She is supposed to be in hiding
But his eyes are on her…
With her life in danger, operative Gia Rykhof plans to
lie low in a small town. A different name, a slight disguise and her years of
training should keep her safe. But she’s attracted the attention of Marcus
Tate. The muscular stranger claims to be a Navy SEAL. But can Gia trust that
Marcus isn't the man sent to kill her?
Terrific book that sucked me in from the first page and
kept me hooked to the end. The story opens as Gia provides surveillance support
to a special operations team on the ground in the Middle East. As the op
concludes, she witnesses some suspicious behavior, but before she can report it
to the team, her secure location is breached, her computer stolen, and her life
threatened.
When next we see her, she is hiding in a small Montana
town while her boss tries to figure out what is happening after she barely
escaped two attempts on her life. She works as a manicurist at the local salon
and takes fly-fishing lessons. Her enthusiasm exceeds her skill, and she hooks
another fisherman instead of a fish. Marcus, her "giant trout," turns
out to be a Navy SEAL, staying with a friend and recuperating from an injury.
Marcus is intrigued and attracted to the unusually fit woman, even more so when
he senses a hint of fear and wariness. With his protective instincts aroused,
he follows her and notices that he's not the only one doing so. Her evasion
skills pique his curiosity, as do her non-answers to his attempts to get to
know her.
Gia is initially leery of Marcus, unsure if he is one of
the men trying to kill her. I liked seeing how she figured out he was okay and
her tentative trust when she needed help. In the face of Marcus's probing
questions, she struggles to keep secret her identity as a member of the
Medusas, an all-woman, top-secret special operations unit. When they decide to look
for the man following her, it's all she can do to keep quiet during Marcus's
somewhat condescending instructions. I laughed out loud as she more than kept
up with him.
The action and suspense heat up as Gia and Marcus, along
with his friends, come together to lay a trap for her pursuer. There were some
tense moments as things didn't go entirely to plan. I ached for the person they
caught and the reasons for his presence. The intensity ramped up as Gia, and
the others realized they needed help to carry out the next step. Some lighter
moments relieved the tension as Marcus's SEAL friends were introduced to Gia's
Medusa teammates and learned their capabilities the hard way. The team they
built was fantastic. The final confrontation was intense, though the outcome
was never in doubt. There were a couple of threads left hanging that I hope
will be addressed in the next book.
I loved watching the development of the relationship
between Gia and Marcus. I loved some of the scenes between them, as Gia gives
as good as she gets in their interactions. Marcus isn't used to women who push
back, and he loves it. The sparks
between them were instant and intense, but both tried to resist them. They are
aware of the dangers of being emotionally involved with someone you work with
and the distractions it can cause. Despite their initial unwillingness to take
that step, the results are explosive when they do. With their determination to
continue their careers, I wondered how they would make it work. I hope to see
them in future books.
Though this is the third book in the Runaway Ranch series
and related to the two Medusa series, it worked fine as a standalone. It did,
however, make me want to read those books as soon as I get a chance. 
But his eyes are on her…
No comments:
Post a Comment