Title: Raid (Unfinished hero 3)

Author: Kristen Ashley

Date of publication: 28 February 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance, 

More reviews: Goodreads

My rating: 5 stars

This time I will focus only on her latest novel, Raid, which is the third one of the Unfinished Hero series. I will just mention in briefly the other two, since it is better to read KA books in chronological order (the characters make repeated appearances in any given series).

I did not finish the first book in the series, Knight. The controlling behaviour of the main character (in general and to his woman) came as too much for my liking. I am still reading the second book, Creed. It has a completely different vibe from Raid and so far I like it a lot. 

Now let's get to the business at hand, namely the story of Raiden Ulysses Miller and Hanna Bourdeaux. It is a typical KA story of a badass alpha male finding his sweet (his reward in this case) with a gentle, yet strong woman. The story is told in the typical KA style - raw and emotional, yet heart-warming. This book is shorter than the typical Kristen Ashley's novel which tend to be quite long and this works to its advantage. The plot is tight and there are not unnecessary digressions. There is just enough detail to the characters and the plot to make them feel believable and to make the reader fully engrossed in them. 

I liked Hanna well enough. She is gentle and innocent, giving love and herself, just as her Grams has taught her. What I like most about her is that she speaks her mind openly and can stand her ground when necessary, even against the sometimes physical anger of Raid. She is strong and her strength is to give, to nurture, to be Raid's reward for the sweat and blood he has shed as a soldier. 

I absolutely loved Raid. Nearly as much as Tack (The Motorcycle Man), my all-time favourite KA hero. Raid is broken, he has hell fires burning inside him, yet he still wants to take care and protect Hanna. What I find so appealing about him is that he is not over-controlling, he lets her have her say. In the end it is because of her love for him that he faces and overcomes his demons. 

There is really no need to mention the prefect sexual chemistry between Raid and Hanna, but I will just say that the progression of their feelings and the trust they build in each other are presented very convincingly. I cannot skip the crawling scene which put me off a bit (I found it degrading and too control-freak sounding), but later in the book it was worked out in a much more acceptable form. 

The ending, as always with Kristen Ashley, is just beautiful. Ms Ashley is a true master of completing her stories. Her epilogues give so much hope and and a sense of love and happiness, that I inevitable closed down every single KA book that I have read with a huge smile on my face. That's is the case with Raid, as well. Despite a tinge of sadness the book ends on a strong note of reassurance that all will be good in the world, not just for Raid and Hanna, but for everyone, for me and for you.