King of Clubs (Aces & Eights #2) by Sandra Owens

King of Clubs by Sandra Owens 

Blurb:

In the second novel in acclaimed author Sandra Owens’s Aces & Eights series, passions—and tempers—flare as one star-crossed couple gets a second chance at love.

Covert FBI agent Court Gentry loves his brothers, his job, and his Harley-Davidson. Once he loved a girl, too, but when she broke his heart, he put his emotions on lockdown…until she crosses his path again.

On vacation six years ago, free-spirited Lauren Montgomery fell hard for Court Gentry. She returned home happier than ever, only to descend into a spiral of abuse by her ex-husband, Stephan. When Stephan threatened to kill any man who touched her, Lauren cut Court from her life—but not from her heart.

When Lauren and Court reunite after her friend marries his brother, Court guards himself against the person who made him feel such intense passion and pain. Except the undeniable spark between them is impossible to contain and heating up fast. Six years ago, it was love. Now, it’s just lust. Keeping it merely physical is a foolproof plan…right?

When Stephan is released from prison, Lauren can’t outrun her past anymore, and Court vows to protect her. But with Lauren in imminent danger, Court must question his heart and risk his life to save the woman he never stopped loving.

Wow, this book captivated me from the first page on. It kept me on my toes and left me breathless more than once -  and sometimes it made me swoon and sigh and smile goofily and most of all, my heart went out to Lauren and Court who were hurt so badly by Stephan's actions.

I loved to see those two find their love for each other again and of course, you just have to love those Gentry brothers, they are so amazing! I must admit that I'm a bit worried about Nate especially as the epilog ruled out one of the explanations for his behavior but well, I guess, that story is for the next book to tell. Right now, I just can say that the story about Court and Lauren, as heartbreaking and painful as it is at the beginning, is just amazing!

I loved those wonderful characters and the fast-paced story that didn't let me put down my reader till I had read the last page. I loved it and I know that I'll definitely read the other books in the series and of course, I am looking forward to reading other books by Sandra Owens. This was my first book by her but definitely not my last.

★★★★★