Under Fire: A Love Over Duty Novel (Love Over Duty, 1) Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 2017

Under Fire by Scarlett ColeBook #1: Love Over Duty SeriesSource: Netgalley and PurchaseMy Rating: 5/5 starsMy Review:Louisa North, thanks to a life-long struggle with pathological shyness, craves the order and solitude of her perfectly controlled world. Her lab has only one other employee and is organized to the point of perfection and her home is her solace. She has dedicated her life to her research, been reasonably successful in her efforts, and has had few regrets. It isn’t until her peaceful and ordered world is disturbed that Louisa begins to think there may be more to life than just work.Louisa’s last round of experiments and samples were proving to be quite promising right up until the treacherous side effects cropped up. With nothing left to do but start again, Louisa stores the samples and prepares to move forward with the next round of testing. In a secure facility with strict rules and regulations, Louisa expects her work to be safe. That expectation is shattered the morning Louisa notices one of her stored samples has been tampered with and another is missing. Though she goes through the proper in-house channels to report the disturbance, Louisa quickly discovers it isn’t enough, she’s being lied to, and her life is in danger.Helping individuals like Louisa North isn’t at all what Six’s new security firm is meant to do. Staffed with highly skilled, well-trained ex-military, Six’s firm is meant to work on overseas ops and protection details; things the regular military isn’t always able to do and less skilled firms can’t handle. From the moment he meets her, Six knows Louisa is different and he can feel her fear, anger, and discomfort over her missing sample. Bound and determined to help her, Six calls in his crew and though they don’t initially think her case is one they should take on, they become convinced when she begins using phrases and words like “biological weapon” and “weaponized.” As the situation continues to escalate, Six and Louisa are drawn closer together until each realizes their respective worlds just weren’t complete without the other. If they survive the awful, there may just be a future for the two of them.The Bottom Line: Well, this is one of those reads that makes me angry about having to have a real job and responsibilities. You know, things that take me away from reading a damn good book 😊 I got sucked into this on page one and the book didn’t let me go until the very end. There’s something for everyone here including a team of hard-bodied, highly-trained, dangerous men led by Six and his best-friend, a scary let’s kill a lot of people with a biological weapon plot, just enough action to warrant some seriously intense naughty bits, and a slightly damaged woman whose life is turned upside down. With all that being said, my favorite part of this entire read is Cole’s treatment of Louisa. Louisa has a legitimate issue which has kept her from living a totally full and rewarding life. I LOVE that those issues don’t miraculously disappear when Louisa starts getting some! Six doesn’t cure Louisa, he loves her, supports her, and gives her more tools to work with her issues rather than hide from them. Louisa grows as a character yet still must deal with the hand life has dealt her; it’s just a bit easier now that Six is in her life. In all, Under Fire is an excellent start to an exciting new action-packed contemporary romance series by one of my favorite authors. If you aren’t reading Scarlett Cole, you need to be and Under Fire would be an excellent place to start!

SERIES: Love Over Duty #1ROMANCE: In love with the bodyguard. Awkward outside the bedroom.QUICK REVIEWI was very conflicted over rating this one, and would likely call this more of a 2.5, but overall I was disappointed. I loved Scarlett Cole's Second Circle Tattoos Series so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately I didn't really feel the chemistry between Six and Louisa when they were outside the bedroom. Their relationship also felt very shallow, in the sense that their connection was never very deep and developed. I still plan to read the next in the series, Final Siege, and hopefully that one will work better for me.--------------------------------CHARACTERSSix Rapp: Starting Eagle Securities with his ex-SEAL buddies is keeping Six busy. He knows he doesn't have time to take on Louisa's case but he can't help but step in when she's in danger. Now that he's protecting her, he can't stop thinking about her, even when he knows he shouldn't get involved with a paying client.Louisa North: Discovering a highly dangerous sample is missing from her lab, Louisa reports it to her supervisors. But when she's almost kidnapped, she realizes that she needs real protection if she wants to stay alive. The problem is that Louisa is painfully shy and being around other people is anxiety inducing for her. But there's something about Six that she finds more bearable.POSITIVES-- I really enjoyed Eagle Securities and the personalities of the guys involved. There are quiet a few characters introduced and I look forward to seeing more of them and getting their stories. I also liked that this group is just starting out and they experience mistakes and problems as they figure out they're going to run the business.-- In the bedroom, Six and Louisa are on fire and you can get your fan out now. This was really the only time I felt like Six and Louisa were really connecting and the only time they truly had chemistry.-- I liked Louisa's quirks and it was interesting to have a heroine who was so shy that it was actually uncomfortable for her to make eye contact. Some romance novels claim shy heroines but don't follow through. Scarlett Cole did a great job of showing how Louisa's shyness and anxiety really affected her every day life.NEGATIVES-- I never really got the connection between Six and Louisa. We're told that they are attracted to each other but I never really believed the chemistry (the only time it was clear was when they were intimate). Everything about their relationship and love felt very shallow and on the surface. The reader knows some things about the characters but it takes a long time for them to share together. On top of that, there's just not a whole lot of history and depth to the characters. Because of this lack of depth, it felt like they saw each other, said they were attracted, slept together, and then decided they were in love. It just didn't work for me.-- This is likely all me, but I just couldn't get into the story. I honestly would have not finished this one if it hadn't been for the author. I stuck with it only because I've enjoyed Scarlett Cole's previous books. The action wasn't bad but I just couldn't be bothered apparently.-- Some of the conversations were a bit weird and it's hard to describe. But there were instances when Louisa and Six were talking and I couldn't help but think, "no would say it that way". It was minor and didn't bother me too much by itself, but on top of everything else, it detracted from my enjoyment.

I really enjoyed this first in the new Love Over Duty series by Scarlett Cole. Sixten was ex-military and all alpha as he and his partners set up their new security firm. He was comfortable in what they were doing, excited even, as intel, bullets and catching the bad guys was what he knew and loved. He and his partners were brothers in arms and they had a good vision for success. Louisa and her problems were not on their one-year plan but then she wasn’t on Six’s life plan either. A chance meeting meant a surprise connection that would lead them down an unexpected, scary path…I don’t mean shop of horrors scary though the danger Louisa was facing was real. Reaching out to Six for help meant Louisa had to give up some control, hard to do in her organized life, but thank goodness she did. He was there when she needed him, even if keeping their professional and personal lives separate was increasingly hard…There was a lot of friction as the suspense built and so did the chemistry between them. The storyline may not have been particularly new, but I couldn’t argue with its execution. Heat, emotional pitfalls and a lot of action made for a great romance ride… I am looking forward to more!*Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group**Thank you to NetGalley

Why haven't I read this until now? I've had the paperback on my shelf for so long now I knew it was time to get myself into this series at long last and I'm so glad I did.Louisa is a scientist looking into research into a cause that's very close to her heart and when she starts to notice things happening there's only one person she can trust in her shy state.Previous SEAL Six has set up a new business with mates Mac and Cabe and cant believe his luck when Louisa turns up on his doorstep.Love these guys together... they had the struggle of not being together as they were working together but the chemistry took over and they couldn't resist 😉Didn't want to put this down once I started and it leads you up to make you want to jump into book 2 asap!

I thought this was a good start to a new series. Although I did struggle to get into it to begin with. Mainly because a particular character uses a lot of medical and scientific jargon. That I found hard to follow but once I got my head around the dialogue. I was soon drawn in and it stayed that way throughout.I did think both characters were likable though. Especially Six, who I thought embodied the alpha protective hero really well. As for Louisa she was a little neurotic but endearing nonetheless and I loved the relationship that developed between them. Especially as there was no messing around or pretense. It was just sweet straight forward and enjoyable to read.As for the suspense element of the story. I thought it was good and it definitely kept my attention. Especially with pockets of action scattered throughout. But it was balanced well with the romance. I also enjoyed getting to know the secondary characters. Including Six's best friends Cabe and Mac. Especially with all the banter and camaraderie they shared. As well as the hints about their own stories. Which I'm really looking forward to reading and I would happily recommend Under Fire to others.

When Scarlett Cole promised the start of a new series, I couldn't wait. Having read and loved the Second Circle books & loving the Preload books, I knew it was going to be worth the wait.Under Fire is the introduction to the world of a group of ex Navy SEALS starting afresh in the civilian world.Under Fire is Sixton & Louisa's book. Louisa a quiet scientist working on a significant breakthrough. Sixton meets Louisa and connection is instant. Then Louisa finds herself in danger and swiftly she becomes the client.Under Fire takes you on a fast paced read, perfect plot and hot - did I mention HOT!If book one is this good - can't wait for more!!

I love Scarlett Cole and her books! This book is no exception!Six and his SEAL buddies are out of the military and setting up their future, this book tells the story of Six and his Lou....Loved it!!

Really, really enjoyed this book!