Claiming Felicity: Ace Security Book 4, Susan Stoker

Fighting for what's right is never really easy.  And when what you're fighting against sets its sights on you?  Sometimes the only thing you can do is run.  A decade later and Felicity is still running.  Despite making friends, being accepted into their family, and having a steady job with people she loves it seems her trouble has found her again.  When her preparations for running bring all her friends into her drama it's Ryder, the mysterious fourth brother, that gives her the hope of freedom.

Ryder is a man who knows himself.  When his brothers jump at the call to go to Felicity he knows the call is meant for him too.  He's not sure why, he just knows that when that feeling hits his best bet is following it.  What he finds when he does is the woman who was meant for him and him alone.  Immediately he's on her side, in her space, giving her the support she needs to face her demons, her worst fears, and her past.

The drama from her past is pretty big.  We get a good sense from the prologue that the man haunting her is no one to tangle with.  Felicity has used all the tools in her brilliant mind to stay as many steps ahead of him for the past decade but it's clear that he's found her again, and he's close.  What she feels from Ryder is sincerity and safety.  Never in her life did she think it would be possible to have a future free from fleeing and free from loneliness.  But it looks like Castle Rock is the place meant for her, for them.

I loved Felicity.  She was strong, smart, and still scared.  She was honest and still such a badass when it mattered.  She had the biggest heart and would do anything for and to protect those she loves.  I especially loved it when she agreed to not go alone to meet Joseph.  Her response was all sass and all savvy.  A lot of times when a heroine is strong and finally feeling anger instead of fear she also gets stubborn and willing to give in to the villain's demands because of their perceived power over the situation.  What Felicity does instead is perfect.  Trusting that she has a whole team of awesome at her side and behind her she knows that it's not smart to put any faith whatsoever in the bad guy and to only go into the fray with both protection and support.

And Ryder.  I'm a huge sucker for a big alpha man who is perfectly devoted to the one woman he knows he's meant for.  From the beginning it's clear that he's not a manwhore, not a playboy, not a badass mercenary who takes physical pleasure just because he can and needs soft bodies and intense release to balance the evil he fights.  Instead, he's reserving his sexual passion for encounters that matter and because his job isn't one that allows for encounters that matter, he's mostly celibate.  That is so very rare in romance novels featuring strong alpha-type men who are physically captivating and I find myself craving those kinds of men more and more frequently.

So anyway, back to Ryder.  He's all in when it comes to Felicity and his passion for her is matched by the zeal he feels towards her protection.  Knowing who she is inside from the very beginning there's no angst in them regarding her past self and present self.  He's just in.  No questions, no reservations, just devotion.  He's noble, honest, and absolutely determined to protect what's his and everything she loves.  He is also incredibly resourceful.  With no hesitation he called on all his friends to give him the information he needed to do his job.

The direction of the drama wasn't exactly expected and yet when Joseph made his move we could look back and say, "Yeah, I can see that he'd do that."  It escalated the drama into more than just a "final showdown" and it also made for a much more powerful ending.  It was a catalyst for so much more than the plot's progression and resolution, it tested the couples, the friendships, and the connection they all shared.  By having short little scenes from each couple we get to see each of the brothers as they experience their hard-won love and how much intimacy means to them after overcoming tragic events.  Their lives are dramatic but so very filled with the tenderness that connects them, gets them through all the crazy that comes to them.

And then the little scene from Rex's POV?  Dang.  I haven't heard if this is going to be its own series but Susan Stoker doesn't introduce a group of men and not give them their own stories unless there's a crossover of some kind with another author.  I'm more than eager to get to know the rest of the Mountain Mercenaries.  All the men are charming, intriguing, darkly awesome, and have that same noble, protective streak that I love about Ryder.  Each of them deserve their own kick ass woman and I can't wait to get to know them and the women they fall for.

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