Backlash

What an adrenaline-filled, intensely engaging thrill ride! Rachel Dylan is a master at weaving romantic suspense tales with non-stop action, relatable and lovable characters, and a complex plot with quite a few surprises. Backlash is book 2 in Capital Intrigue series and it can be read as a stand-alone but reading the series in order will help keep the relatively large crew of main characters straight and help in understanding a subplot that is a continuation from the first book. The main plot deals with Layla, who is a tough CIA operative, and Hunter, her ex-boyfriend who is now a private investigator that contracts with the DEA. Layla's one joint mission with DEA makes her and her team a target and Hunter is brought in to help out the team. Layla and Hunter have a convoluted history that prevents Layla from trusting Hunter, but escalating threats draw them together as they figure out how to merge their past, present, and future. The subplot deals with Izzy, one of Layla's friends and an NCIS agent (introduced in the first book), who is confronted by her past when a murder investigation lands on her doorstep. These two plots run parallel and don't actually intersect except for the women's friendship but they come nicely together to form a cohesive storyline. The book has it all - the nail-biting suspense, the heart-stopping romance, tough issues like corruption within government agencies and surviving abuse, and uplifting themes like forgiveness and depending on God's bigger plan. If you enjoy romantic suspense, you will absolutely adore this book. I received a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.