Titles: Ricochet:
Locked and Loaded (Ricochet, #1)
Friendly Fire (Ricochet, #2)
Extraction Point (Ricochet, #3)
Locked and Loaded (Ricochet, #1)
Friendly Fire (Ricochet, #2)
Extraction Point (Ricochet, #3)
Author: Heather C. Leigh
Released March 29, 2015
Blurb
Rick "Ricochet" Brennan served eight years as an elite Marine special ops Force Recon soldier. After an injury, and the terrible memories from that night, he retires and goes to work for his former Command Officer, Howard "Mack" McEvoy, at his training center in Atlanta.
Sanctum MMA appears on the surface to be a normal gym, training elite fighters to be the best. Except each trainer, hand-picked by Mack, possesses a special background that allows Mack to run one of the best-kept secrets in the country.
When twenty-four year old Quinn Wallace finally escapes her abusive husband, she turns to her father’s old Marine Corps buddy, Mack, for help. Broken and skittish, Quinn finds herself surrounded by large, intimidating men— men who could easily overpower her. She avoids them the best she can, but when Rick turns out to be more than just a rough fighter with bruised knuckles, she finds herself wondering if she can allow herself to trust again.
Ricochet is a full-length novel to be released as three parts.
***This book contains hot sweaty men, sexy scenes for those over 18, and uncomfortable, sometimes violent scenes.***
Excerpt
Feeling ridiculous, Quinn ducked her head, turned, and practically ran down the hall to the break room. She shut the door behind her and sagged into it, leaning her forehead against the hard surface. “Shit,” she whispered to herself.
“You do that a lot.”
“Oh my God!” Quinn spun around to see the man with the striking aquamarine eyes, staring at her from his seat at the break room table. She choked, which made her cough, making it difficult to catch her breath.
Rick, his name is Rick.
The dark haired Adonis reclined in his chair, hands clasped behind his head as he smirked at Quinn. “You okay there?” She nodded, still unable to speak. “You scare too easily, doll.”
“What?” Quinn rasped as she dug her fingernails into her palms to stop her hands from trembling. She was still recovering from surprise he gave her, otherwise she would have scolded him for the doll comment... maybe. If she weren’t so frightened of the man.
“Every time I see you, you’re cursing under your breath.” Rick lifted an enormous bottle of water to his mouth and chugged down a third of it, never taking his sharp gaze off of Quinn’s. She noticed the large hand he had wrapped around the drink, knuckles scarred and bruised from fighting. That’s what all of these men did for a living, they fought or trained other men to fight. Those hands could hit… hard.
Danger! Her mind told her again. Quinn’s heart was racing frantically, feeling as if it may explode in her chest.
She shivered in response, but not from the fear she should be feeling from being so close to such a dangerous man. No, Quinn shivered because he was so damn hot she couldn’t stop imagining those large, rough hands running all over her skin. The way his lips surrounded the bottle and his throat working to swallow… she felt it in a way that made her uncomfortable. The fear mingling with desire had her flat-out confused.
Quinn unintentionally let her eyes roam over his broad chest, which was covered by only a thin, tight T-shirt that had the sleeves cut off and was damp with sweat. His sinewy arms were on full display, each muscle cut perfectly. The only mark on his beautiful tan skin was a black tattoo of a skull inside a circle with wings coming off of it and a knife or weapon behind. For a minute, she thought she recognized the tattoo, but she wasn’t close enough to know for sure.
I would love to lick that tattoo. Oh my god, where did that come from?
Feeling her neck and cheeks flame up from her deviant thoughts, Quinn quickly gathered herself, remembering that this cocky man was poking fun at her. Dangerous or not, that made her mad. She narrowed her eyes at his annoyingly gorgeous face.
“Well, you like to sneak up on people. It’s not nice. And, I’m not your doll.” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look confident when all she really wanted to do was run out of here and hide, or maybe run across the room and straddle his lap. She was equally torn between the two. So what did she do? Nothing. Her feet were rooted to the spot.
“Sneak up on people? You came in here, remember?” Rick pushed his chair back and got to his feet in one surprisingly nimble move for such a big man. Quinn swallowed when she got a good look at how tall he was, having to tilt her head back to see his face. The last time they spoke, she had been sitting while he leaned over her desk, his muscular body hidden behind the half wall that separated her from the lobby. Now that they were both standing, she could see that he was much, much taller than her petite five foot four inch frame. Her subconscious kept screaming at her.
Danger!
Quinn instinctively backed up, not stopping until she felt the kitchenette’s countertop dig into her lower back. Rick continued forward, only halting when there were just inches separating his large body from hers. He put his hands on the cabinets behind her, one on either side of her head caging her in. A small whimper fell from her lips and her breath stuttered. Quinn balled up her hands, running a fingertip over the ridge on her right palm. She shuddered from the thought of that scar, but when she remembered how she got it, she felt somewhat stronger. It was her badge of courage.
“And,” he said, close enough that she could smell him, a faint mixture of aftershave and sweat. It was potent enough to make her bite her lip so she wouldn’t try to lick his neck or bury her face in his chest and inhale that masculine scent. “Lots of people think I’m nice… doll.” Then he smirked.
Quinn’s mouth fell open at his arrogance.
Jerk!
Attraction or not, frightened or not, his slick overconfidence grated on her nerves. Braver than she’d felt for the first time in a long time, Quinn smiled at the egotistical man with the hypnotizing eyes. She refused to be another one of Rick’s groupies, and she was quite sure he had plenty of them falling for his easy charm and rugged perfection. “Yeah, well, those people that think you’re nice? I’m not one of them.”
Trembling, she ducked under Rick’s arm, unable to keep herself from noticing how hard his abs were as she nudged by. Pretending to be fearless, Quinn snatched her purse out of her locker, and left without saying another word.
BOOK LINKS
Ricochet: Locked & Loaded (Ricochet, #1)
Releasing April 5, 2015
Pre – Order ….
Releasing April 12, 2015
Pre – Order ….
TEASERS
About the Author
I grew up in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA with my husband, two kids, a French Bulldog and a pug.
I'm a full-time procrastinator and a part-time everything else.
I love the Red Sox, chocolate, and traveling.
When I'm not writing, I'm dealing drugs legally as a pharmacist.
Giveaway
Book 1
5 'Doll' Stars
Ricochet is a short and sexy novella that's fast paced and thrilling all in one. It keeps you wanting to turn the pages faster than normal, devouring each written word and loving the images rolling through your mind's eye. This is only the beginning, Part 1 in this series.
Quinn Wallace has been on the run for a year. Running from an abusive husband, Quinn seeks help from her father's best friend and former Marine buddy. Married for three years and secluded and abused during those years, Quinn feels a sense of pride at having some independence and securing a job. Receptionist to a Mixed Martial Arts Gym, Quinn quickly learns the ropes and falls into uneasy companionship with most the members of the gym. On her first day at the gym, a frazzled Quinn meets Rick 'Ricochet' Brennan. A blue eyed muscled God, whose over confidence and soon to be seen sweet demeanor quickly draws her in.
Rick 'Ricochet' Brennan former Marine Corps. turned special ops mercenary and working at the MMA gym as a guise when not on a mission, is known for his 'hit em and leave em' lifestyle. Having no one to care for but himself, Rick uses his charm and brawn to draw the ladies in. Ricochet......... as his friends and Marine buddies call him. Because he always leaves before the women awake. Meeting Quinn, Rick quickly notices that she always keeps herself at a physical distance, soft spoken and skittish. She's broken, and it aches and infuriates him to know that someone abused this sweet woman. This woman that ceases his numb existence. She makes him feel.
Always carrying around the fear of being caught by her husband, Quinn continues to distance herself from the womanizing Ricochet. Especially after finding out what his nickname stands for. Slowly and cautiously Rick attempts to interact with Quinn by making small and sweet gestures that he knows she can't pass up. Quinn soon realizes that Rick may be bigger and stronger than her and could physically hurt her, but he wouldn't ever hurt a hair on her head.
Sigghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................ that's all I have to say. I am sad that I have to wait for the second instalment. Heather C. Leigh amazed me at how well-developed her characters were in such a short novella. She created a strong heroine that continues to struggle with her past, while at the same time Quinn remained steadfast in her plight to become independent.
*Heather C. Leigh gave me permission to use her Marine Recon Image (skull image) as part of my graphics.* Thanks so much.
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Book 2
3.5 Stars
Ricochet: Locked and Loaded (Ricochet, #1) ended with a cliffy, where Quinn left Rick in bed,
after a mind blowing night of passion, in fear and also deciding to handle her
past before she can have a present and future.
Quinn is taking her life back. Clearing out her father’s
estate and making chances in her life, Quinn is more than ready to file for
divorce and to try and make a life she always wanted. Putting all of her fears and her past behind her, Quinn
moves forward with a new attitude. Her first order of business is to repair
the broken friendship between Rick and herself.
Still hurt over Quinn’s betrayal, Rick decides to treat her
as the asshole player he’s nicknamed for. Emotionless and only useful for a
good time.
As they both attempt to mend the broken friendship, Rick is still in anguish and has an emotional and mental battle warring. Should he easily forgive Quinn and allow another woman to hurt him, or should he give in and try again? Quinn wants nothing more than to be with Rick, He has shown her an intensity that she has never encountered before, the feel of normalcy, yet she is fearful of accepting his pity over her abusive past with her husband.
Friendly Fire is all about the decisions that both characters war with on their path to forgiveness.
On to book 3.
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Book 3
4 Stars
All these cliffies would have given me whiplash, but I loved that I was bestowed with both the 2nd and 3rd instalment. So it wasn't much of a whiplash at all. So book 2 was my least favourite in this series. Book 3 gave me some redemption over my feelings for book 2.
Quinn and Rick have repaired their relationship, yet Quinn still can not fully succumb to her emotions and let Rick in. She refuses to reveal her past and the truth of her husband. She moves forward with a divorce. After a passionate night, their friendship has been repaired and they are now in a relationship. Leaving Rick to head to her lawyer's office, Quinn is kidnapped by her psycho husband.
Rick's emotions are all over the place. He can't believe he let Quinn leave, even though she needed to run an errand, his protective instincts are on high alert.
Finding out that Quinn is married, and that she has been abused for that last year and a half, sends Rick into a vicious frenzy. Even more so, she has been kidnapped and sixteen hours has passed and Rick and his team are no closer to finding her. Rick's mental and emotional fortitude is shot to hell and he can not contain the rage within him. His military buddies are feeling the aftermath of his impatience over not having any information pertaining to Quinn's whereabouts. Along with his own feelings- he didn't protect her, he let her down.
Captured and beaten, Quinn has been handcuffed to her childhood bed, while her husband, Travis taunts her. Hidden in plain sight, this sick, abusive and sadistic man, is even crazier than before. Quinn escaped months ago and filing for divorce was her last straw at moving on and getting away. Choosing to have a life she always wanted over the life she was given. Travis used this as an opportunity to capture Quinn. For months she eluded him. Finally getting her back, he can torture and punish her for her insolence.
Looking at Travis, Quinn knew she did some physical damage
to his handsome face when she escaped, but staring into the eyes of a monster,
even her wildest fantasies could not dream up the man in front of her now.
Quinn found the strength those many months ago and fought for her survival and escaped. Refusing to be Annie Hardy any longer.
Unwilling faced with the same situation those months ago, Quinn is stronger than ever and she refuses to go down without a fight. Quinn knows that she never mentioned her past to Rick, and by the time anyone figures out what happened, she may be gone already. But that doesn't mean she is going to be the weak submissive Annie. She is a fighter.
“Don’t.
Call.
Annie.”
I’m not broken yet, you asshole. You may have me, but you
don’t own me
This was a great conclusion to the Ricochet series and I am looking forward to reading more from Heather C. Leigh. The family that Mack created among these men was extraordinary, along with being the new father figure to Quinn. Mack played an exceptional role. Quinn's character remained strong and resilient in her quest to overcome her past. Rick remained true to himself, by being the overbearing, cocky alpha male he is.
*ARC provided by Love Between the Sheets on behalf of the author for an honest review* Thanks!!
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