UNDER THE WIRE – HelenKay Dimon
Bad Boys Undercover , Book 4
Avon Books
ISBN-13:  978-0-062441287
June 2016
Romantic Suspense

Ural Mountains, Russia – Present Day

Cara Layne is a geologist on an expedition in Russia, well, that is her cover story, but she is also there on some work for the CIA.  Only, one night while sleeping in her tent in a sleeping bag that doesn't nearly keep her warm enough, her world blows up.  She hears ripping and tearing of the tent, people yelling, and she's being dragged in her sleeping bag somewhere, the ground shaking and blinding pain in her head.  Things go black around her and she doesn't know where she is.

Caleb, Cara's brother, knows something is wrong and calls Reid Armstrong, to whom she was engaged sixteen months ago before she broke it off.  Reid is a member of the Alliance, a joint task force of former CIA and M16 officers, and he met Cara in a kidnapping situation, and their immediate connection had him proposing marriage to her soon after.  When she broke off the engagement it tore his heart out, and despite going over everything he ever said to her, he can't understand why she wanted out of their relationship.  Reid and his friend Parker were on their way to Montana on their motorcycles for a short vacation after the death of one of their own.  Now they have entered illegally into Russia, with weapons no less, and Parker is still wondering what happened to their vacation, since Reid hasn't told him why they are there.

After finding Cara, Reid figures out a little scientific expedition isn't what really sent Cara to Russia.  With Russian Military looking for them, a former Russian gangster behind Cara's work, and also trying to figure out what the military is looking for in this desolate part of Russia keeps them busy running and confronting danger on every side.  Fortunately, Tasha, the head of the Alliance, has all the contacts needed to help them with their safety and finding out what Nico, the Russian, is after in that part of Russia

Told from Reid's and Cara's points of view, Reid has tried to live a life without Cara for the past year and hasn't succeeded yet.  If he could just find out what he did or said?  Cara was scared of their intense connection to each other and couldn't believe it would last; it was probably just the adrenaline from her rescue.  You would think being a geologist would make a safe career, but she has taken on more and more dangerous expeditions in the past year trying to get Reid out of her system.  When Reid comes back into her life trying to save and protect her again, she still can't figure out what exactly she wanted from him; to learn all the secrets of his youth he refuses to discuss?  Protecting Cara is all Reid is interested in, especially when part of the Russian military comes around and then Nico, a rich Russian with grandiose ideas of making Russia great again, no matter what he has to do.

Secondary characters are Parker, Reid's partner who has his back, and their leader Tasha, former M16 and a woman with connections and power that she has no qualms about using.  Nico is the rich Russian with ties to the CIA, and Mickey is his former German military aid, who does all the dirty work.  Caleb may be Cara's brother, but he, too, is knowledgeable about the Alliance, and with his computer skills sometimes is called upon for extra work.

UNDER THE WIRE is another of the Bad Boys Undercover series following PLAYING DIRTY, FALLING HARD and FACING FIRE.  The men of the Alliance are strong and can stand up to anyone, but have deep devotion to their women.  UNDER THE WIRE will definitely have your heart beating fast, and maybe have you biting your nails.  Is running around in the Ural Mountains a good way to reconnect a broken relationship? And will danger once again bring on the hot feelings Reid and Cara have for each other? And how many times can Reid get shot before he will admit he doesn't feel too good?  Grab a copy of the next installment of the Alliance and enjoy Reid and Cara slowly trying to find their way back to love.

Carolyn Crisher