Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane

Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

The Story:

Secret Maneuvers is the first book in Jessie Lane’s Ex Ops series. It is, as you would expect from the title, a romantic suspense tale about a team of ex-military or ex-alphabet agency men who, for whatever reason, are no longer working for their original teams. Because of their outstanding, specialized skills, these men have been recruited by Ex Ops – an organization secretly headed by the CIA - to do the jobs Uncle Sam wants to deny having any part of.

What the title doesn’t tell you is what a fantastic, riveting story this is.

Right from the start it grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go. The prologue had me shedding a few tears as Belle’s heart is broken by her one true love, the man who promised he’d never hurt her, one of only two people she’s every truly trusted. They were madly in love, but still too young to be making “forever” promises, so when Belle gets Bobby’s letter breaking it off, she does the only thing she can do to protect herself from ever being crushed again. She runs.

It didn’t take long for Bobby to realize what a fool he was, but by the time he’d decided to beg her forgiveness, his Belle was gone. Private Investigators, Internet searches… nothing turned up a single clue about where she might be. He never stopped loving her, never stopped beating himself up for being such a fool, but eventually, he stopped looking for the girl who didn’t want to be found.

Fast forward fifteen years to an operation involving the ATF and Bobby’s Ex Ops team who are working together to track down the people responsible for funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico. As the Fates would have it, Belle is the ATF Agent in charge of the operation, and Bobby’s not about to let her go again. She doesn’t want anything to do with him, but Bobby’s made it his mission to change her mind.

My Review:

It's not often I find a book that I can't put down. I mean, seriously can't put down, but Secret Maneuvers is honestly one of the best “second chance” romances I’ve read. It’s fast paced, funny, romantic and more than a little sexy. The world Ms. Lane has created is an exciting one, filled with complex characters who are just screaming for a story of their own. Bobby and Belle are great together, and despite my unhappiness with some of the things Bobby said to her after learning her secret, I couldn’t help but cheer them on as they fought their fears – and each other – and worked towards their happily ever after.

The bottom line: Fans of romantic suspense, you do not want to miss this story, and that’s all you need to know. Trust me on this – just buy the book, sit back and enjoy!

My thanks to Jessie Lane for providing me with a copy of this awesome story. Truly, thank you.




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Tags

2013-reads, 5-stars, author-jessie-lane, covert-organizations, ex-military, first-in-series, had-a-kid-didnt-know-it, must-read-author, must-read-series, own-have-read, review-for-author, romantic-suspense, second-chance-romance, series-ex-ops, teen-love, undercover-agent, undercover-operative

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Saved by the Rancher by Jennifer Ryan

 

THE AVON AFFAIR IS A 14-DAY AVON BOOKS REVIEW EVENT
ORGANIZED AND HOSTED BY CURRENT AND ALUMNI MEMBERS OF
THE AVON ADDICTS.

Today I'm reviewing: 

Saved by the Rancher by Jennifer Ryan

Saved by the Rancher is the first book in Jennifer Ryan’s The Hunted series, and my first read of this author. The story starts out with a horrific scene of physical abuse, and Jenna Caldwell Merrick running for her life. This scene is definitely not pretty to read due to the viciousness of the attack, but this is Jenna's life and it's on the line.

The story:

David Merrick is one of the wealthiest men alive and is used to getting what he wants, so when Jenna gets tired of the abuse and leaves him, he takes great pleasure in hunting her, and doing whatever he has to do to get her back. Intimidation, fear, abuse... he'll stop at nothing, but when those things don’t work, he’s more than willing to kill her. David is a sick SOB and loves seeing Jenna's fear, knowing he has the physical strength and the money to make her suffer.

We’re introduced to Jenna at the lowest point in her life. She’s come close to death too many times at David’s hands, but she won’t let him scare her into going back. She’ll run until she’s free or dead, but she won’t give up. Jenna has several safety nets in place to help her avoid being found, but time after time, he somehow tracks her down. With the help of her attorney, Jenna finally finds a place to hide, a place to rest, with people who are willing to protect her.

Jack Turner gets a call from an old college friend, as it turns out, to help hide a client. Jack doesn’t know this upfront, but it quickly becomes clear that this pretty lady who’s obviously been abused needs his help. Jack hasn’t been interested in a relationship in years because the women he's dated are always more into his wallet than they are into him. But there’s something about Jenna that draws him to her, and he can’t fight the attraction, and neither can she. But can Jack really keep Jenna safe and convince her to settle down with him when all she wants to do is run? He’s not sure of the answer to that, but he’s not willing to give up without a fight.

My thoughts:

Saved by the Rancher is an entertaining story and, with a little more attention to editing, flow and pacing, could have been a 4 or 5 star read. What really kept the story from reaching that level is, considering all the abuse Jenna has endured, how long she’s run, how often she’s nearly died, I felt that her relationship development with Jack was rushed. We were told how afraid she was, how untrusting of men and not willing to settle down, and yet, we didn't see that in the story because it was no time at all before she was having sexual feelings for Jack. It’s a full length novel so there was plenty of time to flesh it out, to allow that attraction to grow, and that would have made the story and the romance much more enjoyable.

I would probably label this a romantic suspense/thriller, given the brutality and abuse Jenna suffers at David’s hands, as well as the psychological game of cat and mouse he enjoys playing. This is an intense read, nothing light and fluffy about it because of that constant fear of Jenna being discovered in the back of your mind. The plot is exciting, fast paced, and steamy, and there times I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what might happen next.

The Hunted series has the potential to be amazing, and I’m looking forward to reading more by Ms. Ryan.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the series so far:

Heart of Danger by Lisa Marie Rice

They are Ghosts. They do not exist. Their birth certificates have been destroyed, all traces of their civilian and military pasts wiped out. They have no official military rank and wear no uniforms or insignia, save a tiny steel pin of a striking hawk forged from the rifle that killed Osama Bin Laden.

Ghost Ops. A small team of super elite soldiers so secret only two men know of their existence-General Clancy Flynn and their commanding officer, Colonel Lucius Ward. On a mission to destroy a US-based lab working on weaponized bubonic plague, the team is betrayed by their commanding officer. The Team is massacred and only three men survive to be court martialed: the Team Leader, Tom 'Mac' McEnroe, tech genius John Ryan, and lethal Nick Ross. They disappear en route to prison and are never heard of again.

Mac and his men hole up in a high tech lair, completely off the grid. But when a beautiful woman somehow finds him, he doesn't know whether to kiss her, or kill her.

Dr. Catherine Young is on a mission, propelled by forces beyond her control to find a man who has disappeared off the face of the earth. She is bearing a deadly message from a dying man. Catherine has a gift that allows her to see into the heart of others. But looking into Mac McEnroe's heart is like looking into the heart of danger itself.

**********

Heart of Danger is a fast paced, action packed, very sexy story told in true Lisa Marie Rice fashion. This book just oozes with sexual tension and burn up the bed sheets lovin’, but it’s also filled with emotion. Heartbreaking, disturbing, violent… sweet, tender, romantic, Ms. Rice took me on a roller coaster ride of feelings and kept me reading ‘til the wee hours of the morning, unable to stop until the very end.

I couldn't help but become totally caught up in the Ghost Ops world and the people who live there, but I have to be honest, this isn't a terribly unique plot. Fans of romantic suspense will probably be able to name more than a couple of similar plots they've read by other authors, but the way Ms. Rice tells it gives a fresh voice to the story line. It’s a very compelling world… exciting, intense, mysterious…and it takes place in the not too distant future. Technology is advanced beyond what we know today, but not to the point of being science fictionish.

Tom ‘Mac’ McEnroe is one of those heroes who’s been through hell and lived to tell about it. His scars run deep, both physical and mental, but he’s a leader who will not let his men down. Being betrayed by his commanding officer, a man he’d come to respect, trust and love, destroyed something deep inside Mac the way nothing else could. But it also made him stronger, more determined to protect those around him, and for me, this made him the perfect hero.

Catherine Young is pretty much a loner. Her gift – or curse, depending on how she looks at it – of being able to get inside people’s heads and read their emotions, has caused her to be alienated from friends and family who think she’s more than a little weird. But weird is the last thing Catherine is. She’s incredibly intelligent, compassionate, and intuitive. She’s brave, honest and has strength of character that, along with her uniqueness makes her an amazing heroine.

Apart, Mac and Catherine are awesome, but together, they are perfect!

The bottom line: With Heart of Danger, Lisa Marie Rice has given us an exciting start to what I believe will be an awesome series. The book isn’t without flaws – more internal dialog than I usually like in my stories and some repetitive mental hashing and rehashing of thoughts and emotions – but overall, it’s a very enjoyable read. I loved the Haven community, the secondary characters and their stories, and am very much looking forward to reading more about them and their stories in the Ghost Ops series!

3.5/5 stars

My thanks to Edelweiss and HarperCollins/Avon Red Publishing for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. The pleasure was mine!