REVIEW: Rules of Blackmail by Nicole Severn

In Rules of Blackmail by Nicole Severn , when JAG Corp prosecutor Jane Reise discovers she has a stalker, she doesn’t know who else to turn to except Former SEAL Sullivan Bishop. Unfortunately, convincing him to work for her is impossible, especially given their past history. However, Jane has information on Sullivan he’d rather not have aired, so she uses the knowledge to gain his co-operation. Will Sullivan call her bluff or will he allow her to blackmail him?

”I know Sullivan Bishop isn’t your real name.” Every muscle in his body tightened in warning, and Jane forced herself to breathe evenly. She pressed her lower back into the desk. “And the people holding your company’s military contracts might be interested to know why you changed it. A few of your classified clients, too, I imagine.”

This story was such an enthralling read where the plot twists had me reading quickly, determined to discover what would happen next; the dialogue was very entertaining and had me on the edge-of-my-seat because of what the bad guy puts the hero and heroine through; and the ending took me totally surprise by what the heroine does to the hero and by who the bad guy was because I so wasn’t expecting it to be who it was.

Everything about this story – the dialogue, the fast-paced plot and the incredible main characters – made this story an absolute page turner because they have some tough obstacles to overcome including whether the hero can protect the heroine and whether they can keep each other alive. Moreover, the heroine is resilient, courageous and I liked how determined she was to get the hero to help her, even if she has to use any means necessary to get his co-operation. I also liked how determined she is to protect the hero, even if it means betraying his trust. Yet, what I liked most of all were the decisions she made to take down the person stalking her because she can’t go on like she is in always looking over her shoulder.

While the hero, he’s been through so much and I could understand why he wanted to leave his old life behind after what he did to survive and protect others. He did the right thing and I couldn’t help but sympathize with him because of what the heroine is blackmailing him with. However, in saying that, I liked that he decided to help the heroine, even though it seemed he didn’t have much of a choice. Furthermore, he’s confident in his skills to protect her and I liked how determined he was to keep her safe, even though there were a few setbacks that made it palpable he might fail in that endeavour. Will Sullivan be able to do his job to the best of his ability, especially once he realizes how much danger the heroine is in? Will he be able to get to the bottom of who is coming after her and get the upper hand before it’s too late to be able to keep the heroine safe?

”Whatever happens after we walk out those hospital doors, I promise never to blackmail you into helping me again.”
Whatever happened? She’d meant it as a joke, but confusion closed in on him, and Sullivan backed off a step. “If by ‘whatever happens,” you mean you walking out those doors with me and signing the paperwork for your permanent transfer to Anchorage.”
“Sullivan…” Jane let her hands slide to her sides, and everything inside him went cold. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? Forget prison. Loving me is a death sentence. And I’m not going to be the one responsible for taking your life. I think I’ve screwed it up enough.”

Overall, Ms. Severn has delivered a wonderful romantic suspense in this book where the chemistry between this couple was intense and just gets stronger because they have quite a history between them that makes them enemies; the romance had me loving the connection these two have and I liked that they gave each other a chance; the secondary characters entertained me just as much as the main ones, in which I especially loved Elliot; and the ending had me worried for the main characters, but had me loving how everything works out for the best for Sullivan and Jane because they’re good together. I would recommend Rules of Blackmail by Nicole Severn, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the enemy to lovers trope or books by authors Angi Morgan, Cindi Myers, Lena Diaz and Janie Crouch.
 

Book Info:

Publication: June 18th, 2018 | Harlequin Intrigue |

Blackhawk Security Elite Protection Services—

Their business is your safety

But not hers. Former SEAL Sullivan Bishop refuses to work for Jane Reise. The JAG Corps prosecutor is hard core—and he never stopped blaming her for his brother’s death. But Blackhawk is Jane’s only hope in fending off a frightening stalker, and she’ll blackmail Sullivan to get it. Forced into her service, he soon realizes he was wrong about Jane. As bullets fly, Sullivan knows he’ll risk his life—and heart—to save her.