The plot of the stalker was good but I am not keen on the on/off, I want her/I can't/I can relationship.
I get that Jax was messed up and feeling guilty post war but he was so on/off and I don't like it when the heroine practically has to beg the hero to be with her, several times.

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Megan Cruz is not at all like she was five years ago, now a headstrong singer for the famous band TNT, Jackson "Jax" Irons is shocked to see her on the news. When he left for war he thought he'd never see her again, even though he thought of her always, but when a stalker is reported to be after her he can't sit by and let it happen. Using his connections as one of the owners of Iron Clad Security, Jax steps in to save the day, only to be wrapped in the spell of Megan again.
Megan remembers Jax as the fun one, the guy who kissed her and made her feel alive in such a short period of time, but this new Jax is hardened and getting through to him seems impossible. Meg uses every chance she can to show him she wants more, but his PTSD and his desperate need to protect her keep getting in the way. The stalker doesn't seem to be letting up either and as things get worse Megan clings to Jax, unaware that even when things get better he may not still be there.

Kiss Marry Kill was a really interesting book, I took a bit of time to get into it, but once I got the story line I was hooked. More romance than suspense, Sidney Halston tells a multi-faceted story about two young people who found romance with one another and have the chance to try again after 5 years. Megan and Jackson are cute together, they have the chemistry you want all characters from books to have, but they also have recent pasts that have changed who they are. While they face the threat of Megan's stalker together, they also let the fire between them be rekindled, though they never put a name to it. I really liked Megan, she is determined and spunky, full of the fire that Jackson shared with her when they first met. Jackson is obviously handsome, incredibly caring, and scarred by the memories of the war. He broke my heart, several times, because it was obvious that he doesn't seem himself in the light that others do. Their connection brings out the best in him, but mentally he shuts it down repeatedly. It was so interesting to me that the nature of his career and his desire to protect Megan ultimately led to part of his downfall...as well as his turnaround to happily ever after.

Kiss Marry Kill is a new release that fans of suspenseful romances will not want to miss. It keep you on your toes as you read, but has all the heat of an erotic romance. Full of complex characters, descriptive situations, casual dialogue, and a second chance story line, Kiss Marry Kill is absolutely a novel I recommend to my fellow readers. ( )

3.5 stars
Body guard to a pop star, second chance romance.
Good beginning to the series but it was a bit of a slow read for me. While I liked Jax and Megan, I didn't LOVE them. ( )

I ended up really liking this book. I have had a copy of this book for over a year and I have to say that I am a little upset with myself for letting this one get lost in pile. I thought that this was a really well done romantic suspense that kept completely entertained. This was one of those books that was easy to spend hours with at a time. I am so glad that I finally decided to pick up this book.

I tend to love second chance romances so Jax and Megan's story was really appealing to me. This pair had a brief but life changing encounter five years ago. Both of their lives have changed dramatically since their time together and they have not even spoken since the last time they were together. During their years apart, Megan has become a music star and Jax is running a security firm after serving in the military. As soon as Jax hears that Megan might be in trouble, he goes straight to her to offer aid.

I really liked how this book was laid out. We learn about their history together slowly throughout the book and I really was just as interested in learning how they met as I was seeing them together in the present. It took a bit of time to learn about their initial meeting but it was worth the wait. Let's just say these two started off in a very unforgettable manner. The story set in the present is pretty exciting since Megan is in quite a bit of danger because of a stalker that may be turning violent.

I loved these two together. I think that they were great together in the past as well as in the present. They had so much chemistry with each other and seemed to be able to be what the other needed. There are few times when Jax oversteps his authority and Megan lets him know it right away. There are a few moments that I felt like Jax was acting a bit like an idiot but things end up working out.

The story was pretty exciting. I really did like the mystery of the stalker and was always waiting for the next big thing to happen. There were a few things that really came as complete surprises in this story but one aspect of the overall mystery was pretty easy to figure out. Even though I had a pretty good idea who the culprit might be, I still had a great time watching everything play out.

I thought that Dara Rosenberg did a great job with this book. I think that this is the first time that I have had a chance to listen to Ms. Rosenberg's narration and I was very impressed. She did a great job with all of the characters and was able to bring a lot of emotion to the story. I did find the narration to be a little slow at the normal speed but once I increased the speed to 1.25, I had no issues with the audio. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to this narrator again in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this book to be a perfect blend of excitement, romance, and great characters. I couldn't help but root for Jax and Megan to safely find their way to a happily ever after together. This was the first book by Sidney Halston that I have had the chance to read and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from the library via Hoopla. ( )

Kiss Marry Kill by Sidney Halston
Book #1: Iron Clad Security Series
Source: ARC from author and purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:

Can a few short days really change your life?? For Megan Cruz, the answer is a resounding, yes! In just a few days, Megan walked away from her long-term boyfriend, abandoned her parent’s dream for her of law school, and struck out on her own which turned into a meteoric rise to fame and fortune as lead singer of a wildly popular band. All because of a crazy hot kiss and a few smokin’ hot days with a soldier on his way out of town. Yeah, a couple of days really can change your life.

Fast forward five years . . . .

Fame comes at a price and for Megan Cruz that price is a stalker who has not only threatened her sense of safety, but has also threatened her life, and her future with her band. He’s sent threatening letters, left her “gifts,” and even gone so far as to break into her home. The last event found Megan shaking in her closet, gripping a large knife, and looking at the man who changed her life five years ago. In five years, Jax has honed his skills, opened his own security firm, and never forgotten about Megan Cruz. To see her so shaken and scared, triggers every protective instinct Jax has and it’ll be a cold day in hell before she’s hurt again.

Within hours, Jax has all but taken over the investigation into Megan’s stalker, moved into her house, and has his team setting up military-grade security in and around her house. He also found a moment amid all the activity to say hello and tell Megan how good it is to see her again after so many years  For Megan’s part, her world has been turned upside down, and the only thing that makes sense is Jax being back in her life. This Jax isn’t the carefree, easy to laugh young man of five years ago, but an older, more mature man who is serious, hardened by his experiences, and impossibly sexy. This new Jax is a cat of a different color and despite the seriousness of her situation, Megan wants to know more about him and be as close to him as possible.

Jax isn’t dumb enough to try and lie to himself about his attraction to Megan, but he isn’t going to let it get in the way of protecting her. Her life has been threatened, repeatedly and if he loses his focus, Megan could lose her life. What Jax doesn’t quite get is the fact Megan isn’t the shy, retiring girl he met five years ago, but a strong, independent woman who has learned to get what she wants. Yeah, the situation may be seven levels of awful and it’s going to get far worse before it gets better, but Megan is determined to have Jax. All she has to do is get through his tough exterior and survive a few more crazy attempts on her life.

The Bottom Line: Kiss Marry Kill opens with the drama and doesn’t do anything but continue to up the tension ante throughout. There’s the sexual tension, the tension between Jax and his team over his protection methods, and the implied tension over the stalker. With every new incident, I got a little deeper into the drama and crankier and crankier at Jax for not seeing the obvious right in front of him. Megan and Jax are just one of those fated couples you love to see together . . . . finally!! Traditionally, Halston has put her characters through the wringer before allowing for their HEA, but Kiss Marry Kill may just take the cake. Jax is strong, sexy hero who knows how to look after a woman, care for her. Megan is strong and independent though not dismissive of her situation and how serious it is. The flashbacks to the past inform the present and help the reader understand just how the relationship between Megan and Jax gets so intense so quick. This is one of my favorite writing techniques, the past and the present in a single read, and Halston pulls it off without a hitch. There’s plenty of action, drama, and truly yummy naughty bits to keep the viewer involved from start to finish and hoping for an early release date for the next book in the series. ( )