Linda
Written on Aug 19, 2018
Midnight Target follows two couples, and that really worked because the novel was long enough to make sure each couple got their time to shine.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Score and Midnight Revenge...
Four years ago, Cate’s entire life changed when she discovered she was the daughter of a supersoldier. But Jim Morgan’s overprotectiveness has pushed her away. These days, she’s working as a freelance photographer and living the dangerous life Jim never wanted for her.
When Cate snaps a photo linking a corrupt South American politician with the leader of a notorious drug cartel, her mercenary father leads a team to rescue her—only to get shot and critically wounded in the process.
As Morgan’s operatives rally together on a revenge mission, they’re faced with new alliances and old heartaches. Cate is forced to work with David “Ash” Ashton, the man who broke her heart two years ago, while Liam Macgregor and Sullivan Port resurface after years apart to finally try to deal with everything they’d left unsaid.
Soon it’s all-out war between the cartel and the mercenaries—with two couples caught in the middle of the blood feud. Love and redemption are within their reach...but first, they have to make it home alive.
- ISBN10 1101991313
- ISBN13 9781101991312
- Publish Date 25 April 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
- Imprint Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
- Format Paperback (US Mass Market)
- Pages 464
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101991312
Reviews
Midnight Target follows two couples, and that really worked because the novel was long enough to make sure each couple got their time to shine.
EBookObsessed
Written on Apr 24, 2017
This is it, the final Killer Instinct story and Elle Kennedy certainly takes us out with a bang. Cate Morgan is now grown up and working as a photo journalist. She accidentally takes a photo of a drug king pin who is supposed to be dead. She gives in and contacts her father, who she isn’t getting along with, to verify the man in the photo. It is when Morgan reaches out to his contacts that all hell breaks loose. Men like Rivera have moles everywhere and it gets back to him that Cate has this photographic proof. Like any good drug lord, instead of being smart about it, locating Cate and stealing her camera and computer equipment, they burst in with guns blazing leaving a trail of bodies. But Cate has learned enough living on campus with mercs and manages to get away.
While this set up is important to the story, it really doesn’t make sense. If they could have gotten to Cate and her equipment before anyone found out she had that picture, okay, then killing her makes sense. But she has already sent the picture to Morgan, and he already sent it to his DEA contacts. Killing Cate really doesn’t accomplish anything but a drug lord having a very bloody, hissy fit. Damage is done, and his faked death is blown. If it was just Morgan with the picture, they could have kidnapped Cate to get the copies destroyed, but since the government already had proof that he faked his death, killing Cate accomplishes nothing except giving us a thrilling story plot.
Putting aside from that small flaw, Cate contacts Jim, because she might be pissed at her Dad but she’s not stupid, and Jim, Noelle and his team arrive to get Cate out. The team arrives at Cate’s location at the same time as the drug lord and several members of the cartel are killed in the cross fire, and Jim is critically injured. The drug lord is pissed off and wants to destroy Morgan’s team and Noelle is looking to destroy the cartel in retribution for Jim’s injury. When the cartel starts going after family members in order to flush out the team, the war turns into a blood bath.
Romancewise, we have not just one couple to get together but two: Cate and the rookie, Ash; and Liam and Sully.
For anyone still squeamish about a male/male romance, I have to tell you, the interactions and chemistry between Liam and Sully was much more fulfilling than that of Cate and Ash.
Cate was happy see to Jim arrive, but not Ash. Jim didn’t want his daughter hooking up with a merc and knew that Cate gravitated to Ash whenever they were both at the compound. Not wanting the disappoint Jim, Ash pushes away Cate hard, sometimes being very nasty and hurtful to her. While he regrets hurting her, he chooses Jim’s approval over Cate.
We have watched Liam and Sully doing the dance for the last few books. Their friendship abruptly changed after an impromptu passionate kiss which threw Liam into confusion over his feelings towards his friend. Liam grew up in a conservative Irish Catholic family and feared his parents’ and siblings’ reactions if he decided to be with a man. I was always sad for Sullivan Port, who grew up an orphan, and while he was always the life of the party, the only real friend he had was Liam. This kiss took away the only person who cared about Sully and it was heartbreaking. So for the last few books Liam and Sully danced around where they stood–do they stay friends? do they become lovers?
Sully was also shocked and disappointed that, after rejecting Liam in one of the prior stories and telling Liam that he wasn’t interested in helping Liam experiment with a man, Liam apparently found a lover to experiment with and Sully realizes he screwed up royally. This parallels Cate and Ash’s story where Cate wanted Ash to be her first but he tosses a naked Cate out of his room, she eventually loses her virginity to some random hook up and was quite disappointed by the whole experience.
Why I say there was more to Liam and Sully’s relationship than Cate and Ash is simply there was more passion and more play between them both in and out of bed while Ash was more of a “plow ’em as fast and hard as possible” kind of guy. There was little build up between them, while Liam and Sully built up the pressure until they could get the other begging for release.
Liam and Sully was the relationship I was looking to finally get a resolution on and I am happy the way it all worked out.
As far as a final story, Elle Kennedy didn’t disappoint. It was all action and excitement and certainly worth the read.
Rowena
Written on Mar 24, 2017
This book follows two couples as they circle each other toward that elusive happy ending. These guys fought their feelings for so long that it was great to finally get somewhere where they were concerned. Cate and Ash’s romance is one that I low key struggled with in this book because for a huge chunk of the story, I wanted to kick Cate’s ass. She was a complete brat with a shitty attitude that pissed me off left and right in the beginning. I’m glad that she finally comes around and stops being a little shit but by that time, I was so over her and fully invested in everything else that was happening.
I struggled a bit with Ash’s devotion to Jim Morgan. I understood it but I wanted him to get over himself and tell Jim point blank that he wasn’t messing around with Cate. It was beyond obvious that he was in love with her, almost from the very beginning and I wish that he would have had a little faith in Jim…let Jim know where you stand as far as his daughter goes and stop being a little scaredy cat. As dumb as I thought Ash acted, he was still sexy as hell. Haha. I adored how alpha he was and how determined he was to protect his boo, even when she was being a freaking shit-head. Their romance wasn’t my favorite part of this book but I enjoyed everything else so I wasn’t too disappointed in that.
Liam and Sully have been circling each other for some time now and Liam’s got it pretty bad for the hottie Australian. Their story starts a few books before this one and I loved seeing Liam come as far as he did, where his sexuality was concerned. I loved how fully he owned himself and his feelings in the end when things fell into place for him and Sully.
Their romance was hot and it was passionate and I completely adored the both of them. I loved seeing Sully doing better than the last time I saw him. I loved seeing Liam struggle and then get things right in the end. I also really liked that Liam stood up for himself and didn’t let Sully ruin love for him.
The overall story regarding the shit going down in Guatana was pretty entertaining too. I mean, I loved seeing everyone come together to help Jim Morgan. Holy cow, my heart hurt for Isabel, Holden and everyone else who was shitted on during the whole mission. But, Elle Kennedy did a great job of bringing everyone together and showcasing just how super this team was when they worked together.
So while Cate drove me nuts for a good chunk of the book, everything else made up for my frustrations with her. I’m sad that this series has come to an end but I thought this book ended the story on a high note.
4 out of 5
thebookdisciple
Written on Feb 4, 2017