Knight Review (Club Alias #5)

Brian has been in love with Clarice for 11 years, but she has never said that she loved him. Although they’ve had a close, and sexual, relationship nearly since they met one another, they’ve never taken the step to properly going on a date or giving themselves a label. This time is going to be different. This time, he is inviting her to his home for the first time. Usually, they would hang out after Brian was done with a mission for a few days, often in a random hotel somewhere. But now, he is welcoming Clarice into his home, and hopefully into a more permanent spot in his life. 

I enjoyed this couple because their dynamic was different than the other Club Alias couples. I was used to reading about dominant men and automatically submissive women, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. But both Brian and Clarice were definite switches, which made for a more interesting story romantically in my opinion. The power dynamic was constantly shifting, but their love for one another (recognized or unrecognized) was constantly stable. I loved reading about how much Brian loved Clarice whether he was taking care of her or being taken care of. 

I also enjoyed that this book didn’t focus as much on women being abused. Clarice had a good reason not to want to be in a full relationship with Brian, but it didn’t have to do with her being in a previously abusive relationship or distrusting men. Her reason was much more personal, which again, led to a more interesting storyline that diverged from the norm of this Club Alias series.

The one thing that made this book go from a 4-star rating to a 3-star rating for me was the constant flashbacks. I don’t read very many war stories as reading about the military doesn’t interest me. As both Brian and Clarice were in Afghanistan together 11 years prior to the current time, a good portion of the book is spent reminiscing about their experiences there. If you don’t mind war stories, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. I just wanted to spend less time hearing about military stuff and more time in the present day. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adult romance read. 

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 books.