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Hostage Rescue Team #4
Disavowed
The government trained her to kill…
Briar Jones has lived most of her life in the shadows, carrying out secret ops to eliminate some of the United States’ most dangerous enemies. She’s devoted her life to serving her country so when a faceless enemy targets her and kills someone close to her, she’ll stop at nothing to bring them down. With her life in danger and critical intel leaked during an off-the-books op, she has no choice but to go on the run with a disturbingly sexy man she barely knows. While in hiding they learn that the agency responsible for turning her into a lethal weapon is now out to destroy her. What they don’t know is why, or who has set her up. As they unravel the mystery Briar must trust this near stranger in order to stay alive and expose whoever is behind the plot. She never expected to lose her heart in the process.
Now it’s coming after her…
Matt DeLuca has survived devastating loss and risen to become commander of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. When a top-secret mission goes awry and he’s tasked with protecting Briar, the last thing he anticipates is falling in love with the beautiful and deadly assassin. But now intelligence officers are dying and Briar’s name is at the top of the hit list. With her life at stake they race to end the threat and clear her name, battling the shadowy killers sent to silence her forever.
Briar Jones has lived most of her life in the shadows, carrying out secret ops to eliminate some of the United States’ most dangerous enemies. She’s devoted her life to serving her country so when a faceless enemy targets her and kills someone close to her, she’ll stop at nothing to bring them down. With her life in danger and critical intel leaked during an off-the-books op, she has no choice but to go on the run with a disturbingly sexy man she barely knows. While in hiding they learn that the agency responsible for turning her into a lethal weapon is now out to destroy her. What they don’t know is why, or who has set her up. As they unravel the mystery Briar must trust this near stranger in order to stay alive and expose whoever is behind the plot. She never expected to lose her heart in the process.
Now it’s coming after her…
Matt DeLuca has survived devastating loss and risen to become commander of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. When a top-secret mission goes awry and he’s tasked with protecting Briar, the last thing he anticipates is falling in love with the beautiful and deadly assassin. But now intelligence officers are dying and Briar’s name is at the top of the hit list. With her life at stake they race to end the threat and clear her name, battling the shadowy killers sent to silence her forever.
Audible Audio
First published January 5, 2015
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About the author
Kaylea Cross
99 books1,801 followersNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
Kaylea loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to drop me a line and say hello.
Kaylea loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to drop me a line and say hello.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
January 13, 2015
4 stars. Review posted January 8, 2015
Very straightforward and great entertainment from start to finish, sprinkled with some emotional detours.
In a nutshell
To Matt's surprise, B is yet again interfering with one of his assignments, this time in the cold and wintry landscape of Colorado. After B's mission has kind of gone awry and she ends up in even deeper s@it when some bigwig set her up, Matteo DeLuca, commander of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, is willing to help clear her name. A dangerous chase lays ahead of them. Though the question remains who is hunting down whom?
The Hostage Rescue Team series started off weak with Marked but the series got better with each book and has really peaked with Disavowed. Author Kaylea Cross doesn't only plot great romantic suspense, she's also top-notch at writing a delicious and sexy 'older' man. Maybe I should rephrase that. Her mature male leads are among the very best in Romancelandia. Do I have to jog your memory?
Luke Hutchinson, 50, my all-time favorite mature hero Absolution
Alex Rycroft, early 50s, Rekindled
Gage Wallace, 42, Singed
With Matt DeLuca she has written yet another sexy and mature character in his early 40s. By the way, Alex Rycroft made a great cameo in Disavowed as did some other characters of the Hostage Rescue Team and the Titanium Security series. It goes without saying that I enjoyed the guys' well-meant and affectionate bickering. There are also a couple female secondary characters in Disavowed whom I'd like to see paired up with the matching male counterparts. So…more please.
Since the mysterious B had been introduced in Hunted, I was intrigued by her character as well as the prospect of Matt finding his match, his true equal. And they are equals. B is not a little grey mouse. She's an assassin, a trained sniper and, my lovelies, she can hold her own, that's for sure. Romance-wise she's not very experienced but she makes up for that little shortage with a couple badass qualities. B is only 29-years-old, twelve years Matt's junior, but due to her intensely led life she seems older.
She grinned, feeling him relax again. "Maybe we'll have a contest someday."
"I'm up for that."
"As long as your ego can handle losing to me."
He arched a brow. "Pretty sure of yourself."
"Yep. And I'm still active, unlike you," she teased, feeling freer and more alive than she had in forever. "Shooting's a perishable skill. Not sure how you'd do against me on a range now that you drive a desk for a living."
Chuckling, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her softly on the mouth. "I can hit any target I set my sights on, sweetheart," he said, gliding his hand over her rear in a caress meant to underscore that he'd set his sights on her."
Matt and B have each other's backs and while Matt got very territorial and protective over the course of the plot, he knows that B would do anything to save him from harm. I love these kinds of heroines, so a special thank-you goes to the author for writing a strong female lead. Also, it was a total treat to absorb Matt and B's great chemistry and engaging dialogue. Gee, Baba, who would have guessed? After all, you added hardly any quotes to your review.
Anyhoo, I loved Matt's sense of humor and his commanding yet calm and collected personality went a long way to make this fourth installment a real winner. The balance between the building romance, the steamy and sensual smexy times and the action and suspense was very well-executed and satisfying.
He sipped his coffee and was quiet a few minutes before speaking again. "So how do you want this to go? You want to talk only when necessary? Or would you rather things be a little friendlier than that? We're gonna be together for a few days. It'd be easier if we can get along well enough to be in each other's space without things being awkward. You good with that?"
Her stomach muscles tensed at his blunt assessment. "I guess."
He didn't seem to take offense at her less than enthusiastic reply. "Okay, so let's break the ice a bit. I'll go first. I love the San Diego Chargers and classic rock. You?"
(…)
"I'm not a sports fan. I like a lot of different kinds of music, and I only use a bolt action rifle because they're the best."
His lips curved upward at the last part and the grin set off a weird fluttering sensation in her belly. Damn butterflies. "So we do have something in common after all."
I won't reveal the heroine's first name but you can check out the blurb if you're close to bursting with curiosity.
"I know what you told me. But that was before you almost killed me when you went down on me yesterday."
Looking up at him again, she grinned. "If I'd wanted to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation now."
His eyes sparkled with humor. "Is it totally weird that I think that's sexy as hell?"
She grinned wider. "Yes." He was something else.
He sat back, let his gaze roam over her face until it finally settled on her mouth. "I dunno. I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad way to go."
He shot her a terrifying glare and yelled at her, "Goddammit, woman, you fucking scared me to death,
"Too fucking bad!" she shouted back, still shaky as hell and not regretting her actions one iota.
(…)
"Come on, boss, that's actually kinda hot," Schroder said on a laugh. "All one-hundred-and-thirty pounds of her It's sweet.
Altruistic motives…maybe when pigs fly. Men are always fine with their one-track minds when it's going to serve a specific purpose.
Minor quibble
There are a few words (curl/curled/curling, squeeze/squeezed and primal) that have been overused. However, as repetitiveness goes, it wasn't terribly bad.
Miss Badass B is more of an asset as a stealthy assassin than skulking around in the kitchen. Though if you consider burning the meatballs a success then you might want to lend her a hand stat to put her on the righteous path of a future Michelin-starred chef. Er…good luck with that task!
I think that Disavowed can be read as a standalone and readers who are dying to tackle Matt's story right away can go ahead and knock themselves out. However, it might be a good idea to check out Hunted, just to enhance the anticipation. But whatever you decide, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you will enjoy Disavowed as much as I did.
Recommended read.
All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy.
**ARC courtesy of Kaylea Cross in exchange for an honest review**
Very straightforward and great entertainment from start to finish, sprinkled with some emotional detours.
In a nutshell
To Matt's surprise, B is yet again interfering with one of his assignments, this time in the cold and wintry landscape of Colorado. After B's mission has kind of gone awry and she ends up in even deeper s@it when some bigwig set her up, Matteo DeLuca, commander of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, is willing to help clear her name. A dangerous chase lays ahead of them. Though the question remains who is hunting down whom?
The Hostage Rescue Team series started off weak with Marked but the series got better with each book and has really peaked with Disavowed. Author Kaylea Cross doesn't only plot great romantic suspense, she's also top-notch at writing a delicious and sexy 'older' man. Maybe I should rephrase that. Her mature male leads are among the very best in Romancelandia. Do I have to jog your memory?
Luke Hutchinson, 50, my all-time favorite mature hero Absolution
Alex Rycroft, early 50s, Rekindled
Gage Wallace, 42, Singed
With Matt DeLuca she has written yet another sexy and mature character in his early 40s. By the way, Alex Rycroft made a great cameo in Disavowed as did some other characters of the Hostage Rescue Team and the Titanium Security series. It goes without saying that I enjoyed the guys' well-meant and affectionate bickering. There are also a couple female secondary characters in Disavowed whom I'd like to see paired up with the matching male counterparts. So…more please.
Since the mysterious B had been introduced in Hunted, I was intrigued by her character as well as the prospect of Matt finding his match, his true equal. And they are equals. B is not a little grey mouse. She's an assassin, a trained sniper and, my lovelies, she can hold her own, that's for sure. Romance-wise she's not very experienced but she makes up for that little shortage with a couple badass qualities. B is only 29-years-old, twelve years Matt's junior, but due to her intensely led life she seems older.
She grinned, feeling him relax again. "Maybe we'll have a contest someday."
"I'm up for that."
"As long as your ego can handle losing to me."
He arched a brow. "Pretty sure of yourself."
"Yep. And I'm still active, unlike you," she teased, feeling freer and more alive than she had in forever. "Shooting's a perishable skill. Not sure how you'd do against me on a range now that you drive a desk for a living."
Chuckling, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her softly on the mouth. "I can hit any target I set my sights on, sweetheart," he said, gliding his hand over her rear in a caress meant to underscore that he'd set his sights on her."
Matt and B have each other's backs and while Matt got very territorial and protective over the course of the plot, he knows that B would do anything to save him from harm. I love these kinds of heroines, so a special thank-you goes to the author for writing a strong female lead. Also, it was a total treat to absorb Matt and B's great chemistry and engaging dialogue. Gee, Baba, who would have guessed? After all, you added hardly any quotes to your review.
Anyhoo, I loved Matt's sense of humor and his commanding yet calm and collected personality went a long way to make this fourth installment a real winner. The balance between the building romance, the steamy and sensual smexy times and the action and suspense was very well-executed and satisfying.
He sipped his coffee and was quiet a few minutes before speaking again. "So how do you want this to go? You want to talk only when necessary? Or would you rather things be a little friendlier than that? We're gonna be together for a few days. It'd be easier if we can get along well enough to be in each other's space without things being awkward. You good with that?"
Her stomach muscles tensed at his blunt assessment. "I guess."
He didn't seem to take offense at her less than enthusiastic reply. "Okay, so let's break the ice a bit. I'll go first. I love the San Diego Chargers and classic rock. You?"
(…)
"I'm not a sports fan. I like a lot of different kinds of music, and I only use a bolt action rifle because they're the best."
His lips curved upward at the last part and the grin set off a weird fluttering sensation in her belly. Damn butterflies. "So we do have something in common after all."
I won't reveal the heroine's first name but you can check out the blurb if you're close to bursting with curiosity.
"I know what you told me. But that was before you almost killed me when you went down on me yesterday."
Looking up at him again, she grinned. "If I'd wanted to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation now."
His eyes sparkled with humor. "Is it totally weird that I think that's sexy as hell?"
She grinned wider. "Yes." He was something else.
He sat back, let his gaze roam over her face until it finally settled on her mouth. "I dunno. I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad way to go."
He shot her a terrifying glare and yelled at her, "Goddammit, woman, you fucking scared me to death,
"Too fucking bad!" she shouted back, still shaky as hell and not regretting her actions one iota.
(…)
"Come on, boss, that's actually kinda hot," Schroder said on a laugh. "All one-hundred-and-thirty pounds of her It's sweet.
Altruistic motives…maybe when pigs fly. Men are always fine with their one-track minds when it's going to serve a specific purpose.
Minor quibble
There are a few words (curl/curled/curling, squeeze/squeezed and primal) that have been overused. However, as repetitiveness goes, it wasn't terribly bad.
Miss Badass B is more of an asset as a stealthy assassin than skulking around in the kitchen. Though if you consider burning the meatballs a success then you might want to lend her a hand stat to put her on the righteous path of a future Michelin-starred chef. Er…good luck with that task!
"What about the meatballs?"
"We'll scatter their ashes in the morning," he answered, and pulled her down into a searing kiss."
I think that Disavowed can be read as a standalone and readers who are dying to tackle Matt's story right away can go ahead and knock themselves out. However, it might be a good idea to check out Hunted, just to enhance the anticipation. But whatever you decide, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you will enjoy Disavowed as much as I did.
Recommended read.
All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy.
**ARC courtesy of Kaylea Cross in exchange for an honest review**
June 24, 2019
FBI Hostage Rescue Team Commander Matt DeLuca is minutes from capturing an extremely high value target in the mountains in Colorado when another presence is picked up. As they proceed on their target, they realize that person beat them by seconds. Once they capture the sniper, Matt is stunned that he recognizes her. It’s the mysterious “B” he met in New Orleans. Briar Jones is part of “The Company” and she’s also a target as someone injured her before Matt’s team arrived.
This story is all action with Matt and Briar’s developing relationship in the backdrop, which worked for me. It was made clear early on that someone from inside her agency was not only trying to kill her but damage her reputation. Being “disavowed,” a new-to-me intelligence term, meant the CIA turned against her and ordered her capture. Without the agency’s resources and with someone trying to kill her, Briar’s in serious trouble. Matt’s decision to believe and help her led to some very exciting moments and made this a tense, suspenseful reading experience.
I really liked this story and Briar’s history was beyond fascinating. The inside of the CIA was equally educational, even more mysterious and it was obvious the author did some credible research. I liked everything about this one, even though the romance heated up pretty quickly. I continue to enjoy this series that keeps its focus on the team’s missions. I’m getting exactly what I was hoping for.
This story is all action with Matt and Briar’s developing relationship in the backdrop, which worked for me. It was made clear early on that someone from inside her agency was not only trying to kill her but damage her reputation. Being “disavowed,” a new-to-me intelligence term, meant the CIA turned against her and ordered her capture. Without the agency’s resources and with someone trying to kill her, Briar’s in serious trouble. Matt’s decision to believe and help her led to some very exciting moments and made this a tense, suspenseful reading experience.
I really liked this story and Briar’s history was beyond fascinating. The inside of the CIA was equally educational, even more mysterious and it was obvious the author did some credible research. I liked everything about this one, even though the romance heated up pretty quickly. I continue to enjoy this series that keeps its focus on the team’s missions. I’m getting exactly what I was hoping for.
March 1, 2019
4.75 stars.
Love this one, the main story based by the heroine’s work, the hero more in the background, ready to help when she need it. You know, like Eve Dallas and Roarke!:) 😘
❤️❤️❤️
Good news ladies, Ms. Cross will treat us with more Valkyrie girls story in a new series ❤️, the first in the series will publish on May and it sounds delicious from the blurb 😍. Stealing Vengeance.
Love this one, the main story based by the heroine’s work, the hero more in the background, ready to help when she need it. You know, like Eve Dallas and Roarke!:) 😘
❤️❤️❤️
Good news ladies, Ms. Cross will treat us with more Valkyrie girls story in a new series ❤️, the first in the series will publish on May and it sounds delicious from the blurb 😍. Stealing Vengeance.
January 10, 2025
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
“No, everything’s not okay,” she snapped, all the stress she’d been withholding for the past three weeks suddenly overwhelming her and bursting free. “I cremated the fucking meatballs.”
Every time women are described as ‘females’ in books, a part of me dies and haunts whoever wrote it, poltergeist style.
Anyway. This book used to be one of my favorites from when I was deep in my MF military/black ops/law enforcement era. I still really enjoyed it, but this is another case of my expectations and preferences having changed since the last time I read it.
There really isn’t anything wrong with it (to me), it just didn’t hit like it used to.
I do love that the ‘female’ is a fucking unapologetic badass but isn’t a typical case of ‘not like the other girls’. Or maybe she is, idk to be honest, lol. Love the age gap, love the widower falling in love again, love that his hair is receding and thinning, love the murdering of course. Do not love that whatever he feels for Briar is somehow more or better than what he felt for his dead wife. Can’t he have loved both? It can be different and amazing without somehow making his past marriage lesser.
When she finally released his hands and cradled his face between her palms to keep kissing him as though she never wanted to stop, he felt his heart wave its little white flag in surrender. He was done for, and was man enough to admit it to himself.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Age gap
Love after loss
Romantic suspense
Badass FMC
FBI commander (HRT)
CIA operator
Betrayal and mystery
Palestinian/Venezuelan FMC
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Death of wife and unborn child (on page, past, prologue)
On-page CPR on wife (unsuccessful)
Gun violence
Injured MC (gunshot wound)
Graphic details of dead bodies
Mention of death of family (past)
On-page death of SC (MC’s family)
Brief retelling of MC shooting teenage suicide bomber (past)
Explicit sexual content
MC severely injured (stabbed, shot)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/F
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 29 (FMC) and 41 (MMC)
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 324
Happy ending: Yes
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
“No, everything’s not okay,” she snapped, all the stress she’d been withholding for the past three weeks suddenly overwhelming her and bursting free. “I cremated the fucking meatballs.”
Every time women are described as ‘females’ in books, a part of me dies and haunts whoever wrote it, poltergeist style.
Anyway. This book used to be one of my favorites from when I was deep in my MF military/black ops/law enforcement era. I still really enjoyed it, but this is another case of my expectations and preferences having changed since the last time I read it.
There really isn’t anything wrong with it (to me), it just didn’t hit like it used to.
I do love that the ‘female’ is a fucking unapologetic badass but isn’t a typical case of ‘not like the other girls’. Or maybe she is, idk to be honest, lol. Love the age gap, love the widower falling in love again, love that his hair is receding and thinning, love the murdering of course. Do not love that whatever he feels for Briar is somehow more or better than what he felt for his dead wife. Can’t he have loved both? It can be different and amazing without somehow making his past marriage lesser.
When she finally released his hands and cradled his face between her palms to keep kissing him as though she never wanted to stop, he felt his heart wave its little white flag in surrender. He was done for, and was man enough to admit it to himself.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Age gap
Love after loss
Romantic suspense
Badass FMC
FBI commander (HRT)
CIA operator
Betrayal and mystery
Palestinian/Venezuelan FMC
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Death of wife and unborn child (on page, past, prologue)
On-page CPR on wife (unsuccessful)
Gun violence
Injured MC (gunshot wound)
Graphic details of dead bodies
Mention of death of family (past)
On-page death of SC (MC’s family)
Brief retelling of MC shooting teenage suicide bomber (past)
Explicit sexual content
MC severely injured (stabbed, shot)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/F
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 29 (FMC) and 41 (MMC)
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 324
Happy ending: Yes
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
June 8, 2020
Holy shit I HATED this plot! Those who know me know I despise the dead "beloved" wife plot. Well this one was a doosy! Seriously ladies....would you sleep with a man still wearing his wedding ring (4 years after her death), carrying around a wedding photo? He invites you to his house and the first thing you see is her framed photo. And he asks you if he has to take down her pictures. I am so out of here!
I listened to the entire train wreck. I so wished for her to find someone who would not be longing for his dead sainted wife. And Matt is a good guy. He should just live the rest of his life with her memory and leave Briar alone!
The suspense was good. The romance was total shit!
I listened to the entire train wreck. I so wished for her to find someone who would not be longing for his dead sainted wife. And Matt is a good guy. He should just live the rest of his life with her memory and leave Briar alone!
The suspense was good. The romance was total shit!
April 4, 2016
Satisfied my contemporary cravings.
June 4, 2024
Review from 2019
I've given this a B for both Narration and Content at AudioGals.
I’m not familiar with Kaylea Cross’ work, but she’s written around forty romantic suspense novels (as far as I can tell from Amazon!) and as some are available in audio – and a friend on Goodreads recommended her stuff – I decided to pick one up and give it a go; and on the whole, I was pleased with the result. Disavowed is the fourth book in the Hostage Rescue Team series, but although there are recurring characters from other books (and other series) featured, they’re very much in supporting roles, so this works perfectly well as a standalone.
Special Agent Matteo DeLuca is the commander of the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and it’s evident right away that he’s liked and greatly respected by his colleagues. He and his seven-man assault team are in the middle of an operation to take down Hassan Ramadi, a terrorist responsible for training militants in the use of chemical weapons and planning attacks on American soil, when Matt receives the news that the operation has been compromised. When the team is given the go-ahead to access the remote mountain cabin where their target is holed-up, it’s to discover Ramadi dead from a single gunshot to the head.
A highly-trained assassin, Briar Jones has worked all her adult life for The Company (which I assume is an “off-the-books” black ops division of the CIA or some other government agency), carrying out secret ops to eliminate some of the USA’s most dangerous enemies. She’s supremely good at what she does, but has to admit that this time, things have been played a bit close to the wire; the group of people swarming around the cabin shouldn’t be there – as far as she knows, nobody else knew of Ramadi’s location – and with a storm rolling in, and the potential for discovery growing with every minute she stays put, Briar needs to get out of there quickly. She’s returned to her snowmobile and is heading for the road when a searing pain in her side throws her off balance and off her vehicle; she’s been shot, the snowmobile damaged and the only way back to the mountain road now is on foot – assuming whoever fired at her doesn’t finish her off first.
Following the sound of the shots and then a trail of blood, Matt and his team eventually catch up with their wounded quarry. Matt’s momentary surprise at discovering the assassin is a woman is quickly dispelled; whoever she is, she’s got guts given she’s obviously wounded but is holding a gun on him even as his is levelled at her. The Mexican Standoff is tense and it looks as though nobody is going to back down – until Matt recognises the woman as someone he knows only as “B”, someone he’d met – and hasn’t forgotten – some months earlier at a security conference and who had slipped him some critical information about an operation involving a compromised agent.
Matt is generally an even-tempered guy, but the fact that his team has been put in danger not just once but twice that night has pissed him off and he wants answers. But it seems he’s not going to get them; the higher-ups give him direct orders to escort Briar to a safe house and stay with her while they do some digging around and try to find out who shot her and get to the bottom of what’s going on.
But what’s going on turns out to be bigger and more deadly than either of them at first thought, as news reaches them of the sudden and unexplained deaths of a number of agents and informants Briar had recently been in contact with. Someone is setting her up to take a pretty big fall – but who, and why?
The who is revealed fairly early on, as we get a few chapters told from the villain’s PoV, but that doesn’t detract from the overall impact of the story. Matt and Briar are forced to go on the run when their location is discovered, and what follows is an exciting race against time as the couple try to stay ahead of their enemies while unravelling the web of lies and deceit into which they have fallen. Briar is a kick-ass heroine; supremely capable and good at what she does, she is no damsel in distress and is more than up to pulling her weight in a fight and shooting to kill. Matt is a dozen years older, a tough, experienced agent, and while his protective instincts kick in where Briar’s concerned, he admires her skill and knows she can handle herself, no matter that he wishes she didn’t have to. Her life has been lived in the shadows and she doesn’t trust easily, and I loved the way she gradually comes to let Matt in and to trust him. They have great chemistry, which goes some way to lending their quickly moving relationship a degree of credibility. (The events of the book span less than a week). One thing I found incredibly refreshing was Matt’s attitude towards life and love, a complete contrast to so many romance heroes who have loved, lost and decided ‘never again’ because they don’t want to risk that sort of hurt again. Matt is different; he has learned from the experience and is determined never to take anything for granted and to pay more attention to his relationship and his partner. Losing his wife suddenly some years earlier “taught me to always live in the moment, never pass up the opportunity to tell someone I care.” And he doesn’t. He lets Briar know how he feels, even though their future is uncertain, and I absolutely loved that about him.
Jeffrey Kafer is an extremely experienced narrator with an amazing 500+ titles to his credit at Audible in a wide variety of genres, including non-fiction, science fiction and mysteries. This is the first time I’ve listened to him and I enjoyed his performance overall, although I did have a few small issues with it. Mr. Kafer’s voice is rich and deep, which makes it ideal to portray someone like Matt – a mature man (he’s forty-one), who is capable and confident in himself and his abilities. His pacing is perhaps a little on the slow side, but not so much as to be problematic, and although he differentiates well between characters of the opposite sex, there were a few times I needed the aid of dialogue tags to clarify who was speaking. This happened mostly at the beginning, however, when Matt is with his team and there are several male characters conversing in quick succession – but as most of the story features just Matt and Briar, it isn’t too much of a problem. When it comes to portraying the female characters, Mr. Kafer doesn’t raise the pitch of his voice too much; rather, he adopts a softer timbre and makes a slight alteration to his manner of delivery, which works well.
Picking up Disavowed on the off chance proved to be a good decision. The characters are likeable, the story is tightly written and well put together, and while the romance is perhaps a bit rushed, the author manages to create a strong connection between the leads which helps sell it. Jeffrey Kafer’s narration is a good fit for the story, and I’m certainly interested in listening to more books in the series.
I've given this a B for both Narration and Content at AudioGals.
I’m not familiar with Kaylea Cross’ work, but she’s written around forty romantic suspense novels (as far as I can tell from Amazon!) and as some are available in audio – and a friend on Goodreads recommended her stuff – I decided to pick one up and give it a go; and on the whole, I was pleased with the result. Disavowed is the fourth book in the Hostage Rescue Team series, but although there are recurring characters from other books (and other series) featured, they’re very much in supporting roles, so this works perfectly well as a standalone.
Special Agent Matteo DeLuca is the commander of the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and it’s evident right away that he’s liked and greatly respected by his colleagues. He and his seven-man assault team are in the middle of an operation to take down Hassan Ramadi, a terrorist responsible for training militants in the use of chemical weapons and planning attacks on American soil, when Matt receives the news that the operation has been compromised. When the team is given the go-ahead to access the remote mountain cabin where their target is holed-up, it’s to discover Ramadi dead from a single gunshot to the head.
A highly-trained assassin, Briar Jones has worked all her adult life for The Company (which I assume is an “off-the-books” black ops division of the CIA or some other government agency), carrying out secret ops to eliminate some of the USA’s most dangerous enemies. She’s supremely good at what she does, but has to admit that this time, things have been played a bit close to the wire; the group of people swarming around the cabin shouldn’t be there – as far as she knows, nobody else knew of Ramadi’s location – and with a storm rolling in, and the potential for discovery growing with every minute she stays put, Briar needs to get out of there quickly. She’s returned to her snowmobile and is heading for the road when a searing pain in her side throws her off balance and off her vehicle; she’s been shot, the snowmobile damaged and the only way back to the mountain road now is on foot – assuming whoever fired at her doesn’t finish her off first.
Following the sound of the shots and then a trail of blood, Matt and his team eventually catch up with their wounded quarry. Matt’s momentary surprise at discovering the assassin is a woman is quickly dispelled; whoever she is, she’s got guts given she’s obviously wounded but is holding a gun on him even as his is levelled at her. The Mexican Standoff is tense and it looks as though nobody is going to back down – until Matt recognises the woman as someone he knows only as “B”, someone he’d met – and hasn’t forgotten – some months earlier at a security conference and who had slipped him some critical information about an operation involving a compromised agent.
Matt is generally an even-tempered guy, but the fact that his team has been put in danger not just once but twice that night has pissed him off and he wants answers. But it seems he’s not going to get them; the higher-ups give him direct orders to escort Briar to a safe house and stay with her while they do some digging around and try to find out who shot her and get to the bottom of what’s going on.
But what’s going on turns out to be bigger and more deadly than either of them at first thought, as news reaches them of the sudden and unexplained deaths of a number of agents and informants Briar had recently been in contact with. Someone is setting her up to take a pretty big fall – but who, and why?
The who is revealed fairly early on, as we get a few chapters told from the villain’s PoV, but that doesn’t detract from the overall impact of the story. Matt and Briar are forced to go on the run when their location is discovered, and what follows is an exciting race against time as the couple try to stay ahead of their enemies while unravelling the web of lies and deceit into which they have fallen. Briar is a kick-ass heroine; supremely capable and good at what she does, she is no damsel in distress and is more than up to pulling her weight in a fight and shooting to kill. Matt is a dozen years older, a tough, experienced agent, and while his protective instincts kick in where Briar’s concerned, he admires her skill and knows she can handle herself, no matter that he wishes she didn’t have to. Her life has been lived in the shadows and she doesn’t trust easily, and I loved the way she gradually comes to let Matt in and to trust him. They have great chemistry, which goes some way to lending their quickly moving relationship a degree of credibility. (The events of the book span less than a week). One thing I found incredibly refreshing was Matt’s attitude towards life and love, a complete contrast to so many romance heroes who have loved, lost and decided ‘never again’ because they don’t want to risk that sort of hurt again. Matt is different; he has learned from the experience and is determined never to take anything for granted and to pay more attention to his relationship and his partner. Losing his wife suddenly some years earlier “taught me to always live in the moment, never pass up the opportunity to tell someone I care.” And he doesn’t. He lets Briar know how he feels, even though their future is uncertain, and I absolutely loved that about him.
Jeffrey Kafer is an extremely experienced narrator with an amazing 500+ titles to his credit at Audible in a wide variety of genres, including non-fiction, science fiction and mysteries. This is the first time I’ve listened to him and I enjoyed his performance overall, although I did have a few small issues with it. Mr. Kafer’s voice is rich and deep, which makes it ideal to portray someone like Matt – a mature man (he’s forty-one), who is capable and confident in himself and his abilities. His pacing is perhaps a little on the slow side, but not so much as to be problematic, and although he differentiates well between characters of the opposite sex, there were a few times I needed the aid of dialogue tags to clarify who was speaking. This happened mostly at the beginning, however, when Matt is with his team and there are several male characters conversing in quick succession – but as most of the story features just Matt and Briar, it isn’t too much of a problem. When it comes to portraying the female characters, Mr. Kafer doesn’t raise the pitch of his voice too much; rather, he adopts a softer timbre and makes a slight alteration to his manner of delivery, which works well.
Picking up Disavowed on the off chance proved to be a good decision. The characters are likeable, the story is tightly written and well put together, and while the romance is perhaps a bit rushed, the author manages to create a strong connection between the leads which helps sell it. Jeffrey Kafer’s narration is a good fit for the story, and I’m certainly interested in listening to more books in the series.
January 7, 2016
The fourth book in the Hostage Rescue Team series by Kaylea Cross. Commander of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, Matt Deluca lost his wife years ago and has never really gotten over her. Until now. B, or Briar Jones, as he now discovers, is an assassin for the government and someone is apparently setting her up as a rogue agent. She now has a hit on her and its up to Matt to keep her safe.
There is a slight age difference of 12 years between the main characters. Thankfully, the author didn't make it too much of an issue like some do. I enjoyed it and think it was a good addition to the series.
There is a slight age difference of 12 years between the main characters. Thankfully, the author didn't make it too much of an issue like some do. I enjoyed it and think it was a good addition to the series.
December 20, 2015
In the last book I was intrigued by B, who seemed to have skills that matched the HRT guys. So when she showed up, firmly in the path of Matt and his HRT team, I knew we were up for an interesting ride with this book.
I really hate it when "bad" people go after "good" ones and manipulate things to make the good look bad and that was the heart of this one. It was nice that Briar had the support of Matt, that they were able to team up to figure out what was going on and go after the bad guy. The HEA for Briar was great on so many levels, she got the guy and a new life.
I really hate it when "bad" people go after "good" ones and manipulate things to make the good look bad and that was the heart of this one. It was nice that Briar had the support of Matt, that they were able to team up to figure out what was going on and go after the bad guy. The HEA for Briar was great on so many levels, she got the guy and a new life.
January 14, 2015
I absolutely loved this book!! There is action from beginning to end. The characters are amazing. This series get better with every book. I highly recommend this book and series!!
April 19, 2017
An ok read with just an ok storyline and ok leading couple. Get the trend here this book was OK! I didn't really connect with the leading H/h. There was just something not captivating about them, I had to push myself through this book. The last half to end of this book was were it really became good but for the most part it just seemed hum drum! Here's hoping the next book is better entertainment or I might take a break from this author for awhile.
July 29, 2020
2020 audio reread.... Ditto below, still just as awesome.
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Disavowed is absolutely amazing!!!
Kaylea Cross again knocked her book out of the park by giving us the perfect mix of romance, adventure, sexy times, and suspense. She had me sobbing by the middle of the prologue and kept me intensely hooked with the Bourne-type adventures B and Matt lived through.
2nd chance romances have to be written *just so* in order for me to fall in love with them
Also, if you've read her Titanium series, you'll love seeing how the guys show up and help save the day!! Sigh, Sean! Love you, man!!
Awesome storytelling by an amazing author! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and honestly, it can't be written and on my kindle fast enough! haha!
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Disavowed is absolutely amazing!!!
Kaylea Cross again knocked her book out of the park by giving us the perfect mix of romance, adventure, sexy times, and suspense. She had me sobbing by the middle of the prologue and kept me intensely hooked with the Bourne-type adventures B and Matt lived through.
2nd chance romances have to be written *just so* in order for me to fall in love with them
Also, if you've read her Titanium series, you'll love seeing how the guys show up and help save the day!! Sigh, Sean! Love you, man!!
Awesome storytelling by an amazing author! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and honestly, it can't be written and on my kindle fast enough! haha!
January 11, 2015
4 DeLuca Stars! Full review to come, but while I liked it and the chemistry was smoking, the apprehension of the main suspect was anti-climatic to me
September 27, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this entry in the series!
March 5, 2015
The opening broke my heart and made me cry even knowing it was 4 years before the story starts.
On instinct her grabbed her hand, laced their fingers together and placed them atop her softly curved abdomen where their child lay tucked inside her. Gone. They were both gone now. Forever. It broke him.
Then, lines like this made me laugh
She was flying her control freak flag high and proud and refused to apologize for it.
“Come on, boss, that’s actually kinda hot,” Schroder said on a laugh. “All one-hundred-and-thirty pounds of her took him down to protect you. It’s sweet.”
Matt & Briar get each other so well even though they have only known each other a short time.
“People say the dumbest things after something like that, don’t they? ‘They’re in a better place’, or ‘it’ll get easier’ or something else just as stupid.”
They did. “I guess because they don’t know what else to say.”
A slight frown creased her forehead. “It doesn’t really get easier, though, does it? You just kind of learn to…cope with it better as time goes on. It doesn’t go away, it only becomes less sharp, that’s all.” She glanced up at him, her dark eyes haunted.
Matt tightened his hold on the spoon and gripped the edge of the counter-top with his free hand to keep from reaching for hers. Holding her gaze, he nodded.
“That’s exactly how it is.”
She understood what he felt far better than he’d imagined.
“You asked me if there was anyone else I can trust.”
He turned back to her, waited. Looking straight into his eyes, she gave him a nod that was full of respect. “I trust you.”
The simple statement slammed into Matt’s chest like a punch. He knew what a rarity it was, for her to believe in someone else, to trust them, and how much it took for her to say it. Her trust in him was his undoing.
Then their connection heats up.....
He curved his palm around the side of her face, driven by the need to protect, to imprint his touch on her body. “You don’t have to do this on your own anymore,” he murmured. Briar held his gaze for a long moment before turning her face into his palm in a nuzzling motion and closing her eyes. Accepting both his touch and his protection. Something squeezed in his chest. Sweetheart, you’re mine. The thought came from the most primal part of his brain, raising the hairs on the backs of his arms. She was his and he wanted her to know it. Matt reached back with one foot and closed the door fully. Keeping his hand on her face, he leaned down and covered that tempting mouth with his.
With a silent groan he pulled back and searched her eyes. They were hot with desire, a little glazed, and all he’d done was kiss her. Shit, his objectivity on this protective detail was shot to hell and he didn’t even care that he could face disciplinary actions for helping her from this point forward. “I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.”
Her answering smile was warm, and full of pure, smug confidence. “I won’t let anyone hurt you either.” The sassy response pulled a chuckle out of him, though he had no doubt she could back it up. That was new and surprisingly sexy. He lowered his hand, immediately mourning the loss of touching her skin. “Let’s make that call before I lose my head and get you naked on this desk.” Her eyes flared and she licked her lips.
“Maybe you can do that when this is all over.”
Maybe? No maybe about it. “Oh, honey, that’s a promise.”
When she finally released his hands and cradled his face between her palms to keep kissing him as though she never wanted to stop, he felt his heart wave its little white flag in surrender. He was done for, and was man enough to admit it to himself. But not to her, not yet, because he had a feeling it would make her bolt. All he knew was, he was staying at her side throughout the rest of this, no matter what happened, and then he wanted her.
They have similar experiences and can joke with each other too.
“Maybe we’ll have a contest someday.”
“I’m up for that.”
“As long as your ego can handle losing to me.”
He arched a brow. “Pretty sure of yourself.”
“Yep. And I’m still active, unlike you,” she teased, feeling freer and more alive than she had in forever. “Shooting’s a perishable skill. Not sure how you’d do against me on a range now that you drive a desk for a living.” Chuckling, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her softly on the mouth. “I can hit any target I set my sights on, sweetheart,” he said, gliding his hand over her rear in a caress meant to underscore that he’d set his sights on her.
I love being in your crosshairs, she thought, parting her lips for him, sinking into the kiss.
Matt has learned from his regrets from his marriage too. I love that he can acknowledge this and still show love & respect for his dead wife, while also moving on finally.
A million little things. Being more affectionate. Putting more effort into our marriage. Telling and showing her I loved her more often. Sending little texts for no reason except to let her know I was thinking of her. Buy her flowers because I knew how much she loved them, take her dancing even though it’s not my thing. Just ways to show her what she meant to me, that she mattered. She put up with me and my crazy training and work schedule and hardly ever complained that she was alone so much. I owed her more than what I gave her, but it took me losing her to recognize it. I got lazy, and if I could go back and do it all over again, that’s what I’d change.”
Oh…wow. His words left her speechless. Most people lived their whole lives without ever gaining that insight and maturity.
“But I also learned another important lesson.” When she didn’t respond he continued. “Losing her was so sudden and unexpected, it taught me to always live in the moment, never pass up the opportunity to tell someone I care.” His thumb moved across the back of her hand in a slow caress, sending sparks up her arm. “I care about you, Briar. A lot. And I want to see where things go between us once this is all over.”
“You know the real reason why I yelled at you after, right?”
“You were worried about me.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the only reason.” He sighed. “I’ve already lost one woman who meant the world to me and I didn’t want it to happen again.”
Briar stopped stroking his chest and tilted her head back to look at him, even though she probably couldn’t see much of his face in the near darkness.
“So if I tend to be overprotective of you sometimes, that’s why. I can’t control it. I’m sure as hell not going to apologize for it.”
“I feel the same way about you.”
Good book!
On instinct her grabbed her hand, laced their fingers together and placed them atop her softly curved abdomen where their child lay tucked inside her. Gone. They were both gone now. Forever. It broke him.
Then, lines like this made me laugh
She was flying her control freak flag high and proud and refused to apologize for it.
“Come on, boss, that’s actually kinda hot,” Schroder said on a laugh. “All one-hundred-and-thirty pounds of her took him down to protect you. It’s sweet.”
Matt & Briar get each other so well even though they have only known each other a short time.
“People say the dumbest things after something like that, don’t they? ‘They’re in a better place’, or ‘it’ll get easier’ or something else just as stupid.”
They did. “I guess because they don’t know what else to say.”
A slight frown creased her forehead. “It doesn’t really get easier, though, does it? You just kind of learn to…cope with it better as time goes on. It doesn’t go away, it only becomes less sharp, that’s all.” She glanced up at him, her dark eyes haunted.
Matt tightened his hold on the spoon and gripped the edge of the counter-top with his free hand to keep from reaching for hers. Holding her gaze, he nodded.
“That’s exactly how it is.”
She understood what he felt far better than he’d imagined.
“You asked me if there was anyone else I can trust.”
He turned back to her, waited. Looking straight into his eyes, she gave him a nod that was full of respect. “I trust you.”
The simple statement slammed into Matt’s chest like a punch. He knew what a rarity it was, for her to believe in someone else, to trust them, and how much it took for her to say it. Her trust in him was his undoing.
Then their connection heats up.....
He curved his palm around the side of her face, driven by the need to protect, to imprint his touch on her body. “You don’t have to do this on your own anymore,” he murmured. Briar held his gaze for a long moment before turning her face into his palm in a nuzzling motion and closing her eyes. Accepting both his touch and his protection. Something squeezed in his chest. Sweetheart, you’re mine. The thought came from the most primal part of his brain, raising the hairs on the backs of his arms. She was his and he wanted her to know it. Matt reached back with one foot and closed the door fully. Keeping his hand on her face, he leaned down and covered that tempting mouth with his.
With a silent groan he pulled back and searched her eyes. They were hot with desire, a little glazed, and all he’d done was kiss her. Shit, his objectivity on this protective detail was shot to hell and he didn’t even care that he could face disciplinary actions for helping her from this point forward. “I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.”
Her answering smile was warm, and full of pure, smug confidence. “I won’t let anyone hurt you either.” The sassy response pulled a chuckle out of him, though he had no doubt she could back it up. That was new and surprisingly sexy. He lowered his hand, immediately mourning the loss of touching her skin. “Let’s make that call before I lose my head and get you naked on this desk.” Her eyes flared and she licked her lips.
“Maybe you can do that when this is all over.”
Maybe? No maybe about it. “Oh, honey, that’s a promise.”
When she finally released his hands and cradled his face between her palms to keep kissing him as though she never wanted to stop, he felt his heart wave its little white flag in surrender. He was done for, and was man enough to admit it to himself. But not to her, not yet, because he had a feeling it would make her bolt. All he knew was, he was staying at her side throughout the rest of this, no matter what happened, and then he wanted her.
They have similar experiences and can joke with each other too.
“Maybe we’ll have a contest someday.”
“I’m up for that.”
“As long as your ego can handle losing to me.”
He arched a brow. “Pretty sure of yourself.”
“Yep. And I’m still active, unlike you,” she teased, feeling freer and more alive than she had in forever. “Shooting’s a perishable skill. Not sure how you’d do against me on a range now that you drive a desk for a living.” Chuckling, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her softly on the mouth. “I can hit any target I set my sights on, sweetheart,” he said, gliding his hand over her rear in a caress meant to underscore that he’d set his sights on her.
I love being in your crosshairs, she thought, parting her lips for him, sinking into the kiss.
Matt has learned from his regrets from his marriage too. I love that he can acknowledge this and still show love & respect for his dead wife, while also moving on finally.
A million little things. Being more affectionate. Putting more effort into our marriage. Telling and showing her I loved her more often. Sending little texts for no reason except to let her know I was thinking of her. Buy her flowers because I knew how much she loved them, take her dancing even though it’s not my thing. Just ways to show her what she meant to me, that she mattered. She put up with me and my crazy training and work schedule and hardly ever complained that she was alone so much. I owed her more than what I gave her, but it took me losing her to recognize it. I got lazy, and if I could go back and do it all over again, that’s what I’d change.”
Oh…wow. His words left her speechless. Most people lived their whole lives without ever gaining that insight and maturity.
“But I also learned another important lesson.” When she didn’t respond he continued. “Losing her was so sudden and unexpected, it taught me to always live in the moment, never pass up the opportunity to tell someone I care.” His thumb moved across the back of her hand in a slow caress, sending sparks up her arm. “I care about you, Briar. A lot. And I want to see where things go between us once this is all over.”
“You know the real reason why I yelled at you after, right?”
“You were worried about me.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the only reason.” He sighed. “I’ve already lost one woman who meant the world to me and I didn’t want it to happen again.”
Briar stopped stroking his chest and tilted her head back to look at him, even though she probably couldn’t see much of his face in the near darkness.
“So if I tend to be overprotective of you sometimes, that’s why. I can’t control it. I’m sure as hell not going to apologize for it.”
“I feel the same way about you.”
Good book!
July 1, 2019
I have read Kaylea Cross's books for a few years now and I have got to say that she just keeps getting better and better. In Disavowed we are treated to a twist on the assassin genre in that the assassin is a woman. I loved how both the hero and heroine are people with disappointments in their past and the high walls to keep it from happening again, yet just click with each other and become not only lovers, but a great team.
Briar Jones is a CIA assassin, one of several women who were trained from childhood to carry out top secret, off the books operations. Her personal life is nonexistent and that's by choice after being betrayed by someone she thought she loved. Her last two operations have gone a little off when secret information is leaked and her informants were killed. She has the itch that something is going very, very wrong and she is a target in more ways than one. She doesn't want or need a partner, but she can't seem to shake the very hot Hostage Rescue Team leader who seem to have attached himself to her.
Matt DeLuca lost his wife tragically and has closed himself off to any other relationships except for those with his team. Now he finds himself in the middle of a situation with a beautiful, sexy assassin who is the first woman he has had feelings for in ten years. She is being hunted and he is not about to let her die before they can see if what they have is really love.
Briar Jones is a CIA assassin, one of several women who were trained from childhood to carry out top secret, off the books operations. Her personal life is nonexistent and that's by choice after being betrayed by someone she thought she loved. Her last two operations have gone a little off when secret information is leaked and her informants were killed. She has the itch that something is going very, very wrong and she is a target in more ways than one. She doesn't want or need a partner, but she can't seem to shake the very hot Hostage Rescue Team leader who seem to have attached himself to her.
Matt DeLuca lost his wife tragically and has closed himself off to any other relationships except for those with his team. Now he finds himself in the middle of a situation with a beautiful, sexy assassin who is the first woman he has had feelings for in ten years. She is being hunted and he is not about to let her die before they can see if what they have is really love.
August 7, 2021
DISAVOWED introduces Briar and the Valkyrie Project, a special CIA training program for female assassins. Briar is one badass woman and she's not afraid to take on anything that comes her way. Of course, she also has a hard time trusting others and lives most of her life alone because it's easier than lying to people about what she does. But with Matt, Briar can be herself and Matt accepts every part of her. I really liked Matt and Briar together though I have to give a minor complaint that they trust each other really fast considering the circumstances. I would have liked a little more tension over that part of their relationship but it was a minor thing. Together, Matt and Briar make a great couple and I really enjoyed their journey as well as seeing the Titanium Security Team again.
Content Warning: Prologue shows the death of the Hero's first wife (can be skipped if needed)
Content Warning: Prologue shows the death of the Hero's first wife (can be skipped if needed)
February 2, 2015
4.5 stars
Probably my favorite of the series. I loved everything about this one! Matt and Briar were so well suited for each other and their chemistry was absolutely blazing. I really enjoyed how Matt was so affectionate and tender with Briar, even though she was a badass. She absolutely flourished under his attention and I really liked that she let herself be vulnerable with him.
Loved the appearance of some other characters from another series Ms. Cross writes- great crossover! Cannot wait for more from this series!
Probably my favorite of the series. I loved everything about this one! Matt and Briar were so well suited for each other and their chemistry was absolutely blazing. I really enjoyed how Matt was so affectionate and tender with Briar, even though she was a badass. She absolutely flourished under his attention and I really liked that she let herself be vulnerable with him.
Loved the appearance of some other characters from another series Ms. Cross writes- great crossover! Cannot wait for more from this series!
August 23, 2016
I think it's the volume I preferred in the series. The hero is really understanding, protective without being overbearing. The heroine is strong, emotionally closed but she opens quite fast to the hero. The plot is interesting, and I liked that they're not afraid to ask for help. The only things I regret is that we don't see much the other HRT members, and I thought the feelings evolve too fast.
Now I'm intrigued by the Valkyrie program, and I hope we'll learn more about it.
Now I'm intrigued by the Valkyrie program, and I hope we'll learn more about it.
April 16, 2019
This was a fun one. Matt and Briar met in the third book in the series so yeah, we knew that this book would be their story. Matt, the commanding officer of the HRT team, had lost his wife in a tragic accident a few years ago and had yet to meet a woman he felt ready to move on with. Briar, an excellent "hit woman" for an off-shoot operation of the CIA, spent her life alone. That is until she was framed for killing some of the agency's assets and had been disavowed. Matt's gut told him that she was innocent and set about helping her to clear her name, all while this story's bad guy sent more hit men after her - to eliminate her as well as those close to her.
Now anyone that reads romantic suspense novels like I do knew that Matt and Briar would fall in love while under these stressful circumstances but that's part of the fun. Briar is a strong character and given her line of work she was more than capable of holding her own and going after the guys trying to take her out. Naturally this was something Matt struggled with as his protective nature wanted her to let him take the lead.
In the end, her name was cleared and Briar and Matt fell into domestic love with each other. One thing I do like about these types of novels is that the reader knows who the bad guy is. That way we don't have to spend time trying to figure it out and instead just enjoy the story - knowing that it will all work out in the end. We're also given little hints as to who the next novel will focus on. My bet is on Nate. Let's find out...
Now anyone that reads romantic suspense novels like I do knew that Matt and Briar would fall in love while under these stressful circumstances but that's part of the fun. Briar is a strong character and given her line of work she was more than capable of holding her own and going after the guys trying to take her out. Naturally this was something Matt struggled with as his protective nature wanted her to let him take the lead.
In the end, her name was cleared and Briar and Matt fell into domestic love with each other. One thing I do like about these types of novels is that the reader knows who the bad guy is. That way we don't have to spend time trying to figure it out and instead just enjoy the story - knowing that it will all work out in the end. We're also given little hints as to who the next novel will focus on. My bet is on Nate. Let's find out...
May 18, 2021
This was fun! I appreciate that Cross manages to make a book feel like a romp even though she's writing about terrorism and assassins and stuff. I know there are people who read romance about these topics and want them to be serious and suspenseful, but if I'm honest, that's just not me. I read romance as a form of escapism, and I prefer that escapism to be a little light/fun. That doesn't mean this book/her other books are goofy, they aren't, they just feel a little lighter.
I really liked Briar and Matt. They made sense to me but they were definitely a little insta lovey. So if that's something you hate, know that going in. But Cross still managed to make it believable. The overall story was interesting, though definitely a bit hard to believe. Would recommend, 3.5 stars rounded up.
I really liked Briar and Matt. They made sense to me but they were definitely a little insta lovey. So if that's something you hate, know that going in. But Cross still managed to make it believable. The overall story was interesting, though definitely a bit hard to believe. Would recommend, 3.5 stars rounded up.
September 7, 2018
OOOh I love it when I come into a very well established series with lots of books to catch up on, that is my idea of pure bliss. The moment B was introduced to this series I was eaten with curiosity to find out more about her and I just knew she and Matt would make the pages sizzle. And boy did they make the pages sizzle.
I enjoyed every bit of this story, the suspense is edge of your seat and wonderfully fast paced, the romance both incredibly hot as well as sweet and wonderfully delightful.
And I love the little teaser inside the story of who's up next and the little insights into their mindset.
I enjoyed every bit of this story, the suspense is edge of your seat and wonderfully fast paced, the romance both incredibly hot as well as sweet and wonderfully delightful.
And I love the little teaser inside the story of who's up next and the little insights into their mindset.
August 2, 2021
I am really on the fence with this book.
I am not sure how I feel about Matt as I found him to be lacking in many areas.
Firstly, I was really unsure about him still wearing his wedding ring and carrying around his late wife's photo. It was as if he is not yet ready to move on and he was not as invested in their relationship the way Briar was.
I was also expecting a real badass hero in Matt but he never showed up.
Briar on the other hand was bad ass, and I liked that about her.
The writing was good but the plot was weak.
It was a forgettable read once done!
I am not sure how I feel about Matt as I found him to be lacking in many areas.
Firstly, I was really unsure about him still wearing his wedding ring and carrying around his late wife's photo. It was as if he is not yet ready to move on and he was not as invested in their relationship the way Briar was.
I was also expecting a real badass hero in Matt but he never showed up.
Briar on the other hand was bad ass, and I liked that about her.
The writing was good but the plot was weak.
It was a forgettable read once done!
February 1, 2024
Breaking free
Briar and Matt. Well developed and engaging from the beginning. I am backtracking in the world bc I read about the Vengeance series first and now am looking for Briar, Georgia and Trinity story! Briar and Matt face multiple unfriendlies and danger with each turn. Many friends and connections try to help with some loss of life and surprises regarding friend vs foe. The friendship between two of the three women is strong and Georgia is kind. Of an outlier. I am even more interested in their stories and of course more with Alex!
Briar and Matt. Well developed and engaging from the beginning. I am backtracking in the world bc I read about the Vengeance series first and now am looking for Briar, Georgia and Trinity story! Briar and Matt face multiple unfriendlies and danger with each turn. Many friends and connections try to help with some loss of life and surprises regarding friend vs foe. The friendship between two of the three women is strong and Georgia is kind. Of an outlier. I am even more interested in their stories and of course more with Alex!
May 16, 2017
I have a real problem focusing with this book. I kept nodding off and gotten distracted. It happened for so many days, I decided to sit myself down and get this book over with.
I skim and skip all the way to the end, but I couldn't focus on the details. All I know is bad guys are dead and good guys won. Everybody is happy at the end and hero and heroine is happy.
There is nothing really wrong with the writing, it's simply that this book just isn't my cup of tea.
I skim and skip all the way to the end, but I couldn't focus on the details. All I know is bad guys are dead and good guys won. Everybody is happy at the end and hero and heroine is happy.
There is nothing really wrong with the writing, it's simply that this book just isn't my cup of tea.
October 6, 2018
I loved this second chance romance. I love a heroin that can hold her own in and out of the bedroom. Matt has lost the love of his life and has sworn off women. Briar lost her parents at a young age and has trust issues. The two meet while Matt is on a mission. When her "Company" wants her dead, she has no choice but to trust Matt. Can they find who wants her dead before it's too late? This book is action packed, full of suspense and some HOT sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2023
Briar and Matt. Loved it!!!!!!
So Briar is a CIA assassin. Trained from a very young age. She gets caught in a deadly web of arms deals and murder. Her only hope is Matt DeLuca. HRT team leader. They go on the run with deadly assassins on their heels. Finally pulling in an old friend, Alex Rycroft. Together they bring down the bad guys. While each recovering from devastating losses they find love and hope.
So Briar is a CIA assassin. Trained from a very young age. She gets caught in a deadly web of arms deals and murder. Her only hope is Matt DeLuca. HRT team leader. They go on the run with deadly assassins on their heels. Finally pulling in an old friend, Alex Rycroft. Together they bring down the bad guys. While each recovering from devastating losses they find love and hope.
July 21, 2017
Awesome! I really like this book. For those that like thrillers, strong women and men, and alpha personalities, this really is a great combination of so many elements.
For rating and review breakdown, please feel free to read my blog review of this book at:
https://flidaisdail.blog/2017/07/14/d...
For rating and review breakdown, please feel free to read my blog review of this book at:
https://flidaisdail.blog/2017/07/14/d...
September 12, 2023
Disavowed
Great story! I loved this book. Matt finally did what I had been wondering about the whole time while reading this book in the epilogue. About time after 4 years! Also I may have missed the part where Brair had stitches removed from her hip. Silly thing to notice! Anyway as usual MS Cross is my number one favorite author. Buy this book! You will not be disappointed!!
Great story! I loved this book. Matt finally did what I had been wondering about the whole time while reading this book in the epilogue. About time after 4 years! Also I may have missed the part where Brair had stitches removed from her hip. Silly thing to notice! Anyway as usual MS Cross is my number one favorite author. Buy this book! You will not be disappointed!!
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