Publisher: Self
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
The most dangerous threats of all…
Partway through her third deployment to Bagram, Army nurse Lt. Erin Kelly is burned out and headed for a well-deserved leave back home in Montana. But when a mysterious stranger shows up and unintentionally drags her into harm’s way with him, she suddenly finds herself an unwitting target of the U.S.’s number one high value target: the notorious American-born terrorist known as Rahim. Now stuck in a CIA safe house with the sexy operative, it’s impossible to ignore the explosive attraction between them…or to forget that death is stalking them both.
Are the ones you don’t see coming.
CIA operative Wade Sandberg is a man caught between worlds. He’s spent the past three years living deep undercover amongst the enemy, infiltrating the network of the U.S.’s most wanted terrorist—until the kidnapping of a high-ranking American official forced him to blow his cover. Officially sidelined from the investigation to bring down Rahim, Wade knows he’ll never be able to work in the region again. When he’s sent back stateside with Erin, keeping his hands off her proves to be even harder than making the transition back into western civilization. And when Rahim takes his revenge by unleashing a devastating attack on U.S. soil, Wade will do everything in his power to protect the woman he loves and destroy the man who’d once trusted him with his life.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I have been a fan of Cross for awhile now, and think her suspense books are some of the best I’ve read. With the way the last book in the Bagram Special Ops series left off, I was anticipating this book so much!
Erin is a nurse and desperately looking forward to heading home for her mid-deployment break. When her ride out of country is sabotaged and she has to go on the run with Wade, the civilian agent on board, and their driver, getting home starts looking a little bleak. Finding out she had been linked to Wade by the US #1 Terrorist is even scarier, and Erin realizes she is going to have to spend her break in a CIA safehouse until Rahim is caught.
Wade hated having to drag Erin into his mess, but after his cover was blown, he didn’t have much choice. Spending day in and day out with Erin is proving to be the best way to adapt to life back home, and Wade finds himself falling quickly for Erin. But the threat from Rahim is moving to US soil, and Wade is worried that he will be the only one who can stop it. But stopping Rahim, and his bomb, might be too much even for superspy Wade.
I am such a fangirl of Cross, and anyone who loves military romances must check out her books. The way that she writes such intriguing characters, on both sides of the fight, blows me away. Let’s face it: Rahim is a bad guy. He is a traitor, a murderer, and someone willing to go to extremes to wreck havoc. At the same time, Cross somehow shines this light on his character in a way that brings him to life even more so than any other villain. He’s human and real, and although he’s awful, his character is such a crucial aspect of this book, that you can’t help but be excited for the parts of the story focused on him.
I was anxious to read more about Erin, because although we only got to see her briefly in previous books, she seemed like a genuine and caring heroine. She absolutely was. I loved the way that she tried so hard to make Wade’s transition back to American life easy. After years undercover, Wade struggled with every little thing, and Erin went out of her way to try and make that transition easier for him. She was sweet and sensitive, and yet when she needed to, she could kick major ass.
Wade was wonderful as well. After four years of deep undercover work in a terrorist network, he was so entrenched in that lifestyle he had some quirks that made me smile. I loved when he realized that he prefered tea over coffee, that his body couldn’t handle pizza anymore, that he was still dreaming in a foreign language. Wade had that strong, silent, alpha thing going on. And it worked for him like you can’t even imagine.
The romance between Erin and Wade was perfect for me. They took things slow, especially as Wade struggled with the differences of women in American and Afghanistan traditions. I liked that he didn’t want to rush into anything, that he wanted to take his time, and that he really tried to woo Erin before jumping into a physical relationship. For them, their relationship was perfect and sweet and I adored watching them come together.
All in all, I think Cross continues to be my favorite military romantic suspense writer. The way she breathes life in each and every character – good and bad – just blows me away. Both Erin and Wade were fabulous, and their romance was so well done. I hope that Cross continues with this series!
I give Danger Close a B+