***Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Any thoughts and opinions are my own***
FBI agent Elizabeth LeBlanc is still caught in the aftermath of her last big case when she runs into the one man from her past who is sure to rock her equilibrium even more. Navy SEAL Derek Vaughn is back home from a harrowing rescue mission in which he found evidence of a secret terror cell on US soil. Elizabeth knows he’ll do anything to unravel the plot—including seducing her for information. And despite the risks involved, she’s tempted to let him. Together with the forensics experts at the Delphi Center, Derek and Elizabeth are closing in on the truth, but it may not be fast enough to avert a devastating attack…
Following in the bestselling tradition of the Tracers series, including Exposed, Scorched, and Twisted, Beyond Limits pulls out all the stops with Griffin’s most gripping thriller yet
Elizabeth LeBlanc's character portrays herself as this fiery, fiercely confident FBI agent but that persona comes crashing down as soon as Navy SEAL Derek Vaughn steps back into her life. Elizabeth and Derek have spent the past year away from each other but pining for each other. While Elizabeth kept herself busy trying to get over Derek, he spent his time trying to figure out how to get into her bed and into her heart. Elizabeth wants to keep it professional, Derek wants to take their relationship further.
The whole time they are pushing and pulling against each other emotionally, they are knee-deep in trying to find terrorists who have managed to sneak in the United States through the Mexican border and are planning an attack in Houston, Texas. Derek wants to keep Elizabeth safe and protect her from any danger but he also wants revenge on these terrorists who are also responsible for the death of one of his SEAL brothers so he inserts himself into the FBI investigation and uses his connections in order to help Elizabeth find the terrorists and stop the attack.
I really liked the dynamic between Elizabeth and Derek. You can tell that they both really care for each other but you can also sense the apprehension and the instinct they both have to protect themselves and each other. Elizabeth doesn't think she can handle the months away from Derek and not knowing where he is and what he's doing but Derek is sure he can't let her go. No matter how much Elizabeth tried to get Derek to back off and stay out of the investigation, he continues to find leads and step in at the last minute, not to rescue her but to help her.
I liked that Derek worked well with Elizabeth instead of trying to rescue her. Yes, there were times that Derek did manage to rescue her but he didn't ever try to throw his weight around and make her feel like she was less because she was a woman. No, he doesn't like the danger involved with her work but the more he works with her the more he sees how strong and capable she is of handling the dangers of her job.
The action and suspense in this book revolving around the terrorists and their plot was written very well. Their sneaky entrance into the US, their weapons, explosives, and their attack plot are all realistic and you can tell that Laura Griffin obviously did her homework.
I spent half the book yelling for her to quit being so stubborn and just give in to her feelings for him. I think that was my only complaint about the book. I felt like Elizabeth held out too long for Derek when she could have spent more time enjoying time with him. Laura Griffin wrote this book really well and I cannot wait to read more of her work!
