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Alaska Force #5
Special Ops Seduction
She's the last woman he ever wanted to see again...
After an official operation turned deadly, Jonas Crow began a new life in Grizzly Harbor with Alaska Force. But when fellow soldier Bethan Wilcox joins the group, she forces him to remember things he actively prefers to forget. That’s unforgivable enough. But now the two of them are forced together on a mission to uncover deadly secrets tied to their complicated past, and with the heat between them at a boil, forgiveness is the least of his worries...
And the only woman he needs.
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn't join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas's foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him. Thrown together in a race against the clock, they have to pretend to be a couple and play nice to throw the enemy off their scent. She knows better than to let their pretend love feel real...especially while time is running out.
Jonas has always been good at saving the world. But it’s Bethan he needs to save this time around—if she doesn’t save him first.
After an official operation turned deadly, Jonas Crow began a new life in Grizzly Harbor with Alaska Force. But when fellow soldier Bethan Wilcox joins the group, she forces him to remember things he actively prefers to forget. That’s unforgivable enough. But now the two of them are forced together on a mission to uncover deadly secrets tied to their complicated past, and with the heat between them at a boil, forgiveness is the least of his worries...
And the only woman he needs.
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn't join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas's foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him. Thrown together in a race against the clock, they have to pretend to be a couple and play nice to throw the enemy off their scent. She knows better than to let their pretend love feel real...especially while time is running out.
Jonas has always been good at saving the world. But it’s Bethan he needs to save this time around—if she doesn’t save him first.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2021
23 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Megan Crane
69 books716 followersUSA Today bestselling, multi-award-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Megan Crane has written more than 150 books and shows no sign of slowing down. She publishes contemporary romance and paranormal romance as Megan Crane (and briefly M.M. Crane) with an extensive backlist of women’s fiction, rom-coms, chick lit, and young adult novels—among other things. She’s also won a large and loyal fanbase as Caitlin Crews with Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Dare, Harlequin Historical, and contemporary cowboy books. And for Midwestern small town coziness, found families, romance, and some paranormal scariness thrown in, Megan partners with Nicole Helm to publish as Hazel Beck.
Megan has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.
You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at www.megancrane.com
Megan has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.
You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about her at www.megancrane.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
January 15, 2021
NOW LIVE
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Special Ops Seduction is my first book from Megan Crane and her Alaska Force series. I had no problem reading this book before the previous ones but it did make insanely curious about all of the characters.
Bethan was an incredibly brave and strong heroine and I loved seeing how she interacted with her team, especially Jonas. She stayed stoic, never letting him see how he affected her when he was standoffish and sometimes just downright rude to her. But as readers we got to see that he did in fact push her buttons more than she let on and the tension that came from that was amazing. It had me rooting for them to finally give in to each other and for Jonas to stop being so stubborn when it came to her.
The mix of suspense and romance was done really well in my opinion and there was never a dull moment in this story. Jonas and Bethan made me fall for their characters easily and their connection was evident on every page which sucked me in. More than that the mystery of who they were after kept me intrigued and glued to my Kindle all night long and had me dying to find out how their story would end. Overall, this was a great book and one I highly recommend reading.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Special Ops Seduction is my first book from Megan Crane and her Alaska Force series. I had no problem reading this book before the previous ones but it did make insanely curious about all of the characters.
Bethan was an incredibly brave and strong heroine and I loved seeing how she interacted with her team, especially Jonas. She stayed stoic, never letting him see how he affected her when he was standoffish and sometimes just downright rude to her. But as readers we got to see that he did in fact push her buttons more than she let on and the tension that came from that was amazing. It had me rooting for them to finally give in to each other and for Jonas to stop being so stubborn when it came to her.
The mix of suspense and romance was done really well in my opinion and there was never a dull moment in this story. Jonas and Bethan made me fall for their characters easily and their connection was evident on every page which sucked me in. More than that the mystery of who they were after kept me intrigued and glued to my Kindle all night long and had me dying to find out how their story would end. Overall, this was a great book and one I highly recommend reading.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
October 2, 2020
Ahhh Jonas. Finally melted the ice. Love this one!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think one of the reasons why I love reading this series is because the author has perfectly balanced everything that goes on in the story. There’s not too much romance. There’s not too much suspense. There’s not to much angst or issue. It’s all nicely balanced out.
The story is a great example of that. I love her characters and the two are perfectly intertwined. The silent, stern, fierce Jonas and the tough, tender, secret girlie girl Bethan.
Everything is rounded it out with splashes of humor, excitement, delicious romance with the perfect amount of heat, great action, and suspense. Ending with a beautiful wrap up that may even bring a tear or two. Jonas really pulled on my heartstrings especially as the ice slowly started melting. Sigh.
I think Special Ops Seduction is one of my favorite books in the series although they all have enduring qualities. Definitely, these books by Crane are ones to check out even if they are part of a series. I feel you can enjoy them as a standalone.
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/special-ops-...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think one of the reasons why I love reading this series is because the author has perfectly balanced everything that goes on in the story. There’s not too much romance. There’s not too much suspense. There’s not to much angst or issue. It’s all nicely balanced out.
The story is a great example of that. I love her characters and the two are perfectly intertwined. The silent, stern, fierce Jonas and the tough, tender, secret girlie girl Bethan.
Everything is rounded it out with splashes of humor, excitement, delicious romance with the perfect amount of heat, great action, and suspense. Ending with a beautiful wrap up that may even bring a tear or two. Jonas really pulled on my heartstrings especially as the ice slowly started melting. Sigh.
I think Special Ops Seduction is one of my favorite books in the series although they all have enduring qualities. Definitely, these books by Crane are ones to check out even if they are part of a series. I feel you can enjoy them as a standalone.
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/special-ops-...
February 7, 2021
I've given this a C+, 3.5 stars, at AAR
Special Ops Seduction is the fifth book in Megan Crane’s Alaska Force series of romantic suspense novels and I picked it up mostly because I’d enjoyed the previous book (Delta Force Defender) and because I liked the premise of the romance in this one – two tough-as-nails special operatives who have an uneasy history have to pose as a couple in order to gain much-needed intelligence pertinent to their current mission. Unfortunately however, the suspense plot, while quite compelling, doesn’t really get going until around three-quarters of the way into the book, the hero has as much personality as a plank of wood (which is partly intentional, but still makes him very difficult to relate to or like) and the middle section of the book is kind of all over the place and failed to hold my attention.
Bethan Wilcox is the only female member of the elite Alaska Force, which is comprised of former special forces operatives who wanted to continue to fight the good fight after they left the military. As one would expect of a former Army Ranger, she’s strong, tough and fiercely competent; a woman operating in a man’s world, Bethan works harder, longer and with more intensity and determination than anyone, conscious she can never let her guard down and compartmentalising the different sides of her personality. A fearsome hardass is the face she shows to everyone on the team; behind the locked door of her cabin home is the only place she allows herself to indulge in her softer side and be wholly herself.
Big, brooding, taciturn and deliberately unknowable, Jonas Crow is a perennial thorn in Bethan’s side. He’s one of the founding members of Alaska Force and is known for his ability to be almost invisible – in the sense that he somehow does the exact opposite of attract attention – and for being utterly implacable and completely unemotional; more machine than man. He and Bethan have a history that goes way back, well past the eighteen months she’s been with Alaska Force – a past he refuses to talk about or acknowledge, but one which clearly makes him uncomfortable (insofar as he feels any emotions about anything). I have to admit here that given the way it’s built up, I expected this history to be something incredibly shocking – but it isn’t. Bethan saved Jonas’ life following a bomb attack in the desert and kept him alive until help arrived; he apparently told her all sorts of things he now regrets saying as he drifted in and out of consciousness and – er… that’s it. He behaves like a total dick to her for eighteen months because Mr. Big, Bad ‘n’ Broody is pissed he got saved by a girl.
Moving on.
The book opens really strongly with Bethan, Jonas and other members of the team on a mission to rescue Iyara Sowande and her brother - a brilliant biochemist widely touted as the world expert on a new form of chemical warfare - and get them both well away and to a safe-house. Their mission is successful – although not without a couple of hiccups – and all goes to plan afterwards, until a few days later, they learn that the Sowandes are missing.
Here’s where the plotting gets a bit… tenuous. There are apparently five men who could either have arranged for the Sowandes to be kidnapped OR have made a deal to gain access to Tayo Sawande’s research – three high-ranking military officers and two Fortune 500 CEOs – and by a stroke of luck, all five of them are to be present at the wedding, in two weeks’ time, of Bethan’s sister, Ellen. (Bethan’s father is also a high-ranking military officer, so they’re all members of that particular Boys Club). Bethan doesn’t get on with her family and spends as little time with them as possible; her father is Air Force (she joined the Army to rebel against him), her mother disapproves of her because she’s not good at “the serious girl stuff” (telling her once that she was worried Bethan would show up at an event wearing fatigues) and her sister, well, they don’t have much of a relationship because Bethan’s hardly around. So Bethan is about to go undercover in her parent’s home – as herself. When Jonas volunteers to be her date for the week, Bethan is as surprised as everyone else.
Around half the story is taken up with the visit to Bethan’s home and the lead-up to the wedding. We – and Bethan – finally get to see a different side of Jonas, although his one-of-the-lads act is just as much of a fake persona his usual day-to-day one. He’s starting to struggle to keep his mask in place around Bethan though, and it’s not long before tempers flash and walls come tumbling down; but desperate, heated kisses and wall-banging sex aren’t enough to keep those walls from going up again almost immediately afterwards. There’s definitely chemistry between Jonas and Bethan, but their relationship is severely underdeveloped, and while I could see what Jonas saw in Bethan – her competence, her abilities, her big-heart – I was at a loss as to what Bethan saw in Jonas, other than he’s hot.
In fact the best part of that section of the story was watching Bethan reappraise her family situation and realise that perhaps she’d misread it and misread them; I was pleased she found a way she could be herself and have her family back in her life.
As I said at the beginning, the final section is where pretty much all the action is, but as with the previous book, the lead up to the HEA had me scratching my head. It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but Bethan makes an assumption that directly contradicts something she and Jonas had said to each other just hours before, and it’s such an obvious way of manufacturing a delay to the HEA that it made me really cross.
I dithered a bit over the grade for this one, because while I really liked Bethan and her journey towards reconciling with her family and realising she could have both them and her job, this is supposed to be a romantic suspense novel and neither of those elements works all that well. Jonas is one of those typically strong, silent, alpha types, but he’s almost entirely a one-note character – all about being dead inside and having no feelings and not wanting to think about Bethan in any way, shape or form. It’s like he’s TOO badass to have an actual personality, which made it hard to root for them to be together, because I couldn’t get a handle on him - and Bethan deserved better than someone who treated her like shit for years, especially considering she’d saved his life.
So I’ve reached the conclusion that while Special Ops Seduction has its good points, there aren’t enough of them - and certainly not enough of them in the romance or the suspense departments - to merit a recommendation.
Special Ops Seduction is the fifth book in Megan Crane’s Alaska Force series of romantic suspense novels and I picked it up mostly because I’d enjoyed the previous book (Delta Force Defender) and because I liked the premise of the romance in this one – two tough-as-nails special operatives who have an uneasy history have to pose as a couple in order to gain much-needed intelligence pertinent to their current mission. Unfortunately however, the suspense plot, while quite compelling, doesn’t really get going until around three-quarters of the way into the book, the hero has as much personality as a plank of wood (which is partly intentional, but still makes him very difficult to relate to or like) and the middle section of the book is kind of all over the place and failed to hold my attention.
Bethan Wilcox is the only female member of the elite Alaska Force, which is comprised of former special forces operatives who wanted to continue to fight the good fight after they left the military. As one would expect of a former Army Ranger, she’s strong, tough and fiercely competent; a woman operating in a man’s world, Bethan works harder, longer and with more intensity and determination than anyone, conscious she can never let her guard down and compartmentalising the different sides of her personality. A fearsome hardass is the face she shows to everyone on the team; behind the locked door of her cabin home is the only place she allows herself to indulge in her softer side and be wholly herself.
Big, brooding, taciturn and deliberately unknowable, Jonas Crow is a perennial thorn in Bethan’s side. He’s one of the founding members of Alaska Force and is known for his ability to be almost invisible – in the sense that he somehow does the exact opposite of attract attention – and for being utterly implacable and completely unemotional; more machine than man. He and Bethan have a history that goes way back, well past the eighteen months she’s been with Alaska Force – a past he refuses to talk about or acknowledge, but one which clearly makes him uncomfortable (insofar as he feels any emotions about anything). I have to admit here that given the way it’s built up, I expected this history to be something incredibly shocking – but it isn’t. Bethan saved Jonas’ life following a bomb attack in the desert and kept him alive until help arrived; he apparently told her all sorts of things he now regrets saying as he drifted in and out of consciousness and – er… that’s it. He behaves like a total dick to her for eighteen months because Mr. Big, Bad ‘n’ Broody is pissed he got saved by a girl.
Moving on.
The book opens really strongly with Bethan, Jonas and other members of the team on a mission to rescue Iyara Sowande and her brother - a brilliant biochemist widely touted as the world expert on a new form of chemical warfare - and get them both well away and to a safe-house. Their mission is successful – although not without a couple of hiccups – and all goes to plan afterwards, until a few days later, they learn that the Sowandes are missing.
Here’s where the plotting gets a bit… tenuous. There are apparently five men who could either have arranged for the Sowandes to be kidnapped OR have made a deal to gain access to Tayo Sawande’s research – three high-ranking military officers and two Fortune 500 CEOs – and by a stroke of luck, all five of them are to be present at the wedding, in two weeks’ time, of Bethan’s sister, Ellen. (Bethan’s father is also a high-ranking military officer, so they’re all members of that particular Boys Club). Bethan doesn’t get on with her family and spends as little time with them as possible; her father is Air Force (she joined the Army to rebel against him), her mother disapproves of her because she’s not good at “the serious girl stuff” (telling her once that she was worried Bethan would show up at an event wearing fatigues) and her sister, well, they don’t have much of a relationship because Bethan’s hardly around. So Bethan is about to go undercover in her parent’s home – as herself. When Jonas volunteers to be her date for the week, Bethan is as surprised as everyone else.
Around half the story is taken up with the visit to Bethan’s home and the lead-up to the wedding. We – and Bethan – finally get to see a different side of Jonas, although his one-of-the-lads act is just as much of a fake persona his usual day-to-day one. He’s starting to struggle to keep his mask in place around Bethan though, and it’s not long before tempers flash and walls come tumbling down; but desperate, heated kisses and wall-banging sex aren’t enough to keep those walls from going up again almost immediately afterwards. There’s definitely chemistry between Jonas and Bethan, but their relationship is severely underdeveloped, and while I could see what Jonas saw in Bethan – her competence, her abilities, her big-heart – I was at a loss as to what Bethan saw in Jonas, other than he’s hot.
In fact the best part of that section of the story was watching Bethan reappraise her family situation and realise that perhaps she’d misread it and misread them; I was pleased she found a way she could be herself and have her family back in her life.
As I said at the beginning, the final section is where pretty much all the action is, but as with the previous book, the lead up to the HEA had me scratching my head. It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but Bethan makes an assumption that directly contradicts something she and Jonas had said to each other just hours before, and it’s such an obvious way of manufacturing a delay to the HEA that it made me really cross.
I dithered a bit over the grade for this one, because while I really liked Bethan and her journey towards reconciling with her family and realising she could have both them and her job, this is supposed to be a romantic suspense novel and neither of those elements works all that well. Jonas is one of those typically strong, silent, alpha types, but he’s almost entirely a one-note character – all about being dead inside and having no feelings and not wanting to think about Bethan in any way, shape or form. It’s like he’s TOO badass to have an actual personality, which made it hard to root for them to be together, because I couldn’t get a handle on him - and Bethan deserved better than someone who treated her like shit for years, especially considering she’d saved his life.
So I’ve reached the conclusion that while Special Ops Seduction has its good points, there aren’t enough of them - and certainly not enough of them in the romance or the suspense departments - to merit a recommendation.
January 7, 2021
Railing against love….
The Alaska Force series has become one of my favourite military-esque reads. Whether it is threats to themselves or their country, these brave men and women may prefer to be off the grid but they are always front of line when danger calls…
Jonas and Bethan had complicated history. With their families, with their own relationship. Both top of their fields, smart, strong and committed to duty, watching them skirt around each other with military precision was beyond entertaining. Was it as simple as man vs woman? Maybe. But it also wasn’t easy when Bethan forced Jonas, and herself, to dig through all the layers and find out what they were scared of.
Full of action and intrigue on an international scale, once again this tight-knit band of brothers (and sisters) in arms sorted it with humour, dedication and maybe some wine… So good! ~Diane, 4.5 stars
The Alaska Force series has become one of my favourite military-esque reads. Whether it is threats to themselves or their country, these brave men and women may prefer to be off the grid but they are always front of line when danger calls…
Jonas and Bethan had complicated history. With their families, with their own relationship. Both top of their fields, smart, strong and committed to duty, watching them skirt around each other with military precision was beyond entertaining. Was it as simple as man vs woman? Maybe. But it also wasn’t easy when Bethan forced Jonas, and herself, to dig through all the layers and find out what they were scared of.
Full of action and intrigue on an international scale, once again this tight-knit band of brothers (and sisters) in arms sorted it with humour, dedication and maybe some wine… So good! ~Diane, 4.5 stars
January 12, 2021
Special Ops Seduction wowed me in a big way with some of my kryptonite: an ice cold hero who can barely engage with the heroine because of his *very* reluctant feelings for her; a nuanced, standout heroine who’s a physical powerhouse & the only female on her special ops team; fake dating (!) for the job; & a pivotal sex scene that’s an exquisite mix of steam & emotion.
I ate this one up with a spoon.
Bethan Wilcox is immensely capable. She’s worked very hard for her military & special ops accomplishments & while she loves what she does, she’s also drawn a thick line between how she comes across in public & her outrageously soft, cushy home.
If Bethan is secretly decadent, Jonas Crow is—to no one’s surprise—ascetic inside & out. He’s stoic to the extreme & afraid of having good feelings, especially when they’re sparked by Bethan.
Pretending to be a fake couple for an op really shakes them up in the best possible way.
Megan Crane really has her pulse on every emotion I wanted wrung from me with this one; when I say that this ending made me happy. Well. Jonas has denied himself for so long that when he finally reaches out I wanted to cheer. Or cry. Or both.
Sexy, thoughtful, & with leads I adored, this book is practically wrapped with a bow for all lovers of romantic suspense.
CWs:
Chemical warfare plot line. Also, the hero almost dies before the story begins & he didn’t want to be saved. There are flashbacks.
5 ⭐️. Special Ops Seduction is available now. Thanks to Berkley Publishing & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC & to Berkley for inviting me to be part of the blog blitz. All opinions provided are my own.
I ate this one up with a spoon.
Bethan Wilcox is immensely capable. She’s worked very hard for her military & special ops accomplishments & while she loves what she does, she’s also drawn a thick line between how she comes across in public & her outrageously soft, cushy home.
If Bethan is secretly decadent, Jonas Crow is—to no one’s surprise—ascetic inside & out. He’s stoic to the extreme & afraid of having good feelings, especially when they’re sparked by Bethan.
Pretending to be a fake couple for an op really shakes them up in the best possible way.
Megan Crane really has her pulse on every emotion I wanted wrung from me with this one; when I say that this ending made me happy. Well. Jonas has denied himself for so long that when he finally reaches out I wanted to cheer. Or cry. Or both.
Sexy, thoughtful, & with leads I adored, this book is practically wrapped with a bow for all lovers of romantic suspense.
CWs:
Chemical warfare plot line. Also, the hero almost dies before the story begins & he didn’t want to be saved. There are flashbacks.
5 ⭐️. Special Ops Seduction is available now. Thanks to Berkley Publishing & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC & to Berkley for inviting me to be part of the blog blitz. All opinions provided are my own.
January 15, 2021
Well, I enjoy tropes and this one made my heart sing - enemies to lovers. During an incredibly difficult operation, Jonas Crow and Bethan Wilcox were the only survivors, with Bethan having saved his life. After recovering, Jonas joined the Alaska Force team in Alaska. Eventually, Bethan also left the military and also joined Alaska Force. The two are like oil and water. However, something imminent is before them and they are forced to work together as boyfriend and girlfriend during her sister's upcoming wedding. This mission will soon change everything for them.
Things are not going to be easy for either of them. For one thing, Jonas is as prickly as a bear and the last person he wants to work closely with is Bethan. Regarding Bethan, she is only one of two women on this special team, Proving herself more than capable during Ranger School was challenging enough. Now being on the team - and working way too closely with Jonas - is a much bigger challenge.
While acting as boyfriend and girlfriend during this current mission, they must act as if they are madly in love. However, things soon transition from acting to what just might seem real, all while the danger from that mission that almost cost Jonas his life is suddenly creating very real threats right now. Will they live long enough to explore their growing feelings?
What an exciting story! Suspense, danger, romance and friendship all play equal roles in this thrilling addition to the Alaska Force series. I love the continuity that flowed through the pages of this book with other members of their team and their now significant others. I especially loved Jonas and his tough exterior and truly enjoyed watching him transform when it came to him recognizing his feelings for Bethan. This fabulous book was a great read and kept me eager to see how the danger could be resolved all while watching Jonas and Bethan find their way to happiness.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Things are not going to be easy for either of them. For one thing, Jonas is as prickly as a bear and the last person he wants to work closely with is Bethan. Regarding Bethan, she is only one of two women on this special team, Proving herself more than capable during Ranger School was challenging enough. Now being on the team - and working way too closely with Jonas - is a much bigger challenge.
While acting as boyfriend and girlfriend during this current mission, they must act as if they are madly in love. However, things soon transition from acting to what just might seem real, all while the danger from that mission that almost cost Jonas his life is suddenly creating very real threats right now. Will they live long enough to explore their growing feelings?
What an exciting story! Suspense, danger, romance and friendship all play equal roles in this thrilling addition to the Alaska Force series. I love the continuity that flowed through the pages of this book with other members of their team and their now significant others. I especially loved Jonas and his tough exterior and truly enjoyed watching him transform when it came to him recognizing his feelings for Bethan. This fabulous book was a great read and kept me eager to see how the danger could be resolved all while watching Jonas and Bethan find their way to happiness.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
January 15, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There was action and romance, which are all the things that I love to read. Jonas and Bethan have a traumatic twisted past. They are now working together again at Alaska Force, but there is tension between them that others can see and feel. You would think that this was sexual tension, but there are circumstances that happened in their past that has Jonas acting very strange. When the opportunity arises for them to team up as a couple at Bethan’s sister’s wedding, all the feelings and emotions come out; as well as their mutual attraction. Racing against the ticking time clock of a madman bent on revenge, Jonas realizes that maybe he has been holding Bethan at a distance because he has feelings for her. There were lots of twists and turns in this story, but the ending was so good. Really enjoyed reading this book.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
December 11, 2020
First off I want to say huge thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing Group , the author Megan Crane , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it. As soon as I saw the invite to this I had to say yes, because its part of one of my favorite suspense romance series, so far of this series thanks to the publishers I've read and loved books 1 (SEAL's Honor ) and book 4 ( Delta Force Defender) and i know that this one was going to be just as good, because we once again get to go back to the small town of Grizzly Harbor and get to revisit
with Alaska Force to see what their getting into . Other thing I loved was this time around we got Jonas's story and his forever happiness with his love interest Bethan .What else can I say other than it was exciting, intense, suspenseful .
with Alaska Force to see what their getting into . Other thing I loved was this time around we got Jonas's story and his forever happiness with his love interest Bethan .What else can I say other than it was exciting, intense, suspenseful .
January 4, 2021
Special Ops Seduction is the fifth novel in Megan Crane's Alaska Force series, it's the fourth book in the series I've read, and in this reader's opinion, it's the best novel in the series to date, and it gets a 5-star rating.
My complaints about the unlikable heroine's in books #3 and #4 don't apply here--I simply loved Bethan, the oldest daughter of a 4-star Air Force General, from a very wealthy family, but one who never seemed to fit into the niche her family expected. Instead, she joined the army, eventually becoming the first woman to successfully complete brutal Army Ranger training. After a mission gone horribly wrong, she managed to save the life of the only person to survive the attack on the convoy--a badly wounded Jonas Crow, whom we've met briefly in the earlier novels, and Bethan managed to keep him alive and safe until rescue arrived the next day.
Bethan applied to and was eventually accepted as a member of Alaska Force, and was surprised to discover that Jonas was already a member of the team. He sent her away as soon as he arrived at a hospital after their rescue. To say he wasn't happy to see her is putting it mildly, and he's been avoiding her and giving her the cold shoulder ever since. Bethan assumes that Jonas didn't take being rescued by a woman well, and that he can't seem to get past it, so she puts on a brave face and does her best to avoid him whenever possible. Sadly, she's strongly attracted to the taciturn man, but manages to keep it to herself, at least until Jonas volunteers to escort Bethan to her sister's wedding, as her date, since she's the maid of honor.
I've been craving more character development in the previous couple of Alaska Forced novels, and we get it in spades in this one. We learn why Jonas is as uptight and closed-off in detail, and his life before joining the military is the exact opposite of the life of privilege and elegance Bethan was born into, and the week he spends among her family, seeing their wealth, their amazing home which looks more like a luxury resort hotel, and spending time pretending to be Bethan's boyfriend forces him to be closer to Bethan than he's been in all the years since she saved his life, and his walls of resistance to her start to crumble.
In addition to the wedding festivities, other members of Alaska Force are involved in covertly studying some of the guests, since not all of them are quite what they appear to be, and what they, Bethan and Jonas soon uncover about one of the guests sets them off on as deadly and dangerous a mission as the team has yet become involved in, and when the action heats up (outside of Bethan's bedroom, that is), this novel becomes one heck of a thrilling action and suspense novel that was impossible to put down, which is why I'm writing this review at 6:00 a.m., having just finished reading it.
The life and death race to the finish of this novel was a complete mind-blower for this reader, and there was no way I could simply fall asleep with all of it (including the HEA ending) still spinning in my head--so be forewarned, this is not a novel you will soon forget, nor will you soon forget two of the most memorable characters in this series. Bravo, Megan Crane, you knocked this one right out of the park!
I voluntarily requested an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
My complaints about the unlikable heroine's in books #3 and #4 don't apply here--I simply loved Bethan, the oldest daughter of a 4-star Air Force General, from a very wealthy family, but one who never seemed to fit into the niche her family expected. Instead, she joined the army, eventually becoming the first woman to successfully complete brutal Army Ranger training. After a mission gone horribly wrong, she managed to save the life of the only person to survive the attack on the convoy--a badly wounded Jonas Crow, whom we've met briefly in the earlier novels, and Bethan managed to keep him alive and safe until rescue arrived the next day.
Bethan applied to and was eventually accepted as a member of Alaska Force, and was surprised to discover that Jonas was already a member of the team. He sent her away as soon as he arrived at a hospital after their rescue. To say he wasn't happy to see her is putting it mildly, and he's been avoiding her and giving her the cold shoulder ever since. Bethan assumes that Jonas didn't take being rescued by a woman well, and that he can't seem to get past it, so she puts on a brave face and does her best to avoid him whenever possible. Sadly, she's strongly attracted to the taciturn man, but manages to keep it to herself, at least until Jonas volunteers to escort Bethan to her sister's wedding, as her date, since she's the maid of honor.
I've been craving more character development in the previous couple of Alaska Forced novels, and we get it in spades in this one. We learn why Jonas is as uptight and closed-off in detail, and his life before joining the military is the exact opposite of the life of privilege and elegance Bethan was born into, and the week he spends among her family, seeing their wealth, their amazing home which looks more like a luxury resort hotel, and spending time pretending to be Bethan's boyfriend forces him to be closer to Bethan than he's been in all the years since she saved his life, and his walls of resistance to her start to crumble.
In addition to the wedding festivities, other members of Alaska Force are involved in covertly studying some of the guests, since not all of them are quite what they appear to be, and what they, Bethan and Jonas soon uncover about one of the guests sets them off on as deadly and dangerous a mission as the team has yet become involved in, and when the action heats up (outside of Bethan's bedroom, that is), this novel becomes one heck of a thrilling action and suspense novel that was impossible to put down, which is why I'm writing this review at 6:00 a.m., having just finished reading it.
The life and death race to the finish of this novel was a complete mind-blower for this reader, and there was no way I could simply fall asleep with all of it (including the HEA ending) still spinning in my head--so be forewarned, this is not a novel you will soon forget, nor will you soon forget two of the most memorable characters in this series. Bravo, Megan Crane, you knocked this one right out of the park!
I voluntarily requested an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
January 12, 2021
Once again, Megan Crane has crafted a romantic suspense novel that that kept me on the edge of my seat while also giving me the heart-tugging emotion my romantic heart desires. For you adrenaline junkies, don't worry, there's plenty of heart-clenching action, suspense, and danger in this one. But it's expertly balanced with an emotionally-satisfying relationship that is by no means a given. These two have a lot of issues to work through.
I loved the dynamic between Bethan and Jonas. Two kick-ass members of Alaska Force, they are, literally, lethal weapons. They are also complex people with a history that colors their current relationship, such as it is. Even though they're teammates, they are neither friends nor lovers. In fact, they (especially Jonas) avoid one another as much as possible. So what does Crane do to them? Why, she throws them into an undercover operation at Bethan's family wedding, posing as a couple, with national security at risk, of course. I mean, really, what could go wrong?
Special Ops Seduction is another page-turner that I did not want to put down. The suspense gets more intense with each chapter, eliciting gasps, hand wringing, and, at one point, actual begging to please allow the characters to find a way out of their predicament. As a counterpoint to that, we have the gradually changing romantic relationship between Jonas and Bethan as well as an individual growth arc for each of them. There is much healing that needs to occur before they can claim happiness together. I enjoyed the dichotomy between the highly trained soldier, ready to kill to protect their country and the soft, squishy, center they ultimately discover they each hold for the other. I also appreciated the fact that the author gave them the necessary time to reconcile these two halves of themselves. The secondary cast provide humor, tension, complex family relationships, and a truly evil villain with a diabolical plan...and an unexpected connection to our hero and heroine. Crane did an exceptional job of weaving the many, seemingly disparate, threads of this story into a compelling journey with breath-stealing and life-threatening surprises around every corner and I was there for every single bit of it.
I don't know what Megan Crane has planned next but, after reading the Alaska Force series, you can bet it will be on my must-buy list.
*ARC received for fair and unbiased review
I loved the dynamic between Bethan and Jonas. Two kick-ass members of Alaska Force, they are, literally, lethal weapons. They are also complex people with a history that colors their current relationship, such as it is. Even though they're teammates, they are neither friends nor lovers. In fact, they (especially Jonas) avoid one another as much as possible. So what does Crane do to them? Why, she throws them into an undercover operation at Bethan's family wedding, posing as a couple, with national security at risk, of course. I mean, really, what could go wrong?
Special Ops Seduction is another page-turner that I did not want to put down. The suspense gets more intense with each chapter, eliciting gasps, hand wringing, and, at one point, actual begging to please allow the characters to find a way out of their predicament. As a counterpoint to that, we have the gradually changing romantic relationship between Jonas and Bethan as well as an individual growth arc for each of them. There is much healing that needs to occur before they can claim happiness together. I enjoyed the dichotomy between the highly trained soldier, ready to kill to protect their country and the soft, squishy, center they ultimately discover they each hold for the other. I also appreciated the fact that the author gave them the necessary time to reconcile these two halves of themselves. The secondary cast provide humor, tension, complex family relationships, and a truly evil villain with a diabolical plan...and an unexpected connection to our hero and heroine. Crane did an exceptional job of weaving the many, seemingly disparate, threads of this story into a compelling journey with breath-stealing and life-threatening surprises around every corner and I was there for every single bit of it.
I don't know what Megan Crane has planned next but, after reading the Alaska Force series, you can bet it will be on my must-buy list.
*ARC received for fair and unbiased review
January 14, 2021
This one was just ok for me. I didn't really care for Jonus and how he treated Bethan. Even when he changed I had a hard time buying it. I liked Bethan a bit better, but she often came off as cold. I know a lot of that had to do with her being a Ranger, one of the few woman ones and having to deal with guys who think women have no business being in that part of the military. While I hated how she hid so much of herself, I loved that her house was the real her, where she let herself be a girl. I especially loved it when at the end of the book she started letting people and they were able to see the real her.
The drama at the wedding was meh...glad Bethan was able to finally enjoy her family and see things maybe weren't what she thought.
The other drama with the scientist was a bit more interesting. I was glad things didn't end up bad and that Bethan and Jonus were able to put a bad part of their past to bed.
The drama at the wedding was meh...glad Bethan was able to finally enjoy her family and see things maybe weren't what she thought.
The other drama with the scientist was a bit more interesting. I was glad things didn't end up bad and that Bethan and Jonus were able to put a bad part of their past to bed.
January 22, 2021
Special Ops Seduction is the fifth book in Megan Crane’s Alaska Force series. And what a seduction it was! I was sucked in and seduced to the point where I just couldn’t put it down. Jonas and Bethan were complex, intriguing characters. I loved Bethan’s secret girlie lair where no-one else was allowed. And it was a glorious pleasure to watch Jonas slowly unravel. The growing attraction just waiting to explode, combined with a suspenseful plot, made this a very exciting read.
I can highly recommend it if you’re a fan of romantic suspense. It’s not necessary to read the books in order.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 22, 2021
Review posted on Got Fiction? Book Blog
This Alaska Force novel has reaffirmed my love of this series. Bethan is an amazing soldier. She’s one of the very few women who have been through Army Ranger school. Jonas doesn’t have a problem with women in combat. But he does have a problem with Bethan being on the Alaska Force team. He won’t tell anyone what it is, least of all Bethan. He’d rather they all think he’s a sexist pig, than tell his teammates what his actual problem is.
When a mission goes…well not wrong, but not right, the team focuses on figuring out why the op was “too easy.” Their main suspects? Luckily will all be at the wedding of the year in California…Bethan’s sister’s wedding. So she and Jonas go undercover as themselves…but not. Jonas is funny, charming, and the perfect boyfriend. Nothing like he is at home. Bethan had known he was good undercover, but this was beyond what she’d expected. She has to force herself to remember that Jonas isn’t actually her boyfriend.
Bethan’s father is a general and the main suspects are all his cronies. So while this wedding was the perfect excuse to investigate without seeming like they are, it’s also the perfect place to plan an attack. There are a lot of higher-ups in one place. Jonas and Bethan are certain one of them is the villain, but are worried about what could happen if they can’t find him. Except that they are able to clear all of their suspects leaving Jonas and Bethan back at square one. Until something pops up changing the entire course of their investigation.
Heading back to Alaska to regroup, Bethan and Jonas finally get to the bottom of both their attraction, and his seeming anger at her. Bethan and Jonas had met before Alaska Force. In fact Bethan had saved Jonas’ life. (small spoiler) His true problem with her is that he’d been vulnerable with her once. He is truly the stoic and silent type, but she makes him feel. And he doesn’t know how to handle that. He knows war, he knows training. He knows absolutely nothing about love.
I���ve really enjoyed this series and one of the things I love the most is how each character is very different from the others she writes. Each book has different challenges, each character has different life experiences, and yet this author never sacrifices plot. She creates character driven romance while still keeping the book interesting and suspenseful.
If you want an exciting romantic suspense with unique characters and well-written plots, this series is for you. I’ve enjoyed every book so far, and I look forward to her next one.
***Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley
This Alaska Force novel has reaffirmed my love of this series. Bethan is an amazing soldier. She’s one of the very few women who have been through Army Ranger school. Jonas doesn’t have a problem with women in combat. But he does have a problem with Bethan being on the Alaska Force team. He won’t tell anyone what it is, least of all Bethan. He’d rather they all think he’s a sexist pig, than tell his teammates what his actual problem is.
When a mission goes…well not wrong, but not right, the team focuses on figuring out why the op was “too easy.” Their main suspects? Luckily will all be at the wedding of the year in California…Bethan’s sister’s wedding. So she and Jonas go undercover as themselves…but not. Jonas is funny, charming, and the perfect boyfriend. Nothing like he is at home. Bethan had known he was good undercover, but this was beyond what she’d expected. She has to force herself to remember that Jonas isn’t actually her boyfriend.
Bethan’s father is a general and the main suspects are all his cronies. So while this wedding was the perfect excuse to investigate without seeming like they are, it’s also the perfect place to plan an attack. There are a lot of higher-ups in one place. Jonas and Bethan are certain one of them is the villain, but are worried about what could happen if they can’t find him. Except that they are able to clear all of their suspects leaving Jonas and Bethan back at square one. Until something pops up changing the entire course of their investigation.
Heading back to Alaska to regroup, Bethan and Jonas finally get to the bottom of both their attraction, and his seeming anger at her. Bethan and Jonas had met before Alaska Force. In fact Bethan had saved Jonas’ life. (small spoiler) His true problem with her is that he’d been vulnerable with her once. He is truly the stoic and silent type, but she makes him feel. And he doesn’t know how to handle that. He knows war, he knows training. He knows absolutely nothing about love.
I���ve really enjoyed this series and one of the things I love the most is how each character is very different from the others she writes. Each book has different challenges, each character has different life experiences, and yet this author never sacrifices plot. She creates character driven romance while still keeping the book interesting and suspenseful.
If you want an exciting romantic suspense with unique characters and well-written plots, this series is for you. I’ve enjoyed every book so far, and I look forward to her next one.
***Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley
September 18, 2020
Bethan is the daughter of a General, grew up to be one of the few women to become an Army Ranger. When she left the Rangers she joined Alaskan Force, but didn't know what Jonas was a member. Jonas is the man she saved during that fateful night their convoy was attacked. Jonas feels that Bethan has seen him while he was weak and he can't get over that. Or so she thinks.
Jonas has spent years being a loner, being what his childhood and the military made him. He rarely shows emotion, but after a week with Bethan's family for a mission he can't seem to get enough of her. This mission turns out to be unlike any other, it takes them back to the one night both of them are trying to forget.
I came into the series late, being that this is the first book I've read in not only the series but by this author. I really enjoyed these two characters. They are both dynamic loaners who essentially need each other to feel complete. I am glad I took a chance on this book/author because I found a new world I could delve into. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to go back and read the previous books in the series and will be anxiously waiting any future books in this series.
Jonas has spent years being a loner, being what his childhood and the military made him. He rarely shows emotion, but after a week with Bethan's family for a mission he can't seem to get enough of her. This mission turns out to be unlike any other, it takes them back to the one night both of them are trying to forget.
I came into the series late, being that this is the first book I've read in not only the series but by this author. I really enjoyed these two characters. They are both dynamic loaners who essentially need each other to feel complete. I am glad I took a chance on this book/author because I found a new world I could delve into. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to go back and read the previous books in the series and will be anxiously waiting any future books in this series.
August 19, 2020
I've enjoyed the other books in the Alaska Force series but this one is probably my favorite. Jonas and Bethan are part of an elite special Ops team based in Alaska. They go on secret missions into dangerous places all over the world. Bethan is the only woman on the team and as such she works harder to maintain her position in the group. She was only one of a few women who made it through Army Ranger School. She and Jonas have an uneasy relationship due to something in their past. When they finally learn to trust each other they make an unbeatable team. Great story with lots of action, suspense, and romance. Recommended.
September 18, 2020
This is book 5 of this series. Really well written storyline with great characters. Jonas goes to Alaska to live and join the special ops team there after the operation he was involved in caused the deaths of the team. Bethan joins the group and causes him to look back on the incident and remember. a good romance between them . fast paced story and kept my attention throughout. Hope there will be more.
January 12, 2021
Special Ops Seduction by Megan Crane is the 5th book in her wonderful Alaska Force series. I have read every book in this series, and each book has been equally good, with wonderful couples. In Special Ops Seduction, we meet our heroine, Bethan, as she is part of the Alaska Force team sent on a mission to rescue a scientist and his sister.
Bethan Wilcox is a former Delta Force soldier, and the first woman to complete Army Ranger training. Years ago, Bethan saved a soldier’s life, on one of the Delta Force missions. After she finished her Army Ranger training, she applied and was accepted to become part of the elite Alaska Force Ops team; as Bethan was tough, and equally as good as her fellow male teammates. Her only problem was that Jonas, one of the three original men who started Alaska Force, treats her with distain.
Jonas Crow, our hero, is a loner, and even his teammates wonder why he is so cold and ungiving to Bethan. We do learn later, that Jonas was the man Bethan saved in Afghanistan, and he does not like that she is the only one who knows about her saving his life, which he can’t cope with; even though Bethan keeps that secret from his past. I will say early on I was not a fan of Jonas, as he was so nasty with her.
After the rescue of the scientist and his sister, they place them in a safe house, which in a short time, they are missing. Isaac pulls the team together to come up with a plan, and it turns out that many of the top generals will be in attendance at Bethan’s sister’s wedding. Her father is a General, who did not approve of her joining the army. She agrees to bring one of the team undercover as her boyfriend, and is shocked when Jonas offers to go undercover.
What follows is an exciting, intense, intriguing and suspenseful adventure, that had us holding our breaths, and a couple that we rooted hard for. Spending a week at her family home, with Jonas was a game changer. Jonas plays the part of her boyfriend, completely different than his normal silent self, and a slow built romance begins; and they became a great team. It was great to watch Jonas’ heart open up and slowly melt. At this point I started to like him and also feel sorry for his past; Bethan was the perfect woman for him. The secondary characters of this series are awesome, as we do get to see all of our previous heroes. There were a couple of surprises, especially when Bethan recognizes who the real culprit is.
Special Ops Seduction was very well written by Megan Crane. The last 1/3 of the books was very exciting and tense as both Jonas and Bethan were in dangerous life-threatening situations, as we raced to the climax. To say too much more would be spoilers, and ruin it for you. If you enjoy romance, suspense, action packed excitement, a great couple, then you need to read this series. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but to get to know all the wonderful characters, I suggest you start with the first book in this series.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
Bethan Wilcox is a former Delta Force soldier, and the first woman to complete Army Ranger training. Years ago, Bethan saved a soldier’s life, on one of the Delta Force missions. After she finished her Army Ranger training, she applied and was accepted to become part of the elite Alaska Force Ops team; as Bethan was tough, and equally as good as her fellow male teammates. Her only problem was that Jonas, one of the three original men who started Alaska Force, treats her with distain.
Jonas Crow, our hero, is a loner, and even his teammates wonder why he is so cold and ungiving to Bethan. We do learn later, that Jonas was the man Bethan saved in Afghanistan, and he does not like that she is the only one who knows about her saving his life, which he can’t cope with; even though Bethan keeps that secret from his past. I will say early on I was not a fan of Jonas, as he was so nasty with her.
After the rescue of the scientist and his sister, they place them in a safe house, which in a short time, they are missing. Isaac pulls the team together to come up with a plan, and it turns out that many of the top generals will be in attendance at Bethan’s sister’s wedding. Her father is a General, who did not approve of her joining the army. She agrees to bring one of the team undercover as her boyfriend, and is shocked when Jonas offers to go undercover.
What follows is an exciting, intense, intriguing and suspenseful adventure, that had us holding our breaths, and a couple that we rooted hard for. Spending a week at her family home, with Jonas was a game changer. Jonas plays the part of her boyfriend, completely different than his normal silent self, and a slow built romance begins; and they became a great team. It was great to watch Jonas’ heart open up and slowly melt. At this point I started to like him and also feel sorry for his past; Bethan was the perfect woman for him. The secondary characters of this series are awesome, as we do get to see all of our previous heroes. There were a couple of surprises, especially when Bethan recognizes who the real culprit is.
Special Ops Seduction was very well written by Megan Crane. The last 1/3 of the books was very exciting and tense as both Jonas and Bethan were in dangerous life-threatening situations, as we raced to the climax. To say too much more would be spoilers, and ruin it for you. If you enjoy romance, suspense, action packed excitement, a great couple, then you need to read this series. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but to get to know all the wonderful characters, I suggest you start with the first book in this series.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
January 14, 2021
The latest in Megan Crane's Alaska Force series follows former Army Ranger Bethan and the ever-stoic, ghost-like Jonas as they fight for their lives, and for each other, in this fiery romantic suspense. Jonas learned to turn off human emotion a long time ago. His childhood was rough and his time in the Navy even tougher. He has seen a lot of death and destruction, and after his own brush with death he's felt very little for anyone - himself included. Bethan saved Jonas years ago and he's given her icy stares and hostile silences ever since, and it's been driving her mad. Now that they serve on Alaska Force together, it's gotten more difficult for Jonas to ignore her presence and for Bethan to withstand his hostility towards her. So when Bethan has to attend her sister's wedding while also going undercover to find a ruthless killer threatening the safety of our country, Jonas sees an opening to clear the air and to bury his true feelings for her once and for all. But things don't go exactly as planned, and both of them find themselves faced with emotions neither of them can control.
Thoughts: Megan Crane delivers another off-the-charts chemistry romantic suspense with Special Ops Seduction. This is the latest in the Alaska Force series but can be read as a standalone without feeling like your missing a lot of backstory. Bethan and Jonas have a past, and it's not a pretty one. Jonas is the epitome of the strong, brooding soldier just oozing danger and darkness, while Bethan is the pinnacle of the female soldier - lethal, beautiful, and confident. If I wasn't already pushing 40 years old, I'd wish I could be Bethan when I grow up. Their chemistry jumps off the page and you just wish you could shake Jonas and tell him it's okay to feel human emotions already. I really enjoyed watching them progress emotionally, both individually and with each other. So why the three stars? Well, to be honest, the suspense portion of the plot left me feeling a bit confused at times. There were a few unanswered questions, or at least weak answers to go along with them, and the suspense doesn't really pick up until at least halfway through the story. But the second half of the book is action-packed and a page-turner, even if I was left wanting a few more answers. And I just crave Megan Crane's endings -- she always gifts readers with satisfying conclusions with a hint into the future of the characters we've fallen in love with. This author is still an auto-buy for me and I look forward to the next Alaska Force adventure!
**Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Thoughts: Megan Crane delivers another off-the-charts chemistry romantic suspense with Special Ops Seduction. This is the latest in the Alaska Force series but can be read as a standalone without feeling like your missing a lot of backstory. Bethan and Jonas have a past, and it's not a pretty one. Jonas is the epitome of the strong, brooding soldier just oozing danger and darkness, while Bethan is the pinnacle of the female soldier - lethal, beautiful, and confident. If I wasn't already pushing 40 years old, I'd wish I could be Bethan when I grow up. Their chemistry jumps off the page and you just wish you could shake Jonas and tell him it's okay to feel human emotions already. I really enjoyed watching them progress emotionally, both individually and with each other. So why the three stars? Well, to be honest, the suspense portion of the plot left me feeling a bit confused at times. There were a few unanswered questions, or at least weak answers to go along with them, and the suspense doesn't really pick up until at least halfway through the story. But the second half of the book is action-packed and a page-turner, even if I was left wanting a few more answers. And I just crave Megan Crane's endings -- she always gifts readers with satisfying conclusions with a hint into the future of the characters we've fallen in love with. This author is still an auto-buy for me and I look forward to the next Alaska Force adventure!
**Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
January 7, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed Bethan and Jonas’ amazing story in Special Ops Seduction by Megan Crane, book five in her Alaska Force series. This story had me on the edge, lost within, and not putting it down, as I drank in each page. Alaska Force is not the first time Jonas and Bethan have worked together. Like all members, both had been in the military and first met after Bethan pulled an injured Jonas from the wreckage of an IED explosion. She provided cover and protected him until he could be extracted. You might think he would have been grateful, instead he acts hostile towards her; he doesn’t like that she saw him at one of his weakest points, so he keeps her at arm’s length. Now the two of them are forced to work together on a mission to uncover fatal secrets that end up being tied to their past. Working together, as a “fake” couple, heats up the attraction and chemistry between these two to at least sizzle level.
Bethan is an interesting character. She rebelled against her father, was one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, was strong and independent, yet was a girlie girl inside; having the inside of her cabin painted pink with frills. She has closed herself off, not allowing others to see this part of her. Since their first meeting, Bethan has cared about Jonas, feelings that have grown over time to an attraction that she works hard to hide. Jonas had an awful childhood and was never taught how to love; at least by example. He doesn’t need anyone in his life, let alone give in to the feelings and magnetism he has for Bethan. Jonas has always been good at saving the world but this time he needs to save Bethan; if she doesn’t save him first.
Ms. Crane wrote an intense, emotional and exciting romantic suspense filled with sizzling chemistry, magnetism, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. This story grabbed me and did not let go until I reached the end. I highly recommend Special Ops Seduction to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Bethan is an interesting character. She rebelled against her father, was one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, was strong and independent, yet was a girlie girl inside; having the inside of her cabin painted pink with frills. She has closed herself off, not allowing others to see this part of her. Since their first meeting, Bethan has cared about Jonas, feelings that have grown over time to an attraction that she works hard to hide. Jonas had an awful childhood and was never taught how to love; at least by example. He doesn’t need anyone in his life, let alone give in to the feelings and magnetism he has for Bethan. Jonas has always been good at saving the world but this time he needs to save Bethan; if she doesn’t save him first.
Ms. Crane wrote an intense, emotional and exciting romantic suspense filled with sizzling chemistry, magnetism, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. This story grabbed me and did not let go until I reached the end. I highly recommend Special Ops Seduction to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
January 5, 2021
Jonas Crow joined Alaska Force after a military career that turned his already wounded soul even darker. Working former armed forces operatives, Jonas and the group take on difficult and dangerous missions around the world to protect, rescue, and defend those in dire straits. Jonas’s taciturn and dour nature have served to keep everyone at arm’s length especially the one woman who can get through his defenses. Bethan Wilcox saved Jonas’s life years before which is something he has never forgiven her for because Jonas does not want to be beholden or vulnerable to anyone. Since she joined Alaska Force, Jonas has done his utmost to pretend they have no history or connection.
Bethan grew up with an air force general for a father; she has spent most of her life rebelling against him while becoming one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school. Her relationship with Jonas since joining the team has been continually prickly mostly because of Jonas’s hostile attitude. When their mission involves pretending to be a couple at a family event for Bethan’s sister, emotions break loose on both sides. Someone attending the party has a deadly and disastrous plan that will cause major world havoc if this person is not stopped.
For Bethan especially, being back in her family mansion and dealing with that drama plus her feelings for Jonas is quite an emotional ride. The festivities prove quite a challenge taking her from purely work mode to figuring out the dynamics not only with her kin, but Jonas as well. Jonas believes he neither deserves nor can have anything but his job. This mission takes them on a journey far beyond the logistics of preventing a horrific terrorist style incident. Book five in the Alaska Force series, this story has all the intense action and dire situations expected as well as Jonas and Bethan’s developing attraction, equally resisted on both sides, and quite complicated relationship.
Bethan grew up with an air force general for a father; she has spent most of her life rebelling against him while becoming one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school. Her relationship with Jonas since joining the team has been continually prickly mostly because of Jonas’s hostile attitude. When their mission involves pretending to be a couple at a family event for Bethan’s sister, emotions break loose on both sides. Someone attending the party has a deadly and disastrous plan that will cause major world havoc if this person is not stopped.
For Bethan especially, being back in her family mansion and dealing with that drama plus her feelings for Jonas is quite an emotional ride. The festivities prove quite a challenge taking her from purely work mode to figuring out the dynamics not only with her kin, but Jonas as well. Jonas believes he neither deserves nor can have anything but his job. This mission takes them on a journey far beyond the logistics of preventing a horrific terrorist style incident. Book five in the Alaska Force series, this story has all the intense action and dire situations expected as well as Jonas and Bethan’s developing attraction, equally resisted on both sides, and quite complicated relationship.
January 13, 2021
Bethan Wilcox is a new addition to the Alaska Force team, making Jonas Crow remember his military past. Pretending to be a couple, they not only have to face secrets from the Army Rangers but the attraction building between them.
It's not necessary to have read prior novels within the Alaska Force series of novels. In Special Ops Seduction, two members of the Alaska Force team up to go undercover, pretending to be a couple. The fake dating trope is a fun one to play with, and it forces our frenemies to stay in close proximity, learn more about each other, and then get to look past their differences. There's a lot of tension between the two of them; Jacob doesn't want to rely on others or have big displays of emotions, and Bethan was there when he nearly died. She not only saved his life, she helped soothe him and shot at the attacker that killed the rest of their team.
The thriller plot that placed them together, the missing scientist that could create a super version of anthrax, is always there as a concern for them. It's as important as the romantic plot, and both get resolved by the end of the novel. The emotional tension gives way to a cat and mouse game in the second half, so there are still plenty of surprises before reaching our happily ever after. For these overachieving Army Rangers, that's just the way they like it.
It's not necessary to have read prior novels within the Alaska Force series of novels. In Special Ops Seduction, two members of the Alaska Force team up to go undercover, pretending to be a couple. The fake dating trope is a fun one to play with, and it forces our frenemies to stay in close proximity, learn more about each other, and then get to look past their differences. There's a lot of tension between the two of them; Jacob doesn't want to rely on others or have big displays of emotions, and Bethan was there when he nearly died. She not only saved his life, she helped soothe him and shot at the attacker that killed the rest of their team.
The thriller plot that placed them together, the missing scientist that could create a super version of anthrax, is always there as a concern for them. It's as important as the romantic plot, and both get resolved by the end of the novel. The emotional tension gives way to a cat and mouse game in the second half, so there are still plenty of surprises before reaching our happily ever after. For these overachieving Army Rangers, that's just the way they like it.
January 15, 2021
This is the first book I've read by Megan Crane. It's a great standalone. I am tempted to go find the others to read just so I know the backstory of the other couples mentioned in this one. I struggle with the star rating. I loved the characters as a whole. Jonas was a brooding, alpha man that didn't know how to love or be loved. Bethan was a strong, confident female that struggled with relationships as well. We were able to watch both of them grow through the story. I loved what was revealed.
But the beginning and some in the end had a great amount of repetition. It was like the author was afraid we wouldn't remember what was revealed prior. And her eluding to a past encounter between Bethan and Jonas was disjointed and confusing. I didn't understand his reaction and thought it to be over the top. Also that does make Jonas seem sexist although we were told over and over he was not. His actions showed otherwise.
These issues were mostly the first of the book. It was easy to put down and struggle to pick back up the book to finish. But I pushed through and was glad I did. And from the wedding on, it took off to where I didn't want to put it back down. That's where I started to love the characters.
*I thank NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.
But the beginning and some in the end had a great amount of repetition. It was like the author was afraid we wouldn't remember what was revealed prior. And her eluding to a past encounter between Bethan and Jonas was disjointed and confusing. I didn't understand his reaction and thought it to be over the top. Also that does make Jonas seem sexist although we were told over and over he was not. His actions showed otherwise.
These issues were mostly the first of the book. It was easy to put down and struggle to pick back up the book to finish. But I pushed through and was glad I did. And from the wedding on, it took off to where I didn't want to put it back down. That's where I started to love the characters.
*I thank NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.
January 8, 2021
My Review: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley from the publisher. The following is my honest review and opinion. I have been enjoying this series, I love the cast of characters and the found family/ band of brothers element. While I have been enjoying the series, they have been enjoyable but nothing that blows me out of the water until this book. Crane has been building the mystery around Jonas for the whole series and the tension with Bethan has been building as well, obviously it had implode at some point. I was a little frustrated that there was so much mystery and hush, hush surrounding their backstory but I am glad I was made to wait for it to be revealed. I loved the tension between Jonas and Bethan, then the forced proximity of the mission just intensified it. I have to admit, I fell hard for these characters and this was such a difficult book to read even though I knew where it had to end up as a romance book. I can't tell you how many times I was near tears, happy, frustrated, sad, painful tears on their behalf. I wish I could go back and savor this book again for the first time, it was that good.
January 12, 2021
Loved the intensity of this romance!
Bethan's battlefield encounter with Jonas years ago is the one thing Jonas wants to forget, despite the fact she is now working for the company he helped build. Then one mission happens to bisect with her military family, and the best approach to the mission is for her to attend her sister's wedding with Jonas along as her date.
I absolutely adored Bethan in this story. She's not afraid to tell Jonas exactly what she sees in his heart, yet there's no anger or animosity, just lots of patience and understanding. Let me tell you, this approach throws Jonas way off his game and he just doesn't know what to do with a woman who sees right through him.
The action and suspense are top-notch throughout the story, while the pacing beautifully alternates between the romance and mission danger. The last part of the book was so emotionally draining but I loved every bit of it, and nearly swooned at the HEA. This is exactly the kind of romantic suspense story I love to read, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Bethan's battlefield encounter with Jonas years ago is the one thing Jonas wants to forget, despite the fact she is now working for the company he helped build. Then one mission happens to bisect with her military family, and the best approach to the mission is for her to attend her sister's wedding with Jonas along as her date.
I absolutely adored Bethan in this story. She's not afraid to tell Jonas exactly what she sees in his heart, yet there's no anger or animosity, just lots of patience and understanding. Let me tell you, this approach throws Jonas way off his game and he just doesn't know what to do with a woman who sees right through him.
The action and suspense are top-notch throughout the story, while the pacing beautifully alternates between the romance and mission danger. The last part of the book was so emotionally draining but I loved every bit of it, and nearly swooned at the HEA. This is exactly the kind of romantic suspense story I love to read, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
January 13, 2021
I liked Bethen I thought she was this hard @ss but also had this sweet side to her that only the very privileged got to see. The story was very predictable and to me sometimes all over the place. I found it hard to keep engaged in the story over all. I liked the Alaskan Force team and being able to catch up with those I have read about. I felt like the book seemed to have a lot of detail but also seemed to lack something. There was a situation between Bethan and Jonas that the author seemed to build on but when it came to head it really seemed minimal to what was really going on and made no sense for Jonas' attitude to the situation. This book does have sexual content in it and may not be suitable for all. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 19, 2021
He grew up neglected on the streets and made himself into an elite warrior. She grew up not fitting into the mold her wealthy parents wanted for her. Joining the Army started out as a rebellion but she made herself into the best of the best. Now they are working together at Alaska Force and things are tense between them.
Jonas is a hardass. He is tough on everyone but he is especially cold and tough on their one female operator even though she meets and often exceeds expectations at every turn. Bethan has never met a challenge she couldn’t meet except Jonas. When they are forced together on an undercover mission will they be able to adapt and overcome past animosities or will they let the past ruin their future? I loved Bethan and always wanted to be her. This book sucked me in and kept me flipping pages till the very end. Though it’s part of a series it can be read standalone.
Jonas is a hardass. He is tough on everyone but he is especially cold and tough on their one female operator even though she meets and often exceeds expectations at every turn. Bethan has never met a challenge she couldn’t meet except Jonas. When they are forced together on an undercover mission will they be able to adapt and overcome past animosities or will they let the past ruin their future? I loved Bethan and always wanted to be her. This book sucked me in and kept me flipping pages till the very end. Though it’s part of a series it can be read standalone.
January 9, 2021
I'm pretty new to Megan Crane's work, having only read a couple of books by her. Special Ops Seduction is included in that number, and reading the last book in this series is what brought me back to it. This one is a fake romance that's anything but. Jonas and Bethan have terrific chemistry and their feelings for each other come through loud and clear. There's also a good bit of suspense and excitement, and the way Crane balances it all out is impressive. Romantic suspense is one of my favorite romance tropes, but it can be tricky. Too much either way can shift the story, sometimes for the worse, but that's not a problem here at all. This 5th Alaska Force novel is a solid mix of romance, suspense, and danger with characters you genuinely want to root for.
March 21, 2021
After an official operation turned deadly, Jonas Crow began a new life in Grizzly Harbor with Alaska Force. But when fellow soldier Bethan Wilcox joins the group, she forces him to remember things he actively prefers to forget.
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn't join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas's foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him.
They are forced to work together as boyfriend and girlfriend during her sister's upcoming wedding. This made it a fun read and the chemistry is strong between them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC to review.
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn't join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas's foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him.
They are forced to work together as boyfriend and girlfriend during her sister's upcoming wedding. This made it a fun read and the chemistry is strong between them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC to review.
December 2, 2020
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school and Jonas Crow have a past history, a history of a life or death situation. Now that they both are members of Alaska Force the past needs to be addressed. Their latest mission: pose as a couple at Bethan's sister's wedding to ferret out information about a missing scientist. This is not an easy mission. I would have liked to have seen a bit more action in this story.
January 31, 2021
This series has one of my favorite first lines ever and I’m sad to see it end. Crane definitely takes us out with a bang with Jonas and Bethan. Tightly crafted with interwoven pieces you won’t see coming, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Crane is one of my go-tos for romantic suspense and this only cements that status.
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