Fatal Deception by April Hunt

April Hunt “will keep you on the edge of your seat” (Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author) in this heart-pounding new romantic suspense.

Roman Steele learned a hard lesson about trusting others. While serving his country, he put his faith in the wrong person and lost a leg for his loyalty. So far, civilian life suits him—as long as he doesn't have to deal with anyone. But when he's called in to investigate a break-in at a high-security lab, he finds himself butting heads with the lead virologist, a woman as infuriating as she is beautiful.

When criminals break into Isabel Santiago's lab and steal a deadly virus, she's desperate to find the culprits before they turn her research into a weapon. But first, she must put her trust in the brooding security expert who sees danger around every corner. As she and Roman race to track down the culprits, these two unlikely partners find there's more at stake for them than they ever imagined possible—but only if they stop the enemy in time.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Steele Ops series!
For book one, Deadly Obsession, click HERE.
For book two, Lethal Redemption, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Isa is a strong, independent, brilliant woman who is working with a deadly virus. When her seemingly impenetrable lab is broken into and the thieves get away, she has heaps of guilt and is so mad she could spit fire. Isa is one of a few people who truly know what this virus is capable of and when she tries to explain it to Roman and his team, they are all a little less than enthusiastic about what Isa and her co-workers were working on.

Roman is a character that we've seen before. He's somewhat of an enigma. Silent, broody type. He didn't disappoint. He has lived through some horrible things and you get to see a side of him that you didn't in previous books. He wants to be strong and aloof, but Isa breaks those barriers with little effort.

The romance and mystery were perfectly entwined. I loved watching both unfold. Neither was the star of the story – they were equals and it made the story that much more enjoyable. I truly loved the mystery and the romance. Having a science background myself, I could tell that the author did a great job at trying to research what truly happens in those virology labs. Protocols and mannerisms were very well detailed.

You will not be disappointed with this story. You'll be wanting to know who is behind the mystery and cheering on for Isa and Roman. It was a wonderful story.

 

 

APRIL HUNT blames her incurable chocolate addiction on growing up in rural Pennsylvania, way too close to America’s chocolate capital, Hershey. She now lives in Virginia with her college sweetheart husband, two young children, and a cat who thinks she’s a human-dog hybrid. On those rare occasions she’s not donning the cape of her children’s personal chauffer, April’s either planning, plotting, or writing about her next alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can’t live without.

Connect with April

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Facebook Group: April Hunt Reader Group

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Fatal Deception (Steele Ops #3) by April Hunt to read and review.

Lethal Redemption by April Hunt

April Hunt “will keep you on the edge of your seat” (Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author) in this heart-pounding new romantic suspense.

Top FBI profiler Grace Steele was just a girl when she escaped the Order of the New Dawn, and she’s spent the last seventeen years trying to forget her time there. But when private security firm Steele Ops needs her help extracting a young woman from the secretive cult’s clutches, she’s all in. Even though the mission requires posing as the fiancée of the only man who’s ever broken her heart.

It’s been nine years since Cade Wright turned his back on his childhood sweetheart, and he’s never stopped regretting it. Now that they’re forced to work together, he knows this is his opportunity to show Grace how much he’s changed. But the deeper they get pulled into New Dawn, the clearer it becomes that the demons still haunting Grace are very real, and Cade will have to risk everything to keep her safe... including his own life.

Includes the bonus novel Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake!

Book 2
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This is the second book in the series and I would very strongly recommend that you read book one, as you'll understand the characters more thoroughly.

Grace is asked to help out on an op as a personal favor to the vice president. What she doesn't know for sure is that she is going to have to see the one person who she can't seem to forget, despite the hurt and pain they've caused her. Grace's background in the Order of the New Dawn (OND) is exactly what is needed. They need her knowledge of the group to try and infiltrate.

Cade knows that he messed up when he left Grace behind. But he isn't going to let the uncomfortable feelings she creates in him to stop him from protecting her. When Cade volunteers to help Grace, he knows he's in for a fight. What he doesn't realize is how much of herself Grace has kept hidden away. Cade wants another chance, but they have to survive this assignment first.

With nobody to turn to but each other, Cade and Grace will have to keep their feelings in check and their wits about them. OND is no joke and they have become much more dangerous. Grace has to fight her own demons and make sure that she stays mentally aware. She knows just how deep the rabbit hole can go and she wants to stay far away.

This keeps you on edge and guessing about what the true end goal is. While I was able to figure out the who part, it didn't detract from the book story at all. I can't wait to see what book three brings.

Also Available in the Steele Ops Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Deadly Obsession post.

April blames her incurable chocolate addiction on growing up in rural Pennsylvania, way too close to America’s chocolate capital, Hershey. She now lives in Virginia with her college sweetheart husband, two young children, and a cat who thinks she’s a human-dog hybrid. On those rare occasions she’s not donning the cape of her children’s personal chauffer, April’s either planning, plotting, or writing about her next alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can’t live without.

Connect with April

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lethal Redemption (Steele Ops #2) by April Hunt to read and review.

Deadly Obsession by April Hunt

Get ready for an adrenaline rush as a CSI agent and her childhood crush track a killer in this "romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat" (Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author).

After a lifetime spent in and out of hospitals, Zoey Wright is tired of playing it safe. She's ready to take charge of her own life and get out of her comfort zone, starting with a new job as a CSI agent. But when her childhood crush Knox Steele gets pulled onto her case, Zoey needs to put her feelings for him aside or more women will die at the hands of the serial killer preying on her hometown.

Former Army Ranger Knox Steele is back in Washington to help his brothers open an elite private security firm. He never expected to stumble onto a crime scene, or see his best friend's little sister working it. Zoey is all grown up now, and the attraction between them is electric, despite his best efforts to resist it. But all that changes for Knox when he realizes the victims have one thing in common... and Zoey might be next.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Knox is back home for the first time in a few years and not many people are "excited" about it. While his family is coming to terms with the fact that Knox was able to stay away so long, Knox is contemplating whether or not he's going to stay or take a job 3000 miles away. But despite being back home, his best friend's sister, Zoey, is not an easy woman to forget.

Zoey has lived her life in and out of hospitals due to a heart condition. Now that she's finally an adult and on the mend, she has taken a job that she has always wanted. She is right in the thick of things when a serial killer decides to take up residence in her city.

Zoey has to contend with overprotective family and friends, her own insecurities, and a feeling that something just isn't quite right. When Knox comes waltzing back in her life, she can't help but want to be a little careless – reckless even – with her body and heart. She never really got over Knox and even though she is warned off by several people, she can't help her feelings or the chemistry that zings between her and Knox.

You have several storylines in this book. A lot is happening and while I enjoyed it all, I thought that Knox's story was somewhat lacking. He stayed away, but you never truly know why, other than he was not in a good space. Then you have his relationship with his brothers and his best friend, Cade. Zoey is trying to figure out who she is as an adult. We catch glimpses of her finding herself, but then she's flung back into the meek woman who needs protecting. Finally, you throw in the dynamic of his brothers’ new business venture and it's just a lot going on.

This was a great story, if somewhat predictable. You can guess the killer fairly easily, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. I can't wait for the next book, as it seems incredibly interesting already given the dynamic between the two characters for the next one, seen in book one.

April blames her incurable chocolate addiction on growing up in rural Pennsylvania, way too close to America’s chocolate capital, Hershey. She now lives in Virginia with her college sweetheart husband, two young children, and a cat who thinks she’s a human-dog hybrid. On those rare occasions she’s not donning the cape of her children’s personal chauffer, April’s either planning, plotting, or writing about her next alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can’t live without.

Connect with April

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Deadly Obsession (Steele Ops #1) by April Hunt to read and review.

Hot Target by April Hunt

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...

How did a nice girl like Rachel Kline end up in a jail cell in Vegas? Don't even ask. She came to Sin City to find her missing friend and accidentally got swept up in a police raid. Even worse, she's being bailed out by the last man she wants to see right now: the irresistibly sexy, infuriatingly cocky Alpha op who rescued her a year ago. What are the odds?

Logan Callahan is six-and-a-half feet of solid muscle and Texas charm, a hard-fighting ex-Marine with a soft spot for Rachel. He's more than obliged to hang up his cowboy hat and help her out. But when someone takes a shot at her, he knows there's a good chance what happens in Vegas won't stay there. With targets on their backs and killers on their tails, it's one high-risk game they're playing. And it's not just their hearts that are on the line...

Book 3.5
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆
This is a super short novella that is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone. I liked it but didn’t love it – it was just too short to become super invested and I didn’t have a chance to connect with the characters like I would have liked.

Rachel Kline is a school teacher who had a one-night stand with her rescuer, Logan, a member of Alpha Security. Rachel was kidnapped and fed drugs – now almost 2 years later, Logan is bailing Rachel out of jail after she’s been swept up in a local brothel raid while searching for her lost friend. Logan just wants Rachel out of harm’s way but she’s having none of that and insists on helping to locate her lost friend.

I liked that though this is a short read it’s filled with a page-turning amount of drama, action, and romance. I was pulled in enough that I’d definitely like to go back and check out the other books in the series.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Thriller Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Rachel is a school teacher that somehow gets kidnapped and addicted to a cocktail of drugs against her will. When she is "better," her friend, Carly needs her help and she doesn't hesitate to jump in head first.

Then you have the alpha bodyguard who will stop at nothing to show Rachel that he can be what she needs – that he wants her despite all of her past. Logan is definitely the alpha in this story and while he was pushy and somewhat annoying at times, you truly understood that he wanted to keep Rachel safe.

Of the other stories in this series, this is the one that I have liked the least, so far. It was a fast-paced story, but the chemistry between the main characters was just not quite right for me. Also, the strangeness of the story – who was involved and what they were trying to accomplish – felt a little muddy.

April blames her incurable chocolate addiction on growing up in rural Pennsylvania, way too close to America’s chocolate capital, Hershey. She now lives in Virginia with her college sweetheart husband, two young children, and a cat who thinks she’s a human-dog hybrid. On those rare occasions she’s not donning the cape of her children’s personal chauffer, April’s either planning, plotting, or writing about her next alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can’t live without.

Connect with April

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Hot Target (Alpha Security #3.5) by April Hunt to read and review.