Special Ops Agent Rafe Silva is freshly retired from the Army, and not quite sure what to do with herself. The Army gave her purpose and meaning, and thanks to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, left her without meaningful romantic relationships. When an old friend contacts her about a potential bodyguard job, Rafe is reluctant, and when she meets the beautiful and stubborn Jana Elliott, a business woman at the top of her game who may have uncovered some important and dangerous secrets about her company, she’s even more against it. Jana doesn’t think she needs protecting, but an close call convinces her to hire Rafe, and as Rafe tries to do her job, and those after Jana get closer, the two will have a hard time resisting their growing feelings for one another. They’ll have to stay alive before they can explore their feelings further.

I love VK Powell’s books, so when I saw this one, I snatched it up. It didn’t disappoint. It moves quickly, there’s plenty of mystery and intrigue, and the slow burn romance builds at a great pace as the plot unfolds. I liked the supporting characters, and I was rooting for Rafe and Jana the whole way. I wanted them to uncover the secrets and build their relationship. It’s a classic opposites attract with a little bit of enemies to lovers. Solid combo. Definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved this book.

Both Rafe and Jana are great characters and I love the full on action the two had to get into.

This book gripped be from the start, it has it all, action, thriller and romance,

VK Powell really knows how to write a good one

Unfortunately I did not end up finishing this book. It didn’t really keep my attention or gave me coming back. It wasn’t for me specifically but it could possibly be for someone else.

Suspense and action are elements that are found in most of Ms. Powell’s books. Deadly Secrets is no exception.

Special Ops Agent Rafe Silva has retired from her military career. She feels a little lost and wonders if she has made the right decision. However, before pondering that thought she is recruited by friends to act as a bodyguard for their friend, Jana Elliott, who works for Alumicor Corporation. Jana learns that there might be some wrongdoings by her company. Due to Jana’s investigation, she begins to receive threats and her friends suggest that she get a bodyguard.

I found the characters to be interesting. The two characters are very different: not only their daily lives but also their personalities. Jana is a business executive who has always taken care of herself and possesses a very outward personality. Rafe, however, is an individual who has trained to make quick decisions that are often life threatening. She doesn’t work with a team to devise a plan of action; rather, she examines the situation and acts.

The plot in Deadly Secrets is exciting. There is a great deal of action in this book, especially when Jana makes some missteps in her investigation. The solving of this corporate crime puzzle with its twists and turns is a big hook that will keep a reader’s attention. I rate it with 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one had its ups and downs...there are time it's slow, often predictable, but the characters are engaging and it pulls together as an overall good story.

This was a fast paced book with many twists and turns. If you enjoy these in a book, you will not be disappointed.
The main characters are Jana and Rafe. Jana's coworker recently died and his widow has found a cover up that is huge. It is so huge that it will put her life in jeopardy.
Her friend mentions that she knows someone, Rafe, who can provide her security and is recently out of the special ops. Jana does not believe that she needs protection until things start to happen at her building and around her.
She does hire Rafe to be her bodyguard. and just in the nick of time. Her life is spiraling due to those who want to keep her quiet. Due to Jana and Rafe spending every moment together, they begin to forge a relationship closer than most. A more than friendly relationship starts despite everything happening.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read that many action books, but this felt exciting all the way through! While reading it, I was reminded of movies like Erin Brokovich, The Eraser and The Net - but in book form and sapphic. At times, the plot felt slow. However, the action scenes made up for it and kept my interest. I would definitely recommend this book if you like any of the movies mentioned.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publishers for the opportunity to read and review VK Powell's "Deadly Secrets"

This is a really good read. I found the detail over police and protection interesting and the author's detailing demonstrates her familiar knowledge base. It reads well and comfortably falls into the mystery/thriller genre with a good chunk of chemistry les fic style. It wasnt a quick read for me, but then I was unfamiliar with some of the procedural details which definitely enriched the story. Loved the characters, enjoyed the plot. 4.5*

Loved it. The mystery and intrigue of this story was really good. The romantic relationship between Rafe and Jana was good as well. There's quite a bit of drama and angst throughout this book and the main characters brought most of it to this tale. You could just tell that Jana was a very confident person sometimes to confident, and very powerful in the position that she held in the company that she helped run, so saying yes she made some mistakes. Race was powerful and confident in her own right as well, but she seemed to temper it with a more militant state of mind. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family, and I look forward to what this author writes next.

This wasn't a book I enjoyed, but could see how others would. I liked how it did feel realistic, but it was also super predictable.

3 stars
Thanks to net galley for providing me with the arc.

This book wasn't for me. I was excited to read it after reading the synopsis but it wasn't as good as I expected.

Jana Elliott had found her ideal career and a second home within the corporate environment of Alumicor until a coworker dies and Jana suspects the company is covering up a deadly secret. When she starts investigating, her boss quickly shuts her down. Jana is determined to uncover the truth even if it means risking her life. Her friend’s suggestion of a bodyguard seems like overkill, but then Rafe Silva shows up and their irresistible attraction changes everything.

Jana made a lot of bad decisions which I didn't expect from her and the book was very predictable.

You can't beat VK Powell when it comes to a good police story. Even though Deadly Secrets isn't exactly a police procedural, it has the same feel because a company VP is trying to uncover wrongdoing in her town. Her mother had also worked for the same huge aluminum processing plant and ended up dying over the "deadly secrets" of covering up environmental dumping. When she logs on to the company archives to read about things that happened years ago, the CEO tells her to cease and desist. She ends up having to hire a bodyguard for protection.

And this is another installment in the Carlyle family series! Police Chief Bennett Carlyle recommends an old friend, a retired Army Major, for the bodyguard position. She brings a ton of baggage with her and because of her secret position in the Army, she has never allowed herself to be involved in a relationship. And do the sparks fly. This is a classic butch/femme, opposites attract pairing and it really works. I was immersed in the story immediately and read it in two sittings (damned day job).

I definitely liked Deadly Secrets by V.K. Powell. I’ve always been an avid romance reader, but when the author adds in a good dose of mystery and intrigue, the story becomes even better. Top it off with some thrilling danger for the protagonists and set them in close quarters, and you have a novel I am eager to read. That is exactly what the author has given us.

In this novel, our main characters become embroiled in corporate espionage when Jana Elliot is presented with evidence that the company she works for, Alumicor, is breaking the law, damaging the climate, and causing their workers to become sick and die. When Jana begins to suspect she is being followed, she turns to her friends Bennett and Kerstin Carlyle. Bennett convinces Jana to hire newly retired Special Ops Agent Rafe (Rafaella) Silva as a bodyguard until the danger is past. Thus begins an exciting adventure that could also lead to love.
This story is set in the ‘Fairview Station Series’ universe, so those of you who have read the series will recognize many of the secondary characters. The setting of the book is in and around Greensboro, North Carolina as well as the Carlyle vacation house on Badin Lake. An area especially well-described by the author. Rafe and Jana are well-developed. I sometimes wondered about some of Jana’s actions, but they actually fit her character and who she is in the book. The plot is well paced, and there was no lag in the tale.

I totally enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to all who love their mystery and romance all mixed together.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Intriguing story that reflects some of the environmental concerns related to corporate businesses. While reading, I thought about consumer demand and environmental impact. I also thought about the whistleblowers fighting the good fight. Jana Elliott, living the good life while dealing with the death of her mother. Rafe Silva, retired special Ops Agent dealing with life after serving her country. Two very different women but what they have in common is doing the right thing. My focus was on the romance as Rafe and Jana interact with each other and the intrigue as they "work" together to bring down the bad guys. Enjoyable read with some engaging as well as interesting characters.

With VK Powell you know you get a good story with realistic police procedures, good action and a romance thrown in. This one was, however, not one of her best books in my opinions. I really liked the trope of former military bad-ass becoming a bodyguard for a stubborn whistleblower but plotwise there were some incredibilities in the story. Nevertheless, you can't really go wrong with picking up a VK Powell book and I'm sure most readers will enjoy her latest as well.

***Thank you Netgalley en Bold Stroke Books***

This is an enjoyable read. The bodyguard is suitably moody and hot. The woman she’s protecting is predictably wilful and ignoring of protocols. It’s a tried and tested trope and it works. Mainly because the author clearly knows her stuff. Yes it could do with a bit more menace and I don’t understand why they took so long to actually view the evidence, but overall the story paces along well.

With VK Powell, you know what you're getting. As a former member of the police force in various positions, she brings her knowledge of police work to her stories.

Rafe Silva has recently retired from her military career. Now she has to find her way back into civilian life. When her friend Bennett, who works for the police, asks her to provide personal security for a friend, it's a chance for her to enter the private sector. But is it a new experience, working without a team is a new challenge, is she up for it?

Jana Elliott is happy with her life, she has a top executive job, a great team, and now and then a woman for the night. But when a coworker suddenly dies, she begins to suspect something is amiss. The reaction of her boss immediately confirms her suspicions. And what's the deal with this shoebox she got that's full of documents, including some from her mother?

When Rafe and Jana first meet, they immediately feel a mutual attraction. But Rafe has a policy of never getting involved with a client so as not to be distracted from her job. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to resist the attraction.

The contrast between the two women could almost not be greater, the calm, serene and stoic Butch Rafe, versus the bubbly and outgoing femme Jana. But we all know, opposites attract. Add to that, Jana doesn't make it easy for Rafe to protect her, she ignores her guidelines, sometimes she's even almost reckless (or naive), which unfortunately comes across as arrogant. It took her some time to deal with the limited freedom.
The whistleblower story is exciting because it takes courage to bring such a crime to the public. The unraveling of the mystery and finding the connections would have deserved a bit more attention in my opinion. I would have liked to know more. But this part of the story is somewhat pushed aside by the romance.

Rafe and Jana have great chemistry and the attraction was palpable. Again, the differences between the two women are huge, Rafe who spent many years mainly with men in war zones, hardly knows how to deal with her feelings, let alone how to show feelings and how to treat a woman she is interested in. But also Jana is confused, the real threat to her life is terrifying and despite this situation, she feels such a strong attraction for Rafe. Are these real feelings she develops for her or is it more gratitude out of the situation? I love the time these two spend together, whether in action on the run or in togetherness and good conversation. Slowly, Rafe begins to open up and talk about her life, letting down her guard a bit.

The main supporting characters are Bennet and Kerstin from Powell's book «Captian's Choice.». They play an important role here and I was pleased that these two got an appearance here.

Overall this is an entertaining, well-paced romantic thriller.
My rating 3.75 stars

ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

VK Powell is one of the few authors where I eagerly anticipate her next book. Yes they all have similarities but that doesn’t bother me as the similarities are grounded in Ms Powell’s police experience and so they always have a “realness” to them. Also she is a very good writer and storyteller. The books are paced well and the characters credible.

In this book Rafe is recently retired from the special forces and looking forward to relaxing but she is asked to act as a bodyguard to a corporate whistleblower. But then you throw in that the whistleblower doesn’t think she needs a bodyguard and isn’t even convinced that there is anything to report and Rafe is reluctant and you have a plot.

The narrative is well handled and ebbs and flows as expected and we see Rafe start to loosen up and Jana is intrigued by the beautiful, mysterious Rafe. A good book to kick back with on a cold evening and just wallow in a bit of suspense, danger, and romance.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

Jana Elliot has worked at Alumicor for many years and so did her mother. That was until her mother, Marian Ellitot committed suicide two years ago. Now at the funeral for Travis Mills, a co-worker of her mothers she finds that a mysterious box was left to her from her mother. Filled with papers and documents pertaining to the pollution Alumicor has done over the years.
Rafe Silva, Special Ops agent has decided it’s time for her to retire. Most of her career was spent tracking enemies and if necessary eliminating them. Now all she wants is to return to civilian life where she’s hoping for a quiet life.
When word gets to the CEO of Alumicor that Jana has been looking where she shouldn’t be, the company comes after her. They want all the papers back and for Jana to disappear. Luckily she has friends she can go to Police Captain Bennett Carlyle and her wife Kerstin.
It’s Bennett who introduces Rafe and Jana when she realizes Jana needs someone to protect her. For a short time when Rafe was younger she had lived with the Carlyle’s as a foster kid. This connection to the Carlyle’s was the only family she stayed in touch with. Now, after hearing the danger Jana finds herself, Rafe feels it’s her duty to protect Bennett’s friend. Of course the two women are attracted to each other but having lived such different lives can they actually come together?
Ms Powell knows how to write books that you can’t help but enjoy. Great read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

3.5 stars. I like police procedurals, which Powell is well known for, and while this book is not exactly that, it shares that feeling. This book is not perfect, but I enjoyed reading it.

The bodyguard and the whistleblower. Jana comes across information of wrongdoing of her company. She’s receiving threats to prevent her from going public and needs a bodyguard. Rafe just retired from the military and is talked into said position as bodyguard.
I liked Rafe best in this book, just being retired and not knowing how to act as a civilian or how to proceed with her life she struggles, wanting to adapt and wanting something she thinks she cannot have. Jana is a corporate professional who’s a people person that is used to take charge and is certainly no adrenaline junkie. In short, she’s the polar opposite of Rafe, but you know how the story goes, polar opposites attract and I liked them together. The romance moves rather quickly once they give in to their attraction, but that was ok for me since they are being threatened and all.

Speaking of threats, I always enjoy some good action scenes, so this was fun. Rafe is the tactical expert and Jana, well she’s not so tactical, let’s say she makes some questionable decisions for someone so smart, but hey it makes their situation more interesting. And those that have read the Fairview Station series will be happy to see Bennet and Kerstin appear as well.

Now on to what got them into trouble in the first place. This book has the promise of a good case to crack, to gather evidence and solve the puzzle of what the company is trying to swipe under the rug. But this is where the story fell somewhat flat for me, there is not much of a puzzle and Jana appears actually not all that interested in the case, as she keeps postponing to look at the information. The case itself could also have been more surprising. A missed opportunity, but strangely it didn’t bother me too much. There are some bumps, but this was an entertaining action romance novel to me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.