Midnight Alias (Killer Instincts, Bk 2) (A Killer Instincts Novel)

All Olivia Taylor wants is to finish school, take care of her mother and have a normal life. It's not too much to ask for...unless you're in the clutches of a criminal who's obsessed with you. Olivia needs a way to get herself and her mother out of Manhattan, and her ticket to freedom comes from an unexpected source.

When an undercover agent goes missing, the DEA calls on an elite team of operatives to recover their man. Luke Dubois is sure that the drop-dead gorgeous Olivia Taylor is the best route to finding intel, but convincing her he's one of the good guys isn't exactly easy. If he can get Olivia to trust him, Luke and his fellow operatives may have a shot at getting the missing agent and Olivia out of New York alive.

But desire has a way of muddling things and the attraction between Luke and Olivia is too much for either to resist. It'll only take one slip-up for them to lose everything in this high stakes mission.

Seduction, sex and suspense -- Elle Kennedy is a master at blending all three and MIDNIGHT ALIAS showcases her talent beautifully. The second KILLER INSTINCTS book is as impossible to put down as the first. Olivia and Luke are sure to wrap themselves around readers' hearts from the very beginning. Both of them are strong, intelligent survivors who care deeply for others. Because it was so easy to fall for Luke and Olivia, I had no problem becoming invested in their romance.

While MIDNIGHT ALIAS isn't quite as dark and gritty as the first KILLER INSTINCTS book, MIDNIGHT RESCUE, that doesn't mean it lacks for pulse-pounding action. The intrigue in MIDNIGHT ALIAS had me avidly turning the pages, particularly at the book's climax. I love the twists and turns that Ms. Kennedy takes readers on; not all of them are ones you'd expect.

It'd be remiss of me to write about MIDNIGHT ALIAS without mentioning the subplot between Luke's fellow operative, Trevor Callaghan, and chameleon extraordinaire Isabel Roma. The sparks that first struck between these two in MIDNIGHT RESCUE turn into an all out fire in MIDNIGHT ALIAS. Indeed, there were times that Trevor and Isabel almost stole the story from Luke and Olivia. It's not that Luke or Olivia were weak characters; Isabel and Trevor are just that compelling. Now, more than ever, Ms. Kennedy has me on tenterhooks for their book.

Aside from Trevor, Luke's fellow mercenaries make me hope there are many, many more KILLER INSTINCTS books to come. I could write for pages about how much I'm intrigued by the secondary characters in MIDNIGHT ALIAS, but I'll refrain.

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is a romantic suspense for those who like it hardcore with sexy-as-sin heroes. Elle Kennedy's KILLER INSTINCTS series is dark, sensual and extremely compelling, and I can't wait for more!

Lily
Review courtesy of Romance Junkies

How much can one heroine take?! Olivia is faced with trying to finish school, taking care of her mom who's in remission from cancer for the third time, paying all their bills with no medical insurance and working. To make ends meet, she's secretly working at a strip club that her friend hooked her up with and she hates it. The money's good and she's saving every penny she has so once she graduates in one semester she can flee the city with her mom. Yup, flee - turns out her boss at the strip club is a mobster, sleazebag and he has Olivia right where he wants her. After she was attacked one night when leaving the club, she killed her attacker, but when she woke up at the hospital it was to find out that Vince got rid of the body, paid off all her bills and claimed her as his. She played the virgin card to stay out of his bed telling him that she wanted to wait and so it's special for them, and it's given her some time for now. But this guy is one crazy psycho who's in deep with the mob and using his strip club as a front for drugs. Enter Luke and his team. They've been hired to find out if a DEA agent, working undercover to get information on the drugs running through Vince's club, has been killed, if he's still undercover or if he's turned into a double agent. Luke's been tasked with staking out the club to find out what's going on. He sees Olivia on stage and wants her. When he finds out that she's Vince's "girlfriend" his team leader wants to use her to get information that only she can, being close to Vince. But Luke's worried about the danger she'll put herself in and they make a deal: Luke's team will help her and mom escape if she helps them get information on Vince. Things don't go smoothly.

Olivia is very likable and I found myself wanting something good to finally happen for this woman. She's forced to endure Vince and his dangerous personality, so when she's meets Luke, he's almost too good to be true. Olivia craves stability and a normal that she wants in her life, a husband who's home every night, someone not chasing danger. She has issues coming from her dad that make her believe that "normal" will make her happy. Luke does his best to make her believe that a life with him, even with his unconventional job, would be worth the risk. Elle Kennedy brings the sexy with these two characters. They have some steamy love scenes and their romance made for a nice balance with the death and suspense going on around them. I'm not sure I buy in to their love declarations, as not much time passes during the story, but I'm overlooking it because they were such a great couple to get to know.

I did get a little frustrated with Luke's team though. They made it very clear they were only there to find out information about the DEA agent. When discoveries were made about what Vince was doing to the girls who work for him, Olivia wants him stopped so he can't hurt them anymore, but the guys aren't willing to jump right in. I wanted to yell at them to do the right thing and help these girls, but they were dead set on only doing their assigned mission. Thankfully, missions are meant to be changed, so things on that front worked out in the end.

I love to hate a really bad guy and Vince fits that bill. He's so ruthless, he uses the girls in his club in horrible ways and if they cross him or dare speak up, they're dead. There's death, murders, suicides - don't get too attached to anyone you meet. The deaths worked with the situations happening in the book, but it did get to a point at the end where I thought not another death, no not her! Not him too! I didn't want to connect to anyone outside the leads for fear that they'd be dead by book's end.

Midnight Alias is a great mix of romance, with a sexy alpha hero, strong heroine with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and a creepy bad guy that I couldn't wait to see get his in the end. There's a strong set up for the next book with characters that I'm already invested in and I can't wait to see what Kennedy brings us next.

Blog Rating: B

Good

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is the second installment in Elle Kennedy’s contemporary, adult Killer Instincts romantic, suspense series focusing on an elite group of highly trained men and women who are called into action when no one else can get the job done. This is New Orleans’s native/former Navy SEAL Luke Dubois and Olivia Taylor’s storyline. MIDNIGHT ALIAS can be read as a stand alone; some of the previous storyline information is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person points of view MIDNIGHT ALIAS fast forwards the series six months and follows the search for a missing DEA agent whose last know whereabouts placed him at a strip club fronting for a drug smuggling operation. Luke and his fellow team members have not been able to locate the missing agent but Luke finds himself attracted to a beautiful stripper whose role and character are out of place at the club. What ensues is a building relationship between our leading couple, one Luke hopes to use in ferreting out some information about what goes on behind the scenes at the club.

The relationship between Luke and Olivia is slow to build. Luke’s attraction to Olivia is immediate but Olivia is in no position to fall into Luke’s embrace. Our heroine has found herself in debt to the local mob and her mother’s health is dependent upon Olivia’s continued work. Luke and his team will find themselves pulled deeper into an undercover operation where not only do they discover the whereabouts of the DEA agent but put a plan into motion to take down the local drug cartel. There is some definite sexual tension between Olivia and Luke.

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is a suspense filled storyline with an ensemble cast of characters whose own stories are building throughout the series. Luke’s team of fellow mercenaries, headed by ex Ranger Jim Morgan, have set up shop in Mexico waiting for their next assignment that will place each man and woman on the frontline of potential danger and death. Derek or D as he is called is battling some personal demons and in this his character is about to self destruct or implode. Noelle’s team of female assassins is virtually invisible but Isabel does play a much larger role throughout the story. Unlike the previous storyline MIDNIGHT ALIAS is not as graphically or sexually violent. There are scenes of violence and abuse but the details are limited and mostly in the background; the destructive nature of drugs, drug smuggling and the sex trade does make for some interesting scenarios. Isabel and Trevor’s storyline continues to build and the epilogue points to a dangerous assignment for our female assassin.

MIDNIGHT ALIAS is another well written, intriguing and engaging storyline of suspense and romance. The majority of the action takes place in the final pages of the story as the mercenaries try to uncover the truth about the missing DEA agent. Elle Kennedy has caught my attention with her amazing characters and stories.

I am loving this author and this series. Each book so far has tied together but are still separate and can stand alone. I can't wait to read the hold series. Have not had a series hold my interest as well as this one in a while. Can not wait for D Pratt own book. Elle keep up the excellent work.

This book had great suspense as well as good characters. It was an edge of your seat read and left me anxious to read the next one. This is the first time I've read this author and I'll be watching for more of her books.

Midnight Alias, Killer Instincts #2, by Elle Kennedy
Grade: B-

"The one time he tries to be a gentleman, and what happened? A gorgeous brunette decided to sexually assault him."

Luke Debois has stared danger in the face many times. First as a Navy SEAL and now as an elite operative for a team that does the work no one else can get done. Luke's new job is to find an undercover DEA agent who has gone missing but instead he finds Olivia Taylor, student, stripper and the future wife of the crime boss who has the agent. Luke thinks Olivia is the key to solving the case but as he gets to know her he realizes she is innocent and only wants to bring down the entire operation. Luke is now not just fighting for what's right but for the woman who stole his heart.

Olivia Taylor never thought she would be twenty five and stripping to pay her tuition and her mother's medical bills. SHe also never thought that her boss, Vince, would do everything in his power to get control over her until he's made her his wife, willingly or not. When Olivia meets Luke she knows this is the chance to finally get her and her mom somewhere safe and away from Vince but as Olivia uncovers more of the strip clubs secrets she refuses to leave until everything is shut down. Olivia trusts only Luke and his team to take down Vince and his mob associates and she will do everything she can to help make it happen.

Midnight Alias picks up about six months after Midnight Rescue does and we get to jump right back into this crazy squad of sexy military men. I liked Luke right from the start. He's got that smooth southern laid back charm with a big splash of alpha male which gets my blood pumping. Luke takes a shining to Olivia right away even though he's very guarded because she's a stripper and supposedly a mobster's girlfriend. I liked that Luke and Olivia didn't have a love at first slight romance and they both took their time to get to know each other and let down their walls.

I wanted to dislike Olivia but I just couldn't. In the beginning she comes off as weak but towards the end she's a badass who refuses to let women be used and hurt. I didn't think she would be strong enough for Luke but she proved me wrong and I'm so happy she did. I do wish that these two had a little more time to get to know each other better but all in all I enjoyed their story.

There is a lot going on in this book but for some reason the story lagged a bit around page two hundred. I had a very hard time wanting to keep reading but I'm very glad I did because the last seventy pages are awesome. I've mentioned before I'm not a big military romance person but the Killer instincts series is one that I will always read. I love that you get to know all of the men in the group so it makes you want to know each one of them so much and get inside of their heads to see what's going on. I cannot wait for Trevor and Isabel's story which I have been waiting for since book one!

Jim Morgan's group was hired by the DEA to find one of their agents who's been undercover with the mob and is suspected to be dead. Trevor is leading the team this time in New York but its Luke Dubois who's staking out inside the strip club of the suspected mobster. He becomes fascinated with one of the dancers. When a tip tells them to check into Olivia Taylor further Luke finds out she is the club owner/mobster's girlfriend and decides to tell her about their mission to get her help in trying to find the missing agent.

One of the things I like about this series is its not just about the main hero/heroine. The team gets plenty of face time and many story arc's that were started in the first book are continued on in this book, again with no resolution, but it just makes you all the more hungry for there stories.

The author does a great job of story telling. Even though this book doesn't have the huge conflict like the first one I was still captivated from beginning to end. There are plenty of suspense and dangerous moments to keep you on the edge of your seat and also more puzzling clues to the what's going on with some of the other members of the team.

The tease at the back of the book of Trevor and Isabel's book was soooo good. I cannot wait for there book August.

This author weaves a good story. I've read some of her other books and have enjoyed them also. She does not disappoint with this one.

Under cover. Trying to find a missing DEA agent. Catch in a tangled web of lies and fear. Drugs, lies and guns. But through it all love will win. Or will it?

Olivia had never thought that her life would turn out the way that it has. But sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do. It is only a matter of time before she can make her escape. But just as Olivia is ready to make her more fate throws a wrench in her plans. Know Olivia finds herself helping out who she hopes are the good guys.

Luke could have never guessed the twists and turns his latest mission has taken him on. But I am sure that he is darn glad he did. All except maybe getting catch claiming out of that window and down the fire escape. What you want to know what I am talking about? You will just have to pick up a copy of Midnight Alias.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and boy did I love this book. Luke is well in a word YUMMY!!!! I really did love this book. It kept my attention from page one. I am looking forward to more of the Killer Instinct series. There are so many pain in the butt characters that need to fall in love so badly. And Yes, I will be going back and reading book 1.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review. Review will be posted at [...]