REVIEW: Quinn by J.C Cliff

In Quinn (Undaunted Men #1) by J.C Cliff, Offered the job of finding and returning a mob boss’s daughter home safe and sound, Quinn accepts the task. He knows a little bit of why Alexis Moretti might have run away, but he doesn’t realize how much trouble she’s really in until it’s almost too late. What he really needs is for her to trust him. But how is he supposed to win her reliance when he’s keeping things from her; things that if she learned by any other means than him explaining why he’s helping her, it could send her running right into the danger he’s trying his best to keep her from.

She lifts her head and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek. “I think you were sent to help me by my guardian angel,” she softly confesses. I drop my chin to look down on her, and her eyes are glossed over. “I’ve had a rough couple of days. Well…catastrophic actually, and I didn’t know how I was going to get through last night all by myself.”

This is the first of two books, which encompass Quinn and Alexis and at the beginning, I didn’t know what to think of this story, as Quinn is a real jerk when it comes to women. But the moment the hero is offered the task of finding a mob boss’s daughter, I found myself intrigued. The knowledge of why Alexis might have run away from home drew me into this story, and I wanted to know if Quinn would find her and be able to keep her safe, considering her reasons for leaving.

The dialogue was entertaining, and I liked the moments when Quinn teased the heroine, especially the moment when he’s talking about snakes. The little rhyme about which snakes were safe and those that aren’t had me smiling. However, most of the story’s dialogue was pretty intense, because Alexis knows she needs to get as far away as possible from her those that want to use her for their own personal gain. She can’t trust anyone anymore, since they want to use her to have power over her father.

”How do you know which are poisonous?”
“Well, some have colorings. One verse I learned as a kid was, red touch black, my friend is Jack. Red touch yellow, kill-a-fellow.”
She giggles at my rhyme. “Oh, my gosh, that’s hilarious.”

I really liked Alexis. She’s terrified that she’ll end up in the hands of those that want to use her, so taking off is the only way she’s going to stay safe. Yet, at the same time, she doesn’t know how she’s going to survive the trip she’s taking. Never has she had to do anything as scary like it, but once she meets Quinn, there’s no doubt he makes her feel safe. However, I found her a tad naïve the way she did trust the hero so easily. Especially when he did have a good reason to be her knight in shining armor, and yet didn’t tell her what that reason was.

While Quinn, he’s strong, confident and protective. He doesn’t know how bad the trouble that Alexis has landed herself in, yet he’s determined to do everything he can to keep her safe, even if it means going against her father’s orders once he learns the truth of her reasons to run away. Then there’s the close friendship he shares with his dog, which was really cute, and proves that dogs really are a man’s best friend.

Nicely-detailed sex scenes heat up the pages, and illustrate the strong chemistry these two have. Neither are looking for a relationship, yet they can’t seem to keep away from each other. Quinn is a real womanizer at the beginning, and he doesn’t expect someone could capture his heart again like Alexis does.

Overall, I did like this story, even though it ended with a cliffhanger. Alexis doesn’t know whether she can trust Quinn after eavesdropping on one of his phone conversations. No wonder it was easier to pick flight over fight when she didn’t know what she was facing from anyone including Quinn. I would recommend this book, if you enjoy a heroine on the run.
 

Book Info:

Publication: February 23rd, 2016 | Self-Published | Undaunted Men #1

You have been warned – Explicit scenes, unexpected twists full of suspense and off the grid angst which skirt along the edges of the dark side will make your heart pound, your pulse race, and the pages flip. And…be prepared to be thrown over a damn cliff.

Fearless and determined, Quinn is the perfect man for the job the Moretti mob has in mind: track down missing mafia princess, Alexis Moretti, and bring her home.

What starts out as a simple task to repay an old debt turns into so much more than he bargained for… And so does she.

As Quinn and Lexi grow close, she becomes more than just his mission. But Lexi and Quinn are both keeping secrets–secrets that could destroy their blossoming romance just as quickly as it ignited. When Lexi’s past catches up with them, secrets and lies will be revealed, and the ultimate test of forgiveness will be upon them both.