He puts the hot...

Christian Watson, a former SAS officer and current BKI operator, never thought he would return to England after a terrible turn of events forced him to abandon his homeland. But now he's back on British soil where old enemies are determined to do him in. Fighting for his life is pretty much SOP for Christian. Doing it with the beautiful, bossy Emily Scott in tow is another matter entirely.

In hot pursuit.

Emily lost her coveted job at the CIA because of a colleague turned rogue, and now she has just one rule when it comes to men: they're for recreational purposes only. But when she and Christian are thrust into very close quarters while evading two mysterious men who want Christian dead, she can't help but question all her ideas about love and life lived on the edge. Battling the bad guys is hard enough, battling her feelings for Christian just might prove impossible.

Hot Pursuit begins right after Fuel for Fire left off. The newer members of BKI, Christian, Ace, and Angel, along with their office manager, Emily, and her friend, Rusty are still hiding out in not-so-jolly-old-England and trying to escape and make their way back to the States. But as usual, the best laid plans...it turns into one mess after another. New enemies. Media attention. Exposing of pasts. Traumatic incidents. Things seem to go wrong at every turn.

And there is also so much sexual tension and longing coming out in the form of antagonism and challenging behavior. Christian and Emily are still fussing and fighting And Ace and Rusty are sharing heated looks. Running on adrenaline with close quarters and contact only increase lust and longing. 

They are in pursuit of a ruthless enemy while being pursued by new ones. And Christian's hottest pursuit is not only Emily's body, but her elusive heart. While Ace and Rusty struggle with understanding and the ac they are in opposite places in life, but have such chemistry and attraction. They tease, taunt, torture, tantalize, and sometimes take. 

Emily is a strong-willed, nosy, smart, responsible, caring, and mouthy Chicago girl. She has been burned so does not want to have a relationship with any co-workers. Christian is a stuffy, sarcastic, sharp, and usually in control Brit. But there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. They put on these facades of being tough and unfeeling, but deep down they are feeling plenty. But when the chemistry gets to be too much to avoid, they think that they can just have a casual romp in the midst of chaos. Emily brings fun to Christian's life whether it be verbal sparring or physical engagements. And since she has always had to be responsible and in control, she does not mind giving up a bit of control to him when it counts. It is just supposed to be casual, but feelings are strong and terrifying. As the layers are peeled back, more understanding and vulnerability shows. And Christian is hoping that he can convince her that more is worth it because he knows what he wants. I loved him and found him to be a great swoonworthy hero. But Emily does not make anything easy on him. So there were some times I just wanted to shake sense into her.

And the usual calm, easy-going, charming, Ace is not longer the man breaking up fights because he keeps getting into them with the hot, brawny, Rusty. The are two men who are attracted to each other, but are on the opposites sides of the LGBT fight and cannot seem to find middle ground. Ace has been through so much and fought to be out. Rusty is still in the closet and is afraid to leave it. I loved that she gave us a M/M story line. I enjoy the genre anyway, but we also need some diversity here to be realistic. Just because this is a group of bad-a**es, does not mean that they would all be straight.

And that brings us to the enigmatic, Angel. He is a mysterious, former Mossad agent with a whole new identity. I imagine his story will be in the forefront of the next book. Due to the continuing story arc through Fuel for Fire, this one, and the fact that it is not quite resolved yet so should continue in Built for Speed, I recommend at least reading these three books together. (Although some of the characters were first introduced in Wild Ride.) These installments are all about the newer members of BKI. This one is told in multiple points of view giving us all access. It gives us some resolution for the main couple, but leaves another with issues but potential, an enemy still in the wind, and a tease for another story. So I hope Built for Speed wraps up some of this ongoing story line.

These characters are stubborn, strong, brave, thrive on challenges, and have each other's backs. They just have to translate that team philosophy to trust and belief in personal relationships as well and determine if the risk is worth the reward. I really enjoyed the sparring and dynamics between these characters. It added fun and sexual tension to the suspense and danger. And I love the camaraderie and bonds between the the team at BKI and their significant others. They are truly a self made family of strong men and women.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

What was he doing?

What the bloody hell was he doing?

Emily didn’t realize it, but all her acts of caring, her selfless moments of kindness—from waking him from his nightmare to pulling him into the cab of the pickup truck—had torn open his chest, ripped out his heart, and served it up on a platter.

Then, when she had stepped in front of him, ready to take a bullet that was bloody well meant for him, he had stopped pretending that what he felt for her was lust mixed with a heavy dose of vexation. Stopped pretending that he wasn’t completely arse over teakettle about everything she did, everything she said. Each smile. Each laugh. Each witty quip.

In that moment, he had known. Heart. On. A. Platter.

All she had to do was take it.

Unfortunately, he was the one taking.

Taking a kiss she hadn’t granted. Taking a taste she didn’t return. Taking advantage of a beastly situation.

Had he lost his mind? Had he forgotten the unwritten rule? The one that was bold, underlined, and all in caps?

Not to mention, he’d lost control of himself, of the moment. He blamed it on the memory of Emily in that bastard’s grip. The sight of her there—a pistol to her head, her eyes wide with fear, but her jaw gritted tight because she refused to give in to it—was forever tattooed onto the backs of his eyelids. He knew he’d see it when he closed his eyes at night.

It took effort, but he ripped his mouth away from Emily’s and dropped his hands. Curling his fingers into fists, he locked his jaw until his molars begged for mercy.

“Whaaa?” She blinked up at him through the rain in confusion.

“Sorry.” He ground out. The word was guttural. Hard. “I shouldn’t have…” He shook his head, water flying from the ends of his hair. “Just…sorry, okay?”

Her mouth opened in a bewildered little O. That mouth that tasted like mint toothpaste with a lingering hint of buttered toast. His favorite flavor used to be Welsh cakes, but now it was Emily. Emily and her mint toothpaste with lingering hints of buttered toast.

“That won’t happen again,” he assured her before grabbing her hand and towing her toward the others.

He had thought for sure the man in the black pants and the white shirt was dead. Ben’s shot looked as if it had drilled the bloke directly in the heart. Which meant Christian felt like a total prat for stopping to ask Emily why she had stepped in front of him—for stopping to kiss her—when they arrived in time to hear the decidedly alive man whisper his name. “Philippe Dubois.”

“You’re Boss’s friend,” Ace said, applying pressure to Philippe’s wound. “You’re the former Armée de L’Air commandant.”

“Oui. C’est moi,” Philippe managed, water dripping from his chin and earlobes. He wasn’t wheezing. That was good. Meant the bullet hadn’t collapsed his lung.

“Don’t try to talk, Philippe,” Ace told him. “Rusty, call airport security.”

Christian was already pulling his mobile from his soaking hip pocket. The rain had let up. No longer a deluge, it was now more of a steady drip. “We don’t need security. We need an ambulance. This man needs to go to hospital.”

He dialed 999 without hesitation and waited for his call to connect. Dropping his free hand back to his side, he was startled when Emily grabbed it, threading her fingers through his. They felt dainty, delicate. And freezing wet. He desperately wanted to kiss them warmer, kiss them dry.

Glancing at her, he blinked the water from his lashes but couldn’t stop the questions in his eyes. So you forgive me? For taking without asking? For kissing you when you’ve given me no indication you were interested?

Before she could answer, an operator’s voice sounded in his ear, all efficient and bored. After explaining the nature of Philippe’s wound and what had happened in the vaguest of terms, he gave the operator their location. When she asked for his name, he growled, “That’s not what’s bloody important. What’s bloody important is a man’s been shot and needs help. Hurry!” He abruptly hung up. “Help is on the way,” he announced.

Philippe’s white shirt was soaked with blood despite the pressure Ace applied.

“Damnit,” Christian growled, looking around for something to stanch the bleeding. Nothing else for it, he decided, dropping Emily’s hand—he really, truly hated doing that—and shrugging out of his coat. Next came his sweater. He tossed both pieces of clothing to her.

His white cotton undershirt was wet and sticking to his skin, but it would have to do.

See our reviews of 

Thrill Ride (# 4) 

Born Wild (# 5)

Hell for Leather (# 6)
Full Throttle (#7)
Too Hard to Handle (#8)
Wild Ride (#9)
Fuel for Fire (#10) 


The story initiated in Fuel for Fire continues in Hot Pursuit so recommend at least reading this prior

Julie Ann Walker
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