Emily Wender, who had been at the Education Center at Kugelfels Military Base in Germany, is now finishing out a year working at the US Embassy in Budapest. She will be returning for one final event she had planned, but she is preparing to go back to the States for her new job.
All is not well at the Embassy. Female workers are disappearing. Someone is leaking information. The EMU is there trying to search for clues under the guise of DOD representatives holding safety training sessions.
When Emily chances upon Ryan West at an Embassy event, he is introduced as Ryan Jacobs. Why is he really there? Though it's been two years, they both remember each other well, as they had almost instant interest in each other when they met back in Germany. Will they have a chance to get to know one another this time? What dangers are lurking behind the scenes?
I enjoyed this story. Emily is a strong female character, and she has met her match in West, though she doesn't completely accept that right away. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow through the story. The author does a great job with characterization, especially with the members of the EMU team. North, South, East, and West are all well-written, and the reader gets a real sense of the camaraderie of this team, through their banter and support of each other.
For those who have read other stories by Claire Cain, you will enjoy the appearances of Bri Williamson, Katie and Noah Miller, and others from previous stories. While you don't need to be familiar with these characters to understand this book, it definitely enriches the reading experience. I love the way these connections expand the story world Cain has created.
If you like romance with some suspense woven in, this series is for you. The series is closed door with some mild language. There are many amazing quotes I could give from the book, but one of my favorites is, "I'm mostly over here feeling like this is all some crazy dream orchestrated by J. J. Abrams, and I don't wanna wake up."
So looking forward to reading South's story. I've loved what I've read of him so far. But you don't have to "take my word for it." IYKYK.