot and being the best.
Especially Panther is struggling with what’s most important to him. Feelings are blossoming and for the first time in his life…something…or rather someone…might be more important to him than flying (and trying to please his father…
They will need to figure out where they are going from here. It is clear as day for both of them that this not just “hooking-up” anymore. They are still competitors at one of the most prestigious aviation academies, and at the end of their training, they will probably be sent separate ways.
These boys will need to figure what is most important to them… being the best and fulfilling their lifelong dreams… or love..
I really loved seeing these two getting closer and closer and admitting to themselves, and each other, that their feelings had grown… They did not beat around the bush about it, and that was very refreshing. The “steamy” scenes were definitely delicious as I am used to by these authors, but I also loved that their “caring” for one another was starting to show as well…
I do however wish that this book would have been longer and I wasn’t left with yet another cliffhanger!!! I want to know what happens next !!
I myself am more of a fan of big books than a series of shorter ones, but I think that’s just a personal preference. Let’s just hope that the wait will be a fast one 😉
ARC kindly provided in change for an honest review.
No! Aww. Gah! Oh. Hmm? Eeek! Grrrrrrr. Gasp. Yes!
These are just some of the many sounds that I made while eating up the second book in Brooke Blaine and Ella Franks Elite Series, Need for Speed. *Note if you haven’t read the first book, Danger Zone, then you may find this review spoiler-ish.
When we finished Danger Zone, Panthers jet had crashed into the water, leaving us with a big cliffhanger. Quickly in Need for Speed, we find that Panther has, thankfully, survived the crash mostly unscathed. But if we thought Solo would be crying beside, we were wrong.
As we dig deeper into the men’s relationship, I grow more and more in love with them. I was in knots over Solo and his insecurity. Panther realizing his feelings are more than casual in the scene at the rock bluffs gave me tingles to the tips of my toes. Of course, what would the ending be if it didn’t leave us guessing, but let me tell you it’s so so so good.
I know I say it every time these two authors get together to write books, but man, I hope they never stop. I’m usually a hater of cliffhangers and trilogies, but I’d wait for years to read M/M from these authors. Another amazing read!
Now we’ve got ourselves a story! LOL If you read my review for Danger Zone you’ll see I was kinda unimpressed with the progression on the story or better put, the substance in the book, thus far. Well the story has taken flight kids (no pun intended lol)!
I loved this segment/portion/installment (whatever you want to call it) on Panther and Solo’s journey! There’s emotion and feelings and we truly begin to feel their connection. They’ve both been career oriented in the past but they’re starting to see their futures in a different light because of each other. The story is turning out to be quite the page-turner for me and I can’t wait to find out what’s in store for us in Classified!
After a [literally] explosive intro in Danger Zone and a gobsmacking cliffhanger, in this second instalment we get into the minds of Panther and Solo and see what they’re beginning to mean to each other. Their jobs were their first priority for both guys, for different reasons, and they lived and breathed being a fighter pilot but now, things have begun to change, and they realise that there’s maybe more to life than their careers. This is no easy relationship and here we get to see them wrestle and also submit and that is the part that I enjoyed most about the book; two strong alpha males showing that they have so much feeling and emotion bubbling underneath the bravado. The chemistry is explosive, and feelings are changing and I’m really curious to see how this plays out in the final book.
Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR to OMG Reads for an honest and unbiased review.
Mateo and Grant aka Solo and Panther
It took a few weeks but finally, they can go back up in the air.
Panther’s strong body recovered fast, Solo was like a shadow right beside him to help.
He’s even the wise guy who helps Panther through his fear.
The crash did bring them closer.
When there is another competition in the air Panther has to fly against the one big man who always pushed him hard, harder, hardest.
There’s a ball coming and date is needed, a date with Solo would be everything, still impossible.
Panther’s feelings are changing, he’s afraid to speak out, afraid to be alone in it.
Dang, I loved this one, contrary to part one this had all the emotional feelings.
Solo shows more and more his real face and Panther is losing his mind without Solo.
I waited for the moment and when it finally arrived it was beautiful, the real Solo, always holding the world at arm-length. Lonely, hurt and vulnerable. He got through an awful traumatic time.
All the bodily reactions were deliciously and vividly described, every move they made was easy to follow and easy to visualize. Most of the time there is no sweet talk, maybe a tiny bit but this was quickly overruled by big-mouthed dirty talk.
Oh boy, the intensity was scorching and reaching sky high.
From hard, tough and fast their sexual encounter turned softer, slower, attentive and even loving. Panther can’t believe or hope this stunning bad boy feels the same.
The story is energetically and forcefully written, at a fast pace. The whole fight-flight scenery was original, attractive and thrilling, the secondary characters were present on the background, for me most ideal, I love it when the main characters are in the big spotlight and there’s little distraction from others.
I can’t wait for the final installment!
Need For Speed is book two in the wildly popular The Elite Series by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine! I am loving every minute I read it!! In book one, Danger Zone, we meet two naval fighter pilots who are competing at the highest level there is. Both want to win and are laser focused to do that. But when these two collide? Fireworks! Everything we have come to know about these two ramps up a notch in Need For Speed!
Book two continues from book one, so you do need to read them in order. Grant survives a life changing experience, and he is re-evaluating the choices he made throughout his life. He knows he can’t ever go back to the way it was before-not without Mateo, but there is consequences to make that jump too. Is everything worth it??
Mateo and Grant are well on their way to a love that can not be denied-but they both are struggling. This was unexpected and they are trying to reconcile everything they are feeling. Uncharted territory for each of them! I enjoyed seeing them work through their issues. Is it easy? No, but they do seem to agree it will be worth it in the end. I am rooting for them to find their way!
There is one more book, Classified, in the series and I can not wait to get my grubby little hands on it! These two had me from the start! They are magnetic as a couple and sizzling hot to boot! I can only imagine how spectacular the wrap up will be!!
I was gifted a copy of this book by the author. The review and rating is my opinion.
5 Stars!
I was a tad wary to read this installment after the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, which you absolutely need to read before Need for Speed, but despite the minor heart attack (mine) at the start of the book, it was all I could have asked for and more.
I loved Mateo and Grant and it was amazing seeing their relationship grow into something more. Their chemistry really is out of this world and I can’t wait to find out what else Ella and Brooke have in store for them (and us!) in the last installment in the series.
Overall, this was a thrilling, sexy, fun read! This is my favorite book in the series so far, and even if it ends on a cliffhanger, it’s one I can live with for the month until Classified comes out. Super recommendable!
*** Copy provided for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***
Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine together are marvelous writers. I can’t express enough how much I love all their books written together. Thank you ladies!
Loved diving deeper into this story with Panther and Solo. The narration is perfection. There is so much passion and intensity between these two. I just can’t get enough of them. I’m ready for the next book.
Again, with the ending ladies?? You are KILLING me!
I say that but OMG it was totally worth it.
Need for Speed picks up two days after Danger Zone ended and we find Grant alive after having to eject from the plane before it crashed into the ocean. After getting the low down on what happened there is only one person he wants to see and that is Solo, but he is nowhere to be found. When Solo finally shows up at the hospital Panther can’t help but wonder where he has been and why he hasn’t been up there to see him before now.
Solo is happy to see Panther awake even if he does look a little worse for wear. When he thinks of how he could have lost Grant in the exact same way he lost his brother it brought back feelings that Mateo is not ready to confront especially his feelings towards Grant. When Solo takes on the role of caretaker for Panther until he can do so on his own that is when things start to shift between them. It is no longer just fun what they are doing it is turning to something real.
You really see Panther and Solo’s relationship start to grow in this book and one thing that I thoroughly enjoyed was they never had some huge fight about their feelings. They talked it out and shared with one another. Yes, I realize that sometimes that happens but other times it is nice to just see a couple grow into something magical and I felt that here. Really excited to see how their story is going to end.
Loved this second chapter, can’t wait for the third
This second book in the series grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go. Lots of emotion, lots of ways to really grab on to these characters. You really want to root for them to get their HEA. I am so psyched for the final book and despite it being 4:00 am I am starting it right now! Great cliffhanger ending here that I can’t wait to get to the other side of!
Panther and Solo are back in this installment and it is all about the feels. First, Ella had left us completely hanging at the end of the book 1, so I had to see what happened even prior to fully reading this story. Edge of your seat reading for sure. So this book picks up immediately where book 1 left off. This book follows Panther and Solo through the murky waters of feelings, and what their feelings for each other are evolving into. I really loved this book. More than book 1. I liked reading how confused they were and how they each on their own came to terms with their feelings. This one ends on a less exciting cliff, but a cliff nonetheless. I am eager to finish this series, as this one was great, and I believe the next will be just as good. Aiden Snow & Christian Fox are amazing on these narrations. I could listen to them all day!!
Book 2 delivered! Panther & Solo are so smoking. Their chemistry rocked my world. Amazing Narration by Christian Fox & Aiden Snow.
In this second book of the trilogy, these two men started to become Mateo and Grant and not just their call signs. Through healing, they grew closer and now I cannot wait to see what they have to go through in the last book of the trilogy to get to their happily ever after.
For the first time, Panther is questioning his future. Rattled by his accident, he seems ready to truly live his own life.
Witnessing the accident, Solo is afraid of losing someone again.
Can they live their lives together and still have their careers.