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A review by kindlelovingmom
Lethal Redemption by April Hunt
4.0
I've been enjoying these characters, and this series so much! This is book 2, and it's a second chance romance.
Grace Steele grew up, from age 13 on, as the only girl in a family of boys. Her Aunt Cindy took her in, along with Cindy's 4 crazy teenage sons, Grace's cousins. But from age 5-13, after the death of her father, she lived with her mother in a cult. Those years are still painful for her to think about, and she's locked it all away for years. Now, she's an FBI agent, and profiler, and she's been tasked with rescuing a VIP's daughter from the very cult she grew up in. Now all her bad memories and feelings are returning, along with another thing from her past, her childhood sweetheart turned heartbreak, Cade Wright.
Cade Wright works with his 4 best friends in their private security firm, Steele Ops, doing jobs the government and military can't, or won't, do. Before that he worked as a D.C. detective, and before that, he was an Army Ranger. 9 years ago, when he signed up for another 4 years in the Army, without talking about it with Grace first, and ruining all the plans they had for their future, he lost her, and he's regretted it every day since. When the case comes up that's forcing her to revisit her painful past, he insists on being right there with her, both to help her heal, and watch her back during their undercover op. He's also determined to make her want to give him a second chance.
Cade and Grace had always had mega chemistry, even when she was acting like she hated him, and I loved their dynamic. I have a love/hate relationship with second chance romance. It usually has SO MUCH ANGST, but this one didn't have a ton, and I was thankful. There had been so much time in between, plus they both really had to be focused on the case, and always looking out for danger, so I guess that kept it from being overly dramatic. Additionally, part of the main drama came from them both finally getting honest about their pasts, both as a couple and individually, in order to truly move on. I appreciated their connection, and I loved their banter.
Cade and Grace both have awesome families, and I loved any time they were all together. Grace's cousin Roman will be the hero of book 3 and I can't wait for that story! He's so grumpy, and surly, and I love it. Getting to see the other new employees of Steele Ops was fun too. Tank is so great, and I would love to see him get his own story one day!! I liked that there was a little more closure here between Cade and his long-lost father, General Wilcox, Steele Ops' benefactor. I felt that was left pretty open-ended in book 1, after Cade and his sister Zoey (the heroine of book 1) found out about their connection to him. I was glad to see that resolved more completely.
The suspense plot was exciting, and you were always waiting for everyone in the cult to find out Grace and Cade's true intentions. It kept me on my toes, and I was always waiting for the fallout. Most of those poor people were so scarily misguided it was just sad. Of course, many of them had turned downright evil in order to comply with the wishes of the community, and it's leaders. It was an interesting look into cults and brainwashing, without getting overly technical. Grace really understood these people, having been in the cult herself, and she also knew how best to reach them, with her understanding of psychology and the human psyche, as a profiler. I loved watching Cade follow her lead, and be happy and proud that she let him have her back. They were awesome together.
I really enjoyed this story, and I'm looking forward to dropping back into this world again for book 3!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Grace Steele grew up, from age 13 on, as the only girl in a family of boys. Her Aunt Cindy took her in, along with Cindy's 4 crazy teenage sons, Grace's cousins. But from age 5-13, after the death of her father, she lived with her mother in a cult. Those years are still painful for her to think about, and she's locked it all away for years. Now, she's an FBI agent, and profiler, and she's been tasked with rescuing a VIP's daughter from the very cult she grew up in. Now all her bad memories and feelings are returning, along with another thing from her past, her childhood sweetheart turned heartbreak, Cade Wright.
Cade Wright works with his 4 best friends in their private security firm, Steele Ops, doing jobs the government and military can't, or won't, do. Before that he worked as a D.C. detective, and before that, he was an Army Ranger. 9 years ago, when he signed up for another 4 years in the Army, without talking about it with Grace first, and ruining all the plans they had for their future, he lost her, and he's regretted it every day since. When the case comes up that's forcing her to revisit her painful past, he insists on being right there with her, both to help her heal, and watch her back during their undercover op. He's also determined to make her want to give him a second chance.
Cade and Grace had always had mega chemistry, even when she was acting like she hated him, and I loved their dynamic. I have a love/hate relationship with second chance romance. It usually has SO MUCH ANGST, but this one didn't have a ton, and I was thankful. There had been so much time in between, plus they both really had to be focused on the case, and always looking out for danger, so I guess that kept it from being overly dramatic. Additionally, part of the main drama came from them both finally getting honest about their pasts, both as a couple and individually, in order to truly move on. I appreciated their connection, and I loved their banter.
Cade and Grace both have awesome families, and I loved any time they were all together. Grace's cousin Roman will be the hero of book 3 and I can't wait for that story! He's so grumpy, and surly, and I love it. Getting to see the other new employees of Steele Ops was fun too. Tank is so great, and I would love to see him get his own story one day!! I liked that there was a little more closure here between Cade and his long-lost father, General Wilcox, Steele Ops' benefactor. I felt that was left pretty open-ended in book 1, after Cade and his sister Zoey (the heroine of book 1) found out about their connection to him. I was glad to see that resolved more completely.
The suspense plot was exciting, and you were always waiting for everyone in the cult to find out Grace and Cade's true intentions. It kept me on my toes, and I was always waiting for the fallout. Most of those poor people were so scarily misguided it was just sad. Of course, many of them had turned downright evil in order to comply with the wishes of the community, and it's leaders. It was an interesting look into cults and brainwashing, without getting overly technical. Grace really understood these people, having been in the cult herself, and she also knew how best to reach them, with her understanding of psychology and the human psyche, as a profiler. I loved watching Cade follow her lead, and be happy and proud that she let him have her back. They were awesome together.
I really enjoyed this story, and I'm looking forward to dropping back into this world again for book 3!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club