The hero we've all been waiting for…
Ethan "Ozzie" Sykes
Former Navy SEAL
Underground operator for Black Knights Inc., the covert government defense firm disguised as a custom motorcycle shop
In a black-on-black international mission that went seriously sideways, Ozzie was badly injured—now he's stuck at BKI headquarters in Chicago, champing at the bit to get out into the field again. To his disgust, he's tasked with distracting Chicago Tribune ace reporter Samantha Tate, who's been trying to dig up the dirt on BKI for years. Turns out Samantha's beauty, intelligence and sense of humor are a seriously big distraction, and Ozzie's losing his desire to keep her at bay.
Ozzie's tired of hiding, and Samantha may be the best—and worst—person to share his secrets with...
4.5 Stars
Wild Ride is the ninth book in the Black Knights Inc series. Although it can be read as a standalone, having read any of the previous book you will be aware of the large cast of characters.
I am a long time fan of the Black Knights Inc series, I love the blend of action, intrigue, suspense, humor and heat that Julie Ann Walker brings to her story lines.
Wild Ride features Ethan 'Ozzie' Skyes and Samantha Tate. Both these characters have been quite prevalent in the previous titles. Ozzie is a former SEAL, and a computer genius, with serious hacking and programming skills. He's an enigmatic and endearing character, sexy, off the charts intelligent, protective alpha, quite nerdy and geeky with a love of all things sci-fi. He's also flirtatious, charming and hot and a bit of a womanizer. Samantha is just as endearing a reporter, she's stubborn, intelligent, quick witted, sassy and tenacious when it comes to finding answers, truth and justice.
This pair are friends, that hide their mutual attraction behind guilt, secrets, self doubt and self recriminations. Due to the secretive nature of Ozzie's work with Black Knights Inc, he holds himself back, until Samantha's inquisitive nature finds her in trouble and he is determined to be her knight in shining armor.
I loved the sexual tension and hot chemistry, and the witty, fun and flirty banter that made for a highly engaging and entertaining story. A fun, flirty and at times poignant read that I thoroughly enjoyed, and recommend to anyone who is a fan of the series, or romantic suspense. I look forward to the next title in this series and cannot wait to see more of the Black Knights.
Black Knights Inc. Reading Order:
#1 HELL ON WHEELS
HOLD ON TIGHT…
Ex-Marine Nate “Ghost” Weller is an expert at keeping his cool – and his distance – which makes him one hell of a sniper. It’s also how he keeps his feeling for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she’s his best friend’s baby sister… and totally off limits.
ROUGH ROAD AHEAD
Ali’s never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley – or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she’s in trouble. First something happened to her brother, and now’s she’s become the target of some nasty organization. With Nate, her life in the most capable hands possible – but her heart in another story altogether.
#2 IN RIDES TROUBLE
REBEL WITH A CAUSE
Becky “Rebel” Reichert never actually goes looking for trouble. It just has a tendency to find her. Like the day Frank Knight showed up at her door, wanting to use her motorcycle shop as a cover for his elite special ops team. But Becky prides herself on being able to hang with the big boys – she can weld, drive, and shoot just as well as any of them.
MAN WITH A MISSION
Munitions, missiles, and mayhem are Frank way of life. But the last thing the ex-SEAL wants is for one brash blond to come within fifty feet of anything that goes boom. Yet it’s just his rotten luck when she ends up a hostage situation at sea. Come hell or high water, he will get her back – whether she says she needs him or not.
#3 REV IT UP
HE NEVER MISSES A TARGET
Jake “the snake” Sommers earned his SEAL codename by striking quickly and quietly – and with lethal force. That’s also how he broke Michelle Carter’s heart. It was the only way to keep her safe – from himself. Four long years later, Jake is determined to get a second chance. But to steal back into Michelle’s loving arms, Jake is going to have to prove he can take things slow. Real slow…
SHE AIMS TO MAKE HIM BEG
Michelle Carter has never forgiven Jake for being so cliche as to “love her and leave her.” But when her brother, head of the Black Knights elite ops agency, ticks off the wrong mobster, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in Jake’s hands. No matter what they call him, this man is far from cold-blooded. And once he’s wrapped around her heart, he’ll never let her go…
#4 THRILL RIDE
HE’S GONE ROGUE
Ex-Navy SEAL Rock Babineaux’s job is to get information, and he’s one of the best in the business. Until something goes horribly wrong and he’s being hunted by his own government. Even his best friends at the covert special-ops organization Black Knights Inc. aren’t sure they can trust him. He thinks he can outrun them all, but his former partner—a curvy bombshell who knows just how to drive him wild—refuses to cut him loose.
SHE WON’T BACK DOWN
Vanessa Cordova hasn’t been the team’s communication specialist
very long, but she knows how to read people—no way is Rock guilty of murder. And she’ll go to hell and back to help him prove it. Sure, the sexy Cajun has his secrets, but there’s no one in the world she’d rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good, because they’re about to get very tight.
#5 BORN WILD
TICK…TICK…
“Wild” Bill Reichert knows a thing or two about explosives. The ex-Navy SEAL can practically rig a bomb blindfolded. But there’s no way to diffuse the inevitable firewords the day Eve Edens walks back into his life, asking for help…
BOOM!
Eve doens’t know what to do when the Chicago police won’t believe someone is out to hurt her. The only place to turn is Black Knights Inc. – after all, no one is better at protection than the covert special-ops team. Yet there’s also no one better at getting her all turned on than Billy Reichert. She has a feeling this is one blast from the past that could backfire big time…
#6 HELL FOR LEATHER
UNLIMITED DRIVE
Only a crisis could persuade Delilah Fairchild to abandon her beloved biker bar, let alone ask Black Knights Inc. operator Bryan “Mac” McMillan for help. But her uncle has vanished into thin air, and sexy, surly Mac has the connections to help her find him. What the big, blue-eyed Texan has against her is a mystery… but when the bullets start to fly, Mac becomes her only hope of survival, and he only chance of finding her uncle alive.
UNSTOPPABLE PASSION
Mac knows a thing or two about beautiful women – mainly that they can’t be trusted. Throw in a ticking clock, a deadly terrorist, and some missing nuclear weapons, and a man just might find himself on the wrong end of the gun. But facing down danger with Delilah is one passion-filled thrill ride…
#7 FULL THROTTLE
STEADY HANDS, COOL HEAD…
Carlos “Steady” Soto’s nerves of steel have served him well at the covert government defense firm of Black Knights Inc. But nothing has prepared him for the emotional roller coaster of guarding the woman he once loved and lost.
WILL ALL HE’S GOT BE ENOUGH?
Abby Thompson is content to leave politics and international intrigue to her father – the President of the United States – until she’s taken hostage half a world away, and she fears her father’s policy of not negotiating with terrorists will be her death sentence. There’s one glimmer of hope: the man whose heart she broke, but she can never tell him why.
As they race through the jungle in a bid for safety, the heat simmering between Steady and Abby could mean a second chance for them – if they make it out alive…
#8 TOO HARD TO HANDLE
“THE MAN” IS BACK
Dan “The Man” Currington is back in fighting form with a mission that takes him four thousand miles south of BKI headquarters, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. He’s hot on the trail of a rogue CIA agent selling classified government secrets to the highest bidder, when Penni DePaul arrives on the scene. Suddenly the stakes are higher, and keeping Penni safe becomes Dan’s number one priority.
AND THIS TIME SHE’S READY…
A lot has changed since former Secret Service Agent Penni DePaul last saw Dan. Now a civilian, she’s excited about what the future might hold. But before she can grab onto that future with both hands, she has to tie up some loose ends-namely, Dan Currington, the man she just can’t forget. And a secret that’s going to change both their lives-if they can stay alive, that is.
#10 FUEL FOR FIRE
DAGAN ZOELNER HAS MADE THREE HUGE MISTAKES
The first two left blood on his hands.
The third left him wondering…what if? What if he had told the woman of his dreams how he felt before his world fell apart?
Spitfire CIA agent Chelsea Duvall has always had a thing for bossy, brooding Dagan. It’s just as well that he’s never given her a second look, since she carries a combustible secret about his past that threatens to torch their lives…
Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award. Her latest release was named a Top Ten Romance of 2014 by Booklist. Her books have been described as "alpha, edgy, and downright hot." Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.
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Be sure to sign up for Julie's occasional newsletter at: http://julieannwalker.com
To learn more about Julie, follow her on Facebook:www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor and/or Twitter: @JAWalkerAuthor.