Under Fire: A Love Over Duty Novel (Love Over Duty, #1)

by Scarlett Cole

• ISBN10: 1250128447
• ISBN13: 9781250128447
• Publish Date: 1 August 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 October 2021
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

Under Fire is part ex-military action, part cutting edge medical research combined in a fast paced romance between 2 total opposites. Louisa is the type of heroine I enjoy in a story. She is brilliant, driven, goal oriented, caring, and shy. For some reason, I adore shy characters. Maybe because I can empathize so much? Who knows. I also was drawn to her area of study: Huntington's disease. I have a friend with the disease and, like Louisa, I know there is not enough research on the disease and it is so difficult to watch someone you love suffer.

Six has just left the Navy and with a couple of his SEAL buddies started a security firm. They are trying to get it off the ground and Six is assigned a security job at a benefit gala. The meet-cute between Six and Louisa was adorable. She is having a bit of a panic about having to give a speech in front of everyone and he manages to talk her down a bit. Their second meeting included Louisa seeing Six at his moment of weakness. I loved that the author included a meeting where both the hero and the heroine were showing a weakness. It helped show them both as realistic characters.

Louisa begins to notice that things in her lab are off. Its nothing obvious, but she knows that her notes have been touched and a petri dish goes missing. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Louisa doesn't realize what she is getting into. Cole did a great job with the medical information in the story. As a science nerd (former Science teacher!), I enjoyed reading about Louisa's work; however, it was written in a way that wouldn't scare away non-science loving people.

Six was hot and cold for me. There were times I loved him; he didn't push too much with Lou and was accepting of her struggles and treated her with kindness. Then, he would get closed off and push her away. I hate when heroes (or heroines) are wishy washy! Its such an unappealing characteristic.

What I appreciated most in Under Fire though was that Cole didn't 'dumb it down' to make the science more accessible. I hate with authors 'man-splaine' things because it not only offends those who understand a given concept, but it offends those who don't by coming off as condescending. So, kudos to Cole for not going that route. I love that I had to look up a few things as I was reading. I loved the casual references to scientific things that Lou would throw out when she was nervous (Linnaeus for example!). To me, THAT is great writing.

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears:


• Trope: ex-military, mortal peril, bodyguard


• Triggers: spoiler


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

Books by Piper J Drake, Susan Stoker, ...then you will probably like Under Fire!

 

Under Fire

 

See full review on The Book Disciple

[leelu92]

Solid start to a new series. Six was a little hot and cold for me but I really loved Lou. She was such an interesting character and she definitely needed to be handled differently at times by Six. Her anxiety and quirks balanced Six's personality out and forced him to soften a bit as the book progressed.

I'll definitely be reading more in this series.

*Copy for review provided by the publisher.

[Lynn]

Romantic Suspense is one of my favourite genre so couldn't wait to dive into Under Fire, the first novel in the Love Over Duty series by Scarlett Cole.

Setting up Eagle Securities is a natural progression for Sixten Rapp as he begins civilian life alongside his childhood friends who he served with as Navy SEALs. He's also happy to return to the town he grew up and the house which holds many happy memories for him. Whilst working on his first job contract, he spots a woman hiding on a balcony before she is due to give a speech. She's not his type, yet Dax is intrigued by her but quickly files that information away when he recognises her distress. Thankfully, he's able to calm her down so protectively waits until she finishes her speech, knowing once this job is finished he won't see her again. Some days later he spots Louise after a car incident leaves her mother injured. He doesn't hesitate to offer his help again. However, when Louisa later confides work concerns surrounding her missing samples, he's determined to assist her again. Only the stakes are much higher now she holds a place in his heart.

Louisa North is most comfortable when she's working in her lab. Dedicated to her work, she's trying to formulate a miracle treatment for the disease her father was suffering from before he took his own life. When active samples she's working on go missing, her gut tells her it more than a mistake. When suspicious behaviour enhances her concern, she confides in the man who has come to her rescue on more than one occasion. Only this time, the stakes are deadly.

Whilst the trope for an ex-SEAL setting up a security company isn't new, I love the idea of the hero struggling with his conscience as he tries to prioritise his work over the developing feelings he has for his client. I especially liked how the author highlights the weaknesses of both protagonists and how they're able to support each other with their difficulties; Louisa's struggle as a social introvert and Dax's trigger issues. How two people with very different life experiences manage to complement each other in the way Dax and Louisa do.

This is my first Scarlett Cole novel and I'm going to check out her other work because I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. There's a perfect balance between suspense and romance with the addition of situations that make you pause and think. The dialogue has some fun banter between the guys and some tongue in cheek comments that will make you laugh out loud. If you're looking for an action pack novel with intriguing, sexy characters, Under Fire is a must read.

***arc generously received courtesy of St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley***

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Under Fire pushed all the right buttons, romance, characters and character development, pace, action, suspense, plot and story. I loved every single thing about this story!



Cole has definitely outdone herself with Under Fire! I was mesmerized from start to finish, and the action started basically on the first page. All buttons to make this a favorite read were ticked, and I almost didn't manage to sleep because I'd rather spend my time with Louisa, Six and the guys from Eagle Security. It was a fast-paced story, with a lot of danger, but Louisa's logical mind as well as Six's strength and ability to get a good overview kept things on the right side of safe most of the time.

I've always found intelligence sexy, and seeing a guy like Six agree with that made both him and Louise even more enticing in Under Fire. He was able to see behind her shyness, and she saw him as more than hired muscle from the beginning as well. And the way the mystery unfolded with so much suspense just gave me goosebumps. Louisa being so shy could have been a turn-off, but instead, it made her extremely endearing. And the way Six just got her, and didn't push or do anything he thought would make her uncomfortable made him irresistible.

One of the things I loved the most about Under Fire was that while it was Louisa and Six's story, the other characters were also well fleshed out. I got to know the guys who work in Eagle Security with Six, and also Louisa's mom and some of her co-workers. This not only made the story balanced, it made me even more eager for the next book in the Love Over Duty series. Also, because Louisa signe on Eagle Security to protect her, the romance between her and Six became forbidden, and that made it even sweeter ;)

Written in third person point of view, past tense and with a narrator that is close to omniscient, the pacing was perfect for the kind of story Under Fire is. And through the food choices, dialogues and action scenes, I felt like I got to know the characters really well. The problems Six and Louisa had to deal with weren't swept under the carpet, but dealt with in small doses, where the pace slowed down a little bit to help me catch my breath. If there is one book you'll get this summer, you should make it be this one!



But the way he always led with one side of his mouth when he smiled with the other side following, and the way he'd look at her through the corners of his eyes just added to the tension.

Blue and red beams of lights flashed onto her kitchen wall. They were the best things she'd seen all day, well, outside of seeing the door to the kitchen burst open and Six rolling in, looking as deadly as any soldier she'd ever seen. In hindsight, now that the danger had passed, she realized he'd looked hotter than any Hollywood action star in a big blockbuster movie.