Fire and Ice (Guardians Book 1)

Billionaire inventor and defense contractor Jack met Maia when she was contracted to guard his brother before he was a witness at a trial of a Russian drug lord.Although they were attracted to each other, both had events in their lives that had affected them deeply. His fiancé and sister were killed 12 years ago and Jack hadn’t been in a long term relationship since.Maia’s parents were murdered in front of her and she became an agent, dedicated to her job. She felt she had no room in her life for a long term relationship.Good story and plot line. Occasionally saw goofs in editing but nothing off putting.

I’m Very conflicted on this review / book. I was over the moon when i found out Maia was a bad @$s b!t€h. It is SO hard to find strong female leads who take no BS. Her skills were shown in the writing. She could hold her own no questions. BUT i HATED that once Jack entered he dominated her. And she just brushed it off / took it. All of a sudden she couldn’t fight back against Jack. He would do one move and she was unable to escape …. But yet she can take down 3 assailants in under 7 secs? The math ain’t mathing. I understand it was a dominance thing. There was an attraction that couldn’t be denied. But as a strong female lead there wasn’t much resistance on her part. Physically or emotionally. Jack would boss her around, insert himself into her work (very dangerous BTW), drugged her to “keep her safe” WHEN THEY FIRST MET. and NO ONE had a problem with this?! Not her, not Viktor, NOBODY? Oh this guy she’s met ONCE and had a handful of words spoken is drugging her in the name of “keeping her safe” yeah sounds good …. I couldn’t get behind THAT possessiveness when there was no predisposition. If Maia fought back a little more then caved (or not, I’m a sucker for heartbreak) i would have loved the book… but i can’t read about a strong Heroine then she just goes damsel all of a sudden. It needs to be built. The trust, the relationship, etc. Jack just kept doing whatever the heck he wanted and no one batted an eye.

3.5 stars. I was an immediate fan of Maia, she is very much an independent, take-no-prisoners type of attitude that is both feisty and free spirited. She will do whatever it takes to get the job done and she's also pretty good at improvising. Her training has kept her skilled such that she can handle any tough situation. Jack, on the other hand, was a bit hard for me to like. He is definitely an alpha and he did his best to dial it back around Maia knowing that she did not appreciate being bossed around or handled like she was someone to take care of. I didn't quite see their chemistry initially and then suddenly Jack feels like he needs to stake a claim just because. From there, it's a constant push and pull of Maia not wanting to be caged in and Jack absolutely wanting to box her in and to keep her safe. Maia fights Jack at every turn despite how well they actually are together as a couple. I did enjoy how much Maia gives Jack a run for his money, but since I got so used to her moxie and fierce attitude, I didn't love seeing her vulnerable because Jack was often cornering her to make these admissions. Their story is about chemistry and reaching a compromise where they can have a relationship and future to look forward to.

As I read this romantic suspense story when it was originally published, I was hugely impressed with the strong characters and fast-paced story full of operatives, secret missions, and a fascinating relationship that became a whirlwind of emotions and excitement. I decided to do a reread recently and I enjoyed the story just as much as the first time.The lead female character Maia is a sexy, fearless agent for a security agency, the Guardians. She fights and plays hardball with no excuses about her lifestyle or sexual escapades. She finally meets her match in Jack the bossy, possessive, former SEAL who runs a defense company. He becomes obsessed with the fascinating and often stubborn agent. Neither is looking for anything permanent. They are comfortable with a short term relationship. The story is full of action and undercover plots. The sparks fly between this couple and they begin to realize that their hot affair is turning into something a lot more serious and addictive.Maia’s job is a big irritant to the stability in the couple’s budding relationship to the point of heartbreak. Maia refuses to give up her career for any man, even though she desperately wants to make it work with Jack. Jack is having a hard time not being in control of everything and has never encountered this kind of resistance. He has a hard time adjusting to Maia’s line of work. Maia’s reckless confidence and skill takes her into unexpected secret missions which are quite dangerous. But now someone else matters just as much as her dedication to justice. Jack just wants her in a safer job. Keeping outsiders totally out of the loop is protocol in her agency. This is slowly driving him crazy as well as his inability to keep a lid on his jealousy concerning Maia's many admirers. Both are questioning if Jack can deal with her independent nature and impulsive decision-making during missions or will he ultimately have to walk away.This story has plenty of scenes that made me laugh, tear up, or sigh. Jack and Maia both make mistakes in dealing with their issues. And who doesn’t love some groveling when needed? Yay! This story has a pretty good one. This couple is headed toward a disaster in their relationship because they both are such dominant personalities and used to having their way. It was fun to watch them try to work it out with many ups and downs along the way while fighting crime. The story has interesting military and espionage details that shows that Ms. Paige does her research so the plots make sense. The story has a satisfying ending with a peek into the couple's immediate future. I was happy to discover that the author wrote a free extended epilogue (novella) for this couple that can be downloaded from her website and Goodreads.When I finished this book, I knew I had found a new author that would become a favorite on my romantic suspense list. I wanted to read about the other characters in this book. I was glad that the series continued and I've enjoyed all the books immensely.

Ok where do I start?Initially it was a real page turner. It was great to have a strong, independent, kickass female lead. There's a lot of alphabet soup agencies, (which she belongs to.) Then there's the hot, no nonsense, ' can't do a long, deep, meaningful relationship ', man whore caveman. Obviously they're drawn to one another immediately! The Russian mafia are key to the storyline in between all the sex scenes, ( of which there were a lot!!!).Why on earth she didn't shoot him with all his caveman attitude I'll never know?! And how she never succumbed to death is another mind bender!? And if the Russians were so bad...Why the Hell didn't they shoot her?Anyway it was readable, perhaps needed the baddies...badder?! Maybe less of his posturing and anger and more of her kickassness!?Found it free so I would recommend. It's not one that pulls at the heartstrings or clouds your vision with a tear or two either. Quite lengthy and a standalone.

Absolutely brilliant and awesome and addictive it has everything in it from the great characters to the love scenes right from the first paragraph bang straight in what a fantastic book

What a badass!!!! I love Maia she is an absolute badass that can take care of herself in any situation!

This was the first book I have read by this author, I will look for her other books, the storyline was really good with characters you could like, it was also a change to have a female calling the shots and taking part in all the action.It was a good mix of action and romance, the other characters I hope will be in other books as you want to know more about them as this story comes to its conclusion

Don't overthink it. Just read it before you nod off. Or skip it entirely. It is not full on fantasy, nor full on spy thriller, nor realistic, nor erotica, ... it is pretty much a bit middle of the road, but not in a realistic way.