Fallen is the second title in Rebecca Zanetti's Deep Ops series, and it's the third book in the series I've read (there is a Deep Ops #1.5), and wow, what an exciting, sexy, thrill ride of a read! It gets 5 stars from this reader.
The heroine in this intriguing and exciting novel is Brigid Banaghan, a world class computer hacker who ended up on the wrong side of the Feds by inadvertently hacking into a Pentagon computer. To avoid prison time she took a really bad plea bargain--the Homeland Defense Department (HDD) requiring her to join and work with the Deep Ops team, which they'd like to see disbanded, and which is under the leadership of Angus Force, to secretly spy on their activities and report back to HDD.
Raider Tanaka, a member of the Deep Ops team, is appointed as Brigid's handler, keeping an eye on her and making sure she's doing the job she's supposed to be doing. To say that there is an attraction between these two is putting it mildly, but Brigid has always been attracted to bad boys, and Raider seems a bit too polished and straitlaced for her at the outset, but after one meeting in a bar on an op, he shows his bad, tough guy side, and Brigid is more than a little intrigued and attracted to this inscrutable man, as was this reader.
Bridig's father, Sean, from whom she's been estranged for some time, used to be an enforcer for the Irish Mob in Boston, and when he left the mob (a act which usually ends in death) after meeting Brigid's mom, marrying her and buying a farm in upstate New York, he took some insurance with him in the form of records of their illegal enterprises and tape recordings of mob deals, conversations and activities. Now, the mob leader he once worked for is dead, and his son has taken control--he's more than a little paranoid and wants those records and recordings back, and he's not above kidnapping, torture, and murder to get his hands on them. Additionally, the Deep Ops team still think he's involved with the mob's illegal activities, but Brigid thinks otherwise, and wants to protect her father.
As the Deep Ops team's ace hacker, Brigid, become aware that mob activities have expanded from the usual guns, drugs and prostitution to human trafficking; there's a shipment of young girls arriving soon, and it's their mission to figure out where they'll enter the country and when. After trying and failing to get Brigid's father to turn over his "insurance," a way to infiltrate the mob, the plot thickens and takes off like a rocket, involving all of the members of the Deep Ops team in a race to stay alive, rescue Sean, then Brigid, and a reporter, Dana, who has been helping them. With every Deep Ops member involved in some way, including the hilarious, alcoholic German shepherd named Roscoe, their lives are in grave danger, and as the tension builds to a feverish pace, so too does the relationship between Raider and Brigid, at least until he learns that she's been spying on Deep Ops for the Feds--which is a deal breaker for Raider, who grew up in foster care, and insists on total honesty at all times, as well as for the rest of the team, who feel they can no longer trust the spy in their midst.
There are so many twists and turns in this tale that it was impossible to put down. Will Raider and Brigid resolve their issues now that Raider feels betrayed and lied to? Will the team force Brigid to leave? Will Brigid, Sean, Raider, Dana and the rest of the team survive this op and be able to rescue the trafficked young girls in time? All these questioned will be answered, but not by this reader.
I found Fallen to be one of the most exciting, complex, sexy, deeply moving and addictive reads I've read in some time. The author managed to get into the heads and hearts of all her characters and had this reader totally engrossed in their story from beginning to end. Yes there's some graphic sex and lots of violence, but both suits this novel perfectly. While this novel can be read as a standalone, I recommend starting this series from the beginning, and I think you'll be as engrossed by the Deep Ops series as I am.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
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Reviews with images
5 Fallen Stars
Brigid Banaghan got caught hacking and now she is forced to work with a secret Deep Ops unit. Raider knows there is more to his new assignment than he’s been told. When Brigid’s estranged father is named in an investigation into Boston’s organized crime, Raider’s mind switches onto high alert. Brigid needs Raider’s help to clear her father’s name but unless he can release his inner bad boy, pretending to be engaged won’t fly.This ‘Deep Ops’ story is one hair raising exciting event after another and readers won’t be able to put it down once they get started. The characters are strong, vivid and easily grab the readers’ attentions and the chemistry between Raider and Brigid sizzles with extreme heat although they do seem like an unlikely couple but that just ensures that this growing relationship never has dull moment as the emotions flow and passions ignite.The plot is fast paced with great timing that keeps the excitement coming and the suspense building throughout keeping readers on edge even as stunning twists ensures that they never know exactly what might happen. The ‘Deep Ops’ team is a great team that is strong with a compelling presence that readers wanting to be part of their team especially because this team is a bit unorthodox which makes things real and heroic. This story is energetic, spicy and thrilling with a bit of humor that really makes the story stand out.
