Emma’s Element by Amanda Zook – ARC review

Published: 2 November 2021
Series: Nighthawk Search and Rescue #3
Pages: 228
Warnings: Language

He may play a superhero on the big screen, but it’s the fierce warrior in his arms who instructs him in the mastery of true courage.

Marcus has a sexy charisma that was both inaccessible and dangerous for someone like her. The man has women throwing themselves at him constantly, it would be foolish of her to wade into that for a sexy chin dimple. But with the reverence he whispers her name, the heated glances that make her squirm, and the sublime caresses of his hand, she was a goner . . . and headed straight to heartbreak.

Avoiding the reality of his life, he hoped to stay in denial for as long as possible in order to have a little something just to himself and he wanted everything Emma’s beautiful eyes could promise. But he’d been a fool to think he could have her without the consequences of his life getting in the way. To shield her from the harsh world of his celebrity, he walked away.

When an unexpected encounter brings them back together, he feels as if he can finally breathe again. She’s everything he’s been searching for and becoming the man she loves would be his greatest role ever.

When an ultimate betrayal threatens their lives and everything they’ve built, she vows to stand by him, shield him from heartache, and cut through anyone who dares to hurt him. But will it be enough? Will he finally acknowledge to himself that they are stronger together? If they prevail, the production of their love story could be an epic romance.

Emma’s Element is the third book in the Nighthawk Search and Rescue Series. A standalone, celebrity falls for the common woman, full length novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating and a guaranteed happy ever after.

Book links: Amazon | Goodreads

Emma’s Element is the third book in the Nighthawk Search and Rescue series and I’m struggling to decide whether they keep getting better each book, or if it’s just a case of me falling more for the characters each time we meet them! Either way, I’m loving this series! I started and finished this book in one day.

If you’re new to this series you could definitely get by just fine by starting with this book; the only cost would be that you might spend a little more effort in working out who is who. But the story is a standalone and you could manage just fine. I’m not recommending this approach though – I think it’s well worth the effort to go back to the beginning and read the series from the start.

We first met Marcus in the previous installments, when he was introduced as someone that the Nighthawk’s had been called upon to rescue. But Marcus isn’t just your standard rescue customer, as he comes with added benefits as well as disadvantages. He’s a mega-famous movie star, so of course he’s internationally recognisable. This means that on one hand is he able to help the Nighthawk’s with recognition and financial support, but on the other hand, it means he brings attention and media focus that isn’t always wanted.

Emma is a fairly new member of the Nighthawk team. She used to be with the Coast Guard, but after a tragedy struck and was then followed shortly after by some traumatic aftermath events, she packed up everything and moved to the same town as her closest friend, looking for a new start.

Emma is a really great character. If any little girl is looking for a strong woman to look up to, Emma is the sort of person that they should be looking to. Courageous, fearless, empathetic – she has it all. Plus, she’s a nice person to boot! Very likeable, and totally relatable.

And I think Marcus is a big loveable softie. He’s also strong and fearless, but with a nice big set of muscles and a protective streak to go with it. I really liked him. And I also found him to be very relatable as well. I wondered how his ‘movie star’ side would play out when I first started reading, but really, it was just one aspect of his overall persona and I thought it was really well handled.

All of the characters that we met in the first two books are back again and they also get plenty of time and attention. (Want to know who I’m talking about? Click here for my review of book 1 and here for my review of book two.) I really like all of the characters in the Nighthawk Search and Rescue crew, so I’m looking forward to reading more about them as the series progresses. And it doesn’t hurt that Amanda Zook has given us a really intriguing teaser for book 4, Sutton’s Shadow! Only downside is that now I’ll be waiting rather impatiently for the next installment. (Keep your eye out, as I’ll be reviewing that one too as soon as it’s available.)

There is plenty going on in this book for those of you who like a side of ‘action’ with your romance, but if you’re a fan of a strong romantic theme, you won’t be disappointed in this aspect either. And I really enjoyed the pace of this book. There is a lot going on – over a fairly lengthy period of time – but it all flowed along really well. And when it came time for the dramatic peak of the story, I really didn’t see it coming at all and it took me totally by surprise.

Thank you to Amanda Zook for my copy of this ebook. I think it is well worthy of its 5 thumbs up rating & I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series!

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