Tactical Advantage

The Precinct: Task Force #3

by Julie Miller

His only job was to protect her—not to get her into bed

When his coinvestigator was attacked just moments after Detective Nick Fensom left the scene, he swore he'd never let her get hurt again. Thanks to their tense relationship, criminologist Annie Hermann wasn't happy to have Nick as her newly appointed protector. And although Nick couldn't blame her, being together 24/7 caused him to see Annie in a whole new light. Before long, he couldn't stop picturing the beautiful brunette wrapped up in his arms—and in his sheets. But allowing unfamiliar feelings to get in the way of the job was completely unprofessional…especially once Annie discovered the evidence that could cost her her life.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie Miller writes breathtaking romantic suspense. She's won a National Readers Choice Award and two Daphne du Maurier Awards among other prizes. She was also honored to receive a Career Achievement Award from RT BookReviews and has been a finalist for many national and international awards. Her books have appeared on the USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, Amazon and BookScan Top 100 Romances bestseller lists.

Writing about Kansas City cops, Julie has crafted bestselling, award-winning books for Harlequin Intrigue. In addition, Ms. Miller publishes romantic suspense books with a military twist. Millions of copies of her books have been sold in print and digital formats around the world.

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4STARS

Tactical Advantage (The Precinct Task Force, #3)

Now I have read 2 out of 3 task force books I want to go read the first one and I want the final book of the series. I have no
patence to wait for the next book.
There is a serial rapest that leaves a rose and no clues. Till now the women have survived except for the one that was a copycat.
Now another woman has been raped and murdered. Someone is going around cleaning up after the rapist.

Annie is alone in the ally gathering anything she can before the snow storm washes any traces away. The one detective stepped away to make a phone call and the other two cops that were supposed to be thier are missing. Annie is attacked. She fights back and is able to hold onto her camera. Her other evidence was taken and bleach poored on the bloody handprints.

Nick hears Annie scream and rushes back to her. He is able to get a glance of height and weight before he jumps into a waiting car and leaves. Nick feels guilty about being distracted and leaving Annie longer than he realized alone in the alley.
The other two cops were relieved off duty and were back at the station. Thier were two fake policeman.

Who is going to all this trouble to cleanup after the rapist? Who knows Annie full name and where she lives? She is being watched and attacked to help cover for the rapist.

Everytime you think they are getting somewhere something else happens. Lots of action,suspense and policework, with some romance thrown in. Easy and fast read. I will continue to read Julie's work.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it when I had finshed by Netgalley.

03/05/2013 PUB. Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Intrigue 224 pages ISBN:0373696752


Description below taken off Netgalley.com

HIS ONLY JOB WAS TO PROTECT HER—NOT GET HER INTO BED

When his coinvestigator was attacked just moments after Detective Nick Fensom left the scene, he swore he’d never let her get hurt again. Thanks to their tense relationship, criminologist Annie Hermann wasn’t happy to have Nick as her newly appointed protector. And although Nick couldn’t blame her,
being together 24/7 caused him to see Annie in a whole new light. Before long, he couldn’t stop picturing the beautiful brunette wrapped up in his arms—and in his sheets. But allowing unfamiliar
feelings to get in the way of the job was completely unprofessional…especially once Annie discovered the evidence that could cost her her life.

[Paula Legate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few months ago I read (Kansas City Cowboy) so this book is a nice follow up. I really enjoyed the banter between Nick, and Annie. Nick and Annie and the KCPD are trying to solve the red rose rapist case. Annie is a CSI, and a criminologist, and Nick is a detective. Annie gets mugged when she is processing a crime scene, and Nick feels guilty, thinking he should have been there to protect her. Nick vows to protect her from now on, even if she is head strong, and doesn’t think she needs his help. This book had lots of suspense, action, and romance. I have to say I loved Nick’s big family. I'm thankful that KFPD were able to solve most of the case. I can't wait to read the next book.

The book had a few grammar mistakes, but didn’t distract too much.

Sample from chapter 2
“What’s your problem, Hermann?” Nick Fensom’s deep pitched voice teased her from above. “I’ve already canvassed apartments on both sides of the street, and you’re still in the same spot where I left you.” Annie glanced up from the alley where she was working and glared at the stocky, dark haired detective casting a shadow over her open evidence kit and work space. The tarp tenting over their heads from one wall of the alley to the other snapped with the wind and strained against ropes she’d tied off like full sails on a seagoing schooner. She was knee deep in trash bags, blood spatter and blowing snow – her fingers shaking as she struggled to open a paper evidence bag so she could drop the beaded evening purse she’d found beneath the nearby dumpster inside. She pulled the flashlight she held between her teeth out of her mouth to answer. “Well, let’s see, Detective smart mouth. It’s cold. It’s windy. It’s snowing. Can you piece together the clues and figure out why this is taking so long?” She could do sarcasm, too. “You got the easy gig, spending a couple of hours inside where it’s warm and dry.”

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is my first Julie Miller book. I'm a big fan of romantic suspense and i have really good luck with Harlequin's Intrigue line. This was no exception. Nick and Annie were like oil and water. Didn't mix. Annie has a sad background though. Her parents were killed in a car accident when she was a young girl and she had a fiance who dumped her when she wouldn't conform to what he thought she should be. After being hurt and left alone so many times she's insulated herself from any kind of relationship where she could get hurt and left again. Then she gets attacked on the job and Nick who she was partnered with when it happens saves her and decides he will protect her at all costs. This book is action packed from start to finish. I was rooting for Nick and Annie right from the start. You can't help but like both characters. The one thing that confused me is they catch one of the bad guys in the story but not the two that the whole thing is focused on. I'm not sure if that's part of the series or if it's just not that important to the love story part of the book. I did enjoy the writing. It was fantastic. I was guessing the wrong guy the whole time. lol 4 out of 4 stars for Tactical Advantage by Julie Miller.

Find out more on the Julie Miller website. www.juliemiller.org

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid piece of romantic suspense. What makes it a little interesting is that it didn't end all tied up in a nice package. The real mystery started before this book started and looks like it'll end after this book ends. A lot of times books like this don't have a particularly good mystery plotline. It's usually just there to put the hero and/or heroine in danger. This was one was nice as it seemed to be more than that. I am going to go and read the rest of this series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. The search is continuing for the Rose Red Rapist and this time it is Annie who has been threatened. As the crime scene investigator for the task force she is the one who gets called out when there has been another incident. She was attacked while looking for evidence and the evidence was stolen. Nick felt guilty because he had not been close enough to protect her and swore it wouldn't happen again.

I really liked both Nick and Annie. They have been sniping at each other from the beginning of their time on the task force. She doesn't understand his constant teasing and comments, not knowing when he is serious or not. Annie has led a very quiet life for the last ten years, ever since her parents died in an accident. She was briefly engaged but the man tried to change her into something she wasn't. Now she keeps to herself and concentrates on work to protect herself from further loss. On this night something changes between her and Nick and she isn't quite sure what to do about it. She also gets exposed to his family, a boisterous friendly group that is unlike anything she has ever known. She isn't sure she needs the constant protection that Nick is insisting on, but she can't change his mind. It doesn't take long for those previously snippy confrontations to turn into something quite different. I really enjoyed seeing the way that Annie's mind works and how well she and Nick ended up working together. I also liked the way that the more time she spent with him and his family the more she learned about herself.

Nick is a great hero. It was kind of nice to see a hero that isn't more than six feet tall. He is part of a large family that is big on caring for each other. He has always been protective of them and now that protectiveness has been extended to Annie. As he spends time with her he begins to realize that his previous attitude had been covering up an attraction he didn't know he felt. When she is attacked his guilty feelings cause him to insist on protecting her 24/7. While he feels better being with her for her safety it is also causing him to be somewhat distracted, especially once he kissed her the first time. I loved watching him learn more about her and see the shy woman behind the excellent investigator. There was a lot more sensitivity to him than appeared at the beginning and I really liked seeing it come out. I also loved the way that his partner teased him about his growing attachment to Annie. I really liked Nick's attitude toward Annie's ex-fiance when he met the guy and how much Annie enjoyed it.

The action in the book was great and definitely kept me turning the pages. There are more clues to the identity of the Rapist and the Cleaner. I am looking forward to the rest of the series and finding out who the bad guys are - especially if my suspicion is correct.

[Silverana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was not exactly what I expected. The whole idea of the rest of the story was that Nick felt guilty about what happened to Annie. But I didn’t feel the guilt too much from him. He felt guilty and took responsibility but the emotions didn’t seem as strong as the blurb made me think they would be. There wasn’t a detailed description to show that he deeply felt regret for what happened.

I did like reading about Nick worrying about his sister and Annie and loved how he was very protective and always comforting her. Annie is intelligent yet she has a shy side and actually shows her fear which I found to be sweet and real. I don’t always find over the top brave heroines real who easily put aside their fear since that’s not always what happens in reality. Also it was nice to finally read about a main male character who is not over 6 feet tall. A majority of heroes in books are handsome and 6ft tall or more. Once again, since that is not true in real life, I always find myself being a little annoyed about these traits when reading romance.

One common Harlequin Intrigue element – After one main character says (and in this story the whole precinct is told this) that one of the other main characters should not be left alone and that he or she will have the other’s back, they still end up leaving one of the main characters alone and this character is attacked again. And it doesn’t end there. The same character who was attacked the first two times is left alone a third time.

The romance was good. However, when I first read this story I felt they needed a little more time to themselves and there was no epilogue. After the epilogue was offered through the author, I would say the it did make their relationship seem stronger and sort of foreshadowed the next book. I liked how they realized their love without getting into bed together. Their teasing of each other and their vulnerable moments were enjoyable.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Miller’s romantic suspense novel, Detective Nick Fensom leaves the crime scene for just a moment when CSI Annie Hermann is attacked. Determined to keep her safe, the co-investigators are teamed together for better or worse. With the Red Rose Rapist still at large, no woman is safe and Annie has stumbled across evidence that just might blow the case wide open providing she isn’t hurt first.

Fast-paced, action-packed, exciting addition to The Precinct series.

[Lorrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

As I usually do at the end of the year, the last week of December is pigeonholed as 'finish all the books I have started that year, or DNF them' so I don't carry over books into the new year. I want to start the new year with a blank reading slate, and I don't want to have any sort of head start into my Goodreads challenge.

This book had been moldering on my phone for months, since I had put it down because of inconsistencies and too many just plain what the fucks. When I had finished it last night, I had initially rated it 2 stars, but when I woke up this morning I decided that was entirely too generous for what I was about to say here, so dropped it to a 1. Let me explain.

My biggest complaint is with just how unrealistic it is. As I said, there were FAR too many WTF moments to ignore. The hero and heroine were behaving as if they were the only two officers in some podunk small town with too much crime and too few resources. Sure, the KCPD isn't big by any stretch of the imagination, but there is no way, NO WAY, that with a casefile that requires a task force, that the two of them would be alone at any crime scene no matter when it took place. Especially when said crime scene was degrading as quickly as it was. And then to have Annie left alone? It just reeks of bad plotting let alone bad policing. Then to have Nick do the exact same thing not once, but TWICE again in the same book (and Annie is attacked BOTH times again)? Yup, Nick is an idiot.

Then the whole Nell/Jordan idiocy just made me shake my head. All of it. It's not often I actually wish hard on a character, but Nell was one of those characters. Just because she was so stupid.

The romance in this book was non-existent. I never once believed that Annie and Nick had ANY sort of chemistry together. There was no spark. It was your typical hero syndrome, and it was tenuous at best.

Then there's the ending... WTF was that? It just stopped. No wrapping things up. No and they lived happily ever after. There wasn't even a conclusion. It just stopped, as if someone forgot to slot the last couple chapters into the book.

[Penny Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tease!

Exciting mystery and smoldering sensuality continues in Julie Miller’s Tactical Advantage. Annie is a fierce forensic scientist and Nick is the detective protecting her. Good read!

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I just finished reading this book and it was awesome from beginning to end! I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[Lucian Logan Charles LeBeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather boring read. No sex and they say I love you at the end. All and all it's okay but they never solve the damn mystery anyway so that's trash. All and all I mean I read it.

[TINNGG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit bemused. it doesn't happen often that you run into what amounts to a clean romance, but there you have it. Our H is protecting our h and getting under her skin and... at the end of the book, there is the idea the HEA is around the bend, but it's not here NOW. And the H/h haven't gotten around to inserting tab A into slot B because... they're busy working on the case (imagine that!). Granted, just ending a book with a promise of a future is odd. OTOH, the fact that many of these romantic suspenses seem to be rush rush rush oh wait; time for nookie, done, rush rush rush has always seemed a bit weird too. Ah well; it's a change. Onward

So our h is a brain who has a tendency to forget her surroundings and... she gets mugged in the middle of gathering evidence. Now... you'd think she'd accept that she's a short female living alone with near zero survival instinct and that maybe having the H play bodyguard isn't a bad idea. And...you'd think she'd listen to him when he tells her to stay put, etc. That would be too easy. No, our h has all the earmarks of being book smart and singularly lacking in common sense, coupled with a rebellious streak every time the H tells her to do something. Consequently, she nearly gets herself killed several times. Our H is a guy of average height and somehow this translates to vertically challenged. Uh...not really. But he has good instincts, if overburdened by his need to take care of everyone. Various other people wander through, things happen...oh, and for some strange reason, computer files at the station are not...backed up? Our h has all the pictures on the camera? I dunno... I think after someone tried to snatch the camera once, I'd swap out cards before taking it out again.

Another odd thing - the station has only a few security guards there at night? Eh?

There I go; being logical and paranoid again.

[Ｙｅｓｓｅｎｉａ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The search for the Rose Red Rapist continues. This time we learn more about Annie Hermann and Nick Fensom.

Annie is doing her work,as a criminologist, in the crime scene of the last victim of The Rose Red Rapist. Accompaning her is Nick, along with his nicknames for her,like slugger. When Nick goes to make a call, Annie is attacked by a man who steals her kit and all the evidence. Nick feeling guilty, promise to protect her.

Is in that time they spent together, that they start to realize they're attracted to each other.

Nick is relly caring. He has a big family, too many siblings, cousins, uncles. He's a protector, that's why he can't allow Annie to being hurt again. And also we see that side with his sister Nell, the baby of the family. She's going out with a guy that has been in a gang and his attitude isn't exactly welcoming, so Nick doesn't trust him at all.

Dealing with his own problems and protecting Annie, he realizes how alone she really is. She lost her parents really young, and when she's confronted with Nick's big family, she wonders how would it be to be part of it.

I really liked this storie. I only keep wanting more of this couple.I was like



But at least there was an epilogue in the author's web page.

[Merle]

Well done continuation of the Task Force subseries of the Precinct, Kansas City PD. In this one, Miller turns a cliche inside out by taking the loner-family person in the opposite direction. In this one, the girl is the loner and the guy a member of a large, close family. Nick Fensom is a brash, somewhat cocky detective, the exact opposite of quiet, shy loner Annie Herrmann. They keep finding themselves thrown together in this one, the subject of much soul-searching by both (why do I keep getting chills? why do I keep wanting to kiss her?) Meanwhile, the Rose Red Rapist is still raping, with a new twist. Apparently, he has a protector, someone who follows after him and cleans up after him. It takes on horrible proportions in this one, and you can't really see a solution. However, breakthroughs are coming, slowly but surely. I hope that Annie can stay alive long enough to keep finding them.

[Asma Mighri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Annie and Nick's story, I was actually very excited to read their story and I'm so happy I'm not dissapointed.... This is one of my favorite Julie Miller books so far.

Annie was just as I envisioned her to be, a smart woman with wit and a kindness I loved, she and Nick were perfect for each other and we got to see their bickering that I love so much.... Nick was just as amazing.. He was protective and sweet and said all the right things 'sigh'.... I loved the bond between the two and how they fell for each other, they were there for the other all through the book and it was sweet to watch..... The mystery and investigation were just as captivating, I think that is one of the things I love most about Ms Miller's writhing, the romance and the mystery are as equally catching and captivating.....

Looking forward to the rest of the task force's books...

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Great dynamic in the relationship that made it very believable. Beautiful storytelling that entertained the whole time!

It had really great flow and did the job of making me think at times. I love a book that taps into my emotions. I am a real sucker for a sexy romance!! I laugh, I cry and I wish the hero were real so he could be mine! LOL

I would love to see more from this author! Definitely one to watch in the future.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tactical Advantage is another excellent volume in Julie Miller's Rose Red Rapist series. I loved that when I thought I knew what was coming next wasn't what happened. Having read all of Julie's books I didn't find this one predictable at all. Though it was shorter than it could and probably should have been and didn't have the steamy love scenes it still didn't let me down. Great job, Julie! I'm anxious to read more....

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all Intrigue books, this had good suspense and action, but I prefer my books to be fully resolved by the end! The fact the rapist is still out there and they've only caught the person cleaning up after them was unsatisfactory. These series should be able to have continuity without forcing you to buy the next book, especially since there are six new Intrigue books each month and it can be hard to keep up!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was fast paced, with plenty of emotion, humor, and suspense. Although it was a romance, there were no explicit scenes. The characters were both intelligent people who had their own baggage and life situations to deal with. Very satisfying read. Can't wait for the next installment.

[evieo17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an ok read. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and confusing. First there is a rapist. Now there is a cleaner cleaning up after said rapist and then there are people helping the cleaner clean up after the rapist. And the cleaner might be a woman? Huh? I really really want to know when are the good guys going to catch the bad guys.

[Wendy W · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing. I have read previous books by Julie Miller and really enjoyed. But not this book. It ended rather abruptly !!! As for the hero and heroine, I didnt see the process of how they fell in love. I will read another book by J. Miller, but I would not recommend this one.

[Suzy Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 25th book I have read in this series of related series. I Started with the Taylor Family and proceeded with the various Precinct sub-series. The only bad thing is three more and I am all caught up and will have to wait for any additions.

Each book is like coming home to old friends.

[Lisa R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Miller proves that you can do great romance even without a sex scene. I loved the characters and the peak into the psyche of two coworkers, who thought they despised each other, realizing that the sparks between them are attraction not annoyance.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Precinct: Task Force
Category: Suspense

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Precinct: Task Force
Category: Suspense

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read November 2013

[Hannah Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! She got "Nick" in the end it was so good too!

[Nutnut1(Lornajean Ford) · Rating 5 out of 5]

gimme gimme a Nick!