Stella Sullivan
Bright. Dedicated. Loyal.
The day I walked into his boardroom, I had no idea my life was about to change forever. It was supposed to be a simple proposal that would catapult my career. The chance to help Hurst & McCoy save one of their flailing business lines seemed simple enough. However, I never expected that one look at Maxwell McCoy would have me grasping for control. He’s demanding, charming, powerful; most of all he’s beautiful, inside and out. As hard as I fought against the attraction, he broke down my defenses. But he’s hiding things. Even when secrets, lies, and greed threaten everything I have worked so hard for, I couldn’t walk away. There’s no denying, the moment my eyes landed on Maxwell McCoy was the moment I became his.
Maxwell McCoy
Rich. Brilliant. Powerful.
People only see me as CEO of Hurst & McCoy. The ruthless businessman whose mere presence demands respect. People don’t know I chose to leave a life I loved in order to protect my father’s legacy and reputation. When my company’s future was threatened, I had no choice but to seek assistance. The day Stella Sullivan walked into my boardroom was the day my heart started beating again. One business proposal, from the topaz-eyed beauty, changed my life. She tried to deny our unyielding chemistry, but I wouldn’t. I should let her go, but I didn’t.
The smokescreen I created soon comes crashing down, forcing me to fight for everything I love.
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Smokescreen ~ a ruse designed to disguise someone’s real intentions or activities
Ahren Sanders couldn’t have chosen a more fitting title for her newest release. There’s a plethora of secrets and duplicity throughout the text, and while most of it is done in the name of revenge and greed, some deceptions or hidden truths are used in order to cope with regrets and mishandled choices.
Maxwell McCoy is one such hero who falls into the latter category, and for the last three years, he hasn’t really been living, keeping everything close to the vest and doing what needs to be done for his company and his father’s legacy. But in order to clean up the issues that plague Hurst & McCoy, he needs a PR firm who can reimage the business and do damage control on multiple fronts, which is where Stella Sullivan comes into play and clears the smoke that has surrounded both Max’s personal and professional life, rendering him, for the most part, an open book to Stella, at least those are Max’s intentions when the connection he feels for Stella is worth playing a new kind of game – the forever kind.
But the business world is filled with duplicity, and when things get personal between Max and Stella hiding their relationship is the least of their worries when there are multiple players threatening to not only separate them but wreak havoc in all areas of their lives.
Going in to Smokescreen, I had heard such amazing things about Ahren Sanders’ Reed’s Reckoning, and while I own the text, I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, so when a blog tour opened up for Max and Stella’s story, I knew I needed to sign-up, and I’m so glad that I did! I loved everything about this story! The writing is extremely engaging; it has a great blend of steam, humor, and conflict that will have readers turning pages until a resolution is reached. A captivating storyline is a necessity in a text, but what really solidify the greatness of Sanders’ text are her characters, both the hero/heroine as well as the family and friends who surround them.
Max McCoy is a dominant in the bedroom and the boardroom; he’s alpha to the core and he protects what’s his. Stella takes his breath away from their very first meeting, and from that day on, he does everything in his power to claim her. In words and deeds, Max becomes Stella’s willing captive, and as their relationship grows throughout the text, he shows her and everyone else the kind of man he is due to his love for her and the presence she has in his life. I love a hero who is strong and confident but also brought to his knees by the woman of his dreams and not afraid to show it and claim those feelings – that’s exactly the kind of man Max is.
Stella Sullivan is a force to be reckoned with; she’s a compassionate and selfless woman who also has a great amount of strength and determination. She’s everything Max never knew he wanted, and he is the man who she can trust to have her back in everything. They make such a fantastic couple and the chemistry between them is written so well that readers can’t help but smile during all of Max and Stella’s interactions.
Laci, Jake, Pedro, Ryan…I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed the whole ensemble of supporting characters in a book like I enjoyed Sanders’ crew. They add so much to the text and illustrate the kind of people both Max and Stella are to have these people stand behind them; their own personalities are also brought out in the text, which I absolutely adored!
Smokescreen is a fantastic story that definitely needs to be on everyone’s TBR list!
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples
Stella groans lightly and rolls over. I’ve been watching her from my desk for half an hour, trying not to wake her. But as soon as she realizes my side of the bed is empty, she sits up dazed. Her head turns toward the bathroom and then turns to me.
“What are you doing?” she asks sleepily.
“Working a bit.”
“What time is it?”
“A little after seven.”
“Why the hell are you up? Do you ever sleep?” She falls back onto my bed and the sheets slip down her naked body.
I jump to my feet and make my way to her side of the bed in a second. “Yeah, I slept, then I worked out, showered, and decided to work until you woke up.”
“You worked out? Showered? What the hell is wrong with you? I thought we weren’t going anywhere this morning.”
She throws an arm over her eyes and I take the opportunity to kiss the skin up to her elbow, then pull her arm down so she has no choice but to look at me.
“I didn’t go anywhere. I have a home gym down the hall. I showered because I was gross, and we are staying here this morning. We have a meeting at ten, but until then, it’s us.”
“You have a home gym? Where?”
“Yeah, babe, there’s about two thousand square feet you’ve not seen yet. Two more rooms and a gym.”
“What?”
“Babe, you’ve only been here a few times, I haven’t had time to show you.”
“This is a whole lot of information for me this early, without coffee. Remember I’m not a morning person.”
“So you keep saying, but I love proving you wrong.” I kiss her softly and slide my hand under the sheets and down until it reaches her pelvic bone.
My fingertips run lightly back and forth from hipbone to hipbone until her breath catches. Every time I hear that small sound, I know she’s getting turned on. Then my hand slinks lower to her slick heat and I press one finger in, sliding her wetness back and forth. “You are the best morning person I know.”
“That’s because you give me orgasms before my coffee.”
Ahren spent her formative years living in an active volcano. There her family made collectible lava art. She studied rock collecting at the Sorbonne in France. There she met the love of her life-her pet pig Sybil. She returned to the states and started writing. She is happily married to a guy who used to live under a bridge and she met while pole-dancing. They have one amazing daughter.
Now, meet the real me. I grew up in the south and consider myself a true “Southerner”. Most of the special locations mentioned in my books are reflections of my favorite places. Living on the Florida coast, my family spends a lot time at the beach which is where I usually can be found with a book in my hand. I started writing my Surrender Series, in the spring of 2013 and have received incredible support from the Indie community. Throughout this year, I have been privileged to meet some amazing people that I am thankful to have in my life.
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