They fought for their country. Now they fight for you. To find the people lost in the shadows, you need the men who live in them. The former soldiers of 11th Hour are unaffiliated, unacknowledged, and definitely illegal. They protect the innocent, destroy the guilty—and capture hearts along the way . . . Rugged, skilled, and hard-bodied, Jack King’s whole life was the Marines until an injury … King’s whole life was the Marines until an injury left him discharged from active duty. But he finds a new purpose when he’s recruited by a special unit that employs ex-military to do very special jobs. Yet he’s not impressed when his first assignment is babysitting the pretty, perfect daughter of a politician—especially when she’s far from the angel she appears to be . . .
Callie Hawthorne hates politics, and she hates playing the part of a senator’s goody two shoes daughter even more. It only gets worse when her father decides she needs a security detail 24/7—and the bodyguard happens to be the most insanely hot guy Callie’s ever seen. Still, she’s not going to be ordered around just because of some half-assed threat to her father. . . . But when it turns out her dad’s no angel either, Jack has to kidnap Callie in order to protect her. And as danger closes in, he’ll need all his considerable talents to keep them both alive. The greater challenge will be to keep his hands off her . . .
Praise for Jackie Ashenden’s Dirty for Me
“An intense scorcher of a story that is sure to delight fans and win her a legion of new devotees. . . . Unforgettable.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick
“Tension and heat pervade the frequent sex scenes . . . Readers will eagerly anticipate future installments in the series.” —Publishers Weekly
“Explosively sexy.” —Heroes & Heartbreakers
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“There was that wildness in her that called to the darkness in him.”
I first discovered this author because she was part of a group project with other authors called The Deacons of Bourbon Street. It was an MC Romance which is my favorite genre and what caused me to take a chance on some new authors. Of the four authors/books in the series, hers was my favorite. She’s convinced me of her talent and now I’m happy to read whatever subject she decides to tackle, I’ve not been disappointed so far.
What drew me to Jack was that he was so damaged, both physically and emotionally. His demons chased him through hell and they won’t leave him alone. Broken bad boys are my kryptonite, I can’t resist them. Jack is all buff and badass, scars and all. While they tend to scare most people, for some reason they don’t bother Callie. Actually, they are what made him interesting to her when she first saw him. She found him to be, “Horrifying and yet completely mesmerizing both at once.”
Jack was not thrilled with his new assignment to babysit the politician’s daughter, but he had to follow orders and prove himself to the team if he wanted to be part of the 11th Hour. He was surprised that such a tiny thing would stand up to him like she did. She did not want his protection and fought hard to get away from him. Seeing that fire in her made her even more attractive to him which was not something he wanted. But apparently, his body was resistant to following his orders too. It fought him just as hard as she did. “She didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t know that with each choice she made, she fed that beast and one day he wouldn’t be able to leash it.” That’s what I was waiting for, and I encouraged her to keep feeding that sexy beast!
When Jack determined that Callie wasn’t safe, he snatched her away from the danger, escaping to another location to evaluate the situation. Things are not as they appear and it’s important to learn who the players are if he wants to win the game. I really enjoyed the secrets and suspense of this new series. There’s still so much that hasn’t been revealed yet about the members of this covert team and I can’t wait to get to know the rest of them better. The line forms here…
4.5 stars
This story is intense. I went into it thinking it would be action packed and full of the hero and heroine getting themselves out of one scrape after another. Although that’s not what this story is, it is still a suspenseful story that wrapped me into knots.
The danger Callie faces is not the usual overt danger you would expect in a romantic suspense. Jackie Ashenden did a fantastic job of covering the danger Callie faced as well as bringing that overwhelming fear to the reader. That sense of fear was amplified once Jack’s story starts to come to light.
Jack and Callie have such an interesting chemistry. Their need to give each other love and comfort while also wanting to tear each other apart is torrid. I respect the angle the author took in explaining the feelings of the characters and why their particular sexual appetites are okay and even normal.
On top of the care the author took in revealing the pasts of both characters and their sexual proclivities, she also writes some of the most amazing steamy scenes. I cannot even explain how hot the scenes between Callie and Jack are…just amazing.
This is a fantastic start to a series. It really makes the reader want to learn more about the 11th Hour Group.
This review can also be found at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2018/11/16/raw-power-book-review/
RAW POWER is the first instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult 11th HOUR romantic suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for 11th Hour Security. This is former US Marine Jack King, and socialite Callie Hawthorne’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Callie and Jack) RAW POWER follows the building romance between former US Marine Jack King, and socialite/Senator’s daughter Callie Hawthorne. Hired to protect our story line heroine Jack King doesn’t want to babysit a spoiled socialite especially one who doesn’t seem to give a damn about her personal security. But an attempt against her, along with a number of hidden cameras found in her small apartment, find our heroine beginning to understand that Jack King is the least of her worries. What ensues is the building relationship between Jack and Callie, and the potential fall out when Callie’s life becomes fodder for the man in charge.
Callie Hawthorne has lived a life of sheltered abuse by a man whose public persona is matched by the evil that has become her life. Trying to get away places everyone, including Jack King, in danger, a danger she isn’t willing to risk for the man with whom she has fallen in love. Jack King is new to the personal security business, so new his first assignment goes all to h*ll when he isn’t willing to play by the rules in an effort to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love. No one, not even his new boss, is able to force Jack to give up on the woman he has been tasked to protect. Scarred both inside and out, our hero refuses to lose another soul to the evil that has followed him from most of his life.
The relationship between Callie and Jack begins acrimoniously. Callie comes across as a spoiled socialite, a role she has been groomed to perform from a very young age but a role she hides behind in the face of the truth at home. Jack’s immediate attraction to Callie is tempered by her willingness to place herself in a danger, a danger she believes comes from only one direction. The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. –Both Jack and Callie like it rough in the bedroom.
We are quickly introduced to the team at 11th Hour Security: Team leader Isiah Graham, Faith Beasley, Sabrina Leighton, former Navy SEAL Kellan Blake, and the money behind 11th Hour – the mysterious Mr. Night.
RAW POWER is an intense story line; a sexy, intriguing and spirited story of romantic suspense. The premise is edgy; the characters are sassy and energetic; the romance is provocative and dramatic.
Jake and Callie electrify readers with passion and determination in the first book of the brand new 11th Hour series.
The characters are strong, compelling and easily hook readers on their story as they struggle to find their way through a roller coaster of emotional turmoil and conflicts which continuously plague Jake and Callie. Not only do they have to find a way to get a handle on the situation but they fight an undeniable attraction that has them engaging in some hot and steamy embraces.
This story is fast paced and full of surprising twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats with danger and thrills. Jake’s unhappiness with the assignment adds to the confusion of the situation and he tries to determine just where the danger to Callie is coming from and when he does, he faces a couple of major decisions that will impact both his and Callie’s future which adds to the suspense and anticipation of the story, ensuring that readers want to know every last detail of this explosive relationship.
Jackie Ashenden has a gift for creating powerful, raw and thrilling stories that are full of enthralling characters that grab my attention and refuse to let go. She brings her worlds to electrifying life which makes it easy for readers to imagine each and every scene and feel as if they are part of the story taking place. I was completely caught up in Raw Power from the very beginning and I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series.
Jack King is a former Marine Recon. He was badly injured in a grenade blast that killed everyone except for him. He carries that guilt along with his sister’s Molly’s death around like a heavy stone around his neck. Jack’s life was the Marines until his discharge from active duty, he is now looking for a purpose and that comes in the form of a job offer from a special unit that employs ex-military to do jobs that other units can’t. Jack’s first assignment is “babysitting” a Senator’s daughter who does what she’s told. Boring and unimpressed is Jack’s thought….wrong!
Callie Hawthorne despises politics and the part of the perfect daughter she must play. Her father, the Senator, has assigned a 24/7 security detail to her because of so called death threats. Callie’s bodyguard turns out to be off the charts hot but she still won’t be ordered around and tattled on. When Jack finds out that the Senator is abusive to Callie, he looses it and decides to kidnap her in order to keep her safe. Danger in the form of the Senator and his security is closing in on them and orders from his boss is not to be ignored. Jack must use his expertise to keep them alive and while trying to do that he must face the greatest challenge of all. To keep his hands to himself and let her make her own choices.