Review: Assassin's Revenge by Tara Crescent

Assassin's Revenge by Tara Crescent 

In the world of contract killers, vulnerability is dangerous and love will get you killed.

For many years, Ellie has trained to be an assassin in order to kill the men who kidnapped and raped her when she was eighteen. Nothing else has been allowed to interfere with her mission.

But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Alexander Hamilton at a bar, her tough façade crumbles, and she can’t help but be drawn to him.

Alexander Hamilton lives by his own rules and has his own hidden agenda.  When he sees Ellie, he knows he wants her, though he knows he can never allow himself to have her.

 

One night is all that is permitted…

However, Ellie and Alexander are hiding secrets from each other. Their worlds are about to intersect and the secrets they keep might end up destroying both of them.

In the world of paid killers, vulnerability is dangerous and love will get you killed.  

For many years, Ellie has trained to be an assassin in order to kill the men who kidnapped and raped her when she was eighteen. Nothing else has been allowed to interfere with her mission. 

But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Alexander Hamilton at a bar, her tough façade crumbles, and she can’t help but be drawn to him. 

Alexander Hamilton lives by his own rules and has his own hidden agenda. When he sees Ellie, he knows he wants her, though he knows he can never allow himself to have her. 

One night is all that is permitted… 

However, Ellie and Alexander are hiding secrets from each other. Their worlds are about to intersect and the secrets they keep might end up destroying both of them. 

I have a mission. Kill the man who kidnapped me. Kill the guards who raped me. I have guns and knives and I’m not afraid to use them. Nothing will stop me. 

Then I walk into a bar and I notice him. He is gorgeous. 

For four long years, my only response to anything sexual has been revulsion and fear. This time, it feels different. 

I could use him. I want to use him. I could sleep with him and make a pleasurable memory as a counterpoint to the painful ones. I’m not a frightened young girl anymore. I’m a trained assassin, capable of killing him with my bare hands. 

This time, I’ll be in control. 

He’s just supposed to be a distraction, this mysterious man in the bar that I have a one-night stand with. But I can't predict the secrets he is hiding... secrets that are about to intersect my world in painful, unanticipated, and dangerous ways.

 I have a mission. Kill the man who kidnapped me. Kill the guards who raped me. I have guns and knives and I’m not afraid to use them. Nothing will stop me. 

Then I walk into a bar and I notice him. He is gorgeous. 

For four long years, my only response to anything sexual has been revulsion and fear. This time, it feels different. 

I could use him. I want to use him. I could sleep with him and make a pleasurable memory as a counterpoint to the painful ones. I’m not a frightened young girl anymore. I’m a trained assassin, capable of killing him with my bare hands. 

This time, I’ll be in control. 

He’s just supposed to be a distraction, this mysterious man in the bar that I have a one-night stand with. But I can't predict the secrets he is hiding... secrets that are about to intersect my world in painful, unanticipated, and dangerous ways.

In the world of paid killers, vulnerability is dangerous and love will get you killed.  

For many years, Ellie has trained to be an assassin in order to kill the men who kidnapped and raped her when she was eighteen. Nothing else has been allowed to interfere with her mission. 

But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Alexander Hamilton at a bar, her tough façade crumbles, and she can’t help but be drawn to him. 

Alexander Hamilton lives by his own rules and has his own hidden agenda. When he sees Ellie, he knows he wants her, though he knows he can never allow himself to have her. 

One night is all that is permitted… 

However, Ellie and Alexander are hiding secrets from each other. Their worlds are about to intersect and the secrets they keep might end up destroying both of them. 

Review:

***I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

This book is intense with everything that you learn about Ellies (aka Rachel) past. Her life was turned upside down very quickly. She escaped a man and a place that not many people can do or succeed at. From that moment on, all she wanted was nothing but revenge and she would do anything to kill the man who harmed her.

I really enjoyed these books and look forward to more writing from Tara Crescent. I loved the idea of a revenge story especially for something like this. You hear about things happening like this all the time. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Excerpt:

Ellie:

He hadn’t told me what to wear and where to wait, so I chose a turquoise blue bustier and matching thong once I got out of the shower. From the last time around, I remembered that Alexander liked to lead me into the playroom. I therefore made my way to his bedroom and knelt like a good little submissive at the entrance, my eyes downcast, my entire body throbbing with a hot, surging anticipation.

Of all the revelations about myself, this had been the most startling one. After Dylan, I should have hated the idea of ceding control in the bedroom; I should have flinched away in fear of the spanking bench or the paddle or the crops.

But so much of my fear had been of the man wielding the whip, not of the whip itself. I’d had an inkling of that when Madame Lorraine’s trainers had put me through my paces, but it had really sunk in when Alexander and I had played. Because I trusted that he wouldn’t hurt me, I could let go of all my fear, all my inhibitions and I could just feel.

San Francisco had no shortage of BDSM clubs. The idea of exploring my desires in one of them had occurred to me, but somehow, I hadn’t acted on that urge. I had had no shortage of lust in my life and it had rarely served me well. Things like liking and loving and trust were harder to find, and much more important to hold on to.

And the memory remained of wandering through a night market in Bangkok with Alexander, eating street food and drinking beer. On a night when he could have had access to every inch of my body, he’d chosen to get to know me.

So I’d waited for anyone that measured up, and no one had. It was an impossible standard for any man – love had made me blind to the charms of other men. Alexander was the one I wanted.

I heard his footsteps approach; out of the corner of my eye, I saw his shoes walk towards me. My heart started to beat faster. My body yearned for his touch. I had wanted him since the first time I’d laid eyes on him. And finally, we didn’t have any secrets between us. Finally, we were free to just be who we were.

He chuckled softly as he came up to me. “The girl downstairs threatened to knee me in the groin,” he said, his hand stroking my hair before wrapping its length around his palm and tugging downwards. “Yet I find you upstairs, looking so sweet and submissive and I wonder, who is the real Ellie?”

“How do you plan on finding out?” I met his eyes and saw the same desire I felt reflected there. Yet by the amusement I heard, his arousal was firmly held in check for the moment.

He smiled. “Oh, I have my ways,” he replied. “Up with you, bright star. Come on.”

I rose to my feet, trying to be graceful for him. He took my hand in his and led me into the playroom. “I think I’ll have to teach you what happens when you tell me when to fuck you.”

What happens? I wanted to ask, but I held my tongue. I was sure I was going to find out in a few moments.

***

He indicated a chair. “Sit,” he ordered. “Let’s talk for a second. Anything you want to do today? Don’t want to do?”

I shook my head. “I’m open to anything,” I said. I winked at him. “Do your worst.”

He laughed. “I’m not going to do anything too extreme,” he replied. “It’s been a while for us, hasn’t it?” His hand brushed my cheek. “Right now, all I want to do is rip off that corset and feast on your breasts. Drag those panties down and bury my mouth in your pussy. I want to hear you moan and I want to hear you scream out my name.” His hands curved down to pull my breasts out of the corset and he cupped the globes. “So beautiful.”

My breathing quickened. My legs parted. I had been ready before; I was on fire now.

“Same safe words fine? Red, yellow, green?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. Stand up.” His voice changed. It got harder and smoother, and every syllable sounded like sex.

I obeyed. A small tremor passed through me.

“That’s a lovely corset.” His eyes raked over my body, checking out each and every curve. I saw the heated approval in his gaze, and my own body warmed. I had been afraid that he’d prefer the skinnier version of me. From his expression, I had nothing to worry about. “But I think that it’s only going to get in my way. Let’s take it off. Turn around for me.”

I shuffled into position. He walked up to me and his hands ran up my back, all the way from my curvy buttocks up my spine and to my bared shoulders. He pushed my hair forward and I felt his fingers graze at the ties in the back.

I giggled. “It unzips in the front,” I offered helpfully. “Sir,” I added for good measure.

He chuckled. “That was a smooth move,” he mocked himself. “Turn back around, Ellie.” I did and his hand tipped my face up. His lips met mine in a passionate kiss. I moaned into his mouth, and as much as I wanted to entwine my hands around his waist and pull him closer, I kept them at my sides. I obeyed by choice and without fear, but I still needed to follow the rules.

~*~ABOUT TARA CRESCENT~*~

Hello, I’m Tara Crescent. I’ve always fantasized about being a mysterious spy, leading a secret double-life, and now, I find that that’s come true!

Sort of.

By day, I’m a mild-mannered corporate drone in Toronto, but by night, I’m limited only by my imagination; I sit, and I type, and I am a daring writer of BDSM, erotica and romance.

In my spare time, I write of course. I also read, garden, travel, cook, and almost never clean. I just started watching Walking Dead on Netflix (zombie erotica, anyone?), and I’m impatiently awaiting the next episode of Doctor Who. (I would kill for a TARDIS.)

I’ve scribbled bits and pieces all my life, chiefly inspired by what I’m reading, which tends to be mainly science-fiction and fantasy, with a healthy sprinkling of romance and erotica thrown in.

I’m a huge believer in happily-ever-after, but tempered by real life, where happily-ever-after is possible, but takes work.  My favorite kind of romance stories are ones that are somewhat believable; I like strong men and women who know what they want out of life, and are driven to get it.

I love reader email; I can be reached at taracrescent@gmail.com.

Happy reading and writing!

Website: http://www.taracrescent.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tara.crescent
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TaraCrescent
Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/IM0dT