Star Investigations (The Jackie Star Collection Book 2)

Total Control

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With secrets of her own, Sabrina knew that to get involved with Kellan potentially meant a broken heart-a heart she had already lost to the man who only saw Sabrina as a friend, and nothing more. Kellan Blake refused to believe that the man that he loved, his father, was involved in the things of which the 11th Hour Team had accused.

With secrets of his own Kellan and Sabrina return to their childhood home, only to come face to face with the dysfunction within. The relationship between Sabrina and Kellan is a friends to lovers romance that is doomed to fail as secrets and ghosts from the past continue to loom over our leading couple. The premise is engaging; the romance is spicy; the characters are dynamic and energetic. Copy supplied by Netgalley. Jul 21, Helen rated it it was amazing. Kellan is an ex SEAL after being injured and given a release from them, he now works for semi legal 11th Hour group doing what he does best catching the bad guys, but when he is told to check out his own father he is not happy and is determined to prove his boss Jacob Night wrong, and he is not happy either that they are teaming him up with Sabrina who has been his best friend forever to help with the mission, emotions are going to run riot on this mission.

This story takes us on a very sensual and rocky road to a beautiful HEA Kellan is strong and a little bit alpha whereas Sabrina is stubborn, feisty and a little vulnerable and yes they have been best friends forever but Sabrina has loved Kellan for many years and is scared to open up to him and as for Kellan when he finally realizes that he does love Sabrina explosions happen.

Kellan gorgeous fabulous hero and Sabrina beautiful and so very caring are made for each other and MS Ashenden you have left this reader very happy. Jul 01, Ayekah rated it it was amazing. Another great story from Jackie, I'm loving the new series already. The 11th hour group is made up of primarly ex military personnel with a few exceptions, based on their skills and talents.

The group is run by a man called Night. He's elusive, no traceable history and serves to correct all wrongs to rights. His father was career military and Kellan seems to think the man walks on wa Another great story from Jackie, I'm loving the new series already.

His father was career military and Kellan seems to think the man walks on water. So is surprised to say the least when their next assignment concerns his father and a group of higher ups and wealthy men funneling guns for money into Central America. Guns that are being used to kill innocent people. Briana is the computer whiz with a genius IQ who grew up with Kellan and has always had a thing for him. When Kellan blows his cork about his father's innocence and refuses to take part he feels the need to speak for Bree too and Bree gets angry.

Bree knows things about the family he doesn't know. Things she promised his mother she'd protect him from. All these years later, she's still doing that. She also doesn't believe his father is innocent.

When Kellan finally agrees to join in thinking he's going to prove his father innocent, but he'll accept whatever he finds, he and Bree make a trip back to NY as a couple. Not received well by either parent because even though they raised her after her father left her there in their care, she's never been a part of the family. What really struck me was that Kellan never caught on until Bree finally pointed it out and things slowly dawned on him, along with watching the way his parents treated her.

The suspense in this book was stellar and Jackie's writing was perfect. Character driven with a great plot, who could ask for more. I loved Bree, Kellan was a little hard to take at times, even on a good day but he fit his role so well. As we watch this story unfold the twists just get better and better and I can't wait for the next book! May 31, Christina rated it really liked it.

I can't stop looking at the cover. Kellan is a member of the 11th Hour. The team of ex-military who still protect civilians even though they no longer serve their branch. Kellan has been hit over the head, because the next mission assignment couldn't really be happening, right?

He's just learned that the man he's idolized his entire life could be behind an legal arms ring. And there's no way he's gonna let someone else investigate t Mmmmmmmmm. And there's no way he's gonna let someone else investigate this, because he's determined to prove his boss wrong. Sabrina is Kellan's best friend and although not ex-military, works with the 11th Hour Team. She's also been in love with Kellan since she was ten years old. After her mother died and father left her, Kellan's family made her a part of the family.

At least that's what everyone thinks. Truth be told, she hasn't really felt like part of the family. And now with this new mission, the past is rearing it's ugly head. I'm in love with this couple. The mission takes on a whole new meaning when these two are forced to lie to Kellan's parents, stating they're engaged. Having to "act" the role forced Kellan to finally see Sabrina in a different light. And boy oh boy, the sparks don't just fly, they soar!!! The tension of the mission also brings up the past for both characters. Each one having to come to terms with it in order to move forward.

I'm dyin' ova here!!!!!!!!!!! But I must say that Kellan frustrated me. While I'm aware that all the members of 11th Hour are ex-military and most likely have demons chasing them, I wanted him to have more confidence and cockiness than he did. I guess having the mission focused on his family took the wind out of his sails and put him on the defensive rather than the offensive much of the time.

H "Those terrible, beautiful words. His internal dialogue kept me in touch with his thoughts and feelings and is responsible for me wanting to throw my Kindle at him to wake him up. Sabrina is the character I was most interested in getting to know. I love techies and her being a hacker was very intriguing for me. And of course, her having been secretly in love with her best friend since she was 10 yrs old had my romantic heart yearning for her HEA. She also shared her thoughts and feelings with me, so I knew the damage she was battling. No wonder she never let him know how she felt, the risk of losing him as a friend was too much.

She'd rather have part of him than none at all if he didn't return her feelings. But how was she supposed to convince him she was only pretending to love him as she posed as his fiance? How was she supposed to touch and kiss him and then walk away as if it never happened? What I liked most about Sabrina was that even though she was used to working behind the scenes, hidden behind her laptop, she still has some sass when her buttons get pushed.

And nobody can push her buttons better than her best friend who holds her secrets and her heart. I loved it when she got mad enough to stand up for herself and tell him off. The sparks flew and I just waited for them to catch fire. Waited for him to wake up and see what he was missing, regarding his family and his friend. But never fear, I've never read a book by this author that wasn't hot as hell and this one is no exception.

She can write a sex scene like nobody's business and never disappoints between the sheets, in the alley or against a wall. Jun 21, Eva Millien rated it really liked it. I just went on another thrilling mission for the 11th Hour team. Kellan and Sabrina are strong characters that easily grabbed my attention and I just had to find out what happened between these two because for them achieving their happily ever after is a heart tugging, soul wrenching journey that was anything but smooth or easy.

Blin I just went on another thrilling mission for the 11th Hour team. The fast paced and thrilling story keeps the adrenaline pumping and the suspense building throughout the story as Kellan and Sabrina go to some elaborate lengths to get at the truth, but there undercover game adds to the tension of their relationship as it starts to change the dynamics of their long standing friendship, so there was never a dull moment to be found.

The second book in the 11th Hour series is quite an emotionally explosive but sexy and daring story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The best friends turning into lovers for this couple was filled with intense emotions and electrifying chemistry that I could practically feel as they poured from the pages. Kellan lost his way a little too much after discovering that he was seeing his best friend Sabrina as more than just his friend.

Sabrina was a good strong character and did not back down from either getting her task down or from Kellan's sudden change with the way he was treating her. She just had a little wobble at the end where Kellan had to 'man-up' and chase for what he really wanted from Sabrina. There are certainly a few twists and turns in the story, but nothing that i had not already seen coming but we did get a good HEA. Can't wait to see what happens next, but i am guessing that the next story in the series goes to Jacob Night and Faith.

Jun 25, Heather rated it really liked it. This was a change up from the other books I've read by this author and it was a home run for me! I loved the inner struggle that Kellan had in dealing with the mission and his family. My heart broke for Bree and how she was treated as such an outcast by Kellan's family. Being in love with Kellan for years, only to have him think of her as nothing more than a friend was heartbreaking for her. Then being forced to pretend to be his fake fiance? How much more do we want to her this girl?

I don't think the situation with Kellan's dad was ever resolved. Can we please get Jacob's Knight's story? And why is he carrying at picture around? Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author.. They are best friends but Kellan never knew that Sabrina has loved him for years. Now they are assigned to work together on a new assignment he figures out that he also has some feelings for her after she admitted her feelings and also when her life is put in danger while he is trying to get information to prove his father's innocence and her to prove that he is guilty.

But nothi Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author.. But nothing goes as planned, why? Jun 23, Donna Repsher rated it it was amazing. Well, Jackie Ashenden has outdone herself again in this second novel in her 11th Hour series, which features a fascinating cast of characters, brought together by the shadowy Jacob North to carry out his assignments.

Many of the 11th Hour team are former military, mercenaries and black ops, with at least one notable exception, Sabrina, their resident computer geek, and Kellan Blake, her best friend, who was forced to leave the military after a helicopter crash that left him badly burned. This no Well, Jackie Ashenden has outdone herself again in this second novel in her 11th Hour series, which features a fascinating cast of characters, brought together by the shadowy Jacob North to carry out his assignments.

This novel is their story and it gets a 5-star rating from this reader. Sabrina lost her mother and brothers in a car accident when she was quite young. Her father didn't take it well but he eventually took a job as a gardener for the wealthy and influential Blake family at their estate in Southhampton, which is where she first met Kellan. When her father wandered off one day and never returned, the Blake family took her in, and she and Kellan became best friends, with Kellan now considering her a member of his family, sort of an adopted little sister, but he never noticed that his snooty parents didn't see or treat her like family at all.

Sabrina was well aware that his parents, by word and deed, considered her anything but family. It's this dichotomy of perceived roles, and Kellan's misconceptions about Sabrina, his loyalty to his family, and his protectiveness of Sabrina, form the emotional backdrop for their relationship and for this novel. All Kellan knew and believed was that she was his best friend, the person he could confide in, someone who always had his back, and someone who he could rely on.

But there are secrets and lies in the Blake family, and both Sabrina and Kellan manage to keep those secrets well concealed into adulthood. When Kellan joined 11th Hour, Sabrina's computer skills and expertise as a hacker were both noticed and needed, and so she followed him into the organization. Secretly, on her part, she'd follow him anywhere, having been in love with him since age 10, when they first met. North gives them their latest assignment, Kellan is beyond outraged.

Kellan is beyond shocked to learn that his father, who he idolizes, is suspected of selling arms to South American drug cartels, and he's ready to prove that those suspicions are completely unfounded. When Sabrina is also assigned to this mission because they will need to use her hacking skills to get into the elder Blake's encrypted computer files, Kellan does everything he can to keep her out of it--and fails.

Their plan is to show up at the family estate to announce their engagement, and while there, gain access to Phillip Blake's locked office, his computer and his safe. Kellan believes in his father's innocence, while Sabrina expects that Kellan is in for a rude awakening. It's while preparing for the visit to his family home that Sabrina and Kellan have to practice their act as an engaged couple so that his family will believe it, and this is when Kellan finally begins to see Sabrina as something more than just his best friend, but rather than being pleased that he's finally noticed her as a woman, Sabrina is secretly outraged by the fact that it's taken all these years for him to finally realize that.

Not only is she a woman, she's a woman with a secret she must keep, one that will change their relationship forever. What she doesn't know, is that Kellan is also keeping a deep, dark secret from her. As these two try to find a way to complete their assignment, their pretend relationship turns physical, something which Sabrina has both dreamed of and feared. She'd rather remain his best friend forever than risk losing him after their affair by being seen as simply another one of his lovers, one of whom his parents would never approve. Kellan is still wearing blinders where his family's opinion of Sabrina is concerned, but his parents reaction to the news of his engagement to her is what begins to remove the blinders he's been wearing for years.

As the clues mount up, so does the tension, and so does their sexual relationship.

Jackie Ashenden certainly knows how to ramp up the heat between her characters to incendiary levels, as well as drawing the reader into their emotional and angst-driven relationship, so much so, that she once again had this reader in tears. Once the skeletons in the Blake family closet have been revealed, and in the aftermath of all that led to these revelations, this riveting novel takes a surprising turn, one that eventually leads to an HEA ending, but not in any way that I'd expected, and I absolutely loved the way in which Ms.

Just when you think Ms. Ashenden has dotted all her "i's" and crossed all her "t's", she leaves us with a startling revelation about the next novel in this series, due out in late fall, and it can't get here soon enough for this reader. I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. She returned to London and in , when she was 23, she married Wallace Austin, a wealthy clothing manufacturer. He was a manic depressive and drug addict. Following the birth of their daughter, Jackie Collins discovered that her husband was addicted to methadone. She began divorce proceedings in , and the following year Austin committed suicide by taking an overdose of barbiturates.

Her publishers, WH Allen, urged her to remove all the four-letter words to prevent the novel from being banned. In contrast to the rampant promiscuity in her novels, her home life remained remarkably incident-free. After the success of her debut novel, in she married Oscar Lerman, owner of the Tramp nightclub in London, whom she met on a blind date. They had two daughters. The Jackie Collins fiction factory began in earnest with her second novel, The Stud , and continued throughout the s.

Despite having to invent ever more lurid plots, her output was consistent, and she produced a novel roughly every two years. In the Collins sisters collaborated for the first time, on the film version of The Stud. Although it flopped badly, the producers felt sufficiently confident to invest in the sequel, The Bitch, also starring Joan Collins.

This, too, was a box office failure.

Introduction

Disappointed, and perhaps inspired by one of her own characters, Jackie Collins determined to retain total control of production on her next film, The World is Full of Married Men In the s she attained the kind of fame usually associated with film stars. Yet by the lates her daily routine was more like that of a corporate executive than a novelist. As the decade ended she was simultaneously acting as a consultant on the planned film of her book Rock Star, producing two six-hour miniseries of her novels Chances, Lucky and Lady Boss, and planning a further novel Hollywood Kids.

In later life she moved into a mansion in Beverly Hills where she wrote all her books in longhand with a black felt-tip pen. Her marriage to Oscar Lerman lasted 27 years until his death in She later became engaged to a businessman, Frank Calcagnini, who died in Although diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer some six years ago, since when she had written five further books, she only recently revealed her illness to Joan, according to one account, keeping it from her to avoid burdening her sister. Jackie Collins is survived by her three daughters.

Jackie Collins - her life Born the middle child of Joe Collins, a showbusiness manager, and wife Elsa, in north-west London on October 4 Expelled from Francis Holland School for playing truant and approaching resident flasher with the words: Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. All she wants to do is mind her own business, enjoy her new friends, and stay safe. This is book 2 in the Nora Jacobs series and should be read after book 1. It is a slow burn reverse harem series. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about Don't Cheat Me , please sign up. When is the release date? See all 7 questions about Don't Cheat Me…. Lists with This Book. May 22, Sh3lly grumpybookgrrrl rated it it was ok Shelves: I believe this had some of the second book syndrome going on. Nora gets caught up in a werewolf mystery and helps a pack figure out who is stealing from them. She meets Wulf's brother, Rook, who falls for her. I feel this story was victim to many tropes that were also there in the first book, but here seemed to stand glaringly out. All the guys seem so possessive, you can't imagine them sharing.

Jackie Collins, author - obituary

There are kisses, but they are interrupted by Nora's damaged past creeping in to ruin the moment. Anytime she has a "moment" with one of the guys, she thinks it's her super-special "allure" and doesn't think it's legitimate. I have no idea still who is going to be part of the harem. The very ending made it seem like things would maybe start to progress, but it ended suddenly and was rushed.

I wanted more troll Terrance. Wulf was a nice addition. It wasn't horrible, but fairly weak compared to book 1. I hope book 3 shows more development and is less tropey. View all 7 comments. I got swept away with the excitement of the BR perhaps my hopes were too high, the harem had such potential and I was so looking forward to more troll action! You don't get many trolls in the PNR world so it was a nice change In saying that I will probably pick up book 3 in the hopes this was a casualty of the book 2 curse disspointed.

Im so over these heroines in general View all 3 comments. But I loved Rook. PG on the romance. Loved that there was more Rook in this. I am a little torn about this book. It is why I had to read it twice, back-to-back, in order to clarify my thoughts for this review. And I am not honestly sure that I have managed to do that, even now. Not actually surprising for a new author team. I will talk a bit shortly about wha 3. I will talk a bit shortly about what concerned me in this effort. I think and hope that some of the problems I had in this book are now resolved and the third book will show a lot more forward progress, inclusion of all characters, and exciting action.

This is a world, and a group of characters, that I simply like. Immersing myself in their world makes me happy. Ultimately, despite any perceived flaws, that means I enjoy reading the book. Being able to escape so comprehensively into a world that feels good is all any reader can ask for. That said, when I analyze the book from a technical standpoint, a number of problems leap out at me. For me, they did not overly inhibit my enjoyment, but I know they were major issues for a number of other readers. The single most egregious problem - Nora "Mary Sue" Jacobs is a seriously super special snowflake.

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Possibly even in danger of becoming a whole snowman snow-woman? I want my heroines to be special, and I can forgive an author going too far much more easily than I can a lot of other book faults. She has been horribly abused for pretty much her entire life. Her only lingering issues from all this trauma seem to be: It kind of felt like maybe their daughter did, because the happy-happy-rainbows-and-unicorn-farts look was over-the-top for me.

And did not feel like it fit the tenor of this series. The only other ones I noticed were less egregious: I was able to see where it should be headed in book 3. But this is a very slow-burn RH. We have only had a couple of fairly chaste kisses and a very little sexual tension. But things are looking up for the next book! Rook was a wonderful addition to the Nora Jacobs series. I quite like his character I do love a possessive, dominant-but-caring, alpha male werewolf , though I hope this doesn't mean the end of Wulf as a possible love interest.

We did not get a single scene, that I recall, with him at their home, and very few with him in them at all. And even when he was there, it was just as an addition to a bunch of other characters. I still love Nick Gorgeous.

And I missed spending more time with him as well. There was plenty of Parker and Oliver - though maybe I only feel that way because neither are my favorite characters yet. But I see the potential for both of them. I would really like to see more female interactions for Nora. Her only remaining female friend is Cecile, though they don't seem to spend much time together that isn't about fashion and party-planning.

I think the relationship works well, because it is symbiotic - Cecile can skim the lust off all the men attracted to Nora which is pretty much any man she meets it seems , so there is unlikely to be any jealousy issues. I could see that being a problem with other women, unless they are in a happily committed relationship themselves. But I miss Maya. All in all, I still adore this series, but there are some issues for Jackie May to deal with if I am going to fully buy in for the long haul.

Can't wait to see how they handle book 3! First blush thoughts on first read, but couldn't clarify enough for a review: Sitting here rather stunned. An awful lot happened in a short period of time. Still love the series, because I really am growing to love a lot of these characters. Axel was the alpha of the Island Lake pack. Plus the typo saying Warterloo " That there is not necessarily love involved, just some biological imperative for the shifter's wolf to find the most dominant female. And even more, that others can challenge that mate for the right to take over?

Rook's deceased wife's name was Lily early on, and Lilly later in the book. So much for the happy feels! So much for any idea of redemption. Knew that, or something like it, was coming at some point: I thought Wulf and Rook were big guys? I am not sure I like this turn of events: Certainly a twist I wasn't expecting. They could work at the club after hours. They could work at Terrance's. Hell I am sure there is a gym or something in town they could use. Or even at his place with T or someone there too.

There are even free offerings at women's shelters and such. I am okay with that AND she gets more time with T I assumed she be working there and had lost the mechanic's job. I don't know what to say about these 2nd books in these RH series. It seems like they are not focusing on developing the relationships between the female character and her guys. I mean I honestly have no idea who would be in her harem at this point and this was book 2. It is still a good book, the characters are great and I like the storyline so of course I will continue on with the series.

I loved T- man in the first book and was disappointed that he totally faded into the background in this book. She learns a lot about herself and how she feels for some of the men but her doubts mean it felt almost Ghostbird slow. May 31, Natalia rated it liked it. Like in book 1 all secondary characters in this book only serve one purpose They are so underdeveloped Nora is so imperfectly perfect!!! She is all the cliches in one oh so beautiful package Story is entertaining and is looking more like a RH by now But with Rook and Parker possessive way of being i don't see that happening!

Jul 29, Celeste rated it really liked it Shelves: I think I'm in love with him as his wolf.

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