“With plenty of suspense, plot twists and turns and the kind of fast-paced love story that will keep you on your toes, it’s exactly the kind of summer escape you’ve been craving.”—BookTribTo prove her father’s innocence, she’ll have to turn a killer’s sights on herselfWhen journalist Jessie Kegan’s father is accused of espionage and treason, Jessie has no doubt the man she looked up to her entire … espionage and treason, Jessie has no doubt the man she looked up to her entire life is innocent. Worse yet, before Colonel Kegan can stand trial, he’s found dead of a heart attack…but Jessie knows it was murder. Forcing down her grief, she’s determined to use her investigative skills and resources to clear her father’s name. But going after the truth means Jessie soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who wants that truth to stay buried with her father.
Protecting Jessie Kegan is a job bodyguard Brandon Garrett can’t refuse. Jessie isn’t just a client at Maximum Security—she’s the sister of his best friend, Danny, killed in Afghanistan. With dangerous forces gunning for Jessie from every angle, keeping her safe will mean keeping her close and Bran finds their mutual attraction growing, though being Danny’s sister puts Jessie out of bounds.
With their backs against the wall, Jessie and Bran will have to risk everything to expose her father’s killer—before his legacy dies with his daughter.
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This is an entertaining, well-written, steamy, romantic suspense novel. It is fast paced with likable, engaging characters, a strong and capable female protagonist, a hot, former military hero, suspense, action, intrigue, and a happily ever after ending. It can be easily read and enjoyed as a stand alone. The glimpses of the other characters from the previous entries in this series make it even better when read in order. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in Ms. Martin’s outstanding “Maximum Security” series with great anticipation.
I absolutely loved The Ultimate Betrayal by Kat Martin, the third book in the Maximum Security series. I could not out it down and I loved every page. Kat Martin has once again proven that she is an incredible storyteller. I love how the The Ultimate Betrayal is told from the perspective of several of the characters in the story, I love reading books where the story is told from different character’s viewpoints. I loved the characters in The Ultimate Betrayal, I especially loved catching up with the other characters in the series. The Ultimate Betrayal is the story of Brandon Garrett, retired special ops Army ranger and one of his best friend’s little sister, Jessie Kegan. Jessie arrives at the Max seeking Brandon’s help with getting to the bottom of her father’s death from a reported heart attack, that Jessie believes was murder. After her arrival, shots are fired into the Max. Brandon owes his life to Jessie’s brother, Danny who sacrificed his life for Brandon, so he will do anything to keep Jessie safe and discover what really happen to her father. Jessie familiarizes Brandon with the details of the charges that were brought against her father, Colonel John Kegan, for espionage and treason for stealing ammunition that was scheduled for destruction. Jessie and Brandon return to the site of the crime to investigate. While they continue to research and are stonewalled for details, someone is threatening their lives. Jessie is dealing with ghosts from her past and shares the specifics following Brandon’s disclosing how Danny saved his life. The more time Jessie and Brandon spend together the closer the become and begin a romantic relationship. Jessie is not comfortable with the means that Brandon uses to get information from a suspected terrorist. The Ultimate Betrayal is filled with all the usual plot twists and surprises that I have come to love and expect in a Kat Martin story, and I was not disappointed at all. Love that there was a couple of stories within the story. I loved every page of The Ultimate Betrayal, and was so sad when I was finished reading it. I could not put it down. I love that Jessie was able to prove her father’s innocence with Brandon’s help and that she came to understand the things that Brandon needed to do as part of his job. I was so happy that Jessie found a new family with Maximum Security. It was an incredible story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am looking forward to Reese’s story.
I enjoy romantic suspense and Kat Martin is one of my go-to authors. Even though I know there’s going to be a happy ending, it’s always a fun ride getting there. This ending came together a little rushed, but still a good read.
The author uses good English, a rarity these days. The plots are , well crafted, almost believable. Love her work.
Wow! What a fast paced, exciting, romantic roller coaster ride! “The Ultimate Betrayal” is definitely one of my favorites for 2021. It has great characters, a wonderful twisted plot and some great locations I now have on my list of places to visit! Kat Martin did her homework because the details in this book are wonderful…they add a richness to the story that makes it so powerful and believable. I could not put it down! Thank you so much to Harlequin Books for the privilege of reading this fascinating book! BTW this would make a killer TV series!
I liked this fast paced, action-packed book with the wonderful romance and a mystery to solve. The intensity keeps up throughout the book with more relaxed moments full of tenderness and empathy between Jessie and Bran. The adrenaline rush in the first chapter sets the tone and gets the two people together on a trajectory of finding out answers, while plenty of sexual tension heats up the pages. I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it for an entertaining read.
Finding herself the target of person or person’s unknown, Jessie Kegan goes to the person her brother said would always be there for her if he couldn’t be, Brandon Garrett, Her investigation into her father’s death has made someone or some organization want to silence her. Was her father murdered? Who is behind the attempts on Jessie’s, and now also Bran’s lives?
Their attraction to each other is almost instantaneous, but neither wants to admit the attraction since Bran was her brother’s best friend, and Jessie has issues due to an assault she suffered. When they decide to act on their attraction, it is with full consent of both parties, and pretty darn hot!
The twists and turns this book takes are fabulous. When we find out who the mastermind is, I have to say I didn’t even have that person as a suspect!! I’ve enjoyed the first two books in this series and can’t wait for the next one!
Kat Martin always delivers. Read this in one day
THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL by Kat Martin is third book of the Maximum Security series and it literally starts with a bang the moment journalist Jessie Kean steps into Brandon Garret’s office. Together, they find themselves in a deadly game of survival as they search the truth behind accusations of espionage and treason against Jessie’s father and his suspicious death. It is a race against time if Brandon want to expose Jessie’s father’s killers—before his legacy dies with his daughter. The suspenseful plot is fueled with heart-stopping action, with the danger lurking around corners, and with the twist and turns of the investigation. The heat between Bran and Jessie is steaming off the pages. THE ULTIMATE BETRYAL is an incredible thriller, and Kat Martin gives her readers an adventure they will never forget.
Another great book by Kat Martin!! The Ultimate Betrayal is another Maximum Security book, with Brandon Garrett’s story. Bran is helping his friend’s (Danny, best friend killed in Afghanistan) sister, Jessie Kegan prove her father’s innocence & that he was murdered (didn’t die by heart attack). This book has action, suspense, romance to get your interest as soon as you start reading it!! I love that Jessie is a strong & independent woman that refuses to give up and that Bran supports her. They’re trying to stay alive while working on getting the evidence they need to find out truth & falling in love at the same time. Jessie is also working on recovering from a personal trauma (no spoilers) that Bran is also very supportive of. This is just an amazing book that you won’t want to put down!! I highly recommend this book & series!!
Great book
A wildly entertaining, action-packed tale with explosive action, intrigue that keeps you on the edge, and ardent swoon-worthy romance that had me at the meet-cute… So far my favorite book in the series, it seems as the stories are getting more intense with each installment.
Jessie Kegan and Brandon Garrett had amazing chemistry and connection between them. Brandon is a smart, kind-hearted, considerate, protective warrior who can accept his limitations and asks for back up when needed, who appreciated Jessie’s abilities and treats her like an equal. Jessie is a smart, strong, capable woman who can hold her own yet doesn’t act recklessly, and knows when to lead and when to follow. I adored them together, they are a team, they got each other, and they communicate, they have difficult conversations, and share painful memories. There are tough times and dangers and threats they have to face, yet there isn’t unnecessary emotional drama, their life is traumatic enough right now.
All the multilayered, deadly action coming at Jessie and Brandon seemed at times a bit too much, yet the plot held all the strings well together. And when things started to unfold the virulence was tangible, like a fervent pulse beating on the pages, gripping the scenes, carrying on the twists and turns.
I’m rather enamored with this tale and I can not wait to get back to the exciting world of the Maximumx1b Security.
~ Five Spoons
Good read. I like that Martin takes me away from reality for a bit. I liked these characters and the plot. Always happy to see the others in the office too. Looking forward to reading the next installment.
The Ultimate Betrayal was a fast-paced, action-packed read with a fantastic romance.
After Jessie Kegan’s father is accused of espionage and treason, Jessie knows he’s innocent. But before he can clear his name, Colonel Kegan dies of a heart attack. Convinced her father was murdered, Jessie uses her skills as a journalist to begin digging into his case but her investigation attracts unwanted attention and soon Jessie finds herself the target of a killer. For protection, Jessie turns to bodyguard Brandon Garrett, her late brother’s best friend. To honor his promise to his friend, Bran will do whatever it takes to keep Jessie safe. With time running out to clear her father’s name before his killer catches up her, Jessie and Bran are in a race to find the truth before it’s too late.
The plot in this book was action-packed from the start with an attack on Jessie’s life in the very first chapter. From there, the action doesn’t let up. The case against Jessie’s father is that he stole munitions scheduled for destruction and sold them on the black market. Initially there’s very little to suggest Colonel Kegan is innocent outside of Jessie’s belief he is, but slowly over the course of the book Jessie and Bran uncover a huge conspiracy centered around the theft. There were a few surprises throughout the plot and the characters do run into a few dead-ends. Throughout the book there are several attempts on Jessie’s life which definitely kept the suspense up and kept you guessing on what would happen next. Overall I liked the way the investigation into the theft wrapped up with a solid final scene. I will say that after the main plot wraps up, there’s a minor plot that felt unnecessary and seemed to only be included to traumatize Jessie.
Jessie and Bran’s relationship starts out fairly slowly despite an obvious attraction on both sides. Bran doesn’t want to dishonor his friend by starting something with his sister that’s not likely to turn into something real whereas Jessie has issues being touched after she was previously sexually assaulted. I thought the author dealt well with Jessie’s issue being touched and Bran’s solution was incredibly sweet. The chemistry between the characters is fantastic and their relationship develops nicely after a few hiccups. One great thing about their relationship was how quickly they came to trust and respect one another. The friendship they developed was fantastic and I liked that they trusted each other to handle themselves in any situation.
Overall I really enjoyed The Ultimate Betrayal and I am looking forward to future installments in the series. I highly recommend this series if you’re looking for some great romantic suspense.
One of my favorite Kat Martin books. The action was non stop, plot twists were full of the non expected, the story was intriguing but believable. The characters were real and pulled you in each in their own way. There were the strong capable independent women Martin often creates and the number of sexy American hero alpha men didn’t hurt either. As stated, to me, this was the best of the Maximum Security series and one of my favorite Kat Martin books yet.
The Ultimate Betrayal by Kat Martin
Maximum Security #3
Brandon “Bran” Garrett likes what he sees when Jessie Keegan walks into his place of business and the interest Jessie has in Bran is intense, too. Bran is soon involved with helping Jessie try to clear her father’s name, find out who killed her father while he was in prison, following clues and doing his best to keep Jessie safe. This was a fast-paced, complicated, thrill ride from beginning to end.
What I liked:
* Jessie: dedicated, intelligent, seeker of truth and not afraid of a bit of trouble. She did have a backstory that had a big impact on her life. She deserves happiness and to find a family to replace the one she lost.
* Bran: ex-military, intense, lethal, and capable – in more ways than one. He is a good man who deserves happiness.
* The supporting characters – all of them – good men who end up with good women – eventually.
* Meeting Bran’s brothers – the relationship between the brothers is strong and they are there for one another
* The side story of Ty’s romance
* The intensity of the story
* The plot, story, and writing
* The twists and turns and complexity of the story
* The growth Jessie showed in a couple areas of her life
* That there were some good men despite the bad ones
* The way it all came together in the end.
What I did not like:
* The reminder that there are evil, ruthless, greedy people in all elements of society – not everyone in places of responsibility are trustworthy.
* Knowing that there really are people willing to harm others for reasons I don’t understand
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4.5 Stars
The Ultimate Betrayal by Kat Martin is the 3rd book in the Maximum Security series. Once again this author writes a book, that pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let loose until the very end. The chemistry between Bran and Jessie is certainly hot, as they fight their attraction to each other in the beginning. This book contains plenty of twists and turns, and I would certainly recommend it to others.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review
The Ultimate Betrayal, the third novel in Kat Martin’s Maximum Security series should be subtitled, “How to Write One Heck of an Addictive Romantic Suspense Novel,” because this novel starts off with a bang and never lets up, and it gets 5 enthusiastic stars from this reader.
As the novel opens, no sooner does Jessie Keagan race into the Maximum Security office in Dallas, Texas, when someone shoots out the windows, trying to kill her. She’s raced to the office to find help in the form of her late brother’s best friend, Brandon Garrett. She is in desperate need of protection, and she’s got one incredible story to back it up. First, she was kidnapped and sexually abused by her captor, a serial rapist and murderer (for 3 days, before she managed to escape). Then, her father, Colonel James Keagan, Commander of the U.S. Army Alamo Chemical Depot, was arrested, jailed and died there under mysterious circumstances, not long after discovering that tons of chemical weapons which were slated for destruction had disappeared, and the Army blamed him.
Jessie is a freelance journalist and knew her father was an honorable man–she believes he was scapegoated, framed and then murdered, and obviously, to her, whoever is responsible for the theft wants her silenced too. Since her brother, Danny, lost his life in Afghanistan while saving Brandon’s life, there is nothing he won’t do for her, and it doesn’t help that he’s wildly attracted to his best friend’s sister, but doesn’t feel right about his feelings of attraction because she is his best friend’s sister. And that’s just for starters.
This well-written, well-plotted, and deeply engrossing novel, with two fully-developed, likable characters, has more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco. There are multiple hit men out to kill Jessie, Jessie’s conviction that her beloved father would never have committed this horrible crime, as well as her conviction that he was murdered–but who is after her and why? The army found hidden assets in an offshore account, supposedly placed there by Jessie’s father, and she refuses to believe it. There are multiple threats from the military, multiple attempts at killing both Jessie and Brandon, a plane crash, secrets, lies and betrayals, and let’s not forget to mention that Jessie’s abductor is now out of jail on a technicality and is now stalking her, to finish what he started.
In addition to their search for the truth about how the chemical-filled warheads disappeared and who was responsible for it, who was responsible for killing Jessie’s father, the excitement and danger around every corner, the attraction between Jessie and Brandon leads to some really hot sex scenes. Although the attraction between these two characters is mutual and blossoms, Brandon isn’t a relationship type of guy, and having grown up in a military family, Jessie knows that she doesn’t want to tie herself to a military man, and yes, she has hang-ups caused by her 3 days with her abductor.
Be forewarned, there is also plenty of violence in this novel, as well as graphic sex, but if you’re looking for an gripping, action-packed, and emotional read with plenty of suspense, this novel provides it in spades. Although The Ultimate Betrayal is the third book in this series, it works just fine as a standalone, but I recommend reading this series in the order written, because it provides additional depth as to how Maximum Security came to be, and the men and women who have found a place within it. Quite simply, I found this novel impossible to put down, and I highly recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
This is such a good series!!!! 4.5 stars for The Ultimate Betrayal! It’s a fast paced and exciting romantic suspense!! Great story!! Never a dull moment for Brandon and Jessie! From the moment she asks him for help, it’s on. Their chemistry is so magnetic and they instantly have such a strong connection. I love all of their interactions and they make a really great team! Amidst the intensity of the situation, they develop a wonderful relationship, something neither thought could be possible. It isn’t always easy, but they navigate through it to find their HEA.
I enjoyed this 3rd book in this series very much and look forward to more!
Confession time, The Ultimate Betrayal is my first book from Kat Martin. After starting with bang, it slowed down a bit. That being said, about a third in things really started to pick up again.
I liked Jessie. She was tenacious and determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her father’s death. And what a tangled web of lies, deceit and corruption she uncovered. Thank goodness she had Bran to help keep her safe and unravel the mess she found herself in the middle of. And in the midst of all the danger they were facing was this simmering attraction and affection.
Not sure who to trust or exactly how deep the coverup went, it was a race against time and tyranny as Bran and Jessie put the pieces together. My heart was pounding as the final showdown took place. Talk about intense. I still feel winded after the way things played out. From start to finish, Jessie and Bran’s whirlwind romance kept me on my toes and waiting to see what would happen next. And that ending has me looking forward to see what is in store for the Max Security Team next.