First Strike (I-Team 5.9, I-Team After Hours) by Pamela Clare

5 Super Sexy Stars!

Dubai City, Dubai
United Arab Emirates
July 14, 2009

First Strike is the novella prequel to Pamela Clare’s soon to be released Striking Distance, the sixth book in her incredibly popular I-Team series. Originally this was part of the Striking Distance prologue, but Javier and Laura’s first encounter was so passionate and so intense, in the interest of page count and mainstream publishing, it either had to be watered down, or it had to be cut.

Thankfully Ms. Clare is an author who, one way or another, tells her stories the way she wants them told. Because watering it down wasn't an option for her, she cut it from Striking Distance and has given us First Strike, the self published, no holds barred story of Javi and Laura’s lust-at-first-sight meeting in Dubai, and their wild, no strings attached, sex-filled weekend that follows. But rest assured – this is Pamela Clare we’re talking about, so the whole 'no strings' thing? Yeah… that doesn’t work out quite the way Javi and Laura had planned.

If you’ve read Pamela’s books, you know she can write some very hot scenes, but trust me on this – until you’ve read First Strike, you ain’t read nothin’ yet! Just sayin'... for those of us who enjoy our stories on the steamier side, this is another benefit of her self publishing it! But I can’t stress this enough – yes, this is an erotic short story, but it’s not smut. It’s romantic, poignant, sweet, and definitely sexy, and I’m so happy to get this up close and very, very personal look at Javi and Laura's first meeting.

You probably already get this, but just to make sure there are no surprises, I'll spell it out - since this is the prequel to their story, there's no HEA, yet. Also, if you've read the cover blurb for Striking Distance, you've probably figured out that things didn't go well for Laura after she and Javi parted ways in Dubai. What I'm telling you is that this novella ends in a cliffhanger, but not an unexpected one, and you won't have to wait long to find out what happens because Striking Distance is due out November 5th, 2013.

I can't tell you how happy I am that Pamela gave us this novella because we couldn't have gotten this part of the story any other way, and that would have been a huge loss for us readers. Not only is First Strike off the charts sexy, it’s still every bit Ms. Clare's brilliant style of storytelling, introducing us to characters who capture our hearts and stories that keep us coming back for more.

Many thanks to Pamela Clare for providing me with a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

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The I-Team reading order, so far:

1. Extreme Exposure
1.5 Heaven Can't Wait - a novella found in the out of print anthology Catch of the Day and on ebook
2. Hard Evidence
3. Unlawful Contact
4. Naked Edge
5. Breaking Point
5.5. Skin Deep
5.9. First Strike
6. Striking Distance
6.5. Soul Deep
7. Seduction Game
7.5 Dead by Midnight