She's ex-CIA. He's ex-KGB. Can glasnost (openness) lead to
rapprochement (a bringing together), and maybe even to love as west meets east?
She's ex-CIA, a hunted woman used to relying only on herself. He's ex-KGB. with connections to those who can help her. Will she let him? Can glasnost (openness) lead to rapprochement (a bringing together), and maybe even to love as west meets east? And what about her daughter? Can she salvage any kind of relationship with the adult her child has become?
Her Last Resort has a heroine and a hero both in their 50s. She's retired after 30 years as an agent for the CIA--he's ex-KGB. Her daughter from a failed marriage wants to have a relationship with her, so she agrees to spend a week in a cabin at a resort owned by the ex-KGB agent. It's the tale of two love stories, because love can happen at any age, even 25 years after you first saw each other. But also the love between a mother and child is a powerful love story too. The only problem is that someone is trying to kill the heroine, and she's never asked for help from anyone before. Can she accept the help of her ex-"enemy"? Or will one of her attackers be successful?
Excerpt
"Hello?" Stella called, still seeking someone to check in with. "Is anyone around? I'm looking for Ivan."
"And you have found him," a deep booming voice said from behind her. She turned around to get her first glimpse of her host.
* * * *
When Ivan walked into the dining room from the bar, he was busy working through the details of his part in an upcoming yearly party. He usually supplied many of the servers, and his chef liked to contribute one of the courses. He looked up in surprise when he entered the room and unexpectedly saw the back of his newest guest. She had an attractive figure with an athletic build, and the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned arms and the curve of her shoulders. But when she turned around to face him, he was immediately struck by two unusual sensations.
The first was a distinct feeling that he had met her before. But that's impossible! I've never met the mother of my good friend Kelly. She told me that her mother and father got divorced when she was young, and that her mother traveled a lot for her job. Maybe that's it? Maybe I saw her when I was newly-arrived in the U.S.? I used to travel a lot also.
The woman smiled expectantly at him, but he was too involved with his thoughts to respond. Is it just that she resembles her daughter so much? Their coloring is different of course. Kelly is blonde, while this woman has light brown hair with the faintest streaks of gray. Kelly is light-skinned, but this woman appears to be from the Mediterranean, based on her olive skin and her dark brown eyes. But they have similar features. And her smile shows me the origin of Kelly's dimples.
The second feeling was harder to dismiss--literally. Ivan had gradually become resigned to the reality of being a fifty-year-old man, whose hormonal surges were a thing of the past. But at this moment, he felt himself hardening as if he was a teenager again. She's so beautiful! I want to do strip her naked and push her over the table!
His breathing sped up, and he could feel and hear the pulse of his blood as it abandoned most of his body parts to rush down to where it felt it was needed the most. His nostrils flared as he tried to control the urges he'd thought were behind him. Damn! I hope my reaction is escaping her notice. She's expecting to be greeted by her genial host, not by a sex-crazed lust-monster. I must get control over myself.
He cleared his throat, wondering if it had really been only a few seconds since he'd walked into the room, but unsure because the smile on her face seemed to be fading as she waited for him to speak again.
* * * *
Stella smiled at her host, wondering why he seemed so hesitant to speak again. She waited politely for a few moments, then spoke to break the silence. "Are you Ivan? Kelly told me to ask for you if I arrived before she did. I sent her a text when I pulled into the parking lot, but she had warned me that cell phone signals are problematic up here."
"They are indeed," he said, forcing himself to concentrate on her words and how he should respond. "Kelly hasn't arrived yet, but she asked me to show you to your cabin, and to give you a tour of the grounds, so you would know where to find whatever you need."
"Well if I need alcohol or leeches, I certainly know where to find them," she remarked with a nod of her head back towards the stairs she had climbed.
Suddenly the awkwardness of the moment was interrupted by the arrival of two huge bounding masses of fur and wagging tails. Both dogs resembled wolves, but had the infectious enthusiasm of pampered pets who expect to be welcomed anywhere. Their toenails beat a tattoo on the floor as they raced up to slide against their master, almost knocking him over in their zeal to cover him with hair and saliva. They both turned to greet the new guest as well, and Stella steeled herself to avoid being pushed backwards as they shoved their large heads against her, demanding affection when it wasn't immediately forthcoming.
"Muddy! Buddy! Down boys! Behave yourself around our new guest."
He gave a weak grin to the woman. "I'm sorry, but they expect to be adored by everyone. It's my fault, really. I have no children, so I spoil them to death."
Stella had by now surrendered to the inevitable, and was rubbing both of their necks behind their heads, making both dogs lean against her. She grinned back at Ivan. "It's okay. At least they are on opposite sides of me, so I'm not being knocked over--yet. What did you call them?"
He inclined his head towards the offenders. "The bigger one with black on his head and feet is Muddy. The one with the big brown spots is Buddy."
"Named after the blues guitarists, right?"
His face lit up with delight. "You are a fan of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy?"
Stella nodded back at him. "I love screaming guitar solos, and those two are some of the best. I saw Muddy play in New Orleans, and I've seen Buddy Guy a few times at his place in Chicago, as well as in other countries."
"It's always nice when my guests enjoy similar interests to me," Ivan began. "At the very least, you won't object to the background music that I often play during mealtimes. But I was never lucky enough to see Muddy play live. You'll have to tell me about that sometime."
She nodded. "I will. Now can you show me to my cabin? It's been a long drive, and I'd like a chance to freshen up from the road."
"Of course. Should we go to your car first, so I can help you with your bags?"
She shrugged. "I suppose. I only have the one bag, but I've got a laptop also. Do you get wi-fi up here?"
"It's dependable only in the main building here." He spoke over his shoulder, as he led the way back down the stairs. "As you saw, the main dining room is upstairs, and there's a bar on the side, with two pool tables and a darts board. There's a balcony that you can get to from either the bar or the dining room. There are a few tables out there for anyone wanting to dine al fresco, but mostly that's used by my guests who are smokers."
Stella sighed. "Silly rules. Some of us haven't been able to quit yet. But I'm getting sick and tired of having to freeze my ass off to smoke outside in the winter."
Ivan chuckled. "When it's cold out, I'm not usually that busy. If my guests want to smoke in the bar, I let them. Hey, it's a free country, right?"
She nodded. "Not like where you grew up, huh?" She stopped at her car and hit the fob to pop open the trunk.
"Why do you say that?" He picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder as if it was as light as a feather.
"Your accent and your name indicate you were born in Russia. Back when it was still the Soviet Union, if I'm not mistaken."
He nodded solemnly. "Da. But I was lucky enough to travel for my job, and I saw a lot of the rest of the world. Enough to know that when I retired, the last place I wanted to be in was one where waiting in line for toilet paper was a routine occurrence, vodka was scarce and expensive, and running your own business was a pipe dream reserved only for those with connections in high places."
Professional Reviews
Goodreads Reader review
HER LAST RESORT is the third book in the MINNESOTA ROMANCE series and I'm glad there will be more books. The story held my interest from the first page to the last. I like that there are a few characters we've met before and the wonderful backdrop of the resort and Lake Superior all set in Minnesota. Stella's actress daughter, Kelly, invites her mom to Ivan's resort to spend two weeks vacationing together. They haven't had a relationship due to Stella's career choice, her travels and her divorce from Kelly's dad and his remarriage. Kelly's brother, David, wants nothing to do with his mom which was heartbreaking. Ivan and Stella have a connection from their pasts without realizing it. They are both in their 50's and he's ex-KGB and she's ex-CIA. They both have a depth to them and I liked getting to know them a little at a time. There were so many layers to each of them. The resort and the cabins were front and center and I loved how Stella and Ivan's attraction was portrayed. When they acted on it it was tastefully done with a lot of loving as if they had to make up for lost time. Stella's past is haunting her and while Ivan wants to protect her and shield her she feels she has to settle things on her own especially since somebody's targeting her and wants her dead. Kelly isn't always on board with her mother's choices but realizes she can't interfere. I liked how their relationship was being built and how they showed their love for each other. There are twists and turns to the story and a happily ever after in the offing. There was nice closure with some loose ends to hopefully bring us to the next book in the series, NO MORE SECRETS. I liked the addition of Ivan's family and dogs in the story as well as people that Kelly knows from Los Angeles. Ms. McGier is a fairly new to me author whose books I am enjoying. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Smashwords Reader review
In this third installment of the constantly sexy and full-of-surprises Minnesota Romance Series, Ms. McGier takes us into the world of international intrigue with retired spy Stella Taylor. Stella is on the run from mysterious assailants when she gets a call from her estranged daughter, famous actress Kelly Ann Sheridan. Kelly invites her to spend a few weeks at a resort outside Grand Marais - a place that might just be remote enough for Stella to relax for a minute while giving her a chance to reconnect with Kelly. Little does Stella know, the resort also happens to be owned by a sexy Russian bear of a man named Ivan who will change her life forever...
As with Ms. McGier's other Minnesota books, I was drawn in immediately by the story, which begins with a bang from page one, but I fell in love with this book for the characters. It's hard to describe how much I love Stella and Ivan, both individually and as a couple. Their romance is deliberate, deep, and sexy, with a twist from their past that brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it. As usual, Ms. McGier takes the time she needs to develop the characters and their feelings for one another, which makes for a deep, rewarding story - and sex scenes as meaningful as they are explosive!
In addition to the romance, Ms. McGier delivers an equally heartfelt story of Stella mending her relationship with Kelly. It's rewarding to see them reconnect, especially as more backstory comes through, but it's also just sheer joy to hang out with the two of them since their banter is so funny and they are both so damn charming and likeable.
This book is an erotic romance and a spy thriller, with characters you want to laugh and cry and hang out with. It's suspenseful, funny, charming, heartfelt, thoughtful, and sexy as hell. Read it! This series is awesome.
Screenwriter John Klawitter's review
Old Spies Never Die…Of Natural Causes
The work of a senior spy working for the CIA can wear at both the body and the soul. And then, just when you’d done your service to God and Country and think you can retire, you find somebody from your old spy days Is out to kill you. When Stella, a senior CIA spy who has fulfilled her long contract to her country’s top spy agency, realizes that somebody is hiring a bunch of killers to come after her with knives, guns and poison, she has to rely on her training and ingenuity to respond with deadly force. And, being very good at her profession, her enemies find her to be, as they say ‘a most difficult snuff’.
Author Fiona McGier’s new spy-and-sex novel HER LAST RESORT is filled with unexpected deadly threats and unexpected hot sex from – of all things – a retired KGB agent! There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns as McGier’s tough-as-nails-but-with-a-heart-of-gold heroine has to fight her way to the CIA Headquarters in DC, only to come face-to-face with an unexpected enemy. And readers will experience plenty of exciting moments under the sheets with agent Stella and her Russian ally and lover.
Five stars for this combination James Bond and hot romance spy thriller!
Edward Rutherford is prepared to do just about anything to escape an arranged marriage to a woman he despises. But his brilliant plan to feign insanity has some rather unwanted consequences...
