4.5 Smooches
Synopsis
One taste is never enough…
Spencer Waller’s main purpose in life is to protect and serve. After spending years in the military, he gets a coveted spot on the Secret Service detail protecting the president. Spence doesn’t have time for women or all the work having a relationship with one requires. But just because he isn’t looking for a lady doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate a beautiful one when he sees her.
And he makes it a point to see one in particular every single day.
Elle Bond has literally chopped and fried her way to the top of the food chain. Earning a coveted position in the White House as the president’s personal chef, she figures her professional life can only get better. Her personal life, on the other hand, could use a little bit of an overhaul, and because of that, she tries to ignore the charm-dripping cookie thief every time he comes into her kitchen. After all, she knows better than anyone that just one taste of something good is never enough.
One night after work, Elle is assaulted, threatened, and given an ultimatum. She can’t go to the police, and she sure as hell can’t do what she was ordered.
But she has to. Or else.
Pale, shaken, and scared to death, Elle confides in Spence, and his protective instincts take over. Together, Elle and Spencer have to uncover a sinister plot and stop it before someone ends up dead.
Review
“I know the look of a wounded bird, you don’t look wounded, darlin’. You look downright beaten.”
Wow! This fast read packed an action packed punch. Taste by Cambria Hebert is 9th book in the take it off series but all of them are standalones. I have been lucky enough to read a couple of Cambria’s books before and have enjoyed them but this is definitely my favorite so far. More than reading a sexy romance I felt like I was watching a movie the whole time and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “For what?” “For taking so long to do something about the way I feel about you.”
Elle is a very accomplished twenty four year old considering she is a single mom of a two year old and a personal chef for the President of the United States. But working in that position also puts her at risk and when men break into her home and threaten not only her life but the life of her two year old son if she doesn’t poison the president she is torn as to what to do. Enter sexy cookie thief and super sexy secret serviceman Spencer, who has been hanging around her kitchen lately more than the job requires. Once she opens up to him about what is going on he makes it his personal duty to keep her safe and punish anyone who hurts her or her son.
“When I am done with you, there won’t be any doubt in your mind.”
I loved sweet, sexy and southern Spencer. He was all kinds of Alpha goodness and really made this story for me. Being former military he has a deep urge to protect those around him and it becomes apparent right away that Elle is who is most interested in protecting. He instils himself in her life and won’t let her push him away. But damn, when she gives in to the strong pull that you can feel from them from the beginning it is HOT! Somehow in this action packed book where something is always going on Cambria found the time to also make it super sexy and still kept it feeling like the story flowed.
“The truth is it didn’t matter what I did here. This place . . . it never felt like home. You feel like home to me.”
Anyone who is a fan of action packed TV shows like Hostages or 24 will love this book. The only real problem I had with it was that I read it home alone at night and I suddenly found myself very worried that strange armed men were hiding in the corners. (paranoid much loll.) Overall, Cambria did a great job of mixing action, drama and romance is this fast and fun novel.
~miranda
