3.5 Stars 
 Midnight Vengeance by Lisa Marie Rice is the 4th book in her Midnight series. It's a good addition to the series. The heroine, Lauren, is on the run and in fear of her life and the hero, Jacko, an ex-military security specialist, takes it upon himself to protect her and end the threat to her life. Jacko is the classic Lisa Marie Rice hero, protective, possessive and completely committed to the heroine. He is tough, gruff, stoic and rough around the edges. Jacko has a biker vibe going with a shaved head, tattoos and piercings. He is described as muscular and not especially handsome or tall, which is a nice change from the drop dead gorgeous heroes of most romance novels. 
 Jacko is rendered almost mute in the presence of Lauren during their initial encounter. He becomes completely enthralled and in lust with Lauren as soon as he meets her. Other woman cease to exist for him and his "player" ways stop cold turkey. He doesn't believe he has a chance with her but he finds ways to spend time with her, that is until Lauren realize she's made a mistake and it's time to run again, but not before she's spend a night in Jacko's arms. What begins as a simple sexual encounter quickly becomes something deeper and Lauren finds herself falling for Jacko. And Jacko, shocker, actually showed some restraint, something the previous heroes in this series did not. He managed not to descend into a frenzy of lust during their first sexual counter. I was quite surprised. 
 Midnight Vengeance is smoothly paced and held my attention throughout. The plot is simple but entertaining. I would have liked to have seen the emotional connection developed more deeply. I also wanted to see more of Jacko's true personality come out. He kept himself restrained in many ways and we only get glimpses of him in a relaxed state. 
 Midnight Vengeance fits well within the series and we get a chance to revisit the previous characters. My favorite part was the epilogue and at the very end we get a tiny taste of the main characters and plot for the next book. It left me anxious for more and I look forward to reading Midnight Promises, due out in 2015. 
 Midnight Vengeance is recommended to fans of romantic suspense. 
 *ARC (Advanced Review Copy) received from Carina Press via NetGalley.