Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Daniel Hendricks is on a much needed vacation from his job as a forensic accountant with Ward Security. Daniel loves his job, but he never feels like he quite fits in with his big, hulking co-workers who cover the security side of the business. Daniel is just looking for some relaxation and when a sexy man approaches him, Daniel decides to take him up on his offer for dinner (and more).
Edward Raines has been tracking a rogue CIA agent who is looking to sell secrets to our nation’s enemies. Armed with a photo of the agent, Edward approaches Daniel thinking he is Edward’s target. As it turns out, the two are near twins for each other and Daniel is just an innocent civilian. But before the men realize the mistake, buyers for the stolen information come looking for the rogue agent and Daniel finds himself in the middle of an international threat.
With the bad guys also mistaking Daniel’s identity, it presents an opportunity to find out who is trying to buy the information and stop them before it gets in the wrong hands. Daniel isn’t thrilled to be dragged into the mess, especially as he knows that Edward lied about who he was and why he was interested in Daniel. But his country needs him and Daniel is willing to step up and help. Now Daniel and Edward find themselves traveling from Bermuda to Spain to France, trying to track down the buyers of the stolen information and stop the bad guys before it too late. And while they are at it, the men might just find love when they least expect it.
Killer Bond is the fifth book in the Ward Security series and it is my favorite one so far. This book has a bit of a different tone than the others, which are more bodyguard/security focused and take place primarily in and around Ward Security. With Killer Bond, we get more of a standalone spy thriller as Daniel and Edward travel the world trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. As the title suggest, there is a bit of a James Bond-vibe here, and honestly, I could totally see this book as a movie. There are dangerous chases scenes, beautiful cities, mistaken identity, and, of course, romance.
I particularly loved the early part of the book as the guys meet when Edward thinks Daniel is his rogue agent. Things are immediately incendiary between them and suddenly Daniel is thrust into the middle of this case as everyone, including the bad guys, thinks he is the agent. It is incredibly exciting and thrilling as Edward and Daniel fight to stay one step ahead of their adversaries. I also liked how the relationship plays out here. The men are clearly hot for each other, but Daniel knows that Edward lied to him when they first got together and, understandably, he can’t get past it easily. He is willing to help Edward, but not fully forgive him. Daniel also has some doubts as Edward is super sexy and he worries his interest was only in Daniel as a target. So I really loved how this one develops, both in the relationship and in the suspense end.
Things aren’t quite as tight for me toward the end as some of the spy craft seemed to become less realistic. I think the authors do a nice job of making it plausible that Daniel would be brought in by the CIA, as he had a background in the FBI (though not in field work). But I had to wonder why no one else in the CIA is ever brought in to help Edward with this critical mission, why there seemed to be so little security when he is talking to his handler (using his regular phone on a seemingly unsecured line), and how Daniel (with his passport in his real name) is able to travel the world with no one tracking him while he is supposed to be hiding from the bad guys. So I think there needed to be some tightening up here to make things seem more realistic.
But despite these small concerns, this was really a great installment in this series. Like I said, it felt like a movie and just had a really fun tone and lots of excitement. The guys are super hot together and the story is really entertaining. Even if you have never picked up any books in this series, definitely give Killer Bond a try.
