Severed Ties ~ Day Review

Severed Ties

Dauntless Defenders #3

By Taylor S. Newport

First off, you can enjoy and follow this book without reading the first two, though you will be missing parts of the backstory that is referenced in the book.  Alex Romanova has a difficult past and is having trouble finding her way back into the life that was ripped away from her. Her family is limited to a grandfather whose health is failing and cousins she doesn't know. But when she learns that a drug her late mother developed has been stolen and about to be misused, she knows she has to recover it. Unfortunately, she must work with the man who she hasn't heard from in over a year.

Tyler Reid doesn't get close to anyone. He can't afford to, as a mercenary, they'd just be used against him. He's satisfied that Alex is safe in Russia living the life she was supposed to. The last thing he wanted was to be pulled into a dangerous situation with her. But with the director of the CIA pulling the strings they have no choice in the matter.

As Tyler and Alex face the dangers of rescuing a missing doctor, each step forward pulls them deeper into the net that Rawlings has tightening around them. Can they determine Rawling's end game before it is too late? 

This is an action-filled book that took this reader from Russia to Australia to Washington, D.C. to India, as danger and a dangerous threat threaten all. Tyler and Alex have some definite issues to work through. I'd suggest talking but a mercenary who wants to keep his distance from everyone and a woman who is haunted by her past and appearing weak already have a lot going against them. There are faith elements in this book, no in your face preachy moments. No, it centers on Alex and her desire to move beyond her past. When she feels moments of weakness she reaches out in prayer, asking for help and strength.

Overall, this was a good read and one I'd recommend to those who want action but not all of the graphic violence and language that come from mainstream publications.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

He’s left the past where it belongs. But then it comes knocking at his door.

The silence following Tyler Reid's last mission has him eager for the next job. So when a woman from his past shows up on his doorstep with a new task—extracting a kidnapped Indian doctor from rival mercenaries—he’s ready to move. It’s dangerous. It’s fast-moving. It’s exactly what he wants. The only problem is Alexandra Romanova is going too—the one person who sees the cracks in his armor he's trying to hide.

Alexandra “Alex” Romanova has returned to Russia, but she’s not ready to step into her father’s legacy. So she seizes the chance to delay that future. Especially when she learns who’s missing—and who’s going after him. But working alongside Tyler again tests more than her training. He’s different. More guarded. And something in him is unraveling.

From Libya to India to Morocco, the team races to find the missing doctor while avoiding the trap the enemy has set. But every step closer to the truth puts more pressure on the cracks already forming. And as the mission begins to spiral, Alex realizes the real danger may not be the enemies chasing them—but the severed ties Tyler leaves behind when he decides the mission is over.