Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy

Item: Kill Without Mercy
Rating: 4
Author: Spice

January 4, 2016 Spice Book Review 0 ★★★★

Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy
Series: ARES Security #1
Also in this series: Kill Without Shame
Published by Zebra on December 29th 2015
Genres: Suspense
Pages: 352
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From the hellhole of a Taliban prison to sweet freedom, five brave military heroes have made it home—and they’re ready to take on the civilian missions no one else can. Individually they’re intimidating. Together they’re invincible. They’re the men of ARES Security.
Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…
There’s a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won’t be buried.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

By Spice Kill Without Mercy is the first of a new series by Alexandra Ivy. It centers around a start-up security company called ARES Security. The partners are five former special ops guys who shared a horrid ordeal – being held in a Taliban prison. They forged an unbreakable bond that continued after they escaped and left the military.

I’m not sure why I don’t read more romantic suspense since it’s a genre I really enjoy. Especially when it’s a book full of hot, alpha, ex-military guys who are stoic and tough on the outside, but who reveal their inner marshmallow center once you get to know them. Mystery wise, this one kept me guessing and although I had my suspicions, I wasn’t sure of the who, what, and why’s until most things were actually revealed.

Annie White has an incredibly dark past. Daughter of a convicted serial killer, she starts having visions which lead her to believe the killings are happening again, even though her father has been dead since shortly after his arrest so many years before. She feels she has no other choice but to go back to the town to see if what she fears is true and if there is some way she can help since she has a freaky connection to the killer. I liked Annie and felt for her and the things she struggles with. Her visions give the book a slight paranormal/sci-fi feel, but nothing that would turn off anyone who’s not into that type of thing.

Rafe Vargas is the fly by the seat of his pants covert ops specialist of the group. With the impending launch of ARES Security the last thing he needs to deal with is dropping everything to see to his late estranged Grandfather’s estate. Suffering from a slight savior complex, he had an instant fascination with Annie when he first laid eyes on her, as all was obviously not right in her world. Intrigued, he basically sort of gently bullies his way into her world, intent on at least figuring her out at least. As the mystery reveals itself and women start disappearing and more and more it seems things revolve around Annie and her past, he finds himself falling for her. As a hero, I was all over Rafe. He was sexy, bossy, and knew what he wanted. I also loved the fact there was no unneeded angst caused by other women or the “I’m not good enough” trope. Once he figured out she was it, he had eyes only for her. Loved this.

I was glad we got to know the rest of the guys that make up ARES security. I love the tight bond they have and the support they gave Rafe and I’m looking forward to reading their stories as the series progresses.

Spice’s rating: 4 stars.