Thanks go to the author, publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of The Agent by Nancy Herkness. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to its release. My opinions are my own and no one influenced them.

The Agent is the third book in Ms. Herkness’s series, The Consultants. As with all of Ms. Herkness’s novels, The Agent is a well-written novel with characters that pull you into the story and having you routing for them to succeed.

Natalie Hart is the heroine, and she’s a truly endearing character with many traits I love. She’s a troubled soul with a poor self-image from the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. That type of abuse is so hard because there are no physical signs of the damage one suffers from a controlling relationship. It can tear one’s soul apart and take years to recover from the abuse.

Tully Gibson is a fantastic hero with his own issues from his past. While his problems are not from an ex, they are no less damaging and has him determined to avoid a deep relationship with anyone. Then he meets Natalie and that changes fast.

The romance between Natalie and Tully is combustible from the beginning and burns hot throughout the book. The sexual scenes are well written with plenty of passion and will appeal to many readers. There’s also a strong emotional attraction between them, and I really wanted them to find their happy ending.

The suspense in The Agent is amazing! The suspense builds throughout the story and had me sitting on the edge of my seat. There’s a lot of action in The Agent making it a fast-paced reading experience. Ms. Herkness is a master at writing romantic suspense!

If you enjoy romantic suspense novels with a hot billionaire, and a plot with plenty of action, then you will love The Agent as much as I did. I’m not sure what Ms. Herkness plans for her next book, but I know I will want to read it. Happy reading!

This story was the icing on the cake to the Consultants series! Natalie has a stalker and Tully takes it upon himself to help her. They have been attracted to one another for a while now but made no move toward each other. Now they work in close contact and the pull is stronger than ever.

The relationship is a push and pull because of their pasts but passion wins in the end. As they work together with Tully's team and resources to catch the creep behind the scenes plays make it difficult to get a bead on him.

Nancy Herkness never fails to create undeniable passion, pulse pounding drama and swoon worthy sweet romantic endings to her stories. I loved all things about this tale!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Agent by Nancy Herkness which is the last book in The Consultants series. The slow burn between Tully and Natalie was sizzling and sweet, the plot twists were enough to keep my eyes glued to the pages, and it was great to see the characters from the other books. If you love romantic suspense, I highly recommend this series.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars of sexy hotness!

This is the third book in the series, and I would definitely recommend that you read them in order as the stories follow on from each other. Three men who work together in a very successful business and decided to give back to small businesses are the consultants of the title. And only Tully is left single, and that is how he intends to stay – always the perfect way to start a romance!

Tully and Natalie cannot avoid each other in the preparations and wedding of Derek and April (book one's leads). Neither of them are interested in long term, but the time they have spent together has fuelled the flames between them. It is great fun watching them deal with the pleasure they find in each other, whilst trying to ignore the feelings growing between them.

All this happens in the backdrop of Natalie having a stalker, who is escalating the level of threat. Tully insists on taking charge of her safety, and the team all work together to solve the mystery and let her get back to normality. I liked the tension which developed and the righting of a terrible wrong. Of course, it also gave the couple a chance to recognise the importance of their romance and gave them a chance at the one thing they never saw for themselves... a happily ever after.

Whilst this is the last book in the series, I have to admit I would love to catch up with all three couples again... hint, hint!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Natalie is a sweet woman who wants to better herself, and if she can help save other women along the way, she'll do everything in her power to do so. Even though she has been attracted to Tully for a while, she has never acted on those feelings. When she starts to receive threatening notes, she knows that she should tell someone. That someone turns out to be Tully.

Tully is the alpha male that everyone loves. He is strong and sexy, has a protective streak a mile wide, and will do anything to make sure the people in his life are safe. He is also somewhat allergic to commitment and doesn't have any intention of changing that status.

Natalie and Tully have a great relationship that only intensifies when they find themselves in close quarters. I like that they had a friendship before everything became more. The back and forth between them is realistic and you can truly feel that despite their past pain, both want to see where their relationship could go.

You will not be disappointed with these books. You get a glimpse at the characters for the next book in the books before and you get to see their relationships develop throughout each story.

Triggers: Stalking, domestic abuse, kidnapping


Mary – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in The Consultants series and is Tully and Natalie's story. In the other books, Tully seems to be the forever bachelor and Natalie has left a bad marriage. They have friends in common and are part of a wedding party. The sparks between them are nothing to play around with. Natalie wants to see what one night with him would be like and Tully isn't sure he can stop at one night.

When Natalie tells Tully about the strange emails, he goes into protective mode. He makes sure her security system is working properly and she knows how it works. He even gets her a bodyguard to stay with her. As her stalker gets more aggressive, Tully and Natalie grow closer and closer.

Will they find out who is after Natalie before it is too late? Can Natalie let Tully in and show him how she really feels? Will Tully accept his feelings for Natalie and make a future with her?

I have enjoyed this series and this couple is my favorite. This story is filled with friends, fun, flirty, suspense, danger, and new love. I want to read it again and again. I hope Deion gets his own book; he is going to make a great addition to this series (hint, hint). I highly recommend this whole series, I loved it all.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciated that The Agent could be read as a true standalone. There were references to characters from past books, but it wasn’t done in such a way as I felt like I was missing something.

The semi-reluctant romance between Tully and Natalie was well-written and I especially enjoyed their sweet ending.

Unfortunately, I did feel that the story was a bit slow despite the fact that it involved a mystery around a stalker. It picked up towards the end, but I found my mind wandering quite a bit in the middle.

Natalie is a recently divorced hairdresser who has just attended her best friends wedding. Lately she's been receiving anonymous notes and it's beginning to take it's toll on her. She calls the best man Tully for help and enter knight in cowboy boots.

Tully is an ex FBI agent who now owns a security company with his friends. He never wants to get married and is now the only single person of the group left.

Tully has a complicated history which I wish was explored more than what we learnt because I needed to know more so I could be invested in the character.

Natalie has sworn of getting married again after leaving her emotionally abusive ex husband. She's weary of a relationship because she doesn't want to be controlled again. I thought she made great progress that was believable in her relationship with Tully..

The emotional aspect of their relationship seemed rushed, it needed fleshed out with more communication less physical.

Overall a good read (the epilogue in my opinion wasn't needed) 3 Stars

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

An enjoyable, suspenseful and sensuous series. Natalie Hart is receiving veiled email threats and has no idea why someone would target her. After receiving a threat at her home, she calls Tully Gibson, co-owner of KRG Consulting. She explains to Tully about the end of her verbally abusive relationship with her ex and the women she has tried to help who were suffering domestic abuse issues. It has been three years, surely her ex has moved on with his new love? Tully uses all aspects of KRG to protect the woman to whom he is strongly attracted. As the stalker ratchets up his attacks, Tully places Natalie under his protection. The dialog and sensuous love scenes between the two are amazing. When the stalker makes his final move, will Tully be able to protect the woman he has come to love? I loved it! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I absolutely love this book. It’s perfect!
Natalie Hart, New Jersey salon owner, is reclaiming her life and self-esteem after getting a divorce from an abusive ex.
Former FBI agent Tully Gibson is everything that she doesn’t want but definitely needs. When she starts receiving anonymous notes, each more frightening and threatening than the last, Natalie asks Tully for his help. Their explosive chemistry together is an emotional hazard she’s willing to risk. But as they spend time together, keeping their distance is getting harder and harder.
Whoever is playing games with Natalie wants to take things one deadly step further and as they are drawn into danger, they discover that the bond between them is stronger than physical attraction and a lot deeper than they could ever dream.
I enjoy this book so much! It’s sexy, the chemistry between them is of the chart, great side character, funny dialogs, a bit of suspense and a lot of amazing sex scenes.
It´s an easy reading and I totally recommended.

***4.5 stars***

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was a really engaging and thoroughly absorbing romantic-suspense-thriller.

Tully is ex-FBI and head of his own security company who meets Natalie through mutual friends. These friends are arranging their wedding where their attraction grows. Further into the story Natalie needs help from Tully for a worrying personal issue, and from there real intrigue, sinister happenings, and plot twists start to occur.

I thought this story was pretty gripping, tense in places, and moved along at a really good pace. The two main characters were really likeable, warm and endearing. They had great chemistry and a sizzling romance.

This is book three in a series, but a complete standalone story. I haven't read the two earlier books yet, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this novel.

All of the books in The Consultants series are great, but The Agent is my favorite. I really liked Tully. His story is the perfect ending to this series.

The Agent is the third and final instalment in the Consultants series.
We begin at the wedding of the character in book 1, where Tully and Natalie are the best man and bridesmaid. Tully offers to take Natalie home after the wedding and finds out she’s scared to be alone in her home. She eventually asks for his help because she’s being stalked, as a former FBI agent and now owns a security company he is immediately concerned for her safety.
As they spend time together they both unravel their past and see why neither of them want to get married etc.

I enjoyed the book but wasn’t super into the story and the chemistry between the two characters wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. The sexy times were good but not mind blowing.
Overall I enjoyed this book, but it is forgettable.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for an eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.*

4.25 stars-- THE AGENT is the third instalment in Nancy Herkness’ contemporary, adult THE CONSULTANTS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on three friends and business partners -Derek Killion, Leland Rockwell, and Tully Gibson who own KRG Consulting Group. This is former FBI agent, KRG co-founder and security specialist Tully Gibson, and hair stylist/salon owner Natalie Hart’s story line. THE AGENT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives ( Tully and Natalie) THE AGENT follows in the wake of a possible stalker for our story line heroine. Having met and connected through mutual friends (Alice and Derek- The Money Man #1) Tully felt drawn to Natalie Hart but never expected a phone call from Natalie fearing for her life. A series of questionable and aggressive emails from an unknown sender had now escalated to hand delivered messages threatening physical violence, and Natalie knew she was ill-equipped to uncover the identity of the person involved. Enter Tully Gibson and the guys at KRG Consulting Group. As Tully works to ensure our heroine’s safety including twenty-four hour security and surveillance, he struggles with his attraction to the woman that is calling to his heart. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Tully and Natalie, and the potential fall-out as Natalie battles between head and heart knowing Tully will never commit to forever, and Natalie’s stalker calls in reinforcements in his effort to seek vengeance against our story line heroine.

Natalie Hart has lived through an abusive marriage, and works behind the scenes to help women find somewhere safe to escape but Natalie is now facing the possibility that one of her client’s has brought the danger to her front door, and Tully Gibson is determined to stop the suspect at all costs. Tully Gibson, in his attempt to protect our story line heroine finds himself falling for a woman who is about to pull away before he breaks her heart. Tully is determined to remain single, never committing himself to one woman, and in this Natalie knows their time together comes with an expiry date.

The relationship between Tully and Natalie is one of immediate attraction predicated on their mutual friends, and wedding participation. Tully admits to being attracted to our heroine since the first time they met, and Natalie started to swoon when he asked her to dance. As the threats to Natalie become more personal and dangerous, Tully moves Natalie into his life but Natalie knows there time together is only temporary until they find the person trying to destroy her life. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including the previous story line couples: Derek and Alice (The Money Man 1), Leland and Dawn (The Hacker 2): security guards Pam Santos, and Jenya; several of Natalie’s co-workers and clients; abused woman Regina Van Houten; and Natalie’s tenant Deion. I am hoping the author has plans for Deion’s story.

THE AGENT is a story of family and friendships; domestic abuse, power and control; romance, relationships and love. The character driven premise is intriguing and engrossing; the characters are dynamic, animated and inspiring; the romance is spicy and seductive but I did have a couple of issues, all pertaining to our heroine’s need to be ‘independent’ and placing herself in danger because she is upset with the direction of her relationship with the man that she loves…a little TSTL (too stupid to live) that results in our heroine positioning herself in the direct line of fire.



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B&N (Sandy_thereadingcafe) posted

I'm a big fan of Nancy Herkness's work for a few years now and with every book I'm reminded how good she is at her craft.

I was so excited to dive into this story. Both Natalie and Tully had me wondering since I've read book one. I was glued to my Kindle from the very fist chapter and I couldn't wait to see the mystery of who was harnessing her be solved. This was intense, funny, heartfelt and it showed that sometimes all you need is a strong group of friends that will help you survive just about anything!!!

***Review copy received by the author for an honest opinion ***

This is the first book in the series I read, I was aware that it was the third book in a series when I picked it up and although the characters in the first few books are mentioned and are involved in the story, I don’t feel I was missing anything from this book by not reading the first few. I love the wedding opening and the subtle way the two main characters are pushed together in that situation. I think for me this book was all about the relationships in the romance. I loved some of the secondary characters and I loved the growing relationship between the two main characters they have a lot of hangups and baggage they bring into the relationship. Them packing in dealing with them is what I enjoyed the most about this book. Although I have to say I love the scene with the horses, that made me chuckle and would make an epic movie moment!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own”

I want to be Natalie!

Salon owner Natalie Hart has no intention of ever dating or getting serious about another man after the disaster of her first marriage but meeting former FBI agent Tully Gibson might help her change her mind. Natalie has made it her mission to help women with no questions asked with refuge but when she starts being stalked, Tully steps in to help find who is sending the harassing messages.

There is romance between Natalie and Tully and a mystery trying to figure out who is stalking Natalie made me keep reading to find the answer and that is the mark of a really good story.

The Agent is the last book in The Consultants Series, but I would really like to read more about Deion working for Tully’s division.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the third book in the Consultants series that deals with the lives of three friends: Derek, Leland, and Tully.

The book begins with Alice and Derek's wedding. Natalie Hart's best friend would love to see her find a romantic partner she is as much in love with as she is with her brand new husband. Derek's partner Tully seems to be a perfect choice, even if Natalie keeps saying she isn't interested in getting involved with anyone. It has taken her a lot of time and effort to put behind the ugly reality of the psychological abuse her ex-husband put her through. Even though there is undeniable attraction, 'the spark', between her and Tully, she knows how to discourage any romantic advances wthout saying a word. However, Natalie has a problem and Tully might be the right person to discuss it with ( I have to say, I admire both Natalie's independence and her common sense in asking for help when necessary). She has been getting anonymous e-mails with threatening messages. Tully takes the situation seriously and tried to discover who might want to hurt her. Is it her ex-husband Matt? Natalie has also been providing shelter to women trying to escape an abusive relationship/marriage... Perhaps, one of the husbands/boyfriends learnt what she has been doing and where she lives. As the threats continue to escalate, Tully and Natalie's feelings seem to grow exponentially. They do need to confront their issues and their past if they want this relationship to work.

Nancy Herkness has a great writing style. It was very easy to follow the story and imagine the characters. I haven't read the previous books in the series, but this one can definitely be read as a standalone. The structure of the book is solid as the events unfold in crescendo until the mystery is solved, the lives are saved, and the protagonists can enjoy their own rather unique happy end. If I could change anything about this book, I'd go for a bit less steam. To be fair, since the protagonists have been abstaining from romantic relationships for some time (for valid reasons), there is a lot of pent-up passion, still...if you are more of a fade-to-black reader, you might want to skip a bit.

Tully is undoubtfully written as an alpha male- strong, safe, protective, attentive. One of the things I liked about him was how he paid a lot of attention to Natalie's reactions to his words and her body language. He also warns her that situations like this can provoke strong feelings without an outlet. I must say I kept thinking: the right thing in this situation would be to act professional and leave 'dating' until later when he could be sure that her judgment isn't clouded by the adrenalin of 'Fight or Flight' Natalie's dilemma also isn't that clear-cut: on one hand, she is attracted to this powerful, confident, and decisive man, on the other hand, she has vowed to make sure her desisions are not going to be overruled by a man, however tempting it may be to let somebody else take responsibility. On one hand, we all want to be cared for, loved and protected, on the other hand, we still need to remember it is our life and we choose how to live it.

Overall, I liked this romantic suspense/ thriller.
3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the final book in this series, and I've really enjoyed these steamy, exciting, romantic suspense stories!

Natalie Hart left an emotionally abusive marriage to strike out on her own. She's the owner of a successful salon in New Jersey, and she has great friends, and employees. But, she's not really interested in finding love again. When she starts getting threatening emails, she turns to her best option for help: her best friend's husband's business partner.

Tully Gibson is the security expert at KRG Consulting. He and his partners have created a wildly successful business, and he's happy with his life. But he has a family history that he thinks make marriage and kids impossible. He's not looking for anything permanent, but he's extremely attracted to Natalie. When she needs his help to pin down a stalker, he's glad to be of service, and to have a chance to get closer to her.

Tully and Natalie's chemistry was sparking from the start, though they had both decided to ignore it and move on, without making things complicated. But, Natalie's stalker ends up bringing them closer together. As a former FBI agent, Tully was uniquely qualified to help Nat with her problem, and keep her safe. Natalie couldn't resist her attraction to Tully with them being in constant proximity. I enjoyed watching them fall for each other.

The side characters here, the prior 2 books' main characters, were still awesome, and we got to see Derek and Alice (from book 1) get married! There were also a few new characters, Natalie's employees & tenant, who were fun too. I enjoyed seeing the relationships among the characters, and how they are such great friends, who are always there for each other.

The suspense plot here kept you guessing who the stalker was, and I enjoyed being right when it was revealed. Nat's "side project" might have brought her stalker to her, but it also enabled her to help many women, so it wasn't going to stop her from what she knew was right. I really admired Nat's tenacity, and her ability to overcome the abuse in her past to live a full, happy life, in which she uses her resources to help others.

I really enjoyed this book, and the whole series! If you like romantic suspense, with plenty of heat, these might be for you!

The agent is the third volume in The consultants series by Nancy Herkness. I loved the previous ones which are The money man and The hacker.
As I loved the previous books, I was afraid that this one could be less good although my doubts were not very strong.
The agent tells Natalie Hart and Tully Gibson’s story. Natalie is our two previous heroines’ friend and Tully is KRG third cofounder. They have been present since The money man. I have liked them from the beginning and found them very intriguing and likeable. So I couldn’t wait to read their story.
I have to say that Nancy Herkness didn’t disappoint me with this book. The two heroes are indeed very nice ; we see again the previous heroes who are also very helful ; and the suspense is well conducted by the author. That’s why I had a great time with the story.

We knew that Natalie had a difficult past and of course in this book we learn everything. She was mentally abused by her husband. Generally speaking, we know that it’s difficult to prove that there is psychological violence and also for the victim to realize that she is abused. This fact is explained by Nancy with Natalie’s story. The heroine is still in her rebuilding stage although she left her husband a few years ago. She doesn’t trust men and particularly Tully because she has felt a strong attraction for him since their encounter. She’s afraid to be brought down in a new toxic relationship, and I understand very well her fear.
Tully doesn’t want to marry nor have children. We already knew that but didn’t know why. We learn that his decisions are tied to his family because some of them were addict. I found his reasons very plausible.
So we have two heroes who have to overcome these difficulties in order to make progress in their relationship. Their doubts, their feelings, the hot scenes are well done by the author. All is done with sweetness at the wounded heroine’s pace.

The suspense side is tied to the heroine who has been receiving strange emails for days. At first, she doesn’t talk to anybody about them but Tully, ex FBI agent, understands quickly that something’s wrong and she ends up telling him everything. The suspense is well done and I had some suspicion in the middle of the book although all the ins and the outs are explained in the end.
I loved the intervention of the previous heroes in the resolution of the investigation as well as the relation between all of them in the different books. It’s important that in a series, the heroes are not left alone in the different books when they are in danger.
To conclude, The agent closes perfectly this series. Nancy Herkness offered a very good trilogy to the readers. Not only each book is great but they can be read as a standalone especially as there is not any common thread. I highly recommend the books.

This is the third book in this series by this author. This is a romantic suspense story. This is the gripping story of the characters Natalie and Tully. These two characters have instant chemistry between them. This story is exciting and thrilling with lots of twists and turns on every page. Once you start to read you will be hooked till the end. Another amazing story from this author.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Will their fears keep them apart ...

Finally the last in this intriguing action loaded series. I was not sure of this one as I had no special wives for Tully or Natalie. And I was very wrong.
And sure beginning a book on the eve of a new year is no way for a fast reading, yet I loved every minutes of my time with the heroes.
As while they dig in the threat against Natalie’s safety, they also have to deal with their own issues, issues that challenge them to let go and give their burgeoning relationship a try.
Natalie stepped out of her marriage a different woman, she had to rebuilt herself slowly, to regain one step at a time her inner confidence. Why she has sworn out of men, whatever great they can be. She will never again risk her safety and sanity.
Tully has his own erroneous idea, misconceptions that lead him to choose a very specific road for his life and any potential relationship. He warns every woman he is attracted to he is not the marrying kind nor a potential father. But good at his job he is, why he takes on immediately to Natalie’s security. He won’t let her be threatened.

This is a fast faced, action filled tale about two persons who right the wrong done to them by helping others.
A great conclusion to this series.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 detailed onscreen lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Montlake, here is my true and unbiased opinion.