MERCILESS : Invasive Species Series

by: Kelly Goode

The Blurb: The aliens didn’t invade Earth in giant spaceships as depicted in the movies - they were smarter than that.

Blake Holloway and Carson Towers may be from opposite worlds, but they fight together at the Invasive Species Control Unit. Their objective is to suppress the stealthy alien incursion and to eliminate any threats to human life.

Sounds easy, right?

Wrong – Carson is impulsive and reckless whilst Blake is vigilant and cautious, but there’s no denying their attraction whenever they are together.

When several young girls are murdered, Carson discovers a link to a new species of shape-shifting aliens that have been living undetected on Earth for centuries. With Blake by her side, she’s determined to discover why the aliens are targeting children and why the department doctor has suddenly disappeared.

Blake has his own objectives and secrets, and as his attraction towards Carson increases, the urge to come clean intensifies.

If they thought defeating the aliens would be their hardest mission, trying not to fall in love with them should be easy.

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You all know how disappointed I was with the last book I read. I was really looking for a good alien/shifter crossover. Well, when a door closes, a window opens. And an amazing book flew right in and landed on my lap. I didn't even realize the shifter aspect until I was well into the book. It was such a pleasant surprise.

In this story, our main characters are partners in the Invasive Species Control Unit. This is a top secret government agency whose main mission is to eradicate the dangerous aliens on Earth who are hiding in plain sight.

Carson and Blake have been partners for a little over a year and although they are close and desperately attracted to one another, they are hiding some pretty significant secrets. Cue the tension, mystery and deceit. Perfect ingredients for romance and intrigue.

I loved Blake's character. He's strong, protective and has a good heart. Carson was also likable and it was easy to empathize with her. She's had a really tough life and you physically felt her trying to keep tears at bay while projecting a tough exterior needed in her line of work. Their attraction is palpable and watching them try to "think" their way out of a romance was sometimes agonizing (in a good way).

The plot is well thought out and pieces of the puzzle are presented at a good pace to keep the reader interested and not exhausted. It is so easy to fall in love with Blake and feel his pain as he tries to share his feelings with Carson while having to hide so much of who he really is. And Carson is a bad-ass with a soft heart that we can all get behind and rally for.

The secondary characters were also well developed and helped us get a better picture of our main characters and some back story. I can see some potential for a love triangle but I really hope that isn't the case. Or if it is, it's brief, significant to the flow of the story and doesn't leave us with a bad taste in or mouth.

This really was a well written, energetic and imaginative story. There are twists and turns that keep us on our feet and the romance is intense and electric. This was my first Kelly Goode read, but it will not be my last.

Well done, Ms Goode. I can't wait for book two to see what's in store for Carson and Blake.

What did you think?