Every mission has a price.
He never meant for her to pay it.
Aiden has never left anyone behind. Not a comrade and certainly not an innocent. But when an undercover mission goes wrong, he's forced to abandon a woman trapped in a human trafficking ring.
Violet learned brutally that no one is promised a happy ending. She knows Aiden blames himself for his part, but she refuses to let her abduction define the rest of her life.
She won't be a victim again. And she's going after what she wants: Aiden.
Watching Violet transform herself into a fierce warrior is the sexiest thing Aiden has ever seen. The honorable plan would be to stay away from her--let her heal and grow without the shadow of his mistakes clouding her progress--even though every instinct tells him to claim her for his own.
But when they discover the danger they thought they'd left behind is closer than ever, they'll have to face their deepest fears and fight side-by-side in order to survive.
This was a fantastic, complex story with multiple layers. Romance. Suspense. Friendship. Passion. The beginning of the story overlapped with the end of Eagle, this time showing events from Aiden's point of view. He was undercover in an attempt to bring down a traitor. In the process, he came across what appeared to be a human trafficking operation, and a young woman he called Firefly. Unexpectedly drawn to her, he was prepared to blow his cover to save her, but Fate intervened before he could. Devastated by his failure, he was haunted by his fear of what might happen to her.
I loved Violet. She is smart, practical, and determined. Her abduction came as quite a shock to her, and her fear was believable and intense. As afraid as she was, and mad at herself for it, I thought that she was much stronger than she gave herself credit for. I loved the way that she would mentally escape by working on her recipes. Her instincts were good also, and I liked how she recognized Aiden as a good guy in spite of how it looked. I loved how she tried to remain optimistic after the first encounter with Aiden.
I loved the development of Violet and Aiden's relationship. There was a connection between them from the moment they met. Though she didn't understand why Violet trusted Aiden immediately. He was there in that safe corner of her mind as she dealt with what was happening to her. Aiden's feelings of protectiveness surprised him, and I loved how that protectiveness showed itself during the rescue mission. And when it was all over, Aiden forced himself to step away, giving her a chance to recover without seeing him as a reminder of what happened to her. Meanwhile, Violet used her realization that nobody is guaranteed a tomorrow to pursue her passion for baking. She left her chemical engineering studies and work for the family company to start her own bakery, and put into action her plan to pursue Aiden. That encounter was fantastic and heartbreaking. I loved Violet's courage in going after him, and her pain at what seemed to be his rejection. I loved Aiden's total shock, and how it caused his complete bungling of the situation. I laughed out loud at the way their friends got them together. The bar scene was hilarious with Violet's drunk ramblings and Aiden's desperate attempts to be a gentleman. It was also the push they needed. I adored seeing them grow closer over the next two months, not just physically but also emotionally. There were still some bumps, caused by Aiden's honorable nature and the danger that still stalked her. I loved seeing Aiden come to his senses. It was their love for and belief in each other that got them through the danger to their happy ending.
The suspense of the story sucked me in from the beginning and kept me hooked to the end. I was already invested from the first page because of the overlap with the end of the previous book, except that now there is more detail. I was immediately curious as to why Violet was treated differently than the other captive women. Her fear and despair leapt off the page as she tried to cope with the actions forced on her. Once I was past the overlapping section, I was on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how Aiden and the others would pull off her rescue. The intensity was incredible, from the confrontation over Aiden's coat to the men's fears over reaching her quickly. The rescue wasn't the end of it, as the ringleader of both the arms dealing and the trafficking was still at large. Even after his capture, there were still feelings that it had been too "convenient," feelings that were borne out when Violet was attacked again. At that point, I began to suspect that the danger was a little closer than anyone suspected. The final confrontation was full of twists and turns, including one that I didn't see coming. I loved how Violet's work with Aiden and Gavin paid off, giving her the confidence and tools she needed for a truly satisfying resolution.
Besides the obvious physical passion between Aiden and Violet, there was also her passion for baking. I loved how that passion helped her survive her captivity by giving her mind a safe place to go. It was also great to see her channel that passion into convincing her brother that she hadn't gone off the deep end in reaction to what happened to her. I especially enjoyed the baking scenes with Violet and Jordan.
Friendship was another big theme. I loved how the ladies of Linear Tactical made Violet part of their group so quickly. It started with simple support after her rescue but quickly evolved into true friendship. I laughed out loud at their "help" in getting Violet and Aiden together. The bar scene, with the Electric Smurfs drinks, was inspired. I also liked the friendship that grew between Violet and Jordan after Violet hired her to work at the bakery. Violet's support of Jordan was great, and I loved seeing Violet stand up to her brother because of it. I also like the close friendships among the guys. They always have each other's backs, both professionally and personally. It's fun to see how that personal support often takes the form of intense teasing.
There were also some very interesting scenes between Jordan and Gabe. He came across as very judgmental and obnoxious in their first encounters, but it was also clear that there were other sparks flying between them. That became especially obvious in the hospital scene. I loved his protective fury when he realized what was happening. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these two in the next book.
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