RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Nobody Does It Better (Masters and Mercenaries #15)

Nobody Does It Better (Masters & Mercenaries #15), by Lexi Blake
Publish Date: February 20, 2018
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult suspense romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) A spy who specializes in seduction 
Kayla Summers was an elite CIA double agent, working inside China’s deadly MSS. Now, she works for McKay-Taggart London, but the Agency isn’t quite done with her. Spy master Ezra Fain needs her help on a mission that would send her into Hollywood’s glamorous and dangerous party scene. Intrigued by the mission and the movie star hunk she will be shadowing, she eagerly agrees. When she finds herself in his bed, she realizes she’s not only risking her life, but her heart.

A leading man who doesn’t do romance

Joshua Hunt is a legend of the silver screen. As Hollywood’s highest paid actor, he’s the man everyone wants to be, or be with, but something is missing. After being betrayed more than once, the only romance Josh believes in anymore is on the pages of his scripts. He keeps his relationships transactional, and that’s how he likes it, until he meets his new bodyguard. She was supposed to keep him safe, and satisfied when necessary, but now he’s realizing he may never be able to get enough of her.

An ending neither could have expected

Protecting Joshua started off as a mission, until it suddenly felt like her calling. When the true reason the CIA wanted her for this assignment is revealed, Kayla will have to choose between serving her country or saving the love of her life.

Nobody Does It Better spells the end of an era. The Masters & Mercenaries series is officially over with this book, so Lexi Blake is sending it off in style - with a Hollywood star, bold and brash Kayla Summers and several series crossovers. 

Kayla is sent to California to be the bodyguard for movie star Joshua Hunt. She's also going to be his submissive - talk about perks of the job. But, someone is gunning for Josh, and it's Kayla's job to make sure they can't get to him. In addition to Kay's commitment to McKay Taggart, she's also being used by the CIA to try and get to the bottom of Josh's seeming ties to a Mexican drug lord. 

Kay's cool with her job until she starts to have real feelings for the reclusive and private actor. He's surprisingly deep and sensitive, and incredibly good in bed. He's harboring a painful past and is not used to trusting another soul, but yet he seems to trust Kayla. And she's lying to him. 

I have to be honest - Kayla Summers hasn't always been my most favorite member of the team. She's super bubbly and seriously goofy - almost too much so. She's never seemed to have a very deep or serious moment, so it was hard to take her character seriously. All that changed in Nobody Does It Better. We get a glimpse into Kay's complicated past and how she came to be in the spy business. It's a sad and tragic story, and after hearing it, you think that perhaps most of the time, she's overcompensating. 

Josh's story is even worse though. It's impossible to not feel for this man who seems to have no one in his life he can truly love and trust. How lonely he must be. Truthfully, he and Kay make a great couple. He seems to temper her wild side and she seems to bring him out of his shell a bit. And, of course, their D/s relationship is one of perfection. They're perfectly suited. 

There's two main stories going on in Josh's world - his blackmailer and the Mexican drug lord. Kay has to protect him from both threats while keeping the fact that she's working an angle with the CIA a secret. It's a tough job, and one she starts to question as the days go by. 

Nobody Does It Better included almost every element that I love most about the Masters and Mercenaries series. There was tons of danger and mystery and intrigue. There's a lot of spy games and subterfuge. There's super hot kinky sex between two compelling characters. The only part that was missing for me was Sanctum. Or even The Garden. There's mention of Josh's club, The Reef, but he and Kayla never really play there. 

I also missed the usual team - Ian, Liam, Alex, Adam, Jake... a few of them make brief appearances, but Kayla was kinda on her own in this book. It's mainly because, Lexi is leading us into a few new spin-offs that will feature characters we really got a chance to know better in this book (but aren't totally new to us). And I do get that. It was done well, and I'm definitely looking forward to their stories. But, I still missed my MT crew. 

Stay tuned for lots more coming from the M&M world. I'm so happy that I don't have to say goodbye to Kayla, Ian and the rest of them for good. I have a feeling they'll continue popping up in Lexi's other series and in the upcoming spin-offs. Until then, I can say that this was a great send-off to an absolutely amazing series.