Review: Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy (ARES Security #1)

Note: This ARC was provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The last thing Rafe Vargas wants to do is to spend more time than necessary in his late grandfather's house in the small town of Newton, Iowa. All he wants is to put the house in order and have the realtor handle everything else so that he can return to Houston, Texas and focus on the security firm he and his best friends--all of whom he considers his brothers--have set up. They survived being prisoners of war while in Afghanistan, and now they've harnessed all their strengths together to form ARES Security. His plans are sidelined when he crosses paths with Annie, a young woman whose haunted look in her eyes calls to him. 

The last thing Annie White wants to do is to return to the place she called home for five years, because as much as Newton, Iowa held good memories for her with her late father, it's the bad ones that appear to have brought back the nightmares. Her father--the same one who always had a glass of milk and cookies ready for her after school--was accused of murdering seven women fifteen years ago, thus dubbing him the Newton Slayer and died soon after he was arrested. Now, women are being killed in the same way the Newton Slayer killed his victims, and even with Rafe by her side, Annie could be this killer's next victim.

Kill Without Mercy is the first novel in the new romantic suspense series from bestselling author Alexandra Ivy entitled ARES Security. I quite enjoyed this series starter as it delivered on the anticipated thrills and chills that books in this genre should deliver. Former soldier Rafe Vargas and CPA Annie White meet in Newton, Iowa, both forced to be in the area by circumstances beyond their control, but it almost seems as if it's a crossing of paths that's meant to be. He's immediately protective of her and when he learns of her past, he digs even further, driven by what other people consider his obvious savior complex. 

This was my first Alexandra Ivy read, but based on her back list, she's most known for her contemporary paranormal novels. With this being my first impression of her writing, allow me to say that I was wholly impressed. She was able to keep the story fraught with tension from start to finish while inserting bits of humor when necessary. Her cast of characters is clearly complex and has readers wanting to get to know the four other members of ARES Security--Max Grayson, Hauk Laurensen, Teagan Moore, and Lucas St. Clair, especially since all five former soldiers look like they've got secrets to hide, even from one another.

There are quite a few twists in the story, and while there were two that I figured out early on, it still remained an enthralling read for me. The excitement over finding out how everything would play out never waned and the writing was nearly solid, with only the over-use of the word "demanded" being main complaint since it seemed Annie demanded answers and information a bit too much from Rafe. I'm already looking forward to seeing where the next book in the ARES Security will take us, though I hope we get a prequel novella detailing what happened in Afghanistan someday. Kill Without Mercy gets 4.5 stars. ♥

Release Date: 29 December 2015

Date Read: 26 December 2015

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