Unwrapping: Review of SECRET MANEUVERS, an ExOps novel by Jessie Lane

Most of you already know how much I enjoy sharing series and authors that are new to me, well, have I got a good one for you this time. SECRET MANEUVERS, book one in ExOps, by Jessie Lane is not only a first in a series, but written in a such a way that you might get spoiled by the format. Not only that but Jessie Lane is actually two sisters-in-law, the writing team of Melissa Pahl and Crystal Leo.

***eARC provided by authors in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for SECRET MANEUVERS: 

Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

One 'dear John' letter haunts Bobby Baker's every living moment. It’s the letter he stupidly wrote to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he left to join the Army. The letter that he told her that he wasn't so sure if they were ready for forever yet. But before he can let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, are nothing but a mistake, she up and disappears from the small Georgia town they were both raised in.

Fifteen years later, Belle unknowingly walks back into Bobby's life when her job as an ATF Agent forces her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever is involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico.

Bobby will use this mission to try and soothe Belle's hurt feelings while proving to her that their love is still meant for forever. He'll use every dirty trick he's learned since he joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. But Belle's not making it easy as she keeps him at arm's length in the hopes that mistakes of her own never come to light.

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Bobby Baker has spent the last fifteen years of his life regretting one terrible mistake. He thought he’d never be given a chance to atone for it when the girl of his dreams, the one who got away, the one who haunts his heart, the one who still holds his heart, walks into a ops briefing. Wearing a gun and a badge, Belle looks hotter than ever and is a sight for sorrowful sore eyes but when she’s introduced to his Special Ops group, her name is Annabelle Roberts. Having lived the last fifteen years of his life confused, hurt, and worried that she'd moved on without him after she disappeared from their hometown, his hope has been to find her so that he might rescind the sentiment sent in that regretful letter. So when she strolls back into his life acting as if she doesn't know him, Bobby is determined to get the chance to tell her his true feelings and discover where she’s been and what direction her life has taken and how far away it is from his own.

 

Belle has a secret that she’s carried with her since she left home after having her life, and the love she believed would protect her always, pulled out from under her after receiving a letter from Bobby Baker that told her she wasn't worth loving or protecting. Now he’s back in her life and she's determined to stay as far away from him as possible even though the boy she once knew has grown into the most incredibly handsome man that she suspected he always would be.

 

SECRET MANEUVERS by Jessie Lane surprised and impressed me with its first person point of view from the angle of two different characters. We not only experience the events of this story that puts two people with a past back together from Belle’s point of view, but also from Bobby’s point of view. It is a refreshing take on a first person-writing format but it’s also a wonderful and unique way to experience the emotion and passion of two people who never stopped loving each other even though so many things have driven them apart. I expected a story with action, alpha males aplenty, and danger lurking in the background and got all of that, but the passion that plays out between Belle and Bobby is incredible, touching, heart wrenching, and at times very poignant. We experience a woman’s insecurities that she still carries with her since her youth yet sees her demonstrate strength and compassion that helps her survive a dangerous and life-threatening situation. After surviving that, she faces the pain and heartache of forever losing the man she loves because of the secret that she kept from him for fifteen years. Belle is her own woman yet still struggles with the effects of a brutal father and the world she came from even as she proves herself as strong and tough as any man.

 

I highly recommend SECRET MANEUVERS, an ExOps novel by Jessie Lane to anyone who can appreciate the duty that drives men and women who put themselves in the line of fire to halt illegal activity and save the innocent. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a second chance romance that will have you hoping that a happily ever after can still be had even after the pain of betrayal seems beyond recovery.

 

Oh, one more thing – if you’re wondering about the strange green tint to the cover, don’t worry, it will all make sense after you read the book. : )

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Also, dear readers, Jessie Lane is hosting a huge tour wide giveaway that will run through July 15, 2013 so feel free to enter today!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e9a8cb1/ /a

 

SECRET MANUEVER, an ExOps novel by Jessie Lane, self-published, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance Ebooks.

***click on cover below for purchasing information.