Cynthia Eden

Good combination of second chance romance and suspense. As a teenager, Jillian had been kidnapped. Hayden had witnessed the abduction and saved her, going from town troublemaker to town hero in one evening. Jill and Hayden became good friends, and later much more. But he walked away to become a SEAL and Jill went on to become an FBI agent.

Ten years later Jill and Hayden are reunited when she returns to Hope, burned out on her job dealing with child abductions and still haunted by what had show more happened to her. She is determined to reopen the case and find the man who had kidnapped her and murdered another girl. She doesn't expect to find Hayden also back in town, now serving as sheriff. They hadn't forgotten each other, or their feelings and the attraction flared hot once again.

I liked both Jill and Hayden. Jill is smart, capable and very good at her job. Her past as a kidnappee has made given her extra motivation in her work but has also made some cases harder to bear than others. I ached for her and the pain she felt at each loss. Hayden was terrific. He is honorable, protective, and has a surprisingly soft heart. I loved how he had turned his life around when he met Jill, determined to be someone worthy of her.

I really enjoyed the rekindling of Jill and Hayden's relationship. It is obvious from the start that their feelings for each other had never died, in spite of the way they parted. Jill was broken-hearted when Hayden left, not knowing that he believed he wasn't good enough for her. Leaving was the hardest thing that Hayden had ever done, but he thought he was doing the right thing. I loved the bits about how they had kept track of each other over the years. With Jill's arrival back in Hope, Hayden sees it as a chance to show her that they belong together and that he isn't going to let her go. Jill is a bit more cautious, knowing that risking her heart again could have devastating consequences for her. As they worked together on the case, they also got to know each other again. I loved that they were able to talk about their past and make the decision to move forward and see where things go. I loved Hayden's big moment at the end - his vulnerability and nervousness were sweet and his words so heartfelt.

The suspense of the story was really good too. From the prologue to the conclusion, the intensity built steadily. Jill's determination to solve the mystery became stronger when she was attacked. The glimpses into the mind of the killer show that he is equally determined to finish what he started. I loved seeing the pieces start to come together and was on the edge of my seat as they raced to save another victim. Though I had figured out the bad guy, the final confrontation was intense in the way it happened.

I liked the support that Jill got from her friend Samantha. That woman was scary good at what she does. Besides her work on helping to identify the killer, I loved Sam's "profiling" of Hayden and her comments to him. show less

The Shadow Agent books could be read as standalone but they're definitely better reading in order. The first time through I read them randomly and I missed lots of little details - my ratings have gone up from having started them in order from the start with Alpha One.

This one was action packed. There was lots of danger and fighting and romance. I loved Drew and Tina. Tina was fantastic. She was somewhat shy and timid but with a spine of steel. She panics when in danger but she also is a show more badass when she pulls herself together. She's a total mess of contradictions and I loved her. She was also full of sarcastic remarks and snarky thoughts and it was hilarious. Some of the gems;

“Then I got intel that revealed your true identity.” He let the gun trail over her cheek. If she had been an agent, Tina would have done something incredibly cool right then. Such as wrestle the gun from him or give him a sharp right hook. Then take all of these jerks out.

Eden, Cynthia. Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory) (p. 10). Mills & Boon Intrigue. Kindle Edition.

Drew leaned over Carl and scooped up the gun. “Nice scream you got there, Doc.” And nice, brutal fighting skills he had there. Tina cleared her throat. “Ah, thank you.”

Eden, Cynthia. Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory) (p. 43). Mills & Boon Intrigue. Kindle Edition.

The attacker let her go, but only for an instant. Only so he could lunge at Drew. No. She hit the guy with the butt of her gun. He went down with a groan. Drew curled his cuffed fingers around hers. “Nice job, Doc.

Eden, Cynthia. Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory) (p. 44). Mills & Boon Intrigue. Kindle Edition.

The bike leaped forward, heading straight for the man in the doorway. Tina clamped her lips together so that she wouldn’t scream. After all, there was no need for her to scream. The man in the doorway was doing plenty of screaming.

Eden, Cynthia. Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory) (p. 46). Mills & Boon Intrigue. Kindle Edition.

Drew was amusing as well and I loved how protective he was while also giving her a chance to help by playing bait. I wish this was just that bit longer so we could see more of the aftermath of their relationship.

The mission was interesting and the mystery of who the EOD traitor is is set up for the next book in the series. Cale and Cassidy make a brief appearance because Cale refuses to lie to Cassidy. It's hilarious how annoyed Mercer gets.

A strong romantic suspense with lots of action, humour and romance. 4 stars. show less

Good book with good, fast-paced suspense. The tiny town of Hope is suffering through the attacks of a second serial killer in the space of a few weeks. Josh is a former SEAL who now works for the FBI using his skills to find evidence underwater. The story opens as Josh has found the killer's third victim and the frustration hits him hard. It doesn't help to be accosted by reporters as soon as the team returns to shore. One reporter, in particular, rubs him the wrong way. Casey has a show more reputation for being relentless when she covers stories such as this. Having been on the receiving end of similar publicity, she is determined to give a voice to the victims.

Though their first meeting is contentious, with Josh quite clear on his opinion of reporters, he is also able to see that there is more to his anger than can be blamed on Casey. I liked the fact that he was able to see it, apologize, and try to make her see why. Even in those circumstances, his protectiveness is obvious as he tries to show her that she could be feeding the beast and putting herself in harm's way. Beneath the antagonism, there is also a simmering attraction that flares between them. Finding her skulking in the dark outside the sheriff's office brings that attraction to the surface as he once again chides her for recklessness, and escorts her back to her hotel.

What neither knows is that the killer has indeed decided on his next victim and is waiting to pounce. Casey isn't ready to die, however, and fights back, managing to escape. Josh is determined to keep Casey safe from the killer who seems determined to finish what he started. He takes her into protective custody, where the sparks between them really begin to fly. I loved seeing a connection deeper than just the physical as they worked together to find the killer. Each of them is surprised to find that they want more from each other. Josh initially tries to deny it, but both of his friends, Hayden and Tucker, see it and call him on it. It was pretty sweet to see two strong characters like Josh and Casey become so protective of each other.

The suspense of the story was really good. From the first attack on Casey to the end, the action was fast and intense. Occasional glimpses into the perp's point of view added to the suspense of when he would strike next. Casey's determination to help, rather than remain protected in the safe house, increased the sense of impending danger. As their investigation progressed, twists and turns kept me guessing as to which of several possibilities was the killer. While the killer turned out to be one of my top suspects, there was a twist that I hadn't seen coming. The final confrontation was intense and had me glued to the pages until it was over. show less

The Girl Next Door by Cynthia Eden is more than just a top-tier Mills & Boon Intrigue offering, but a very good little mystery/romance thriller on its own. The Mills & Boon Intrigue branding may be why many readers pick up this one, but were it missing those labels it would satisfy any reader’s appetite for a lean-and-to-the-point, swiftly-moving romantic thriller. Coming in at 216 pages in my edition, few words were wasted as the author economically drives both the thriller elements and show more the romantic entanglement forward without sacrificing atmosphere. This makes it an enjoyable page-turner and easily outshines more ballyhooed books “supposedly” a cut above the Harlequin/Mills & Boon lines, which have their origins in the pulp stories of yesteryear.

This one takes place during summer in Washington, DC, and opens with a bang as EOD agent Cooper Marshall finds former agent Keith Lockwood with his throat slit. Enter reporter for the DC Inquisitor, Gabrielle Harper, walking right into the crime scene because of a tip. Cooper, her neighbor at a DC brownstone, can’t let her know he arrived on the scene first, but also must contain the story. No one but a few know about the elite EOD, but the recent killings Gabrielle is investigating threaten to blow the lid on the most secretive of government agencies. Each of the victims is either directly connected to the EOD, or one of its operatives. It seems one of their own has gone rogue, and for some reason as yet unknown, he/she is killing his own. Cooper has to find the most deadly of killers before he/she blows the whole lid on the town, and exposes the EOD.

Gabrielle Harper had a visceral reaction to Cooper the first time she met him — when she brought him cookies as a housewarming gift — and that reaction was mirrored by Cooper. But as he tags along with her under the guise of friendly neighbor, wanting to keep her safe, he has to keep lying to the reporter, even thwarting her skilled efforts to get at the truth. And then the killer takes aim at the resourceful Gabrielle, and has her doubting who and what Cooper is, despite her heated attraction. When she finally gets the truth about Cooper from her boss Hugh Keller, who covertly slips her the information even as he’s headed for a forced vacation — Cooper’s boss Bruce Mercer pulling strings — she naturally feels hurt and used. Cooper has no option but to bring her in for her own safety.

Yes, it sounds kind of routine, and perhaps even slightly cheesy, but to the author’s credit it isn’t. It’s incredibly well done, laced with some exciting moments, some revelations, even some grit and a touch of real violence — but nothing too gory. The two sex scenes are handled fairly well, not being too graphic or unrealistic, and they don’t slow the pace of the narrative in any way. The relationship and the background of the two leads, Cooper and Gabrielle, has just enough flesh and bones on it to make them, and the relationship, seem real. The story itself is tightly woven — even a bit more complex than expected once some side tangents are revealed near the end. Though I guessed the killer I wasn’t 100% sure, because there were other ways it could have gone. Though there is a cornball moment when all is said and done that felt more at home in a Harlequin romance than an Intrigue offering, it didn’t give me diabetes or anything.

All in all, this is just a terrifically entertaining read. Mills & Boon Intrigue fans who enjoy a bit more complexity and story to their thriller/romance will love this one, but it’s good enough that I’d suggest it to those who don’t normally read a Mills & Boon Intrigue. A swift and involving narrative that’s hard to put down make this a fun little genre read. Highly recommended. show less