Review & Giveaway: Dangerous Ally

Posted January 9, 2012 by Vampbard in 3.5 stars, Military or Suspense Romance, Rating B Tags: , , ,

Dangerous Ally
Release Date: July 6, 2011
Publisher: BookStrand Publishing
The Pinnacles of Power Series
ISBN: #978-1610346979
Genre: Contemporary Suspense Romance
Format(s): Paperback (334 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Author
About the book:
For five lonely years, diamond smuggling kingpin Lucas Ramone has hidden himself from the world. With a father who has baited him all his life, made a game of trying to trip him up at every turn, Lucas will do whatever is necessary to protect what is rightfully his. What he isn’t prepared for is Lilah Benson…
Upon accepting a job in the home of her sister’s maniacal ex-fiancé, reporter Lilah Benson believes she has finally found the perfect way to make her mark on the world. Exposing the criminal endeavors of Lucas Ramone won’t soon be forgotten. But as she comes to know the man who was supposed to be her adversary, Lilah is tempted by a passion far stronger than the desire to see her name in print…
Power and control are tools of survival, critical in a world of thievery and deception. Lilah, an innocent in a land of criminals, may be the one person capable of bringing Lucas to his knees. But Lucas will stop at nothing to keep his empire secure.
He will have it all: His Fortune, His Legacy, and Lilah Benson in his bed…
What VampBards talking about:
I spent a lazy Saturday afternoon reading Jessica Lauryn’s Dangerous Ally.  I really enjoyed the story.  Filled with espionage and HOT bow-chicka-wow-wow, it was overall a great read.  The plot arc was action-packed (and not just with the HOT scenes – get your mind out of the gutter!) and had several twists.  While it wasn’t a completely unpredictable story, I found it to be quite telling of unhealthy relationships across the world.  Kudos to Lauryn for showing readers that men are capable of overcoming adversity at the hands of abuse.  
Bad Dad was quite the villain in this story.  Raphael hopefully gets what he deserves in the long run.  Mr. Power-Hungry-Cold-As-Iceberg-That-Sunk-the-Titanic was the worst parent imaginable for young Lucas as he was growing up.  I can’t even give a comparison to a movie character/star for this dude… he’s so negative and hideous with regard to his behavior, he must be hideous.  
Lilah, our heroine, originally entered the life of Lucas to expose his diamond smuggling endeavors.  BUT… she fell for him and that kinda never happened.   *snap*  The NYT journalist is completely able to care for herself, and resists admitting to herself that she’s falling for Lucas until the 11th hour…even though she’s gone through the resistance to his overbearing bossiness as well as attempting to blow off jealousy.  
Lucas is our hottie hero.  What’s cool about him is that he’s been raised by his dad who is a real *ahem* jerk *ahem*, and he even ends up learning valuable lessons through the course of the book.  While it seemed like Lucas was lying to himself for most of the book, it was refreshing to see a relationship in a book develop in a more realistic manner.  Kudos, Ms. Lauryn!
VampBards Rating:

Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)






GIVEAWAY:  Ms. Lauryn is graciously giving away one (1) electronic copy of Dangerous Ally to one lucky commenter. Please leave your comments for Jessica by Thursday January 12, 2012 at 9:00 PM EST to be eligible for the contest. Comments may be left here or after Ms. Lauryn’s guest post HERE. One entry per person, the winner will be selected from eligible entries using random.org. Contest is open internationally; please leave your email address so the author can send you the book. Thank you to Jessica for this fun giveaway!
Purchase Info:

Dangerous Ally [The Pinnacles of Power]

3 responses to “Review & Giveaway: Dangerous Ally

  1. Sounds like a great read. I like stories with some twists in them. I really enjoyed your review. Thanks for the chance.

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