Final Siege (Love Over Duty, #2)

by Scarlett Cole

• ISBN10: 1250128463
• ISBN13: 9781250128461
• Publish Date: 30 January 2018
• 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]

Final Siege is part second chance romance and part terrorist suspense story. Mac and Delaney were in love as teens. However, Mac's involvement in Delaney's brother's death caused a rift they couldn't overcome. Now, 14 years later, Delaney is in trouble. She is an investigative reporter whose story has put her in danger. Mac, a former SEAL who now runs a security firm, wants to help her but she is adamant that he leave her alone.

Mac and Delaney's story is so sad. Brock's death was such a tragedy that many couples might not have survived; add in Delaney's feeling that Mac is responsible and you have an end that no couple could survive. I admired Delaney's determination to her job. She is passionate about honest media and reporting. She wants to root out terrorists and those supporting them. Mac spent years as a SEAL trying to do the same thing. Both Mac and Delaney are smart and loyal which makes them engaging characters that you care about.

I admit-I struggled to get into this book. With a relatively explosive start, it really slowed down and got a bit boring. Once Delaney is back in San Diego, things just sort of got boring for a while. It was odd pacing and it threw me off. Normally I don't feel this way about Cole's books. Things pick up again but by then, I was just not invested. It took me days to finish this book. That is unusual for me-once I start a book I am usually done in 24 hours! Maybe it was just me and not the story at all. Its possible!

There is some connection to plot in the previous book, so it might be helpful to read them in order!

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: no


• Trope: second chance


• Triggers: none


• Series/Standalone: series


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

books by Katie Reus, Susan Stoker, ...then you will probably like Final Siege!

 

Final Siege

 See full review on The Book Disciple

[Lynn]

Book two in the Love Over Duty series doesn't disappoint as I dived into another suspenseful novel featuring the hot guys at Eagle Securities.

The tragic death of his best friend Brock shaped the man Malachai 'Mac' MacCarrick became when he decided to live his friend's dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. Fifteen years later, he and his brothers have set up Eagle Securities to continue the legacy. When he received a phone call from a military hospital in Germany about Brock's sister, he doesn't hesitate to go to her bedside because, after all these years, she's still the woman who holds his heart even if she's his ex-girlfriend.

Investigative journalist Delaney Shapiro doesn't understand why her ex, Mac MacCarrick is at her bedside when she wakes up in hospital. Once over her confusion, his commanding presence makes her realises, despite the passing of years she still has feelings for him; a fact she doesn't want to acknowledge. When her investigation causes her to be a target, she reluctantly accepts Mac's assistance to keep her safe, only the more time they spend together, the closer they become.

Both protagonists were deeply affected by the death of Brock, but one of them holds the key to a secret that has been withheld out of loyalty all these years. However, when the past is preventing Mac and Delaney from rekindling their relationship, one of them decides to tell the truth in the hope the new information it is sufficient knowledge to lay the foundations to rebuild a future together.

The tension and explosive chemistry between Mac and 'Button's' are palpable, as both realise their feelings for each other run far deeper than they thought. This second chance romance highlights time hasn't eroded the love they once shared as fate brings them together once more.

Just like Under Fire, book one in the series, I loved the pace and suspense of the narrative and particularly enjoyed the continuity plot from book one, although both are standalone novels. One fact I hope we discover in book three is the fate of Ghost as well as Cabe's story.

5 stars

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

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
*I received a free copy of [title] from [publisher] via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *Final Siege had everything I love in a romantic suspense! There was, indeed a lot of suspense, a bit of anguish, some romance, and a lot of past hurt to resolve.

Story:

Final Siege was such a great story - Cole is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for romantic suspense. Delaney was alluded to in Under Fire, and getting to meet her was such a treat! Especially because she was not in a good situation when Mac finally caught up to her after years of them not seeing each other.

One of the things I loved the most in Final Siege was the unresolved feelings and relationship between Mac and Delaney. Especially because they could have cleared everything up ages ago if they had only taken the time - and courage - to sit down together for a conversation.

One of the main themes in Final Siege is guilt. The guilt Mac felt after his best friend died in a diving accident. The guilt Delaney felt after her brother died, and she blamed Mac. Leaving him to fend for himself and his grief on his own.

When fate - and Delaney - brings the two of them back in the same orbit, there is chemistry. But there is so much more than that. It was easy to feel that they had history together, and that if they were able to let go of the past, they could be really good together.

The suspense part of Final Siege was really well done. Even as Mac and his friends and colleagues started to unravel the mystery with Delaney's help, there was a lot more to figure out. And Delaney was not the kind of woman to stay behind and let the men do all the hard work. Of course, this only made me love her more, because she did this in such a smart way.

If you're a fan of romantic suspense, you should pick up Under Fire right now, and then get Final Siege on release day;)

Characters:

Mac was the tough, gruff guy I just wanted to get to know better. I just had this feeling that underneath his hard exterior, there was a beautiful heart.

Delaney was the female character I have dreamt of meeting for a long time! She was smart, strong, level-headed, fair, and very organised. When push came to shove, she was able to set her fear aside to make sure she would manage to stay safe.

Writing style :

Final Siege is written in third person, past tense. There are chapters that show either Delaney's or Mac's point of view, and the narration also includes dialogues that helped me get to know all the characters better with each chapter.

Feels :

Oh my gosh, my feels! There was fear, there was hope, there was love, there was stubbornness, there was happiness, wariness, apprehension... If you can name another feeling, I probably felt that one, too!



He was right, and it irritated her. As did the way his T-shirt stretched across his biceps. She was still all kinds of raw from waking up in his arms on the plane. At first, she'd savored it, and then she'd remembered.

How much? Couldn't she see he didn't want his stupid money back? Or his place back. He wanted her back. The old her. The new her. All the different hers there were going to be in the future.

His duty and his love, two sides of the same coin.