Review, Character Interview & #Giveaway: ★HOT & BOTHERED★ by @LynnRayeHarris

If you follow my reviews at all then you already know my obsession with all things HOT. I’m a huge fan of Romantic Suspense and Lynn Raye Harris’s Hostile Operations Team series has quickly become my go-to books when I’m in the mood for some sizzling and action packed romantic suspense. Her heroes are to die for and her heroines are no females to be reckoned with; they can kick some serious ass. Having read the entire series to-date, I can honestly tell you that these books only continue to get better and better.

Today I have the uber sexy Ryan “Flash” Gordon from Lynn’s most recent release, HOT AND BOTHERED. Hot and Bothered is the 8th book in the series and features Ryan and Emily, who we briefly met as Victoria Royal’s sister in HOT REBEL. While Hot and Bothered may be read as a standalone, you’ll enjoy the books a lot more reading the series in order. Or if you’re thinking of starting with Hot and Bothered, I recommend that you at least read Hot Rebel first to better get the background of these characters.

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to enter the awesome giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback of any book from the Hostile Operations Team series.

He can never have her. Having her means the end of his career in the Hostile Operations Team. But when he learns she’s carrying his child, he’ll have to make a choice…

Ryan “Flash” Gordon has been drawn to Emily Royal bin Yusuf since the first moment he met her. But she’s a terrorist’s widow, which means she’s completely off-limits. A HOT special operator can never be with a woman whose name is on government watch lists the world over.

But when Emily begs him for just one night, he can’t refuse. The next morning, she’s gone. Not just from his bed, but from his life.

Emily can never clear her name—or can she? When a rogue CIA operative offers her a chance to put her past behind her and do something for her country, she leaps at the opportunity—even though it means leaving behind the man she’s fallen in love with. But not before she lets herself have one night with him.

One night with stunning consequences…

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He speared his free hand into her hair, tilted her head back. “Emily. Jesus, what you do to me…”
“What, Ry?” she whispered, her throat tight and raw. “What do I do to you?”
“This,” he growled- and then he kissed her.

Lynn’s Hostile Operations Team is one of those series that just addictingly good. It doesn’t matter how many books she’ll write for it because I know I’ll read every single one. Every. Single. One. They’re that good. It’s the perfect combination of sizzling romance with heartpounding suspense. It’s action packed and sexy. It’s everything I love about romantic suspense and I can’t recommend this series enough!

Each book in this series may be read as a standalone as each one features a different couple with a fully finished suspense plot and a HEA. With this book, however, I highly recommend you read Hot Rebel first. Hot Rebel serves as the perfect set up for Emily’s book and will give the reader some bonus backstory that will make Hot And Bothered a much more enjoyable read. (Also it was an amazing book). Hot Rebel features Emily’s sister, Victoria Royal, but it also introduces Emily. I think it will make you understand her better as a character, as well as her connection with Ryan. I felt like the story here almost began in the process of their relationship, and readers that haven’t read Hot Rebel may feel a slight disconnect. That being said, on to the review.

How did she do this to him? How did she twist him up inside so thoroughly and make him uncertain which way was up?

Ryan “Flash” Gordon has always been the easy-going jokester in his HOT team. But when Emily Royal came along, it threw everything he thought he knew for a loop.

Emily’s connection to a known terrorist, albeit a now dead one, has forever tarnished her life. Being the wife of said terrorist, it doesn’t matter if she was the one to help bring him down, she’s on the government watch list and even though she yearns for Ryan with her whole being, she knows that they can never be together. After all, he’s a soldier, and she’s the widow of a terrorist that’s on the government’s no fly list. She’s be the death of his military career. But when the mysterious Ian Black offers her an out that will clear her record, even while putting her in danger, she doesn’t even have to think twice. She leaves everything and everyone she knows behind to fly back to the one place she hoped never to see again. But not before spending one unforgettable night with the man that means everything to her…

If she could get closer to him, she would. if she could be a part of him, she would. But this had to be enough, this beautiful melding of two sweat-slick bodies.

Hot and Bothered offered a little something that it’s predecessors have not, additional POVs. And while usually I’d feel it would take away from the main story, here it only heightened it. That could be in large due to the additional POVs being those of Ian Black and Commander Mendez, the two men that I’m absolutely dying for a story for. There’s definitely the set up for a hell of a book for both of them, and I can’t wait to get my grabby little hands on those.

I was a little afraid that Emily would be a little too weak for my tastes, especially given her history. I was very happy to see that she truly grew into her own in this book. She came off as a little different, weaker, in the beginning, which threw me off a bit, but that certainly changed further in the book. Ryan was always walking on egg shells when it came to her, but I was happy to see that he got his growly and possessive side here.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it just didn’t have that added oompf that the rest of this series had for me. Now considering I’ve loved every single book in the series, that’s not exactly a bad thing. I still liked it, it just wasn’t my favorite. I’m not sure exactly what was missing, but it just never grabbed me like the others did. Maybe because I felt like the romance felt rushed in some ways (view spoiler)[due to a particular trope that took place (hide spoiler)]. Hot and Bothered was still a fantastic addition to an already favorite series and I can’t wait to see what the next books brings. I’m really hoping Ian will be next because you already know his book will be one hell of a ride!

Now without further ado, since I do have a sexy soldier in my presence right now, let’s get to the interview, shall we?

DGR: Ryan “Flash” Gordon, I’m so excited to have you at DGR today. Hope I’m not keeping you from any dire HOT missions.

Ryan: Nah, glad to be here. Anything for a lovely lady. *winks*

DGR: Can we start out with you introducing yourself and telling us a little more about yourself.

Ryan: *scratches back of neck* Not much to tell. I’m Ryan Gordon, known as Flash to my teammates. After a hard day saving the world, I like a cold beer and a soft woman in my bed. I drive a Ram Big Horn, listen to country music, and my favorite food is a cheeseburger. What else is there to know?

DGR: You HOT boys sure have some great nicknames, Ice, Knight Rider, Big Mac, Hawk… How’d you get the name “Flash”?

Ryan: Team names are meant to be an inside joke most of the time. No real surprise then that the guys thought it was amusing to call me Flash Gordon. *smirks*

DGR: You’ve always been the easy going jokester in the group, does that help you get through the difficult missions with your team?

Ryan: *looks a little sheepish* Yeah, maybe so. I think life is hard enough so why not laugh at it, you know?

DGR: How did you get involved with HOT to begin with? What was the appeal of it for you?

Ryan: I joined the Army for the usual reasons. A job with good pay and benefits and the GI Bill for school. But I kinda excelled at the hard stuff. I enjoy it. So I went through Ranger training. After some time with the Rangers, I got recruited for the Green Berets and then HOT. It wasn’t easy getting in, but I worked my ass off. I like doing things no one thinks possible. HOT is damned near impossible for most recruits. We’re elite, and I like it that way.

DGR: Which HOT member would you say is the most serious?

Ryan: If you count the colonel, then it’s definitely Mendez. If we’re talking my squad, then I’d probably have to go with Ice. Not that he’s all that frigging serious — but he’s quiet and he’s got a raw edge that makes him look deadly serious at all times. Then again, Hawk is pretty serious too.

DGR: You recently got some SEAL additions to the team, have you gotten to know much about them yet?

Ryan: Dane’s a good guy to have at your back in a firefight. If the rest of the SEALs are like him, then yeah, I can’t wait to work with them. They’ve only just arrived so I don’t know them too well yet. But Remy Marchand is a Cajun like my team leader, Matt “Richie Rich” Girard, and they seem to have hit it off. I trust Richie with my life, so that’s good enough for me.

DGR: There’s been a lot of pairing off with the HOT boys lately, marriages and babies on the way, any special lady you have your sights on?

Ryan: *drops gaze to lap* Yeah, well, maybe that’s not for me. There’s this one woman… but, no, it’d never work. She deserves better than a guy who does what I do for a living.

DGR: Can you describe your perfect woman for us?

Ryan: She’s smart and strong but she lets me take care of her because she knows it’s what I do. I don’t want a yes woman. I want a woman who challenges me — but not too much, right? *winks*

DGR: Do you ever see yourself quitting HOT and joining civilian life if you meet the right woman?

Ryan: I try not to think about that. I just have to get through the next mission.

DGR: What would you say your biggest strength is?

Ryan: I’m loyal. And I have a big (there’s a long pause) heart. *grins* What did you think I was going to say, sugar?

DGR: Now what about your biggest weakness?

Ryan: Honey, I don’t have any weaknesses. I can’t afford to be weak.

DGR: What would you say is your biggest desire?

Ryan: Long walks on the beach, cuddling by the fire, listening to everything about your day…. *snorts* Nah, it’s hot sex with a beautiful woman. Pretty much the same for all dudes.

DGR: Well, I don’t want to keep you too long since I’m sure you have more important things to do, like protecting the country and all that. Let’s end things on a light note; tell us about your fondest memory.

Ryan: I thought it was the day I got my Ranger Tab. Then I thought it was the day I got through the Q-course for being a Green Beret. But nope, it was the day I got selected for HOT. Not that I can confirm or deny the existence of HOT, you understand. Just wanted to add that. I know you’ve mentioned it a couple of times now, but it’s all hypothetical.

DGR: Thanks so much for stopping by DGR today, anything you’d like to say to end things with?

Ryan: Thanks for inviting me to be here with the dirty girls. I like dirty girls. I like them very much. You just let me know how dirty you want to be, sweetheart. I’m down with that…

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