Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy [Review]

Kill Without Mercy (ARES Security #1) by Alexandra Ivy
Format: ebook
Source: provided through NetGalley
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 20, 2015

ARES Security
1. Kill Without Mercy - Paperback | Kindle
2. Kill Without Shame

Alexandra Ivy
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

From the hellhole of a Taliban prison to sweet freedom, five brave military heroes have made it home—and they’re ready to take on the civilian missions no one else can. Individually they’re intimidating. Together they’re invincible. They’re the men of ARES Security.

Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…

There’s a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won’t be buried.

Thoughts on Kill Without Mercy: First off, I'm kinda loving on this cover. Little bit. Which has no impact on the story itself, I'm just putting that out there.

So. Five soldiers who survived a hellish captivity are now banding together to put their impressive skills to work on keeping people safe. *thumbs up to that* Rafe is the ...I don't know. The heart. The fire. The one that kept the men together after they got out. He has a big heart and he goes all in when he sees something worth fighting for.

Which makes his teammates a little protective. Because they know he doesn't do things by halves and when he falls for Annie he falls hard.

Given that she's the daughter of a serial killer, things could have gone very badly for Rafe. But Annie's not her father. In fact, Annie doesn't really know who she is. As secrets from her past start bubbling up, she has to face the fact that the things she believed were true aren't. And her life is far more complicated than she could imagine.

Overall, I liked the dynamic between Annie and Rafe. I liked Rafe's friends. I liked that Annie was in a bad, bad place when she first met Rafe and his belief in her helped her find solid ground.

Heck, I just liked the entire book. Bad things happening to good people and pushing them to the edge of their limits make my brain happy.