Tag Archives: Nine Circles

Review: In Bed with the Billionaire (Nine Circles #5) by Jackie Ashenden

Posted on by
Reply

Title: In Bed with the Billionaire
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 11/1/16
Length:   300 Pages
Series:  Nine Circles #5

Overview

In the final Nine Circles novel, there is a fine line between pleasure and pain, between sin and salvation. Jackie Ashenden shows what happens when a dangerously irresistible man and woman collide, in and out of the bedroom.

In Bed with the Billionaire

Known to the underworld only as Jericho, billionaire Theo Fitzgerald is one of the most powerful men in the world. But his plan is to tear down the criminal empire his father created from the inside out—unless someone else does it for him.

He suspects a bold, seductive woman named Temple Cross might be trying to take him out with it—but for the chance to burn in the heat she gives off, he’s not sure if he minds…

A hired hit woman, Temple has been waiting to get close to Jericho her whole life. The man who destroyed her family is worth looking in the eye before she kills him—but when she’s finally alone with Jericho, he’s nothing like the ruthless barbarian she imagined. Her reaction to his touch is explosively sexual—and their emotional connection is too powerful for her to ignore.

Is she his shot at redemption? Or will he have to risk losing her love to save her life?

My Thoughts

WOW – so, i think that we got exactly what we were hoping for as a conclusion and resolution to this fairly complicated story.  Not only was it filled with twists and turns, i think that we also got to see the true colors of people.

Before i get into the meat of this story – i have to say it again- i don’t know how Ms Ashenden does it, but what we have is another example of a series that’s made up of stories about couples that happen in a chronological order of sorts, but instead we have a series that’s made up of stories that are completely connected, and you have to really follow the series as it goes to truly understand what everything means to each other part.

So in this final installment, we get to see how it will all play out.  You know that throughout this one, we have seen couples come together in the hopes of taking down a kingpin only to learn that there’s someone bigger and badder who’s behind it all, and then when we find out that it’s Theo, Violet’s brother who’s supposedly dead, well that makes things all that more complicated.  He has his motivations but the question becomes whether we can trust him or not.  and the guess is not.

Then there’s Temple – the woman that we had met as Eva’s driver, hired by Zac to protect her and when we saw her betray Eva a few installments back, you had to wonder what that was all about.  We learn that she’s linked to them all in a deeper way – having her ties to Elijah in the hopes of taking down the ring as well as trying to find her sister who was taken by them and sold.

Of course you know that since she’s personally invested, there’s another revenge saga.  Add to that the fact that she’s an assassin, and you know that things are going to get spicy – FAST.   Temple takes on a job at the request of Zac to locate Jericho (or Theo) and take him down, kill him all so that this can be done with.  What no one expected was that there would be feelings there, that we would see the truth behind Temple and the truth behind Jericho and perhaps that there was so much more that was going to come out.

Throughout this story we see the fight of chemistry between Jericho and Temple.  She wants to get information from him in regards to where her sister is/was and then kill him, all while playing him and herself.  She won’t admit what she’s feeling towards Jericho and she won’t even it admit the reasons behind it, but with the prodding that he does, and his need for control, we start to see things unravel.

Then there’s Jericho.  He’s got his motivations, the fact that he knew all about what it was that his father did, and his intent all these years was to take down the ring and make sure that his father paid for everything.  Even if it means that his sister will never look at him again.  And we know that Violet is a tough one – so you never know.

The journey here isn’t as deep but very angst ridden since they both have so much pain and it’s all tied to the Nine Circles desired outcome.  What we don’t know is how it’s going to end, who’s going to remain alive and what that will mean for these friends and family.  I think that there’s a level of expectation of the happy ending and i think that it’s highly unreasonable to expect that to be the case now that things are being shaken up, so it’s the masterful writing that gives us closure in a way that makes sense and gives us hope.

Also, true to her form, Ms Ashenden gives us some incredibly steamy scenes.  Not the bondage that Zac loves, not the control of the others, but the power and rage that only Jericho can have and the fight that only Temple can bring.  It’s hot and sensual and really really intense.  To top it off, we get romance, and we get saving grace and that’s what we need at this point.

Now i’m bummed that i don’t have more with this series, but i think that it was exactly what i needed right now to read.  I hope you guys give it a try!

Review: Kidnapped by the Billionaire (Nine Circles #4) by Jackie Ashenden

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Kidnapped by the Billionaire
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 3/1/16
Length:   384 Pages
Series:  Nine Circles #4

Overview

When revenge and desire collide…

Seven years ago, billionaire-turned-bodyguard Elijah Hunt lost everything he had—his family, his future—and now he wants revenge. But when he decides to kidnap the daughter of the man who ruined his life, Elijah gets a lot more than he bargained for.

Violet Fitzgerald is nothing like her corrupt wealthy father. In fact, she’s so disarmingly independent—and irresistible—that she’s downright dangerous…

there is no place to hide.

Violet never thought she’d feel a connection to her captor. But there’s something beneath Elijah’s steel-bodied exterior that makes her want to know him more deeply…and surrender to his every demand.

However, once Elijah’s erotic fantasies become a reality—and he and Violet develop a powerful connection—he finds himself in a quandary: Is he still the one in control? Or has Violet imprisoned him—body and soul?

My Thoughts

Well, we knew that things were getting very very complicated and while Fitz has now been murdered, we know that there’s still the quest for revenge by the elusive Elijah, and that’s exactly what we get in this next installment.

We didn’t know much about violet before this story – just that she’s best friends with Honor and a free spirit of sorts since she’s trying to find where she fits in the world.  The twist that we learn though is that there’s really a method to what she’s been doing – and that she’s determined that her brother hadn’t commit suicide years before and that perhaps he’s truly alive.  So that’s her goal in life.

Then there’s Elijah – we know that he’s beyond angry because Eva killed Fitzgerald, and now he’s out to kill Jericho, the other man who’s at the helm of the Euro empire that Fitzgerald was trying to get in on, as well as the fact that Elijah thinks that Jericho is the man behind the death of his wife.  So lots of tension there.

When the plan becomes kidnapping Violet to use as bait to get to Jericho, we see things get dicey.  True to how Ms Ashenden has written all of the female leads so far, we see that they aren’t going to take things sitting down and they all put up a fight.  Violet does exactly that and it’s impressive to see how resourceful she becomes in the hopes of trying to get free.

The other expected bit since we tend to see it in quite a few of these stories is that the captor ends up being so much more than what they seem on the surface and we quickly see a spark of chemistry building between these 2 and that makes things all that more complicated.

It’s not until the Nine Circles figure out where Violet is being held and go after her that things start to get some sense of resolution.  They are all now after the same thing – trying to save Violet all while trying to get to Jericho, and just when we think that it’s all be taken care of, another twist comes up.  (one that i figured out but i usually do – quite early).

In any event, it leaves us in a place in the story where we are surprised and yet frustrated since there are limits to what can be done.  Thankfully there’s one more installment that will hopefully give us the closure that we need since i feel like there are still a few twists to come up that we’re not ready for.

Like i’ve said before though, i’m really impressed with how well these installments are woven together, even though they are about different couples essentially.  The plot is so complete throughout and the way that all of them are connected means that we’re going to see the same themes and lines pulled through.

The other piece that’s great is how we get to see each couple scene together and Violet and Elijah are so hot as well.  We have yet another inexperienced girl in the lead but there’s something about how she allows Elijah to control her and dominate her that’s incredibly hot.  I can’t wait to see how things get resolved – and happily i have the last one already!  Enjoy

Review: You are Mine (Nine Circles #3) by Jackie Ashenden

Posted on by
Reply

Title: You Are Mine
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 10/6/15
Length:   304 Pages
Series:  Nine Circles #3

Overview

He’s master of the game.
Zac Rutherford is one of the most powerful and sought-after men in New York’s private club scene. Masterful and demanding, he attracts beautiful women willing to surrender to his every whim, every desire, and every command. But Zac is in love with one woman, and one woman only. She is his true passion-and sole obsession. A glorious angel in the flesh…who refuses to be touched by any man.

She doesn’t play by the rules.
Eva King owes her life to Zac. Seven years ago, he rescued her from darkness. Still, in spite of her attraction to Zac, she refuses to allow any man to touch her body, let alone her heart. But when a dangerous enemy from Eva’s past reappears, Zac is the only one who can save her-if she’s willing to bare her soul, shed her inhibitions, and surrender control…to him.

My Thoughts

This is yet another great continuation of the story that i’ve become quite engrossed with.  where we had Gabriel/Honor’s story and Alex/Katya, we know that things have to get messy with Zac and Eva.  the duo of the group that has a very interesting relationship and one that we know has so much more potential than what’s been revealed so far.

So where we left off in the series is with Katya/Alex coming back from Monte Carlo with information leading us to believe that it’s not Conrad who was in charge of all that’s bad and evil in the mission, but someone else – yet we don’t know who it is.  We do know that there’s a mercenary named Elijah who’s close to whoever is the ring leader who’s warning them all off from their investigation, but we also know that all these alpha males aren’t scared so easily.

Meaning that it falls into the lap of Eva who’s one of the best hackers out there and Zac who’s got more connections than we can imagine because of his security company and some of the mercenary work that he’d done in a past life.

The journey here is one where we see Zac come to terms with what he’s been doing for the past 7 years – protecting Eva because of what she went through, even though he doesn’t know the full extent.  They met through the fact that she was trying to hack into his computer system and needed to be saved so he did that and they’ve been close ever since.  Because their club doesn’t probe into what makes each person into who they are, no one has a clear sense of what it was, but with the nature of some of the stuff that we’ve uncovered, sex trafficking and the like, we start to put the pieces together to know that perhaps that’s what Eva was going through before she was saved.  The other bit too is that Zac isn’t just alpha, he’s a dom, and while that’s typical with this type of character, we know that he’s in love with Eva and wants to push her to open up even though he knows she’s terrified of all that.

So complicated isn’t even going to cover it.  He gives her tough love throughout the story in the hopes of breaking her open so she can overcome her fears – not just for herself but to help everyone figure out who’s behind the casinos and the murders etc.  She’s the one that can link it all since we learn that it’s likely the same man who held her captive.  When we learn what that link is, and a few twists along the way, we know that there’s potential for their world to be blown up even more.

Where we get the great abilities of our author is not just in the complexity of the story and how well it’s been interwoven between each installment in the series, but the different nature of this romantic/sexual relationship that we see bloom between Zac and Eva.  Each one of our couples has had their own niche – their unique bit to make it special, and this is no exception.  The way that Zac controls and over powers Eva is intense, taking away her ability to do anything aside from just experience and it’s hot.  I know that if it were me, i’d absolutely be into letting someone like Zac do all that stuff.  You even have to feel a bit bad for Eva because regardless of her tough exterior, she really has no chance.

The twist that we have through everything though is Elijah – he’s a wild card since he is employed by the man that they want to take down, yet he seems to be on the side of the Nine Circles.  I really haven’t figured that one out yet and i feel like there’s so much more to that story that we don’t even know.  I have to get into the 4th book since i feel like it’s going to get even dicier knowing that it’s not a nine circles member being drawn in, but the best friend of Honor – who’s got ties to the whole story as well.  So on that note – enjoy and have a great weekend!

Review: Make you Mine (Nine Circles #2) by Jackie Ashenden

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Make you Mine
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 5/5/15
Length:   278 Pages
Series:  Nine Circles #2

Overview

In the Nine Circles Club, one lucky man gets more than his share of money, power, and women—until he meets a beautiful opponent who plays in the name of love…in Make You Mine by Jackie Ashenden.
He’s raising the stakes.
International playboy Alex St. James always plays to win. Whether it’s betting on a high-stakes card game—or bedding a high-class socialite—the gorgeous world-class gambler knows how to beat the odds using his brains, his body, and a whole lot of charm. But there’s one woman who’s immune to Alex’s bag of tricks—which makes her the perfect challenge…and the ultimate prize.
She’s going all in.
Once a special operative in her native Russia, Katya Ivanov knows what kind of man Alex is. As his personal bodyguard, she’s seen him seduce the richest women, place the riskiest bets, and break the hardest players. But to even a score from her past, she’s willing to take a gamble on her reckless boss. Even if she has to pretend to be his lover. Even if he drives her mad with desire. And then she never wants this dangerous game to end…

My Thoughts

I’m really enjoying this series – i think the fact that there’s this bigger story that seems to be woven throughout each installment so far makes it that much more engaging.

So we had the first book with Gabriel and Honor – and we saw how their relationship had the potential to make Gabe’s world explode since Honor is his best friend Alex’s sister – yet we see that maybe it’s ok right?

So in this 2nd book, it’s about Alex, and his quest to find out the link of who Gabriel’s father is since it’s not their stepfather, while fighting demons of his own.  The journey that we go on shows us quite about of what happened to Alex nineteen years ago, and a lot about who he is now and why.

As expected, things get interesting when we learn more about his bodyguard – a woman who appeared in the first book – an attractive Russian woman who was special forces and has the ability to disarm Alex with a look.  You know it’ll inevitably lead to chemistry right?

When Alex has to go to Monaco to play in an exclusive poker tournament that’s run by Conrad – the demon from his past and potentially a link to his father  – we see things get interesting.  There’s clearly more to the game than meets the eye since Alex realizes that it’s not Poker exactly that folks are there for.  They aren’t the best players and there are hints of other things that are of interest outside of cards.

All the while, Katya, his bodyguard and the other guys, Gabriel, Zac and Eva try to uncover the links and information – which still seems elusive even at the end of the story.  What’s not escaping us is the chemistry and tension between Alex and Katya and once they start to scratch the surface – everything erupts.

Katya plays the role of girlfriend and lover when she’s had no experience at all in that.  She learns a lot about herself and is forced to admit to herself why she’s been so stoic and hard through out her entire life – all because of the emotions  that Alex brings out.  What it leads to is uncharted territory for the two of them, and it’s only when one is shot and ends up on the edge of death that things are finally realized.

The great continuation that we are taken with this story is that there’s a video that’s being used as blackmail against Alex and while he uses a facade of not caring, we know there’s more to it than that, and it’s Eva that we learn who may be able to decipher it all.

So true to Jackie Ashenden’s style, we not only get a book with a compelling plot, but one that’s so hot and steamy that you can’t help but to get engrossed in.  The way that she writes the need for control and ownership, dominance etc from Alex is incredibly hot.  The way that we see Katya fight giving up control and letting Alex lead is also really compelling.  I can’t wait to see what’s next since there’s clearly something between Eva and Zac and it has to come out in the next book.  Enjoy!

Review: Mine To Take (Nine Circles #1) by Jackie Ashenden

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Mine to Take
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 11/25/14
Length:   384 Pages
Series:  Nine Circles #1

Overview

First in a brand new series by Jackie Ashenden featuring the members of the Nine Circles Club—friends bound together by power, secrets, need…and the love they will find and stop at nothing to keep.
Passion always comes at a price.
Gabriel Woolf is unstoppable. A ruthless businessman, he has perfected the art of revenge. Ever since his mother’s death, Gabriel has harbored only one wish: To take down the man who ruined their lives. But all bets are off when he meets his father’s step daughter, Honor St. James. Beautiful and innocent, she is everything Gabriel never knew he wanted—and now there’s no turning back…

Is her desire worth the risk?
Honor wasn’t born yesterday. She knows that Gabriel is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, willing to cross any line to get what he wants…herself included. But Gabriel’s passion for Honor—in spite of her connection to the man he hates the most—cannot be denied…and the feeling is utterly mutual. Can Gabriel be trusted? The only thing she knows for sure is how he makes her feel. And she can’t keep herself from coming back to him, over and over again…in Mine to Take.

My Thoughts

As you can tell, lately Jackie Ashenden has become a favorite of mine since i’ve read a bunch of her series (thank you Netgalley for the intro).  So i tracked down this series that’s been around for a while just not on my radar.  And it’s good.

What we have here is the first installment to a new series around the premise of a group of Billionaires that consider themselves more family than just friends, and what brings them together is not just business, but similar backgrounds, pasts that haunt them and a need to do right in the world.

This book takes us on the journey of Gabriel who’s out for vengeance on the man who raped his mother and is therefore his father.  He’s got information leading him to the man, and now he’s going to not only take him down, but make him regret his whole life.  The challenge of course is that the man is his friend Alex’s step father and Alex has a sister who’s tied up in the business that Gabe wants to ruin.  meaning, collateral damage.

The sister – Honor – well she of course makes things more complicated.  We all know from the way that all stories are told is that when there’s a girl in the mix, well you know that there will be manipulation from Gabriel to get what he wants but of course there will be feelings and emotion since she’ll get under his skin – making the end game more compelling.

Honor fights him every step of the way – she wants to save her step father’s business and she wants to save her own business since she’s invested in him.  And when Gabe offers a solution, she’s willing to jump through hoops to secure his investment, even if it means pushing herself to places and points that are uncomfortable.

The way that Ms Ashenden writes this story is really compelling.  (yes i’ve used that word already).  The relationship and dynamic between Honor and Gabe is intense and we see how his need to control takes Honor to places she can’t imagine.  There’s also the challenge of the point that Honor is Alex’s sister and so the secrets that develop making for so much more anxiety.

Where this story takes us is a point of real confusion since there are so many more secrets that we couldn’t even expect – that we couldn’t put together already that even though we get resolution of sorts to things, there are so many more surprises that just carry us to the need to read the next book.  which i’m about to do.

So all in all, lots of great intrigue in the story itself and the sceneing between Gabriel and Honor make the heat and passion leap off the pages.  Definitely a great introduction to the series and i can’t wait to see where we go from there. There are 3 others in the Circle and i know that their stories have to be as exciting.  enjoy!