Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage, Book Three)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, published 2022 by Revell.

How acquired: From Revell Reads Blogger Program.

First line: Her world was spinning out of control.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: When this book came up for request from the Revell Reads Blogger Program, I hesitated briefly, as cybercrime/cybersecurity are not tropes (if they can be considered that) in the romantic suspense genre that I’m particularly interested in. But I loved the first two books in this series, as well as all of the author’s Uncommon Justice series, so decided I should trust her. And I’m so glad I did. It wasn’t all computers and online shenanigans. There was plenty of real action, real suspense, and real danger.

For some reason I wasn’t quite as drawn to the hero, Alex, a Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) agent, as I have been to previous heroes in Ms. Goddard’s books, but that doesn’t mean I disliked him. He was a really good guy, dealing with some emotional baggage after an op gone wrong. And while the heroes from the previous two books in this series also become involved in the story, they felt a little removed from how I remembered them.

But I loved Mackenzie. She’s spirited and feisty and brave. As a teen she got caught up in the world of hacking, and she and her friend Julian became embroiled in another hacker’s evil doings, which eventually led to Mackenzie and Julian turning themselves in to the authorities. While they came away from the whole event with their juvenile records sealed, when Mackenzie applied to the DSS, (where she met Alex and spent a day with him), she was ultimately not hired, and that has been one of the biggest regrets of her life. Now Julian has sent her a message that she is in danger, her family and their tech business, may be in danger, and she’s come home to warn her brother and sister.

I wondered if one reason I may have struggled to better connect with Alex was because of how secretive he was. He’s also come home to Montana, taking some enforced time off to visit his mother and recover emotionally from that failed op. Once Mackenzie comes back into his life and he finds himself protecting her from an unknown threat, he often wonders what he’s gotten himself into, but he won’t back down. She’s in danger, and he’s not about to leave her to face it alone. But he will not tell her anything about his own past and what he went through. On the other hand, Mackenzie won’t tell him what is going on, why a drone would be following her on a run in the woods, why someone would shoot at her in the woods. As the danger progressively increases, she still keeps him in the dark, and I actually got irritated at her for not trusting him enough to read him into the situation sooner than she did.

Anyway, as always, Ms. Goddard’s writing is wonderful. The scene in the woods, especially when they were trying to get away from the shooter, was pulse pounding. I’m sad that the series is over, but hoping Ms. Goddard has a new one in the works!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and have voluntarily reviewed it*

Synopsis from Goodreads: Mackenzie Hanson's special set of skills opened the door to a successful career as a professor of cybersecurity at a Michigan university, allowing her to put her criminal past behind her. But when a long-ago partner in crime delivers a cryptic message about her father's tech company being under cyberattack, she heads for Montana to secure exposed assets, close security breaches, and hopefully save lives.

Diplomatic Security Services special agent Alex Knight is back home in Montana to decompress from a mission gone wrong. But even as he's trying to relax, he's drawn into another mystery, complete with suspicious deaths, lethal threats, and whispers of espionage that all have one thing in common--a beautiful cybersecurity expert with a dark past.

When the situation turns deadly, Alex and Mackenzie will have to work together to find the answers they need--before someone silences Mackenzie for good.

Network of Deceit (Amara Alvarez, Book 2)

 

TOM THREADGILL

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2021.

How acquired: Revell Reads.

First line: How long could a human being scream?

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: NETWORK OF DECEIT picks up not long after COLLISION OF LIES left off. A teenage boy is found dead on a float at a water park. While the general consensus seems to be heatstroke or drugs, the medical examiner points out to Amara that the boys toes are not wrinkled up from being in the water. And with that, Amara is handed her first homicide investigation.

Amara dives into the investigation, which leads her to three other teens who, along with the deceased, were heavily into online gaming. She believes the other kids are keeping secrets, and know more than they're letting on about the first boy’s death. I was actually a little surprised at how she treated the kids, at times she was downright mean. But she got results, even if it made her feel a little uncomfortable at times. At one point she and Starsky even had a conversation about crossing the line and having to learn where your own line is.

Speaking of Starsky, I love their banter and their interactions. When the story starts, they’ve been out to eat a few times, always dutch, and Amara often wonders about their relationship. Are they dating, or just hanging out? Does she want to date him? She’s not sure where it’s going, and he doesn’t give any hints, and I enjoyed watching how their relationship grew and developed.

As Amara gets deeper into her investigation, she finds herself the victim of a hacker, who reveals to her a knowledge of personal information about herself and her mother. She then has to turn over her laptop and cell phone to a CSI tech, and is given an old flip phone to use while the tech has hers. Not having a smart phone not only impeded her in her investigation but in her life. It became a running theme that was terribly amusing, with a frustrated Amara unable to order an Uber or look up literally anything without a smart phone, but it was also a sad commentary on how much we rely on our phones in our daily lives.

The author details a lot of the minutiae of being a detective, particularly since cybersecurity and ransomware are involved. Talking to suspects, the victim’s family members, the water park’s head of security. Online research, and many phone calls, looking for information or trying to connect a potential clue to the case. I’d heard of ransomware, but I had no idea that you could actually purchase ransomware insurance! As I learned more about it along with Amara I found the subject very fascinating.

While there isn’t a lot of physical action, there is plenty of suspense and the story still felt pretty action packed. The characters are well developed, and there were some surprising turns in the plot, which kept me in the dark and trying to guess who the murderer was. Definitely not who I expected! I certainly hope we’ll get more Amara in the future.

Goodreads synopsis: Amara Alvarez's first case as a homicide detective drags her into the murky world of computer hackers. When she finds herself under attack by cybercriminals, she has no choice but to use unconventional methods to expose the truth and find a killer.

Deadly Deceit (Harbored Secrets, Book Two)

NATALIE WALTERS

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2019.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

First line: In the face of small-town news, all creativity left Vivian DeMarco.

My thoughts: I loved the first book in this series so much, I was very excited to get this second book, and I think I may love it even more. Though if I went back and read the first book again, I might love it more. Maybe. I love both of them! And such beautiful covers!

We met Vivian, a hard hitting investigative journalist, in the first book. I don't remember her being the most likable person in that book, but at the end she showed she was a decent person by killing a story that could have hurt Lane, the heroine. Now we learn that that decision cost Vivian her job, and she is back in Walton, working for the local paper. She's not thrilled to be there, but it's just a stepping stone to a job at a larger paper down the road. We also met Deputy Ryan Frost in the first book. A computer hacker genius, he's being headhunted by practically every agency out there – FBI, CIA, along with private security firms. But he's finding it hard to make a decision when it means leaving Walton – and his mother and sister, who he's taken care of ever since his father abandoned their family.

The mystery was very interesting and quite different than I've come across before, involving cyber crimes, blackmail, and murder. Vivian's boss, Harold, who had become a friend and mentor, dies in the first chapter, seemingly from an allergic reaction but later determined to be murder. With his last words he tells Vivian to find Lauren, and that becomes her mission. She doesn't know who Lauren is or what Harold's interest in Lauren is, but she is determined to track her down, and to figure out who killed Harold, as are Ryan and the rest of the police force, and of course they bump heads.

Vivian and Ryan are both wonderfully written characters, both of whom come with a lot of baggage. There's a lot of internalizing, which I love. Ryan is being pulled in different directions, and feels that if he takes a job somewhere else he will be abandoning his mom and sister, just like his dad did. Vivian has her own father/abandonment issues, and feels unworthy of, well, anything that can bring happiness. She's resisted putting down roots, resisted the friendships offered her in Walton, and resists the idea of falling in love with Ryan. It was quite heart warming to watch them each grow as their values change (or at least Vivian's do), and even though the story takes place over a relatively short period of time there was nothing rushed about their relationship and the way it progressed.

I love Ms. Walter's writing, and as with the first book I was completely drawn in from the first few pages and very invested in the outcome. This book can be read as a standalone but I would urge readers to not skip the first book. And I will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

Goodreads synopsis: Independent and tenacious journalist Vivian DeMarco is back in Walton, Georgia, for one reason -- to do her job and get out. When her boss suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, Vivian's only hope for finding the truth -- and the next big story -- is small-town law enforcement's lanky poster boy, Deputy Ryan Frost. But the deeper they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes. False leads, incriminating emails, and someone called the Watcher force Vivian to fight for answers -- and her life.