Series: Declan's Defenders (Book 6)
They'll have to trust each other in order to survive this
mission.
After escaping Trinity, a terrorist organization, trained
assassin CJ Grainger has insider knowledge about the group's plans, but she
needs resources that Cole McCastlain, a member of Declan's Defenders, can
provide. Yet they face a dilemma: they must either facilitate the deaths of
government officials or become Trinity's next targets. CJ and Cole will make it
out alive only if they can place their lives in each other's hands.
This was a fantastic conclusion to the series. While each
book can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading them all, in order, to get the full
effect of the overarching storyline. Each book is a complete story involving
one couple and solves their immediate problem, but there is also the continuing
story of bringing down a domestic terror group. I was fully invested in the
whole thing from the very beginning, as Elle James writes truly gripping tales.
CJ Grainger played a large part in the previous book,
Tactical Force, as the unknown informant who warned the Defenders about sleeper
agents in the White House and an impending attack. In this book, we learn more
about her as she joins forces with the group to bring down Trinity. CJ was
kidnapped as a child and trained as an assassin by Trinity. When she refused to
carry out her last mission, she became the target. CJ has been on the run for a
year, trying to stay alive while looking for Trinity's leader. Having concluded
that she can't do it alone, she has joined forces with Declan's Defenders.
Cole is the team's computer guy. Charlie tasks him with
protecting CJ after she revealed herself in the previous book. Cole is a bit
frustrated because CJ resists his help, believing that she is better off on her
own. I liked his patience, as he understood that CJ had to think he could be
trusted before she would accept his help.
It didn't take too long for Trinity's hunters to close in
on CJ, forcing her to accept Cole's help. Now that they are constantly in each
other's company, the attraction that flared between them from the moment they
met grows stronger. I loved the interactions between them, as Cole's
protectiveness grows, and CJ hangs on to her independence. I enjoyed seeing
that, though Cole is protective, he also respects CJ's capabilities and doesn't
try to hold her back. CJ is just as protective of Cole, especially knowing what
Trinity is capable of. When everything was all over, I loved Cole's support of
CJ and what she wanted for her future. I ached for her as she had trouble
believing that he could love someone who was a trained assassin. I loved it when
he told her, "Your past doesn't dictate your future. But it helps to shape
you into the woman you want to become."
The suspense of the story was fantastic as the team
continued its quest to stop Trinity. The intensity increased as the team
uncovered pieces of the puzzle and raced to put them together before Trinity
could strike again. The scene in the woods was heart-wrenching and showed the
depth of CJ's caring, to the point of risking her life. I was glued to the
pages as the extent of Trinity's plan was revealed. The final confrontation was
a nail-biter, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was over. There was an exciting
twist to the conclusion that I didn't see coming but made perfect sense once it
was revealed.
Though there was no epilogue, the final chapter provided
the perfect wrap-up for both book and series. I loved seeing how CJ's life
changed and how she put her past to work for her. There were a couple of
surprise announcements from members of Declan's Defenders. There was also a
letter from the president with an unexpected result of their efforts stopping
Trinity. As much as I liked that surprise, and the men's reaction to it, my
favorite was the one about Charlie herself.
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