This was included as part of a bundle with Glitter and Gunfire (Shadow Agents, #4) by Cynthia Eden. Here's the thing, I like a good bundle, especially when they're on sale - but the Mills and Boon ones are all so random so you end up having one book from one series, one book from another that has nothing to do with each other and it's not even the first book in the series. Or can be standalone. That's just annoying af.

So I bought this bundle for Glitter and Gunfire. And got this as a bonus. And it says it's the first book, but it really didn't read like it was. There were characters from a previous book. A mission/investigation from a previous book. And it didn't wrap up the investigation in this one either. And honestly I'm not really getting the spy reference either. They're not really spies. At least I didn't get that. They were basically just federal agents.

Anyway the plot seemed very focused on Molly's brother who was apparently in the last book and guilty of smuggling people and drugs across the border. When he was killed, Molly is the only remaining link and ends up with the cops and the bad guys after what she knows. Which is nothing.

I didn't really like either Molly or Moses that much. They were alright, kind of bland really. The romance between them was bland as well - they didn't really have any chemistry and they don't particularly get to know one another either. The rest of the characters are kind of nothing ones and I couldn't even name the rest of the team.

The mystery was fairly straightforwards; I guessed pretty early on who was the partner. It'd probably be more enjoyable if I'd read the rest of the series before this one. Based on this one alone though, 2 stars. ( )

Very good book that picked up where last year's The Spy Wore Spurs left off. The SDDU team is working along the border to stop terrorists from coming across the border with Mexico. Molly's brother Dylan was killed in a shootout and has been accused of kidnapping, murder and drug running. Molly is being questioned about anything she may have seen or known. Mo is the one doing the interrogating and he is very good at being intimidating. Nothing he does causes her to change her story and he has to admit to himself that she is probably innocent of any wrongdoing. When Molly begins getting intruders at her farm during the nights Mo steps in to protect her and her son.

Molly doesn't understand how her brother can be accused of these terrible things. He was always there for her when she needed him and was a terrific uncle to her little boy. She is sure that there has been some mistake. She is angry that Mo is accusing her of being involved also. She can't wait to be done and get away from him. She doesn't expect him to suddenly start watching out for her and Logan when she starts having problems with intruders. Now that he's no longer treating her like a suspect she's feeling an unwelcome attraction to him. That attraction becomes something more when Mo starts taking an interest in her son, teaching him how to protect himself against the bullies that are bothering him at school and playing video games with him. Molly doesn't trust her own judgement because of the mistake she made with Logan's father and tries to keep her feelings under control. I really liked her loyalty to her brother, misguided though it might have been. She is also very independent and doesn't like to depend on anyone else. After several problems with intruders she begins to trust that Mo will protect them. When he suggests that she and Logan stay at his apartment where they will be safer, she accepts for Logan's sake, but feels intimidated by the differences she feels between them. When Logan is taken hostage to force her cooperation in the recovery of the missing drugs she does the stupid thing and doesn't go to Mo for help. The final confrontation with one of the bad guys was pretty hair-raising.

Mo is very focused on his work. He has his life plan and nothing is going to distract him from it. He is pretty sure that Molly must know something about her brother's activities and has no trouble with the idea of using intimidation to get the answers he wants. What he doesn't expect is the distraction of feeling attracted to her. I loved seeing the way that he had to keep forcing his attention back to what he was doing. He eventually had to admit that she was most likely innocent of knowing anything about what her brother had been up to. When she started having problems with intruders he stepped in to watch out for her and Logan, not understanding why he felt so protective but helpless to stop it. I also liked the way that he went to Logan's school with her and stood up for Logan to the principal accusing them of not doing enough to stop the bullying. It took him awhile to realize what it was about Molly that appealed to him so much because he had been raised without any female influence in his life. I really liked the way that he trusted his instincts when something felt off with her and he was able to rescue her and Logan. I also enjoyed seeing the way that the rest of the team backed him up without question and the way that it made him feel. I loved the epilogue and Mo's solution to their living arrangements.

I really enjoyed the action in the book and the way things built toward the conclusion. The immediate mystery of who was behind the trouble on her farm was solved by the end of the book. The culprit wasn't too much of a surprise. There is still the ongoing mystery of who is behind the terrorist threat and how they are going to stop them. ( )

In Marton’s romantic suspense novel, Molly Roger’s brother has been accused of smuggling and murder but she thinks he’s innocent. Moses Mann believes in his guilt and initially thinks she’s an accomplice. Watching over Molly, her son, and her ranch, Moses discovers a lot going on including a growing attraction between them. Together they will navigate the minefield of danger to find safety and each other on the other side.

A solid debut to HQ: Texas series. ( )