FALLING HARD (Bad Boys Undercover # 2) by HelenKay Dimon-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 26, 2015

After a grueling assignment with the black ops force known as the Alliance, Weston Brown is craving downtime. Instead, he’s pulled into his deadliest operation, in the one place he never wanted to see again. No-nonsense and so damn hot, Lexi Turner lied to get him to her mountain clinic in Pakistan. But the threat is terrifyingly real.

Lexi has been asking too many questions, drawing the wrong kind of attention. As soon as she lays eyes on West, she can tell he’s quiet—yet tough—and has a rescue complex which will come in handy for going up against the world’s most ruthless gunrunners.

Cut off from the rest of the Alliance, Lexi and West navigate the brutal terrain and a primal sexual attraction. Sticking around has never been West’s way, but now he’ll use every resource to keep Lexi by his side, safe from a killer who leaves no loose ends behind.

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REVIEW: FALLING HARD is the third installment (second full length) in HelenKay Dimon’s adult, contemporary Bad Boys Undercover military, romance series focusing on the men and women who work for the black ops force known as Alliance. This is former Marine Weston (West) Brown and physician’s assistant Lexi Turner’s storyline. FALLING HARD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from previous storylines is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives FALLING HARD follows the rescue and return of Lexi Turner. When West’s Alliance Delta Team receives an encrypted message from Skardu, Pakistan, West’s worst fears comes to fruition when he learns he must return to the country that all but destroyed his life and his soul. Lexi and her father are the medical team working at the base camp for the K2 mountain climbers and Lexi has placed a call for extraction. What ensues is a cross country trek where our leading couple find themselves in danger of discovery by the Pakistan army, and a target for destruction by a former member of their team.

The relationship between Lexi and West is one of immediate attraction but West doesn’t do relationships or love. He is a man hardened by the demons of his past, and his experiences as a Marine. Something about the beautiful but talkative Lexi draws West out of his shell but in doing so, places everyone in danger when West is unable to concentrate on the mission at hand. Lexi is a woman with a past mired in secrets and it is these secrets that have forced Lexi onto a different path and direction in life. The $ex scenes are romantic, provocative and steamy, without the unnecessary erotic elements.

The secondary and supporting characters include several of West’s Alliance team members including former CIA operative Ward Bennett and former MI6 agent Tasha Gregory (Running Hot .5). We are also introduced Josiah King, West’s backup in Pakistan-Josiah’s story will be told next in FACING FIRE (September 2015). All of the Alliance Team members are former members of the military, CIA or MI6 whose purpose is to extricate, negotiate and take down any and all threats to safety and peace.

The world building continues to focus on the secret ops and deep undercover of a team of highly skilled, modern day warriors. All have seen their share of death and destruction; some members are hired for their ability to destroy; and everyone has vowed to protect at all costs. The threat of chemical warfare is an ongoing premise throughout the series. HelenKay Dimon’s style of writing is engaging; the tension continues to build as the storyline progresses.

FALLING HARD is an action packed, suspense filled, romantic storyline where the high cost of terrorism does not go unpunished. HelenKay Dimon’s heroes and heroines are fallible, real, and not without their own morals and ethics. If you are a fan of the military/romance storylines then the BAD BOYS UNDERCOVER series by HelenKay Dimon is a welcome addition to your reading library.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Running Hot
Playing Dirty
Falling Hard

Copy supplied by the publisher through Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy