Review // Marcus by Anna Hackett

She was why he fought through the muck every day. So she could live and the goodness in her would survive. She deserved more than blood and death and killing. And she sure as hell deserved more than a battled-scarred, bloodstained soldier.

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Hell Squad: Marcus by Anna Hackett

Standalone - Hell Squad #1
Release - April 19, 2015
Genre - Scifi Romance / apocalypse
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Format - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 217 pages
Publisher - Indie

In a world gone to hell, Elle Milton—once the darling of the Sydney social scene—has carved a role for herself as the communications officer for the toughest commando team fighting for humanity’s survival—Hell Squad. It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team.

When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability.

Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.

My Two Cents

4 "Fighting to Survive" stars

I haven’t read much in the way of apocalyptic romance, but this author set this one up so well that I feel like adding this trope to my must-read list.

The world has been overtaken by an alien invasion and the few human survivors left are waging a war to get the planet back. The Earth has been ravaged and aside from a few bases around the world, nowhere is safe.

The elite force of Hell Squad has been kicking ass and taking names. As the team leader, Marcus seems to have the entire world on his shoulders. I really liked this character. He knows loss and he knows pain. He also knows want and need. Battle-scarred and battle-weary, he doesn’t think he’s good enough for Elle. But when he learns that he’s the only man she sees, he has to start seeing things her way.

I liked Elle. She was a selfish and superficial party girl before the invasion. Now she is the best communications officer on the base. She provides reliable intel and is one of the few people who can translate the alien language for recon. She’s also consumed by her want and need of Marcus, but feels he’s out of her league. When he lets her in, she’s all in.

However, I did have one major issue with this book and it was one scene...

Her face turned mutinous. “Enough with the orders. You can order them around–” she jerked a thumb at the team “--but not me.” Marcus was speechless. He heard one of the others snicker.

What???

This is how you talk to your squad leader in front of his squad? Why, because you’re sleeping together? In a relationship? It was so weird and what was even weirder… he was okay with it.

The Author

Anna Hackett is a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled romantic suspense and science-fiction romance. She loves writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. Some of her bestselling series include Norcross Security, Team 52, Galactic Gladiators, and Eon Warriors.

Anna lives in Australia with her real-life hero and their two little boys. For more information on Anna and her books visit: www.annahackett.com