Series:
HQ: Texas (Book 3)
It's been ten years since soldier Shep Lewis laid
eyes on delinquent-turned-FBI agent Lilly Tanner, and this time they
have an even bigger problem than each other: terrorists. In the center
of a smuggling operation, Shep and Lilly must partner up and protect
each other.
Not even their undercover identities can mask the
mounting attraction between the pair as they struggle to survive in the
merciless Texas borderlands. Can they put the past behind them and focus
on the mission at hand? Or will their partnership reignite the flames
of their untapped passions?
Excellent conclusion to the HQ: Texas trilogy. The team is down to the wire to stop a group of terrorists from coming across the border. They know when, but they still need to know where and they still want the guy in charge. To add insult to injury they are being sent an FBI agent liaison who will make the decision whether to call in the National Guard. The last time Shep saw this particular agent she was eighteen and he was her parole officer. He lost track of her after she stole his car and accidentally set his house on fire. Now they have to work together and try to ignore the attraction sparking between them.
I really liked Lilly. She had a rough start in life ending up in foster care and rebelling from there. By the time she was seventeen she had a juvenile record and Shep was her parole officer. She developed quite a crush on him as he was young, good looking and actually nice to her. She felt bad about taking off the way she did but felt she would do better on her own. Eventually she got an education, became a cop and then entered the FBI, her troubled youth giving her an edge in some cases. When she gets assigned to Shep's team she doesn't know what to expect, so she puts on a tough front and wades in. Lilly is surprised by the way that he still makes her feel but is determined that it won't affect her work. She sees a chance to get in undercover and takes it. She has a quick mind and her early experiences enable her to make some snap decisions. She didn't expect Shep to set himself up as her boyfriend as a way to protect her. That put him a little too close for her comfort especially with that passion burning between them. She was a bit on the independent side and took some chances that didn't work out well a couple times. She also got really frustrated with his protectiveness and called him on it several times though she is glad of his backup later on. I loved seeing the way that she and Shep worked so well together. I really enjoyed the last chapter and the discussion of their future plans.
Shep has been as frustrated as the rest of the team with their inability to catch the man behind the threat. None of them are happy to find out they are going to have FBI oversight. He's even less happy to discover that it's Lilly. She'd still been a kid the last time he saw her but not anymore. She starts right out getting involved with his investigations. He goes into protective mode immediately when they get shot at, before he realizes that she knows what she's doing. He tries to keep her out of his investigation of the bar only to discover that she got there ahead of him and managed to set herself up in an undercover identity. I loved seeing him get all bent out of shape over the people hitting on her until he made it look like she was his girlfriend. It takes him some time but he goes from completely resenting her presence to appreciating the woman she has become and how good she is at what she does. They start to work together very well which really ends up paying off for the team. He also admits that he loves her when he realizes the danger she is in and he could lose her.
I really enjoyed the resolution of the terrorist plot. Seeing the way all the clues build on each other over the three books really shows how involved an investigation like that is. I liked the way this team works together and each has their particular strengths. The intensity that built as the deadline got closer really kept me turning the pages. By the time the final showdown came I couldn't read fast enough to get to the end.
I have to say that I found the title and cover a bit misleading. Shep is not a cowboy and admits that he isn't even much of a rider, Lilly taking the lead when the have to ride double on a horse. In fact, riding only happens once and not even for that long.
Series:
HQ: Texas (Book 2)
A mission gone wrong forced injured soldier Jamie
Cassidy to start anew…and run right into the path of deputy sheriff
Bree Tridle. The sassy, sexy Texan was as determined to uncover a local
money-laundering scheme as Jamie was to keep her safe from the stalker
hot on her trail. But Jamie, now an undercover operative, was also on a
covert mission of his own: track smugglers threatening to bring
terrorists into the U.S. Could Jamie's and Bree's cases be related? When
a deadly attack on Bree's home escalates the danger and their
attraction, Jamie and Bree must face their enemies together to save not
only their country, but their one chance at love.
Good book. Jamie is working undercover trying to find the smugglers who are planning to bring terrorists into the country. Unfortunately, he inadvertently ends up trying to use a counterfeit bill which brings him to the attention of deputy sheriff Bree. She is determined to stop the counterfeiters and Jamie's story isn't adding up. When they are ordered to work together Jamie also discovers that Bree is being threatened by a stalker. As they worked together to see if their cases are connected they discover a much more personal connection.
I loved Jamie and Bree together. Their initial meeting is a lot of fun as she is there when his money is discovered to be counterfeit. Jamie is surprised that she is a deputy and not inclined to cooperate with her. I loved the way that she uses her appearance and a sweet attitude to encourage him to do as she wants. He's following along before he realizes what he's doing. I loved her actions at the station and the way she surprises him with how good she is. She is surprised at the orders she receives to let him go and is curious about his real reasons for being there. I really liked the way that his injuries don't faze her at all. She accepts him just the way he is. She feels she doesn't need his help when she starts getting things from a stalker as she is quite independent and used to doing things on her own. She is also guardian of her autistic sister. When the actions of the stalker affect her sister she accepts Jamie's help. She is impressed with his treatment of her sister. She is attracted to Jamie, but has had some bad experiences with men who want her to choose between them and her sister so she has sworn off any relationships. Jamie's acceptance of and kindness to Katie make her think that maybe she has a chance at love after all.
Jamie is working undercover when he gets caught with a counterfeit bill. I loved his first reaction to Bree, noticing her beauty and "cheerleader perkiness". His surprise at her being a deputy was great. Because of his past and his injuries he tends to be a brooding and short-tempered man. When he turns that attitude on Bree she does what she is good at which is using that cheerful attitude to get people to do what she wants. He is surprised and not happy when he realizes that it is working on him. His attempts to retain his undercover identity with her don't work, as she is a lot smarter at her job than he realized. The initial scene at the police station between them is great and shows just how perfect they are for each other. He is impressed with her abilities and surprised when she doesn't react in the usual way to the discovery of his injuries. His attraction to her is strong but his feelings about his past cause him to reject the idea of a permanent relationship with anyone. I loved the scene in the bank when he opens up his feelings to try to connect with the shooter. The emotions were strong and real. His connection with her causes him to step in to protect Bree and her sister from the stalker. I also loved the way that he treated Katie, showing Bree that not all men were afraid of being with someone like her. I really enjoyed seeing the way she got under his skin. He had to deal with his growing feelings and her work. I loved the ending with their give and take and compromises.
Series:
HQ: Texas (Book 1)
Moses Mann didn't need to be in an interrogation
room to be intimidating. Molly Rogers found that out the hard way. Her
brother had been accused of smuggling and murder, and now Moses
considered her a suspect, as well. But what type of dirty little secrets
did he expect to find in a single mother's life?
Moses was no ordinary agent poking around Texas border country. And he
kept finding new reasons to bring his investigation to Molly's farm. Yet
trusting him -- especially around her son -- came so easily. She
finally had someone who would speak up for her. Even if he was an
undercover agent with secrets buried deep in his soul….
Very good book that picked up where last year's The Spy Wore Spurs left off. The SDDU team is working along the border to stop terrorists from coming across the border with Mexico. Molly's brother Dylan was killed in a shootout and has been accused of kidnapping, murder and drug running. Molly is being questioned about anything she may have seen or known. Mo is the one doing the interrogating and he is very good at being intimidating. Nothing he does causes her to change her story and he has to admit to himself that she is probably innocent of any wrongdoing. When Molly begins getting intruders at her farm during the nights Mo steps in to protect her and her son.
Molly doesn't understand how her brother can be accused of these terrible things. He was always there for her when she needed him and was a terrific uncle to her little boy. She is sure that there has been some mistake. She is angry that Mo is accusing her of being involved also. She can't wait to be done and get away from him. She doesn't expect him to suddenly start watching out for her and Logan when she starts having problems with intruders. Now that he's no longer treating her like a suspect she's feeling an unwelcome attraction to him. That attraction becomes something more when Mo starts taking an interest in her son, teaching him how to protect himself against the bullies that are bothering him at school and playing video games with him. Molly doesn't trust her own judgement because of the mistake she made with Logan's father and tries to keep her feelings under control. I really liked her loyalty to her brother, misguided though it might have been. She is also very independent and doesn't like to depend on anyone else. After several problems with intruders she begins to trust that Mo will protect them. When he suggests that she and Logan stay at his apartment where they will be safer, she accepts for Logan's sake, but feels intimidated by the differences she feels between them. When Logan is taken hostage to force her cooperation in the recovery of the missing drugs she does the stupid thing and doesn't go to Mo for help. The final confrontation with one of the bad guys was pretty hair-raising.
Mo is very focused on his work. He has his life plan and nothing is going to distract him from it. He is pretty sure that Molly must know something about her brother's activities and has no trouble with the idea of using intimidation to get the answers he wants. What he doesn't expect is the distraction of feeling attracted to her. I loved seeing the way that he had to keep forcing his attention back to what he was doing. He eventually had to admit that she was most likely innocent of knowing anything about what her brother had been up to. When she started having problems with intruders he stepped in to watch out for her and Logan, not understanding why he felt so protective but helpless to stop it. I also liked the way that he went to Logan's school with her and stood up for Logan to the principal accusing them of not doing enough to stop the bullying. It took him awhile to realize what it was about Molly that appealed to him so much because he had been raised without any female influence in his life. I really liked the way that he trusted his instincts when something felt off with her and he was able to rescue her and Logan. I also enjoyed seeing the way that the rest of the team backed him up without question and the way that it made him feel. I loved the epilogue and Mo's solution to their living arrangements.
I really enjoyed the action in the book and the way things built toward the conclusion. The immediate mystery of who was behind the trouble on her farm was solved by the end of the book. The culprit wasn't too much of a surprise. There is still the ongoing mystery of who is behind the terrorist threat and how they are going to stop them.
