REVIEW: Love Another Day by Lexi Blake

In Love Another Day by Lexi Blake, McKay-Taggart agent Brody Carter is finishing an assignment protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson. She promises she only wants one night together, and Brody sneaks out, leaving a note not to contact him. Now Stephanie’s in danger and winds up at the Dallas off of McKay-Taggart. When Brody learns this, he flies over from London to discover that not only is Stephanie in danger, but their one night together resulted in a child, Nate, now two months old. Brody is willing to put it all on the line to save Stephanie and his son, but will Stephanie’s lingering guilt over something in her past lead her to sacrifice herself to save everyone else?

This is the fourteenth book in the series. It can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading the other books in the series because they’re all good. Brody and Stephanie’s relationship was hinted at in the previous book, and I was looking forward to it. This book didn’t disappoint.

Brody made a mistake walking away from Stephanie, as well as ignoring her phone calls to inform him that she was pregnant. He knows this, and he’s willing to do anything to make it up to her, including standing up to the guys at the Dallas branch who are protective of her. His initial reason for walking away was a bit weak, but when the truth comes out it’s a more plausible.

Stephanie still feels guilt over the accident she caused which took the life of Avery’s husband and young child when she was in high school. For those new to the series, Avery is married to Liam, an operative for the Dallas branch of McKay-Taggart. Avery has forgiven Stephanie and they’re now friends, but she can’t let go of the guilt. It leads her to put herself in dangerous situations, despite the fact she’s now a mother. At times she was a bit frustrating because she realizes what she’s doing but can’t seem to stop herself. I did give her credit for considering giving Nate to Brody to keep him safe though.

There’s plenty of suspense as the group of operatives try to piece together who’s after Stephanie and why. There was a twist with one of the groups that I had originally thought was bad, which I enjoyed.

If you’ve read the previous books, the saga with the Lost Boys, the ones whose memories were erased by Dr. Hope McDonald, continues. Mainly Tucker was featured in this book, and the twist about who he might actually be was intriguing. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s true, and if so, how the other Lost Boys will take it.

There are some appearances by other members of the London branch in this book, but mainly it features the Dallas branch. And of course, Ian Taggart is back with his sarcastic humor, which I love, and his continued obsession with all things lemon. He’s definitely been one of my favorite characters throughout the series.

“You are looking gorgeous as usual, Mrs. Taggart.”
Charlotte gave him a dazzling smile. “Thank you. I try, you know.” She looked back at her husband. “So when they try to steal your lemon bars, you defend them to the death, but your wife gets nothing?”
He clutched the box. “The lemon bars are completely defenseless. You are not. I trust you, baby. Any one of these guys tries something on you, you’ll take ’em out. And I’ll protect the lemon bars.”

For those unfamiliar with the series, Ian Taggart owns a BDSM club called Sanctum, and Damon, the man who runs the London branch of McKay-Taggart, owns one called The Garden. There is some BDSM that takes place in the book, although I felt it wasn’t as prominently featured in this book compared to the others.

After so many books in the series one would expect it to get tired and be the same over and over, but Lexi Blake manages to keep each book different and refreshing. With well-written characters, humor, suspense, a bit of mystery, and some BDSM, it has a little something for everyone. Readers both new and old to the series are in for a treat.

Book Info:

Publication: August 22, 2017 | DLZ Entertainment, LLC | Masters and Mercenaries #14

A man born to protect

After a major loss, Brody Carter found a home with the London office of McKay-Taggart. A former soldier, he believes his job is to take the bullets and follow orders. He’s happy to take on the job of protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson while the team uses her clinic in Sierra Leone to bring down an international criminal. What he never expected was that the young doctor would prove to be the woman of his dreams. She’s beautiful, smart, and reckless. Over and over he watches her risk her life to save others. One night of pure passion leads him to realize that he can’t risk his heart again. When the mission ends, Brody walks away, unwilling to lose another person he loves.

A woman driven to heal

Stephanie’s tragic past taught her to live for today. Everything she’s done in the last fifteen years has been to make up for her mistakes. Offering medical care in war-torn regions gives her the purpose she needs to carry on. When she meets her gorgeous Aussie protector, she knows she’s in too deep, but nothing can stop her from falling head over heels in love. But after one amazing night together, Brody walks away and never looks back. Stephanie is left behind…but not alone.

A secret that will change both their lives

A year later, Stephanie runs afoul of an evil mercenary who vows to kill her for failing to save his son. She runs to the only people she trusts, Liam and Avery O’Donnell. She hasn’t come alone and her secret will bring her former lover across the world to protect her. From Liberia to Dallas to Australia’s outback, Brody will do whatever it takes to protect Stephanie from the man who wants to kill her, but it might be her own personal demons that could destroy them both.