Her Lone Wolf (X-Ops #2)
by Paige Tyler
Blurb:
Leaving him was Impossible…
It
took everything she had for FBI Special Agent Danica Beckett to walk away from
the man she loved. But if she wants to save his life, she has to keep her
distance. Now, with a killer on the loose and the stakes higher than ever
before, the Department of Covert Ops is forcing these former lovers into an
uneasy alliance…whether they like it or not.
Seeing her again is even worse
The
last thing Clayne Buchanan wants is to be shackled to the woman who broke his
heart. She gets under his skin in a way no one ever has and makes him want
things he has no right to anymore. All he has to do is suffer through this case
and he can be free of her for good. But when Clayne finds out why Danica left in the first place, everything he’s tried to bury
comes roaring back—and there’s no way this wolf shifter is going to take no for
an answer this time.
Themes: paranormal,
shifters, mercenaries
Rating: 4 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Returning to
the shadowy world of espionage and national protection, Her Lone Wolf brings
two former lovers back into each other’s lives and brings out the truth of the
organization they once swore their lives to.
For being only the second story in the series and the second by Paige I
have ever read, I will say I enjoyed the story very much, though I wasn't quite
as intrigued in this as the first one until the very end. With a bit of a slow start on the
relationship front, Danica and Clayne's story was a lot of looking back and
regretting past choices. Once they both
decided to admit the feelings they have for each other and find a way to
reunite, I began to love both the characters and the story itself. I am looking forward to where the story might
be headed and wonder just how deep the treachery goes in this
organization. Tyler's X-op series is a
twist of a couple of other series I have read, but she writes so well and her
imagination so fluid that I know I will love this series right until the very end.
Danica and
Clayne haven’t seen in other in years, since she left their partnership and
relationship, leaving Clayne broken-hearted, but they are suddenly thrust into
a search for a serial killer that only they can catch. Clayne thought he'd moved past his love for
Danica when she broke his heart and left him behind, but seeing her and working
with her again brings his true feelings out.
Danica can't believe she has to work with Clayne, dealing with his
horrible attitude, when her own heart is breaking. Because though she was the one that left it
was all for him, to keep him safe and free, but she can never tell him the
truth. As they, work together to find the psychotic shifter that is terrorizing
California, Danica is no longer able to hide her feelings and decides that
maybe if he understands what's at stake he can find a way to forgive her and be
happy. Clayne can't believe what he is
hearing when the only woman he's ever loved admits why she left, but even knowing
there is danger in it, he cannot resist bringing her back into his life and his
bed. But when the killer is caught will
they be able to be together, or will the dark truth still keep them apart?
I loved
Danica, though I wanted her to slap Clayne several times just for his own
stubbornness and inability to see between the lines. It's obvious to me that she is hurt by seeing
him again, but he doesn’t see, to be able to pick up that fact himself, until
her walls begin to crumble under his onslaught and the truth is forced out into
the open. She has always loved him and
being a strong woman, forfeited her life and love so she could keep him safe
and free, but he refuses to understand her motivations. I liked seeing her investigating, she is
obviously a sharp woman and her thinking processes are unique enough that I would
want someone like her on the trail of a true maniac because she could catch and
kick their butts. When she decides she’s
hidden the truth from Clayne enough, admitting that she made a mistake leaves
her wondering how she will ever find her center again, but determined to try to
have a relationship with her love again.
Clayne is
quite frankly an asshole through the first third of the book--but then I guess
he does have his reasons. Unable to
understand that his love might have been one-sided he's never truly been able
to move on, probably because she was truly his match and mate, even if he didn’t
realize it at the time. I enjoyed when
she finally admitted the truth and he understood that the woman he loves--and
loves him--spent the last several years struggling with her emotions trying to
protect him. Though his innate alpha
tendencies hate the truth, thankfully his human side begins to understand and
forgive almost immediately. Bringing Danica
back into his life is his most important goal--well once he catches a serial
killing shifter that has focused on him as his adversary. Clayne’s strength and cunning mark him as a
true alpha wolf and show that even the biggest asses can turn out to be real
heroes.
Tyler’s
fascinating and in-depth view of a world that exists alongside our own is
enough to keep me coming back for more, but ultimately the relationships
between these shifters and their mates are what really hooked me. The overall action and plot is truly what
allows the relationships to develop and find a way for the couples to trust and
love one another in an otherwise terrifying existence for shifters. Danica is the type of woman that sacrifices
to protect those she loves, giving up her own happiness and life to allow her
love to live his life. Clayne is a
smartass to be sure, but clever, witty and ultimately a man that will protect
what is his with his last breath, and in the end I couldn’t help but fall in
love with him a little bit. Even when
they are acting like they hate one another, the sparks and intensity between
these two former (and future lovers) is irresistible and I just hope I find a
love so deep one day. The villain in
this story was ingeniously done, and not something, I was able to guess right
up until the end. I will say that I wish
I was a wolf myself so I could tear out the heart of the guy in their
organization that is messing with their lives.
I am hoping that he gets his ass handed to him soon in the upcoming
stories, but ultimately I know it will happen. Tyler keeps me interested in the story from
start to finish, even if the relationship was a bit lacking in the beginning
for me. Can’t wait to see what happens
next.
*eARC provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
No comments:
Post a Comment