the alpha group series

4 Stars

Lockout picks up right where the first novel ends. Sophia and Sebastian develops a relationship and she attempts to tear down his resistant walls as the secrets just get to much for her. Sophia begins to realize that there is more to Sebastian than meets the eye and is hell bent on finding out how he really feels about her.

(Taken from the book synopsis) But things are never as simple as they appear. Sophia’s trust is a fragile thing, and Sebastian seems insistent on testing it. He has his own demons to battle, and nobody has brought them to the fore like she has.

As their relationship deepens, and Sophia begins to break down his walls, all that greets her are more questions. Why is Sebastian fighting so hard to keep her at a distance? Who is the girl on the background of his phone? And why does the strange tattoo on his chest seem so familiar?

These puzzles plague her, but as Sebastian’s mysteries begin to unravel, she must face an entirely different truth. Staying in the dark may be painful, but finding the answers could be deadly.

This book for me got right into deciphering the mystery that is Sebastian and I loved that about it. As secrets began to be revealed Sophia and Sebastian have a lot of decisions to make and the challenges around that seem even greater. The action in this novel is great and of course it leaves you on yet another cliffhanger. The sex scenes are really steamy, but the action and mystery really wraps this novel up and pushes it to the next level.

4 Stars

When up and coming corporate Attorney Sophia Pearce goes out for a night on the town with her two favorite girls they end up in a hole in the wall bar that really wasn’t a normal stop in their rotation, but with alcohol flowing through their veins they decide to go on in anyway and have a few more drinks. The not so glamorous bar was just as they expected but “fun” was on the agenda for the night so the ladies settled in to have a few more drinks. As they sat there chatting it up and sipping drinks the girls noticed the well-dressed guests entering the bar and then disappearing behind the guarded closed door in the back. Sophia is a woman who is not immune to making rash decisions while under the influence of alcohol, so when her curiosity got the best of her, Sophia decided to infiltrate the secret party in the back to find out what was going on.

With her history of rash decisions while she’s out with her best friends, (possibly not the best decisions for an attorney) Sophia manages to maneuver herself to the back and finds herself meeting Sebastian Locke. Sebastian is the only one at the party who dares to speak with Sophia and she finds herself enthralled with his magnetism, looks and mysteriousness. While attempting the make her exist without being completely noticed as out of place at the party Sophia finds herself wandering a hallway and ends up in an office closet after she hears voices approaching.

While attempting to hide in the closet out of sight from those who just entered the office, Sophia become witness to a form of punishment that’s beyond her understanding. As Sophia watches Sebastian from the closet, she attempts to shift her position and ends up making noise that gets her discovered and she bolts from the room running without looking back.

Sebastian being intrigued with the women who has caught his attention at the party finds her curiosity perplexing and uses his connections to better acquaint himself with her. After arranging a few chance meetings with Sophia, Sebastian finally gets her to agree to a dinner with him and from there the story gets more interesting. Sophia finds herself in a relationship with Sebastian in which he begins to show her things about herself she didn’t know of.

Ok so I can go further into this novel but then I’ll spoil it for you. Overall I really enjoyed the first novel in this series as it was not only a little BDSM, dom/sub relationship but also action and mystery all in one. Author Maya Cross did an excellent job in creating a strong sexual relationship between Sophia and Sebastian along with the mystery. I found myself drawn to Sebastian as the unanswered questions about his life and career were ever present. Sophia is a strong, feisty woman who can hold her own, but is she willing to give up control to an absolute stranger in exchange for the pleasure he is offering her? Sophia finds herself in an inner battle of emotions as she finds herself developing feelings for this stranger who seems to be keeping his emotions at a distance. The plot development was phenomenal as Cross began to really let us to know the main characters and what the were going through. There were some hot sexual encounters that will have you fanning, but the mystery was the nail in the coffin for me in this series. The novel ended on a cliffhanger and this is why I was so happy that I waited until all three books were out.