Midnight Rescue (Killer Instincts #1)
Elle Kennedy

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Trigger warning: This book is full of child abuse and child sex trafficking. The scenes can be thoroughly realistic and detailed.

As a HUGE fan of Elle Kennedy’s New Adult Off-Campus Series, I was intrigued to find she also wrote Romantic Suspense. Kennedy’s Killer Instincts series sounded quite promising as well as enticing, prompting me to immediately start Midnight Rescue. I have to say, for the first book in the series, it didn’t take long at all to fall head over heels with Elle’s newest set of characters.

Alongside my giant obsession for “bad boys” is my obsession with Special Ops/Forces. It has been this way ever since I read Christine Feehan's GhostWalkers. I find these stories utterly delicious and enthralling. Kane and his team were no exception. *Sigh* Kane, Luke, Morgan, Trevor, D, and Ethan—holy hotness, Batman!!

I adored Kane from the start. Like any hero, he had his own set of affliction; however, that affliction didn't engulf or weigh down the story in the least bit. I thought the author used this in the appropriate means to build up Kane's character and personality. Instead of inundating us with tons of emotional BS, angst and anxiety, it instead gave strength to the man he had become. I think my favorite part about Kane was his vulnerability. This hard-core operative had one of the sweetest hearts when he let his guard down, especially when it came to his girl. 

Abby, on the other hand, took a bit of getting used to, as she came off as a bitchy, cold hearted and hard-core chick. I chalked this up to Abby being an elite assassin as well as suffering brutal abuse during her childhood. All of this lead to our protagonist having some major trust issues (seriously, who can blame her). She is naturally guarded, not one to let anyone get too close, and Kane wanted to get wicked close. Our girl wasn’t having that. I definitely enjoyed the fact that Kane was hell bent on pushing her outside of her comfort zone every chance he got. 

Kennedy definitely stayed true to Abby's character throughout the book. It took our protagonist the whole book to feel comfortable enough to let her walls down around Kane fully. Normally this would irk the crap out of me; however, I found I didn’t mind it with this couple. Abby's fight and flight felt natural, believable. It never felt as though the author drew out her issues for the sake of drama. To be honest, I don’t think I minded the apprehension since their cat and mouse game felt much like foreplay as Kane overcame the land mine of Abby's aftermath. In fact, it was often quite sensual and entertaining. 

Midnight Rescue was a quick, easy read that enchanted us with not only Kane and Abby's relationship, but also began to explore and establish future relationships between Morgan and Noelle's elite teams. It's journey constructed with vivid (sometimes very graphic) detailed images, rich characters (main and secondary), and a complex plot. I'm excited to say, the first book, in this addictive and exciting series, was written with an intricate depth that came across beautifully in its execution of sensitive and taboo subjects.

Elle’s writing is something of beauty. She is definitely not a one trick pony. I give major props to Kennedy for being so versatile in her writing that she is able to perfectly balance the mix of action, merciless brutality, suspense, and romance.

Midnight Rescue gets two thumbs up from me, an intriguing read from start to finish. Seriously, just do yourself a favor, one click the hell out of this series. I promise this is one badass elite team you don't want to miss out on.

Thank you, Penguin Group & Signet Eclipse, for the complimentary copy of Midnight Rescue.

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!