I read another great book by Julie Coulter Bellon, the third installment in the Hostage Negotiation Team, Pocket Full of Posies:

 

From the blurb:

They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer . . .
Hostage Negotiation Team member Bart Gutierrez is shocked to find Lucy Aguayo, a girl he knew as a teenager, working for the deadly Castillo drug cartel. This revelation uncovers a secret in Bart’s family so big it forces him to accept a dangerous offer: infiltrate the cartel to keep his family safe. Once inside the cartel’s headquarters he discovers that a large-scale attack on America is imminent and the only way to prevent it is to bring Lucy in on his plans—and hope she doesn’t betray him.
Lucy Aguayo has become a key player in the Castillo cartel, but not for money or power—she’s on a mission of vengeance for her father’s murder. Just when she gets a chance to bring down the cartel leader responsible, Bart Gutierrez appears, stirring up buried feelings and disrupting all her plans. But as the enemy closes in from all sides, Lucy must choose between being free from her past or finding justice for it. Can she give up everything she’s ever worked for and reach for something more?

My review of it:

I’m quickly getting addicted to this series. I’ve read #2, Ashes Ashes, and still need to catch up with #1, All Fall Down. This is the 3rd in the series, and you can tell there is one more left. I like the clever twist on the theme of the series, with the way the titles are sequenced in reverse.

Once again, it has perfect amount of mystery and suspense, with a sprinkle of romance. I really liked how the author drops the reader right in the thick of things. The book starts and you’re right there in the middle of the action, and you can feel the tension on the main characters.
Bart and Lucy already have a past together. It’s been years since they’ve seen each other, and although the feelings are still there for the old friend in each other, they don’t know the new adult person. They have some distrust at first, but when they’re thrown together in a new situation, they have to learn to bring back that trust and work together.

I also liked the tension brought by the family situation. It was believable and it added another dimension to the story that enabled the character to grow past certain flaws.

All in all, I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re a lover of action, adventure, suspense, and a sweet romance. And while you’re at it, you might as well read the rest of the series.