Review of Brody by Mandy Harbin

Brody by Mandy Harbin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Now THAT was a seriously action-packed romantic suspense. Brody starts almost immediately with a literal bang, the prologue setting the stage quite shockingly and effectively. You know a romantic suspense novel is good when the mystery and storyline are so interwoven that almost everything is a freaking spoiler (which I’ll do my best not to reveal in my gushing). And that holds true for Brody, both the book and the man.

If you’ve read the blurb, you know that Xan meets Brody during her and her son’s most recent relocation with the Witness Protection program. As a member of a mercenary group that does government contract work under the cover of a small-town garage, Brody will soon learn everything about Xan. But none of the information tells him why he reacts so strongly to her and why he knows her from before his amnesia, especially when she shows no sign of recognizing him. And when I say Brody reacts strongly to Xan that is a mild term for the chemistry between the two of them. Because what little bit of info they’ve been able to discover about his past isn’t pretty, Brody is more of a “hit it and quit it” kind of guy – not wanting to develop attachments. But he can’t stay away from Xan and he is surprisingly cold and cruel toward her in the beginning as he tries to keep his distance from her. Thank goodness that mindset didn’t last. All of the sex scenes are hot, but once Brody accepted that he couldn’t avoid Xan, the physical and emotional intensity of the sex escalates and several scenes left me squirming and in need of a cold shower or two.

For the record, Xan freaking rocks as a heroine. With everything she endured at her husband’s hand, it’s amazing she gave Brody a chance, much less the second and third chances he needed when he messed up. Being so invested in Brody and Xan’s relationship made the revelations about Brody’s past devastating – I felt awful for both of them – and yet the hits kept coming at them. The conspiracies that abound in Brody are both mind-boggling and believable. I loved the manner in which Ms. Harbin resolved the storyline, while setting up the Bang Shift crew for future books. Although the first book in the series, it feels as though Brody and Xan’s story is complete – no unexpected cliff hangers here. That said, I do hope that future books in the series will provide updates about them. Either way, I am looking forward to reading about the other sexy mechanics/mercs of the Bang Shift team and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Brody Tour Stop! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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