Title: Total Control

Series: 11th Hour, #2

Author:  Jackie Ashenden

Genres: Military, Romantic Suspense

Release Date: June 26, 2018

Once they were soldiers. Now they answer only to honor . . .
 
The 11th Hour is made up of men and women who are no longer deemed fit to serve their country, but still need to fight a war. They work in shadows, keep their secrets—and follow their hearts . . .
 
Helicopter pilot Kellan Blake has always hated being told what to do, so being discharged from the army for insubordination doesn’t come as much of a surprise. What does surprise him is that when he joins up with the elite, underground 11th Hour squad instead, they send him straight home. The nest of vipers that calls itself his family is the next target for the team’s tech unit, so he’ll either have to brave their traps and deceptions himself—or watch his sweet, shy friend Sabrina walk into them alone . . .
 
Sabrina’s no femme fatale, but since there’s no one else with the tech skills to get the info they need, she’ll put on a party dress and take one for the team. But whoever decided she should pretend to be Kellan’s new fiancée hit a little too close to home. How can she concentrate on a dangerous mission when she’s worried about giving away what she really feels for her loyal, passionate, smoking hot partner? At least she isn’t likely to blow their cover. Until she’s in the line of fire, and neither Kellan’s demons nor his heart are hers to tame . . .
 
Praise for Jackie Ashenden’s Dirty for Me
 
“An intense scorcher of a story that is sure to delight fans and win her a legion of new devotees. . . . Unforgettable.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

“Tension and heat pervade the frequent sex scenes . . . Readers will eagerly anticipate future installments in the series.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Explosively sexy.”  —Heroes & Heartbreakers 

4 iScream Cones

“Those terrible, beautiful words.”

I’m a fan of the author’s writing, she’s always done it for me with her dirty talking alphas. 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. 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. Yup, frustrating… 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.