Christy Reece

She hunts serial killers. He brings the wicked to justice. Together they'll be unstoppable, unless he finds out who she really is... Somewhere between darkness and the dawn lies a truth that could get them killed.

Merciless: An Option Zero Novel

Lynn Braden

Jules Stone is about to infiltrate Options Zero by lying to the entire OZ team about why she is there. She has spent the last several years tracking serial killers and bringing them to justice, but now she believes is the time to right some of the wrongs in her past, which includes restitution to Asher Drake. Jules gets the endorsement of Ash's trusted confidant, Kate Walker. What he doesn't know is that Jules and Kate have a plan to keep Ash and his OZ team safe, but it involves deception of both Senator Turner who has been after Ash for years and the entire OZ team. The attraction between Ash and Jules is a surprise that neither expects and causes complications that neither are able to predict.
Secrets always amp up the tension in a novel and there are plenty of them in Merciless. Jules and Ash are both badass characters with vulnerabilities stemming from events in the past that have left both of them damaged. The plot about uncovering and putting arms dealers out of business is pretty average, but it is the story of what each of the main characters has survived in the past that raises the quality of this book. As the novel goes on, the conflict goes from one that is more political to one that is over the top and requires a suspension of disbelief. Another problem I had with the novel is that it takes Jules too long to come clean with Ash about who she really is, but overall this is still a good, escapist romantic suspense.

Merciless: An Option Zero Novel

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