Deceived
Dark Alliance #1 By: Kate SeRine Releasing June 28, 2016 Zebra 
Luke Rogan's assignment is simple: secure young Elijah Scoffield and his mother and bring them back to headquarters--just an ordinary mission for an operative of the Dark Alliance. But Elijah is no ordinary kid. He's the grandson of one of the country's most influential politicians--a man privy to the Alliance's most valuable secrets, including its centuries-long connection to the Knights Templar. And someone else is attempting to capture the boy--someone who's proven he doesn't give a damn about collateral damage. . .
Heartbroken at the lies that tore her world apart, Sarah Scoffield will do anything to protect her son--even if that means teaming up with a deadly stranger. But Sarah soon finds herself falling in love with her dark hero. And as danger stalks ever closer, the fiery desire that claims them awakens in Sarah passions she'd thought dead and buried long ago. . . 
Two dark powers in war, secret societies, that could rule the whole world with their powers. Innocent caught in the middle, fighting to survive and stay alive, yet hopelessly falling in love with their guard and protector.
The suspense and action of the story are based on the war between Alliance and Illuminati, even thought the high powers of alliance refuse to believe that Illuminati still exists and is as powerful and infiltrated as they are. As many of the players in the tale gets their chance to tell their point of view of events occurring, the big picture of the war and its components, risks, manipulations, and lies comes to clear to the reader. It takes about the first 20% of the story for the scene to be set, and the cast of characters to introduced, and their positions revealed, the Alliance and its dimension and span explained. The attraction between Luke and Sarah is immediate and palpable. The situation of danger and fear escalating their emotions, and being forced to be in close quarters giving them a chance to get to know each other in a deep, intimate level. I enjoyed the connection Luke and Eli had, the joking and banter, the humor between them. The trust and respect that grew between Eli and Luke, helped Sarah to surrender to her budding feelings as well. The passion is ardent, the emotions turbulent, but either of them are able to deny them. Only, Luke as a Knights Templar and part of Alliance isn't allowed to have any personal relationships. I liked how the romance and building of the relationship are set up in the story, the time it was given to grow and take roots, and how Sarah, Eli, and Luke form a unit, family, willing to do anything and everything needed to protect each other, and stay together. The story sets up an interesting stage for the upcoming series. Any conspiracy theorist will get excited about the possibilities of the power and control the Alliance could have in the world. The schemes between Alliance and Illuminati could be endless as they fight for the world dominance and the counterplots, treasons, manipulations and lies between the players intriguing, their destinies alluring. Even though the power struggles of the two secret societies were not for me, I enjoyed the short spurts of action, the presence of constant danger, and the adorable, fragile relationship developing between Sarah and Luke, and Eli as well. ~ Three Spoon and a teaspoon on the side
“I thought we were safe here,” Sarah said, her arms crossed over her chest.
“We’re as safe here as anywhere until we get to my place,” Luke assured her. She lifted a brow. “Yet you’re acting like you expect someone to come barging in and attack us at any moment.” He took a step closer and immediately realized his mistake when his heart started pounding at the nearness of her. Shit. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from touching her. “If being paranoid is what’s going to keep you and your son alive,” he said, “then guilty as charged.” “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Luke,” she began, edging closer, damn it all, “but why does it matter so much to you if Eli and I are safe? You don’t know us. I get that you’ve been given an order, but I also heard you talking to your commander and know you’d rather be somewhere else. If you’d insisted that someone else watch over us, I would’ve understood. I can just go to the police, tell them what happened. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Luke stared at her for a long moment, trying to figure out the answer to her question. Hell if he knew why it mattered so much to him that he keep them safe. In the technical sense, he protected people every day and had for going on fifteen years when he added up his time in the military and then working for the government and now with the Alliance. But she was right—this assignment was hitting him on a level he hadn’t anticipated. “I guess because, when I wasn’t much older than Eli, someone took my mother and me in, watched over us when we needed it,” he finally said, not sure where the explanation was even coming from. “And someone else did the same thing for me again a few years ago when I was in a really dark place—except this time the enemy I was up against was myself. If it wasn’t for that person stepping in, I don’t know where I’d be. But dead is a damned good bet.” Sarah straightened. “Oh. God. I’m sorry.” “Don’t be,” Luke told her. He shook his head as his vision went a little blurry. Suddenly too tired to stand, he leaned against the edge of the sink. “I made a promise to keep you and Eli safe, Sarah. I’ll keep it. There’s no way I’d abandon you, so don’t worry about it.” The next thing he knew, Sarah’s arms were around his neck, hugging him tightly. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, to bury his face in her hair and let the warmth of her wash over him. But when she pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, “Thank you,” in his ear, he almost gave in. Fortunately, before he could move, she stepped away and hurried back into the room with Eli, leaving Luke gaping at the empty doorway and wondering exactly what the hell he’d gotten himself into… 
Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) is a hopeless romantic who firmly believes in true love that lasts forever. So it's no surprise that when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed her characters would always have a happily ever after.
Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project—probably while consuming way too much coffee. Kate is also the author of the award-winning Transplanted Tales paranormal romance series and the Protect & Serve romantic suspense series. Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 
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5/7/2016 19:54:25
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