The Hell-Raiser (Harlequin Blaze) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Product Description

Sarah Jane Walker was ready to kiss her inheritance goodbye once her greedy stepmother hired security expert Mick Chivers—aka the Hell-Raiser. Sexy Mick was bound to figure out that his new assignment wasn't above breaking a few rules—or laws—in her desperate plan to recover her family legacy. Yet even with the cell door practically slamming, Sarah's knees felt like jelly whenever she looked into Mick's old-soul eyes.

Those baby-blues told her the daredevil was a law unto himself. They said he'd overcome incredible odds to win.

And they dared the smart-mouthed Southern belle to take her best shot—and raise a little hell with him!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Nice ass, Mick Chivers thought, staring at one of the multiple pictures he'd been given of his target. His reaction was hardly appropriate given the circum-stances—first assignment, new job at Ranger Security, chance to start over, yada yada yada—but he'd never given a second thought to propriety before and wasn't about to start now. He absently rubbed his temple and slouched lower in his chair, seemingly unconcerned, confident and unaware of the four pairs of eyes currently trained on him. He smothered a snort.

As if.

But Sarah Jane Walker did have a nice ass. Even in this out-of-focus sorry excuse for a photograph. Who'd taken it? he wondered, irritated. A monkey? Granted, Mick was only a hobby photographer, but he knew his way around a camera well enough to do better. His moody gaze slid back to her face. She had a nice mouth, too. And that hair. Long, thick and wavy, falling well below the back of her bra, a pretty dark blond with caramel highlights. He almost smiled.

And he had to admit, the tool belt was a nice touch.

"An architectural salvage expert, eh?" he asked no one in particular. "What exactly is it that she does?"

Though he didn't look up, Mick could feel Brian Payne's intense blue gaze. Good construction prevented the noisy downtown Atlanta sounds from seeping into the room, but Mick imagined he heard the occasional honk of a horn.

The other three men in the lounge area of their office had taken chairs around a big coffee table laden with a variety of snacks. Jamie Flanagan nursed a high-energy drink. Guy McCann idly flipped through a sports magazine. Hands dangling between his knees, Lucas "Huck" Finn—Mick's good friend, former unit mate and no small reason he'd been offered this job after his hasty exit from the military—leaned forward and studied him closely, those keen gray eyes probing for answers Mick was disinclined to give.

What was there to say, really, other than he'd screwed up and nearly cost another soldier his life?

It was Payne who finally answered. "In a nutshell, she goes into old houses—usually ones that are slated for demolition—and saves everything of value. Mantels, crown molding, built-ins, stained glass, doors. Those sorts of things." He leaned against the back of Flanagan's chair. "Interesting work for a woman, but our research says she's very good at what she does. Her father was in the construction business. Apparently, she apprenticed under him."

So she learned her trade from her father, Mick thought. How novel. The only thing he'd ever learned from his old man was how to leave. His mother, too, for that matter. He'd certainly gotten used to watching their taillights disappear every time they dropped him off at Mars Hill Academy, a rigorous old military school located in the beautiful hills of North Carolina. Far enough from their eastern Kentucky home to put distance between them, but drivable in the event of an emergency. Or so he'd overheard his mother say once to a friend.

Deemed "a problem child" at an early age, Mick had been shipped off to military school after the sixth grade—it probably would have been sooner if his parents could have found a facility to accept him—and had only been allowed home over the Christmas holidays and summer break.

And since he'd spent the latter with his paternal grandfather, Charlie—usually repairing the barn or building a new addition onto the old house—instead of his parents, Mick could honestly say that he'd typically spent two weeks out of the year at what other people actually called "home." He inwardly shuddered at those awkward holiday memories. The forced smiles, the fake happiness, when it was all too plain they couldn't wait to send him back, to be rid of him, as though his being born and screwing up their lives had been his fault. Mick passed a hand over his face and swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth.

It was no damned wonder he hated Christmas.

Water under the bridge, he told himself, releasing a shallow breath. Hell, they'd actually done him a favor. Despite the somewhat harsh and überstructured format—and the occasional thrashing for mischief— he'd thrived at military school. He'd learned to love his country, to revere the men who'd founded it and, more importantly, to honor the soldiers who'd died for it by becoming a U.S. Army Ranger and taking up their cause. He'd learned that honor was rewarded, deceit punished, that hard work tested the measure of a man and boundaries were meant to be pushed. Another half smile flirted with his lips. Actually, if you asked any of his former instructors, they'd probably say he'd learned that lesson best of all. He hadn't been nicknamed The Hell-raiser for nothing.

One of these days you're going to go too far, Chivers.

Regret and disgrace formed an enormous ball in his gut. The one-of-these-days warning had come true recently, much to his shame and horror, and was the main reason he'd left the military. A vision of Carson Wells's agonized face rose in Mick's mind's eye, tormenting him with an image he'd never forget. If that bullet had been an inch higher and to the left, it would've surely killed him. Too close, Mick thought, because as predicted, he'd gone too far.

He'd made the call and the mistake.

Never again.

Fortunately—or at least that's what he was telling himself—Colonel Carl Garrett had referred him to Ranger Security. Landing a job with the elite agency of former Rangers—men from his background—was a coup, one he was certain he would celebrate when he was less inclined to hate himself. At the moment, it was all he could do to sit here and pretend he wasn't losing his mind right along with his life and career. That he wasn't the eternal screwup his father had always claimed.

Furthermore, he honestly didn't have any idea why they'd hired him. He'd made a monumental error. He'd almost cost another soldier his life because of his reckless judgment. How could they possibly think he deserved this job? Could he do it? Certainly. But he imagined the only reason he'd scored the hire was because Huck had gone to bat for him. And at the moment, that little bit of knowledge was the only thing that would ensure that he did a good job.

He'd be damned before he let another friend down.

Speaking of friends, he should really call Levi, Mick thought, ashamed that he'd avoided contact with his unit mate. Mick had met both Lucas Finn and Levi McPherson during Jump School. Somewhere between the grueling training and commiserating beers, the three had become especially close friends. Having been in an all-guy environment for most of his life, one that by its very nature fostered a unique blend of competition and camaraderie, Mick had made some great buddies over the years. But the dynamic among the three of them had always been more like that of brothers.

Other than his grandfather, they were the closest thing to a family he'd ever had.

When things had gone south recently, it was Huck who'd helped him find a job, but Levi had had his back, as well. He'd actually been a member of the team on that ill-fated mission, and Mick was having a harder time facing him. Hell, even talking to him. Levi had personally witnessed his mistake, and knowing that made it too damned hard for Mick to look him in the eye. In short, he was ashamed, and until he figured out how to cope with the screwup, he was better off avoiding his friend. Cowardly? No doubt. But necessary to his questionable sanity at the moment.

Rather than linger on things he couldn't change, Mick exhaled a short sigh and mentally reviewed the mess of his first case. And it was a convoluted quagmire of personal crap he'd just as soon stay out of. Unfortunately, staying out of it wasn't in his new job description.

"So let me get this straight. We've been hired by Chastity Walker—"

"Sarah Jane's stepmother," McCann interjected.

"Who is also Sarah Jane's age and most hated enemy," Flanagan added with a wry look.

"—to catch Sarah Jane trying to steal some of her deceased father's possessions."

"Possessions that Sarah Jane claims are part of her inheritance," Payne added.

Mick frowned. "There's no will?"

Payne shrugged. "Not according to Chastity, and with the absence of a will, everything goes to the next of kin. As the wife, that's her."

"What about according to Sarah Jane?" Mick asked, smelling a rat. Something about this didn't feel right. Why would Chastity go to the trouble of hiring their services for something so small? So petty? He knew women could be like that, of course, and it certainly didn't seem like there was any love lost between these two, but… He was picking up a weird vibe on this one.

"Sarah Jane insists there was a will, but neither Chastity nor the attorney who supposedly drafted it has produced it." Payne grimaced. "Like I said, I'm not sure about this one, and we won't be a party to anything illegal. Right now, we have the facts according to our client. If she's lying, then naturally that will change things, and you can respond however you see fit." He paused. "As it stands, we know that Sarah Jane, in particular, is after a pipe that belonged to her father, and her mother's antique wedding dress." Payne shrugged, looking uncomfortably skeptical. "Chastity will not give up the pipe and insists that she donated the dress to a local historical society after it had been part of an exhibit."

Mick shot him a questioning glance. "And you believe her?"

"Not particularly. Right now though, operating on what we know from our client, our job is to keep an eye on Sarah Jane. If she does anything illegal, document the evidence and turn it over to Chastity so that she can do with it what she will."

Flanagan snorted. "Hell, Payne, she's already had Sarah Jane arrested once for assault and battery. You know what she's going to do with it."

Mick felt his lips twitch, and he flipped to the back of the file, where Sarah Jane's mutinous mug shot stared up at him. She had wide, compelling, pale brown eyes—the shade of his favorite toffee candy, Mick though...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373794169
• ISBN-13: 978-0373794164
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #768,957 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars when you have nothing else to read...., February 23, 2009

By	L. B. Taylor (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nick Chivers, a former U. S. Army Ranger, made a mistake...a mistake that ended his career. He lands a job with Ranger Security, an elite agency- men with his background- and becomes Mick Chivers, photographer for Designing Weekly, an architectural magazine. His job is to prove that Sarah Jane Walker is trying to steal some of her deceased father's possessions from her step-mother. Sarah Jane, who restores homes with architectural salvage, believes the step-mother has stolen her father's will.

Useless things the story wants you to know: Sarah Jane has a temper. How mature. A homosexual ghost lives at the B&B that Mick stays at. Who cares. Sarah Jane's step-mom is her age. Again, who cares. Sarah Jane's friend Tina puts up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Chase's relationship with another woman. Tina, find someone else.

I felt the story of Mick and Sarah Jane was rushed and I didn't really believe they could love each other so quick. The mistake Mick made while a Ranger wasn't told until the end and I didn't think it warranted him to quit a job that he loved.

This wasn't my cup-a-tea but my twenty-something daughter read it before me and liked it. Sooooo, I am giving it 2 stars. For those of you that want a love story with a good plot, try something else.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Raising the Heat with the Hell-Raiser, August 12, 2008

By	GoodwinsGal (Lombard, IL United States) - See all my reviews

I've only recently discovered Rhonda Nelson's books in the Blaze line, but have definitely devoured everything she's written in the last few weeks. I waited - very impatiently, I might add - for The Hell-Raiser (another installment in her Men Out of Uniform series) and tackled it the instant I saw it on the bookstore shelves. That right there should tell a lot of readers about Ms. Nelson's stories because I can't remember the last time I looked forward to any book or writer like this in a long, long time.

As with most of the books in this series, Nelson presents a former Army Ranger who has left the service with a guilt demon riding him for mistakes in the field. For Mick Chivers, this is not the aforementioned "Death of Danny" as the case with almost all the previous books. Mick is a brand new Ranger with a brand new set of issues, including a seriously messed up childhood. But those issues still land him on the doorstep of Rangers Security where he is reunited with his friend Huck Finn (from The Loner) and the other characters from Nelson's 3 previous stories.

Mick is handed the assignment of catching Sarah Jane Walker in the act of stealing her stepmother's property. Property Sarah Jane insists was left to her in her father's will and is rightfully hers. Of course Sarah Jane and Chastity (the stepmother) are the same age, basically grew up together and are bitter enemies... so Mick smells a rat before he even sets foor in Sarah Jane's home town.

It isn't long before Mick -- under the guise of a photographer working for a magazine supposedly doing a piece on Sarah Jane's company and work -- and Sarah are kicking up sparks. Now I saw mention made in another review that this story isn't "hot enough" to be a Blaze, but I have to disagree. One of the things I liked most about this book (and in all Nelson's stories) is that she takes the time to set up the story and kick up the sexual tension, but she lets the characters get to be people first and a sexual couple second. She lets them get to know each other so when they finally do hit the sheets, it's not all just hot sex that - when you close the book - you know will burn out in a few months and end the couple.

Nelson's Hell-Raiser proves you can have both hot lovin' and LOVE. The Hell-Raiser carries Nelson's trademark banter, her sarcastic wit, her spunky heroines perfectly matched with just the right heroes (who will and can appreciate her), and Sarah Jane and Mick are certainly no exception to that rule.

Mick is an honorable warrior from the word Go. He doesn't like to lie, hence why the job with the ex-Rangers doesn't fit him well. He's restless. Energetic. Likes to "do" things. He has integrity, loves the Underdog and always seems to root for their cause despite the odds.

Sarah Jane is the underdog here. The odds are stacked against her. No will. No proof her stepmother is lying. Even the slimy lawyer seems to be working agianst her. Her "indian" nickname? Warrior Bleeding Heart. She's Mick's equal to the hilt and then some.

Now that's not to say I didn't have moments during reading where I would pause and sigh or grumble and flip a page, but that had nothing to do with the sex or chemistry and more to do with what felt like long stretches of narrative in the character's head where I wanted to get back to the action!

But the fun thing about the Hell-Raiser was there was no "simple" solution. No out of the blue hearts and flowers ending that left you thinking Oh, Geez, come on! Nelson took the story to its logical conclusion given Mick's experiences and suffering... then lead them right back together for an ending you could *believe* in and know (once again) as you closed the book, that Mick and Sarah Jane are another "Going to last forever" couple.

I reach for Nelson's books when I want the best of ALL the things in from romance novel world: -- Hot men, sexy women, amazingly hot sex... with a fun love story driving it all.

So far Nelson has yet to disappoint.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging Men Out of Uniform romantic suspense , August 9, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Chastity Walker hires the Ranger Security firm to insure that building salvage expert Sarah Jane Walker does not steal her inheritance. The women hate each other since they attended high school together, but more so as adults when Chastity conned Sarah Jane's widow dad into marrying her. Chastity further insists since there is no will, as the legal wife she owns everything. Ranger Security sends Nick "Hell-raiser" Chivers to keep a watchful eye on Sarah Jane.

Nick knows to keep his distance from Sarah Jane as he keeps her under surveillance. However, he cannot heed his own advice as the former Army Ranger finds he wants his client's enemy like he has never wanted anyone ever before. He soon joins the enemy seeking the will that Sarah Jane is positive her dad would have signed.

The latest Men Out of Uniform romantic suspense (see THE PLAYER) is an engaging tale as Nick finds himself caught between his heart and his contract. He knows who is client is but his heart and another male body organ tells him differently. Although the conflict between Nick and Sarah Jane ironically seems to lack depth as all the quarreling resides inside Hell-Raiser, series fans will appreciate this fun story.

Harriet Klausner