When Ezra Fain joined the ranks of the CIA, the last thing on his mind was romance. After meeting Kim Solomon, it was difficult to think of anything else. A tragic mistake drove them apart, leaving him shattered and unable to forgive the woman he loved. But when his greatest enemy threatens her life, Ezra leaps into action, prepared to do anything to try to save her.Solo accepted long ago that … ago that she won’t get over Ezra. She’s worked for years to get back into his life, looking for any way to reignite the love they once shared. Unfortunately, nothing seems to penetrate the wall he has built between them. When she’s arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, she believes she’s on her own.
Racing across the globe, Ezra and Solo find themselves together again, caught in the crosshairs of the agency they sacrificed so much to serve. Days on the run soon turn to steamy nights, but Levi Green isn’t about to let them find their happily ever after. And when the smoke clears, the men and women of McKay-Taggart will never be the same again.
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Wow. I waited so long for Solo and Beck’s book and I was not disappointed! I LOVE this series and this book is high up among my favorites! A don’t miss by the amazing Lexi Blake.
I did enjoy this but I just can’t say I loved it. I adored the first 4 or 5 books in the original Masters and Mercenaries series, they had kink, passion, a story that didn’t drag and a fresh feel. Whilst I’m sure Lexi Blake fans will love No Love Lost, for me it didn’t bring anything new to the table.
It had great characters and plot twists galore, but those twists seemed to come out of nowhere. With a plot twist, I like to know there were clues and hints to it scatted throughout the story. This felt more like new facts or information was introduced to move the plot on, rather than revealed secrets where hindsight allows us to see the foreshadowing.
Pros
1 – It’s a second chance romance, which I’m a total sucker for.
2 – The story is well written, the characters had depth and were believable. Most of all was how convincing the emotions of the main protagonists were. Despite the con mentioned below, I could feel their emotions, they definitely felt authentic.
3 – Beck recognising his mistakes in the past, seeking help to change, and genuinely attoning for them.
Cons
1 – The huge amount of time this couple spent apart whilst supposedly being so madly in love and such utter soul mates they barely/didn’t have any other relationships in the meantime. They were together as a couple for about two years in their early/mid-20’s and then I’m meant to believe that all those many, many, many years later they are STILL in love with one another. Too much, sorry.
2 – The pace was too slow. There is a LOT of intrigue and plenty of twists but I felt like the actual relationship was going nowhere for far too long. At 75% we’d had a bit of spanking and a few, very basic sex scenes.
It’s really difficult for me to rate this because it is a good read but, for me, it’s also a fairly forgettable one. That’s partly due to the large number of books I read every week, many of them are forgotten, but it just didn’t have that edge to it that I needed. It’s still a good romantic suspense, but for a series that mentions BDSM clubs so much, there has been a noted absence of any significant kinky action in it.
Beck (Ezra) has a second chance with the woman he’s always loved. So he’s not going to screw up again and lose her. But first, he has to get her out of the mess she’s in, and protect her. Then they’ll talk, they’ll rehash things. That’s the plan at least, but we all know how plans have a way of going awry…
This series is crazy intense. The overarching plot is wrapped up sort of in No Love Lost, but of course there are always things going on, and it’s those things that really keep this series going. What I liked about this particular installment is the two leads feel so realistic in a world of spies and action, their emotions are what grounded them and made them real instead of hard core agents. Well, Kim is that, or was, but she, and Beck, are so well-drawn and layered and so damn interesting. I felt their emotions as they were feeling them, felt Kim’s anger at Beck for hurting her and betraying her more than once, felt Beck’s anger, even if he had it directed at the wrong person, and I felt their love. This is an excellent second chance romantic suspense.
I love a good misunderstood story! The heroine had to make some pretty tough choices that cost her, her husband and love of her life. No Love Lost is all about the journey for Kim and Beck’s lost love.
I don’t know what it is about a misjudged or misunderstood storyline, but I do love them. I think it’s more about the moment when the truth comes out and seeing the other party grovel to get back what they lost. That’s exactly what you get with Beck and Kim. I really loved seeing that transformation with Beck and how much his love grew for Kim after going through some really hellish years.
You also get to see all the lovely side characters from this whole series. This author has a pretty good sense of humor and it shows through most of these characters. I really enjoy this group and I’m extremely curious about other books that I know some of them come from. I believe it intertwines more than one series.
That may seem like you should read all books in order but I can say that I have read two books out of order and have had no issues piecing together what I need to enjoy each book as a standalone. If anything it has piqued my interest to read the other books.
5 Not Everything As It Seems Stars!!!
From the beginning of this series and with every book, I’ve wanted to get the entire story with Ezra and Solo and to have this be the last book in this amazing series, it’s totally been worth the wait!
Talk about a rollercoaster of a story. There’s so much tension and suspense with this book. More so than even the other books in my opinion. What they both thought was lost, has always been there below the surface and it takes something that happens to Solo to make him realize that his love for her might be able to be resuscitated because he knows she couldn’t do what she’s been accused of!!
I don’t want to give too much away with this review, but let’s just say, I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of this book. There’s twists and turns coming that I didn’t see happening and Ms. Blake has definitely ended this series with a boom!
I’m a huge fan of Lexi Blake’s paranormal/Urban Fantasy work. Those books have consistently been auto buys for me. With NO LOVE LOST, Blake’s romantic suspense series moves into that category as well.
I loved everything about NO LOVE LOST. After following Beck/Erza and Kim Solomon for numerous books I was more than ready to see these two finally fight for their love. Much like Sam and Alyssa in Suzanne Brockmann’s GONE TOO FAR, NO LOVE LOST delivers and does so with everything her fans have come to expect in The Forgotten Series. From Beck and Kim running for their lives to life changing secrets NO LOVE LOST is easily my favorite in Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries world.
I could fan girl all day about why I loved this book, but if you asked me to name one thing it would be the surprising depth to both Kim and Beck. Blake didn’t hold back as she led these characters on a heart wrenching journey that breaks them both down before they emerge stronger as individuals and devoted as a couple.
As I’ve come to expect, many of the M&M characters fill the pages of NO LOVE LOST. Blake has created, in Kim Solomon’s words, a kinky family, which pretty much hits the nail on the head. The sex scenes are sizzling as well but, more importantly, they are integral to the story, serving as a safe place for Beck and Kim to let the walls around their hearts down.
If this is your first Lexi Blake book I would say NO LOVE LOST can be read as a standalone, but I’d recommend starting (at a minimum) with Lost Hearts (Memento Mori) which is the first book in The Forgotten Series. If you’re someone who needs to start from the very beginning, check out Lexi Blake’s website for a complete reading order (www.lexiblake.net).
I received a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
This has been much anticipated book for me. I always thought Beck and Kim’s story would be intense and, boy! it certainly is. The tension does not relent from start to finish. Filled with fantastic plot twists, revelations and that wonderful mix of heart stopping and deeply passionate moments, No Love Lost is a worthy round up of the Lost Boys series, and I know we will get more, even if it’s a different team.
Lexi Blake has outdone herself with this book and I am trying hard not to spill any beans at all as this is a just such a good read that you deserve to experience it yourself! Fabulous!!
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
Ezra is at it again, trying to save Solo fro Levi Green. It has been 7 years since he has seen her but the love he feels for her is even stronger now. He has changed since the last time they saw each other, he has been through therapy, he is calmer now. He wants to try again with her.
She has kept several secrets from him for seven years, can they move past them and make a future together? Will Levi came back for her because he believes she is his? Can they stop Levi for good this time?
I love this series, it is filled with suspense, intrigue, a rogue CIA agent who has a God complex and wants to control his own army through mind control. McKay-Taggert has the Lost Boys who are the results of another doctor who thought she was God and she kept wiping their memories but they are slowly gaining them back.
So if you love suspenseful military stories with a love story twisted in it then this series is for you. I highly recommend it and I hope you love it too.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
4.5 stars–NO LOVE LOST is the fifth and final Instalment in Lexi Blake’s contemporary, adult MASTERS AND MERCENARIES: THE FORGOTTEN erotic, BDSM, romantic suspense series focusing on six former military soldiers (Jax, Dante, Sasha, Tucker, Owen, Robert and Ezra/Beck) whose minds and lives were eradicated and erased by a secret, unauthorized military experiment. This is former CIA operatives Kimberly ‘Solo’ Solomon, and Ezra Fain aka Beckett Kent’s story line. NO LOVE LOST should not be read as a stand alone as the story line has been building throughout the series. THE FORGOTTEN is a spin off from the author’s Masters and Mercenaries series; several characters from the aforementioned series as well as the Nights in Bliss, Colorado and Texas Sirens series cross over for familiarity.
NOTE: If you have not read Lexi Blake’s original Masters and Mercenaries series, their may be some confusion as it pertains to the Lost Boys and their backstory.
WARNING: There are some BDSM scenes as well as Dom/sub sexual scenarios.
SOME BACKGROUND: Several months (years) earlier, the mercenaries from the McKay-Taggart Black Ops group rescued, from an unauthorized military lab, run by Dr. Hope McDonald, six men they labelled the ‘Lost Boys’. With their memories wiped clean, no ID, and no traceable DNA, the Lost Boys were essentially ‘new born’ soldiers trained to kill and destroy. The Forgotten are their stories.
Told from third person perspectives, covering several years beyond the present, NO LOVE LOST focuses on the acrimonious and caustic relationship between former CIA operatives, former lovers, and the now divorced couple Kimberly ‘Solo’ Solomon, and Ezra Fain aka Beckett Kent. Divorced for years, our couple struggled with the reality that the fine line between love and hate goes a long way when Beck continues to blame Solo for the death of his brother but Levi Greene, a common enemy who has set his sights on our story line heroine, will pull Beck back into Kimberly’s life but in doing so Beck’s anger and pain would push her away one last time. Fast forward seven years wherein the team at McKay Taggart will discover Solo’s whereabouts but in doing so will inadvertently threaten everyone Kimberly loves. What ensues is the rebuilding but tempestuous on again, off again relationship between Beck and Kim, and the fall-out as too many lies and secrets, once again, threaten the fragile hold on trust and love .
Beckett Kent aka Ezra Fain is a man with a temper who lashes out at the woman he loves. Issues of trust, miscommunication, words said in anger and haste between the couple add fuel to an already simmering pain. As Solo struggles with her need for a man who pushes all of her buttons, the enemy is biding his time in an effort to destroy Beckett and Kim.
The relationship between Beckett and Kim is a second chance relationship that has been burned one too many times. Beckett blames Kim for the loss of his brother but it will be the secrets and lies that will push Becket over the edge. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense with some light BDSM, Dom/sub and spanking scenarios.
There is a large ensemble cast of familiar, colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including several of the author’s previously mentioned series. The timeline of NO LOVE LOST jumps approximately seven years wherein the author is setting the stage for her next spin off: Masters and Mercenaries-Reloaded.
NO LOVE LOST is the culmination of five interwoven storylines about The Forgotten-a group of men who lost their lives, their minds, their family and respect; a detailed story of family and friendships; betrayal and vengeance; secrets and lies; love, loss, and forgiveness. The premise is emotional and engaging; the romance is heart breaking yet seductive; the characters are struggling to find a place in the world.
I should not have doubted, I really shouldn’t have, because to me it seemed hopeless that the main characters could ever work out their troubles and be together. There was too much, too many hurts, too much damage. It did in fact all fall apart, that was inevitable, because no easy fix or solution would work, only time, effort, and dedication. Only then, could these two get their HEA, and boy, what a fight, what a journey, how hard it was to get there. But along the way, all the happiness there was as well. This is the final book in the series, so we get all our Lost Boys in their lives now. And I mean all, the stories and the future wrapped up for this generation, and hints of the futures for the next. Action packed, soul crushing, heart swelling, and pulse racing are a few things you’ll endure while reading this story. Infallible kings have vulnerabilities, hard and painful life lessons are learned, and bad guys get their ever so long overdue justice
I cried, I laughed, I sobbed, I giggled, and in the end, I was overjoyed that the friends I made along the way in this series got the lives they loved surrounded by people they adore. Simply, perfection!
5 Stars
The conclusion of The Forgotten series will have you on the edge of your seat (and reaching for a burst of caffeine when you realize you stayed up until sunrise) to devour every moment of Ezra and Solo’s story. This is a book fans have waited to get their hands on and Ms. Blake definitely did NOT disappoint! Throughout this intense, and suspenseful, adventure you will feel such powerful emotions as you bear witness to Ezra exposing his new, calmer, self to Kim. You will find yourself joining him in praying and hoping she can accept what he has to offer. You will also run a full range of feelings as you observe the changes Kim cycles through as she processes the many events that have taken place over the years. Overall, a conclusion to this series could not have been better!
Cara – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
They’ve been dancing around the elephant in the room in the last four books, now we finally get the story of Beck and Solo. True to the series, this story is full of drama, history, flashbacks, suspense, intrigue, emotion, a little animosity and a healthy dose of anger. These two have so much to try and work through, some stuff we couldn’t have even guessed. Once I started it, I fell right back into the MT world and found myself hanging on every word and totally engrossed. Another one of my must read series.
As a lover of all things Masters and Mercenaries (original series and The Forgotten), the story between Ezra Fain and Kim Solomon was a long time coming. These two have been battling it out through several books and they definitely need a resolution to all the hurt feelings between them so when No Love Lost was announced I was chomping at the bit. I wanted to see how Ms. Blake would put things to rights in the Beck~Solo world. The how is…. outrageously, fantastically brilliantly.
I don’t know how Lexi Blake continues to weave stories with twists and turns that are never stale, are never repeated. Each story is fresh and has a life of its own even when within a world 30+ books deep. She hits all of the points that make for a Blake M & M book: intrigue, suspense, sexy action, bullets flying action, and humor then layers on friendship and brotherhood, secrets revealed, jaw-dropping revelations, and then, of course, Ian (‘nough said there.)
If you’ve read The Forgotten this is the ending that you have been waiting for. Blake took her usual well-developed, fun story and kicked it up 5 notches. No Love Lost is everything readers have come to expect from Lexi Blake and a whole lot more.
Every inch of this book is bittersweet happiness. From the very start of the Lost Boys series’ it has been some of Lexi Blake’s best writing. No Love Lost was a culmination of years of hard work and carefully crafted plotting.
Her James Bond like suspense mixed with a high steamy factor has made this a favorite series of mine for almost a decade. The Forgotten branch of the Masters and Mercenaries series has truly brought me happiness like never before, interconnecting her other worlds, bringing us a wild ride that spreads joy to all of her fandoms.
From the very dedication I was choked up. The story captivated me from the beginning to end; filled with action, hotness, tear filled moments and lots of LOL moments as well.
Ezra/Beck Fain man have been the man who helped keep the Lost Boys together, but in doing so he lost his job working with the CIA. In his place a sinister man took over and Levi Green is like no other bad man the McKay-Taggart team ever took on before.
Levi is truly a sociopath that should make you wonder about the inner workings of Lexi’s mind…his long game is unlike anything I’ve ever read and his evilness is so brilliant…I do wonder if Lexi sits around and cackles while she’s plotting. His game has involved the Lost Boys and Beck is tired of playing considering Levi is fixated on his ex-wife, Kim Soloman.
Kim “Solo” Soloman can never seem to escape the one man who holds her heart. Beck Fain can never forgive her for the death of his brother and that mistake will forever be the anger that is a wedge between them…oh and Levi Green.
As long as he is breathing down their necks, creating a cycle of chaos, walking away from the man she loves will be the only possible solution from the tangle that is her life.
It all comes down to saving the world, saving each other, and saving the team. Can this all be achieved while setting aside past grievances and will Levi finally get what’s coming to him?
No Love Lost is the last in The Forgotten series, but for fans of this series, we may know that even as the characters are aging, they have also reproduced like rabbits, so fear not as there will be generations to come to carry on the world that Lexi has created.
5 Star Review of No Love Lost (Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten #5) by Lexi Blake
I have been waiting not so patiently for Ezra Fain and Kim (Solo) Soloman’s story and oh what a story it was. Have you ever anticipated a book so much, that you didn’t want to start reading because you knew that when it was finished the series would be ended? That is the position I found myself in reading No Love Lost.
For fear of accidentally letting something slip, this will be a brief review. All I will say is that this is Lexi Blake at her finest, she certainly saved the best for last. This was one heck of a roller coaster of a read and I admit to tears, so have the tissues on stand-by.
A fitting ending to what has been an amazing series. No Love Lost is a fast paced story filled with suspense, danger, intrigue and emotions that had me on the edge of my seat. Lexi Blake had me fully invested from the first chapter to the last and I highly recommend this book.
This book… THIS BOOK! How can one define this EPIC novel? I know Webster Dictionary has a strew of words, but to pick words that are jumbled in my brain to express how I’m feeling to convey that THIS IS THE BEST WRITTEN ENGULFING NOVEL… is just so hard!
These stories keep imbedding a little more into my heart; chipping away and becoming more at home within my soul. Ezra Fain (Beck) as we know him within the series, and Kimberley Solomon, who’ve I’ve wanted to known their history more, I fall in love with them and see their chemistry rise and fall… and Lord do I!!
Pretty sure my heart is ripped in shreds, then mended it in a span of hours. I’ve cried from the words that Beck has slewed toward Kimberley and then the massive twists had my jaw dropping to the floor. I don’t know if my soul will ever be okay again with a Masters & Mercenaries novel.
This romance is a one you won’t be able to put down for a second. Be ready for goosebumps, hair-raising anger moments, and heart-melting- swooning awwing scenes… God, I just LOVE this series so damn much. 100% emotion, feeling in every crevice of this book. Lexi has truly out done herself with No Love Lost.
I would love to see some books on the kids and when they all grow up and see who they date, then to see how their parents react! lol.
Buckle up! Readers are in for a wild ride.
I knew this was going to be a wild ride before I even started reading this story. How did I know? Because it’s Lexi Blake. Wow! This read was over-the-top super exciting!
Levi Green is at it again. He is the one guy everyone loves to hate. Especially the McKay-Taggart ensemble and the Lost Boys. He is especially a thorn in the side of Kim “Solo” Solomon and Beckett Kent. He is obsessed with Kim and that’s not at all a good thing. Readers get to see a lot of Kim and Beck with some really hot scenes and the readers get plenty of Kim and Beck’s nemesis Levi Green in the fifth book in the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten series, No Love Lost by Lexi Blake. The intrigue in this story is splendidly done. Ms Blake has a fast-paced plot with lots of action going on here. This author has outdone herself with this book. All the characters from the previous books in the series are back to play their parts in the intrigue. I loved getting to see them again and I also loved reading about all the antics of the McKay Taggart team kids.
Yes, Lexi Blake takes her readers on a wild, thrilling ride in this one!
OMG! Beck and Kim were so worth the wait! Their heartache felt so real. I was in tears as Kim worked out her own feelings about everyone. This book had so much depth. There was so much intrigue, and and the twist! We also had so much of the others too! Poor baby Tasha, Sweet little Roman, and all the other kids. Kala will rule the world one day. This family… I could read about them all the time!
With certain authors I know I am going to probably need tissues nearby when I read their stories. Usually with any story written by Lexi Blake, I yell, am incredulous when it comes to what she does to some of her characters, and in some cases, ready to throw the book across the room. In No Love Lost, Lexi Blake takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and her characters are along for the ride. Without giving anything away, buckle up and get ready for Solo and Ezra’s ride. Oh, make sure you have some tissues on hand.
The final book of the series about the Lost Boys. This is not a book to be read as a standalone. At least I don’t think it is. A lot of the information discussed has come from previous books in the series. I listened to the audiobook. I cannot imagine anyone other than Ryan West narrating the Masters and Mercenaries series.
Beck and Solo finally have to come to terms with their insecurities, anger, lies, secrets, relationship, and Levi Green. I think Solo should have spent some if her time in therapy. I did notice there was not nearly as much time spent at Sanctum as there was in the original series. Ian Taggert was his usual sarcastic, funny self.
This book is full of action, intrigue, mystery, and suspense. It did drag at some points, but I was fully invested in seeing this drama with Levi Green through to the end. The second chance romance became irritating because I was truly exhausted by Beck and Solo’s battle. I was glad to see it FINALLY end.
I still am not quick sure how the situation with Ezra leaving the office on his way back to Sanctum cane to be, or how it was resolved.
I am glad Taggert-McKay is moving on with a new book where Hutch gets the spotlight. Beck and Solo get their HEA, and all the Lost Boys issues are resolved, for now. 4.5 stars.