His Christmas Guardian - Cindy Dees (HRS #2205 - Nov 2022)

Series: Runaway Ranch (Book 4)
 
Trained to be enemies…do they dare become lovers?
 
CIA Agent Alex Creed's mission is to take down a deadly criminal before Christmas…and only Nick Kane stands in his way. The black ops agent claims he's after the same target and that working together is the best plan. Never before has Alex been so attracted to someone he shouldn't trust. Especially knowing Nick has a bit of a death wish, while Alex envisions a future together…
 
Good book that started with a rush and kept me hooked to the end. Nick is a government black ops operator tracking a fellow operative who went rogue. He used to work with this operative, and the betrayal he feels has made the search personal. After following Gray to an art gallery and planting a tracking device on the man's limo, Nick walks casually away. A few minutes later, he is attacked by a man who is easily as good, if not better, at hand-to-hand fighting as he is.
 
Alex is a CIA agent whose job is to go after operatives who have gone bad. Gray and his team are suspected of stealing valuable international artifacts and murdering US military personnel. His first impression is that Nick is one of Gray's men, and he wants to capture and question him. He did not expect to encounter someone who could fight him to a stalemate.
 
Alex and Nick agreed to a wary truce as they worked out who each other was and why they had a mutual interest in Gray. These men have worked in the shadows for so long that neither of them trusts easily. It was sad and amusing to see how each was constantly looking for signs of betrayal, even once they figured out they were on the same side. Deciding to work together was logical, but there was still some struggle for control until they got past their trust issues.
 
Matters are complicated by the attraction Nick and Alex feel for each other. Each tries to ignore it while concentrating on their mission, but it is always there, simmering under the surface. I enjoyed seeing them get to know each other and discover their differences and similarities. I found it interesting that Alex, the "fixer" who has dished out so much death, has dreams of a peaceful retirement. Nick expects to die in the line of duty which lends itself to some reckless behavior on his part. I liked Alex's determination to get Nick to stop seeing himself as expendable.
 
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Nick and Alex develop. It was fast, helped along by the intensity of their situation. Each felt protective of the other, which had the potential to create some problems while they were working. There were some fun parts, such as their differing views on Christmas. I loved watching Alex try to bring a little Christmas spirit into Nick's life, from the Christmas tree with its unique decorations to the snowball fight. Alex's sensitivity is unexpected, given his vocation, and I enjoyed seeing it come out in his desire to help Nick. Both have some insecurities regarding relationships, but their love for each other overcomes them in the end. I loved the ending and their plans for the future.
 
The suspense of the story kept me turning the pages. The backstory of Gray and what he did are explained as the story goes on but can be read in more detail in the previous book in the series (Her SEAL Bodyguard). The tension remained steady as Nick and Alex looked for clues about what Gray had stolen, then planned ways to draw him into a trap. The intensity ramped up when they found the stolen crate and what was in it (WOW!). I was glued to the pages as they prepared their trap and set the bait. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Nick and Alex were significantly outnumbered. 

Her SEAL Bodyguard - Cindy Dees (HRS #2181 - May 2022)

Series: Runaway Ranch (Book 3)

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.