Stevie‘s review of Too Hard To Handle (Black Knights Inc., Book 8) by Julie Ann Walker
Romantic Suspense published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 01 Sep 15
There’s something about the men in Julie Ann Walker’s series that appeals to me, in spite of my not really liking the majority of alpha types. Maybe it’s the fact that none of the heroes take themselves or each other particularly seriously, or possibly it’s the way Walker gets the banter between her heroes spot-on. Of course none of that is going to work in a straight romance without a heroine who can get through all this male bonding and is characterful enough to be a good foil to the man of her choice. Not all of Walker’s heroines have been 100% to my taste, but a couple have stood out from the crowd.
Penni DePaul intrigued me when she made an appearance in the previous book of this series, and she’s certainly tough enough to cope with the Black Knights, even if her strengths weren’t totally in keeping with her old job for the Secret Service. Now she’s a civilian, she’s got a lot of planning to do regarding a new career and the possibility of rekindling the affair she had with Black Knight Dan back on their previous job together. Plus, she has some news for him, though it takes most of the book for Dan and the readers to find out what that news might be, as Penni follows him into South America and then into a whole heap of new trouble.
The Black Knights are still in pursuit of the same traitor they’ve been after on and off for the past couple of books, though there are always other bad guys getting in the way of their target. This time the bad guys are after the traitor himself, and there’s an intriguing new overall bad guy lurking in the background. I’m not normally much of a fan of reading the shadowy antagonist’s point of view, but this time it mostly works as an assassin tracks the heroes and their quarry, all the time receiving instructions on his mission from afar. His reasons for doing the job he’s been landed with make sense, and I hope the Black Knights can somehow rescue his family from the mess he’s left behind in a subsequent book. On the other hand, one bit of his backstory jarred, and I’m hoping that will also be resolved later – I do trust this author to follow through on story arcs now.
I enjoyed following the ups and downs as Penni and Dan reconnect in circumstances just as dangerous as those in which they met, and I also love the glimpses of the slightly twisted domesticity the guys live in when not out on missions. Plus, there is mention of what Delilah has been up to, and she’s probably my favourite out of all the heroines I’ve met in the series so far.
All in all, a really thrilling rollercoaster of a story, and I’m greatly looking forward to whatever gets thrown at the Black Knights next.
Grade: A
Summary:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker continues her red-hot Black Knights Inc. series in rough-and-tumble Peru
“The Man” is back
Dan “The Man” Currington is back in fighting form with a mission that takes him four thousand miles south of BKI headquarters, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. He’s hot on the trail of a rogue CIA agent selling classified government secrets to the highest bidder, when Penni DePaul arrives on the scene. Suddenly the stakes are higher, and keeping Penni safe becomes Dan’s number one priority.And this time she’s ready
A lot has changed since former Secret Service Agent Penni DePaul last saw Dan. Now a civilian, she’s excited about what the future might hold. But before she can grab onto that future with both hands, she has to tie up some loose ends-namely, Dan Currington, the man she just can’t forget. And a secret that’s going to change both their lives-if they can stay alive, that is.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
