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She took in a deep breath. “We need to talk.”

 

“About…?”

 

“Your role with the CDC, and whatever it was you were doing in Afghanistan after...”

 

She wanted him gone. He could tell by the closed off expression on her face and the slightly lifted set of her chin. She expected him to fight her. Was waiting for it. Braced for it. 

 

It set off an emotional bomb deep in his chest and woke the pissed off protector inside him. The one who wanted to grab hold of her, kiss her until she looked at him with the world in her eyes again. He would not let anyone hurt her, not even himself.

 

Some of it must have shown on his face, because she backed up a couple of steps.

 

If she got any whiter, she was going to faint.

 

He slid closer to her and said with all the softness he could muster, “You look like you just took a gut-shot. So, I’m going to ask this again. What happened?”

 

“Two men from the Justice Department met me at the airport last night. They wanted me to go with them to give them a statement about the incident in Afghanistan.” She put air quotes around the word incident. “They were very unfriendly when I said no.”

 

“They’re supposed to be assholes, that’s part of what they do—put the fear of God into people.” He sidled another step closer, within reaching distance. “A lot of sh…stuff happened that day.” 

 

They’d survived more than one attempt to kill them that day.

 

He’d fallen in love with her that day.

 

And the next day…she’d run from him.

 

The memory combined with the ache of healing bones in his chest, creating a caustic mix of concrete plugging up his lungs.

 

The struggle to breathe made him stop and think past the pain, past the panic. 

 

Wait a second… It had been nine years. They’d given all the reports, statements, and evidence right after the incident. Why the fuck would anyone need anything from either of them now? 

 

Something about what she said sank in.

 

“They wanted you to go with them?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

 

“Yes.” Her gaze was angry, confused, and…sad.

 

His stomach dropped in a sickening rush and the world spun in place for a long second.

“Why didn’t you?”

 

“I couldn’t. The Drill Sergeant was picking me up for an emergency meeting with the CDC director, who wanted a report on my briefings in Washington. DS told the two agents exactly how they could go fuck themselves. They tried to intimidate him physically, but, well, you can imagine how that went.”

 

“He raised his voice?”

 

“He ripped them apart so badly security came to see what all the fuss was about. The two men left after promising things would get tougher for me.”

 

The dizziness retreated.

 

He was going to kiss that old man when he saw him next.

 

“I need to make a call.” He grabbed his phone and punched in the numbers to a buddy of his in the Justice Department. A minute later, he had his answer.

 

“No one from the Justice Department was sent to interview you or bring you in.” He saw his own hand shaking. Someone had tried to take her. In a public place. In front of any number of witnesses.

 

Who the fuck could be that brazen?

 

“What?” she stared at him, her brows furrowed.

 

“Someone tried to take you.” There was a snarl in his voice he couldn’t suppress.

“Someone almost got you.”

 

When he caught up with that someone, he was going to rip the fucker’s guts out.

 

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Outbreak Task Force #4, I love this series! So far all the books can be read as a standalone this book picks up right after the events of book three and even though I have read it it took me part of chapter one to reacquaint myself with the characters and the situation but then again I saw this arc up for grabs and I grabbed it didn't read the blurb or anything it was book four I had to have it so I went into this completely blind as to who the main characters were going to be. There is an overall story arc that links all the books together but each book is independent from the others. There is quite a bit of mention of the events in the last books but I don't think enough to get the reader lost.

The main characters of this one, head of the Outbreak Task Force Dr. Carmen Rodriguez and the Homeland Security liaison John Dozer. The benefit of reading the previous books is that you can tell there is something between the two of them but it never lets on to what it is, the way the acted in situations you could tell they cared about each other. Carmen was a wunderkind she finished medical school at 19 after that is when she first met John Dozer in Afghanistan. For Dozer it was instantaneous; the attraction, the respect he knew without a doubt this brilliant beautiful woman was for him but after their life and death situation she just walked away and he didn't see her again until the formation of the Outbreak Task Force.   


Due the the events of the last book Dozer is on medical leave but due to an outbreak of the measles in Florida that the terrorist group FAFO is behind he's not leaving Carmen without protection, especially since the FAFO has targeted them specifically. The FAFO is now doing more than just infecting people they have attempted to bomb one of the hospitals and and airplane causing even more widespread panic it's scary enough that this weaponized strain of the measles is spreading quickly across the US. Carmen and Dozer have a lot on their plates with the outbreak, a mole, and dodging would-be-assassins but they also manage to deal with their past and what went wrong and fall in love all over again.

Overall, this was intense. Reading this series always makes me want to rewatch Outbreak. I love the narration and the characters, intense action and drama, hot romance, seriously I love everything about this book. I can't wait until the next book because the overall story arc was left open ended for more books (fist pump) and I really hope it's Henry's book next. 

 

Outbreak Task Force #1, I was offered the opportunity to read the second book and the ARC for the third book so I took it upon myself to buy and read the first book. I really enjoyed this one not only did it take place in Texas but my home town, El Paso. This one leans more to the suspense side but the romance was really good the attraction and the chemistry between them was palpable. I was new to Julie Rowe before this point and didn't know what to expect, after this one I was excited to read the next two. It was kind of like reading Outbreak (you know the 1995 movie) but with more explosions and a little more heavier on the romance. It was very fast-paced, very intense with great characters.

Sergeant Walter River, Special Forces combat medic, gets called in to help the CDC in medical emergency, when he arrives at one of the hospitals in El Paso he discovers chaos. A microorganism has been released and is spreading, River's job is to assist microbiologist Dr. Ava Lloyd in tracking down the source and help contain the spread of the outbreak before it spread outside the busy border town.

Overall, I loved this book. The only thing that kind of disappointed me was the lack of description when it came to the setting. It had very generic descriptions and it could have taken place anywhere nothing really stood out and said, "This is El Paso". But it's my hometown I'm gonna be picky.


        

Outbreak Task Force #2, Another great book. In this one the romance plays a more prodomainte part. The outbreak isn't in full force yet and the characters have sometime to build up their relationship before all hell breaks loose. Sergeant Lyle Smoke was just discharged from the Army, his buddy and fellow former Special Forces soldier offer him a job with the joint task force between Homeland Security and the CDC, the Outbreak Task Force, but before Smoke makes any decisions he needs to go home first. When he gets home he doesn't find a peaceful rest he finds a CDC nurse in need of help.

Kini Kerek was just supposed to do some field research for the CDC before they decide what to do, if the natural antibodies of the Hantavirus are capable of containing itself or if the CDC needs to step in a create a cure. But Kini is met with open hostility and rumors spreading that she's conducting experiments, death threats keyed into her car and physical attacks have her bosses send someone to help luckily he already calls the place home and with Smoke's knowledge of the area and the people it should make things easier. Until the Hantavirus starts affecting more and more people the next thing they know it's a full blown outbreak and the rest of the Task force is called in. But it's a little too convenient that this outbreak happened right when Kini showed up and now Kini and Smoke need to find out why before it's too late.

Overall, a great read. Fantastic writing and and ending I wasn't expecting. A little more descriptive setting than the last book and it really helped paint a nice picture when they were in the desert. The romance between Smoke and Kini was really nice, I loved that it was practically instantaneous Smoke had some emotional baggage but Kini was able to help him work through it and it was a real nice HEA.



Outbreak Task Force #3, The newest of the series and it is outstanding! Going from CDC home base in Atlanta and to New Orleans and back again this action packed romance is a great read. Former Doctor Without Borders doctor Gunner Anderson does not suffer fools gladly, and because of that he's already gone through 3 partners. This is his last chance to prove he can work with someone so his boss partners him up with the woman he's had a crush on since they met CDC nurse, former combat medic, Joy Oshiro.

For Joy it was hard not to notice Gunner, just around the office she noticed his surly attitude got slightly better after coffee and something to eat, usually anything pumpkin flavored so going into this partnership she used this knowledge to her advantage; her take no shit straightforward attitude helped too. Their first case together ends up quite a doozy, a frat house full of sick kids and one dead. Soon another house full of sick kids and more dead and another that only connection the keg. With the CDC stretched thin with a number of other outbreaks around the globe Joy and Gunner are left to track down and stop this outbreak before it gets any further but just when they think they have it figured out it gets much worse.

Overall, a great read. Joy and Gunner have to deal with not just the outbreak but for their feelings for each other and working together. They each have emotional baggage to deal with and they are both very aware what hurting the other will do and Joy especially has to realize it's worth the risk of loving each other. There is a continuing story arc in the series but each book can be read as a stand alone.     
   

 

Smoke and Mirrors - Julie Rowe

Smoke and Mirrors is book 2 of the outbreak task force; however, its not related at all to the events in book 1, so you can read them in any order. An ex special forces soldier is home but he is far from okay. Chased by the demons of what he had to do in the military and the death of his son while he was deployed have turned him into a shell of a man. When he finds a nurse from the CDC sleeping in his bed, he realizes he isn't quite as dead as he thought.

Kini is interviewing local Native Americans in the small town Lyle Smoke grew up in to research and collect information for the CDC. However, the townspeople are NOT happy to see her and she begins to experience vandalism and violence at their hands. Smoke, being ex special forces, steps up and takes a job with the Outbreak Task Force and effectively becomes Kini's bodyguard.

The story is full of action! Initially, people are getting sick and they blame Kini. She realizes pretty quickly that it sounds like they have a hantavirus outbreak, but the local doctor won't call in the CDC. But, there is more unsettling behavior happening. Kini and Smoke have to figure out what the hell is going on before more people die. Where did the virus come from? What is going on at the old, abandoned farm? Why are people targeting Kini? The conflict occurs throughout the story and you are left wondering who is good, who is bad, and who is just caught in the small town gossip mill. While Smoke wasn't my favorite hero (he does the 'I'm not a good man so I am gonna push you away' bit that makes me crazy), the suspense of the book makes for a very compelling read that you won't want to put down!

 

• POV: 3rd
• Tears: no
• Trope: ex-military, terrorism
• Triggers: Kini was the victim of a physically abusive father. It is not detailed as to what happened, but it is mentioned that it happened.
• Series/Standalone: stand alone
• Cliffhanger: no
• HEA: More of an HFN. There is no OW/OM drama, no cheating or anything, but I'm not sure I fully believe that these two are in it for the long haul.

books by authors like Pamela Clare, Cristin Harber, Kaylea Cross, Katie Ruggle...then you will probably like Smoke and Mirrors!

 

 See full review on The Book Disciple

eARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing and NetGalley
Available May 22nd

Ava Lloyd, a microbiologist with the CDC, is tasked with trying to find the source and cause of a deadly outbreak. River, a Special Forces soldier, is tasked to help protect her. They have to dodge anything and everything.
I liked the pacing. The majority of the book (about 90%) occurs over 28 hour time span. It's just jam packed with action, no one gets a break. I really got the sense of racing against the clock. There are a few sexy times during the first 28 hours, but it felt realistic to the situation and didn't make me roll my eyes (you know those romantic suspense books where the sexy times happen while bullets are flying...not here). They fall for each other quickly, but their circumstances are rather unusual too.
I also liked the medical knowledge that went with writing about an outbreak. Very nice!
The villain is kinda decent (but can be guessed at fairly easily). I did like that religion was not a motive behind the attacks (and not mentioned at all that I remember). There are open ended questions/plot lines that may pick up in book 2 (if there is a book 2). I happen to have the first book in this author's another series (Deadly Strain) that I got on sale. I will have to bump that one up (currently buried in Mt TBR).

****eARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing and NetGalley
Out May 22nd