Cake or Pie? Cake and Pie... and lots of action and steam!
Rival Hero is the fourth entry in the Redleg Security series, and I can say without a doubt it is now my favorite. Although the first three books are pretty great, too. Each book in this series picks up right where the previous book left off, so I highly recommend reading Heartbreak Hero, Forbidden Hero, and Comeback Hero first, but this can be read as a standalone since the author provides enough backstory throughout for you to be able to follow along. Rival Hero features our heroine, Mia, who is a wonderfully and at times beautifully painfully flawed, perfectly badass CIA Intelligence officer with mad skills when it comes to technology and digging up secrets. She's got wounds from her past that have taken their toll and have largely led to a lonely existence. Our hero Klein, appears to be a former Army Ranger and full time cinnamon roll at first glance, who listens to the Rat Pack, bakes, is loyal to his friends and devoted to his family, and is a gentleman who is ultimately looking to settle down and start a family. As we get to know our hero throughout the book we get a delicious surprise when it turns out this cinnamon roll has a deliciously gooey Dom center, and the angst and chemistry between the two MCs is what is responsible for waking it up.
This book finds our heroine seeking to get out of the CIA and start healing some of the damage of her past, but not before she she uses those skills to to dig up some dirt on her rival for the job she wants at Redleg the seemingly sweet human version of a golden retriever, Klein (Cal to eventually to Mia and his family, Klein to everyone else), yes, Calvin, really his name. As the book progresses we (and Mia) learn he's also carrying a few secrets of his own.
The beginning of our story finds Mia intentionally seeking out Klein for a little recon only she doesn't expect to be quite so attracted to him. The chemistry between these two is present from the first meeting and ignites immediately and only burns hotter as our two MCs quickly turn into rivals forced into grudgingly close proximity through an unexpected decision from Boss. (One item of note: The scenes with Klein and his mother who has early onset Alzheimers were at times both heartwarming and heartwrenching and you could feel the absolute devotion he had to making her comfortable as the disease progressed. But these could be difficult for anyone who is dealing with this topic or that of losing a parent in real life so I'd advise the reader be aware of that before starting this book as it is a central plot point.)
(Sidenote, I am excited for the next two planned Redleg books, but now I really need Jonesy and Aaron's books...) After both Klein and Mia are blindsided by Boss's decision that forces them into one another's orbit more and more frequently, the anger, the sass, and the lust reach epic proportions.
Throughout the book, it's clear to everyone else at Redleg that they have a past but neither Klein or Mia are speaking up. The book has what I would classify as a mostly classic enemies-to-lovers vibe woth some twists and turns and of course some seruous escalating the bad blood between them. But this definitely doesn't dampen the chemistry or the lust between these two characters. Eventually, the hostility and lust reach epic proportions and it's clear something has to give when little blow ups start to happen that even the mkat oblivious Redleg guard notices.
The shift from enemies to lovers begins with one of the spiciest scenes I've ever read, if D/s dynamics are not your thing, this scene and this book probably won't be your jam as the rest of the bedroom scenes are equally spicy. The shift between our MCs isn't instantaneous though, which I appreciated as it felt realistic. Even as things begin to shift both Klein and Mia still have their individual issues to work through before they can teuly make something work all while attempting a daring and risky rescue of someone important to Redleg. I liked that this book villains are tied to the previous books in the Redleg series and that also makes the case for reading the previous books in this series.
Mia's passion for using her skills,
skills which initially contributed to the enemy situation with Cal, to help victims and her willingness to support him go along way toward helping Klein take that leap from enemy to lover and Klein's genuine goodness, care and concern for his family, everyone he cares about, and Mia herself, result in her taking that leap from enemies to lovers right along with him. not everyone is out to harm her or those she loves. These two were made for each other and while there was some pain getting there and at times for personal reasons, reading Mia felt a bit like an uncomfortable mirror, this was a book I couldn't put down and worth every minute of housework I skipped to finish it.
Take a guaranteed HEA, a cinnamon role hero with some delicious hidden Dom tendencies, a badass heroine who's willing to (eventually admit her mistakes) and actually enjoys handing over the control sometimes, add in some of the spiciest bedroom scenes from thus author to date, and some by turns beatifully heartwrenching and heartwarming scenes with Klein and his mom, and of course appearances by our favorite previous Redleg couples and guards and a cliffhanger for the next two Redleg men to get books and hoo-boy, do we have yet another winner. This book is definitely my favorite entry in the Redleg series and Klein is tied with my OG choice, Hudson from Love and Other Mistakes, for favorite book boyfriend from this author's books. I can't wait to see what comes next for our Redleg men and women.
One thing I particularly want to note, I really appreciate about this author is her consistent treatment of difficult topics with both a content/trigger warning at the beginning as well as just the general sensitivity in the way they were handled in all her stories. I also liked that the D/s topic was discussed among the male characters in terms of consent, safety and what is and isn't a true D/s dynamic along with motivations for entering that type of dynamic and how it's not weird or deviant to like it.
Guaranteed HEA with no cliffhangers for our hero/heroine. No cheating or other woman plotlines or anything like that.
Tropes/Themes Include: Enemies-to-Lovers, Workplace Romance, light Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine dynamic, light BDSM awakening
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Next in series: Unexpected Hero
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First book in series: Heartbreak Hero
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| Shop the other formats | Same action packed story in a beautiful discreet cover with interior chapter heading images | Standard paperback with regular interior | Available for instant download or read for FREE in KU | Listen to the audiobook narrated by Jason Clarke and Erin Mallon | Continue the series with Unexpected Hero (Redleg book 5) | Start the series with Heartbreak Hero (Redleg book 1) |
About the author
Do yourself a favor and read and/or listen today!!
Rival Hero is the fourth book in the Redleg Security Series by Jackie Walker. It is the story of Klein and Mia - One-night stand, enemies-to-lovers, and workplace romance. Klein is former Special OPs turned security/bodyguard and IT for Redleg Security. Klein is eternally optimistic and always has a smile. He is the dutiful son who watches over his mother who suffers from dementia. Despite his “vanilla” vibes it turns out Klein is a cinnamon roll with a touch of dominant. Mia is former CIA who is looking for a more stable job so that she might be in a position to reconnect with her estranged family without the threat of harm coming to them. As a result of past trauma, Mia has her heart locked up tight and does not trust easily. She has what she calls her “inner pimp” that she blames for her compulsive need to know everything and dig up personal information. Klein is stunned when the woman he spent an unforgettable one-night stand with turns out to be the person who got the promotion he was so desperately relying on. While Klein is filled with feelings of anger, and betrayal when he realizes that Mia had dug into his background and orchestrated their supposed initial “chance” meeting, he also cannot ignore his overwhelming pull toward Mia. Feeling the same undeniable chemistry with Klein, Mia is determined to repair the damage she has done. When she expresses her desire to prove herself to him, Klein challenges Mia to “earn” him. At the heart of the story is the question of whether Mia can in fact earn the trust of Klein and also learn to open her heart to the possibility of love and whether Klein can trust that she has truly changed and allow himself to open up to her. I have high expectations when it comes to a new book by Jackie Walker and this one did not disappoint. The story kept my attention throughout with its humor, steam, and touch of danger and mystery. The author handled the sensitive topics well. As an added bonus there were glimpses into Tomer’s story which left me anticipating the next book. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a captivating story and a hard-earned HEA. 🎧AUDIOBOOK🎧 Having read the book I was skeptical that the audio would be able to live up to the book and accurately convey the humor, vulnerability, and steam. Well, I was proven wrong. Jason Clarke and Erin Mallon were masterful as Klein and Mia doing these scenes and the entire story justice. They succeeded in bringing these characters to life and conveying the essence of their personalities. I highly recommend you read and listen!!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023
- Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2025
- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
- Marie PeneReviewed in Australia on September 27, 2023
Soft n sweet n strategically spicy
- ClaireReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2023
They complete each other is all areas 😘
