REVIEW: Beyond Limits - Laura Griffin

***Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Any thoughts and opinions are my own***

An FBI agent and a Navy SEAL race against time in New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin’s newest Tracers novel. “Griffin delivers the goods!” (Publishers Weekly)

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

This was an awesome book! 

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! 

Review: SEALs of Winter Box Set

**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.**

The SEALS of Winter is a collection of nine stories written by Cora Seton, Elle Kennedy, Jennifer Lowery, Elle James, Anne Marsh, S. M. Butler, Delilah Devlin, Kimberley Troutte, and Zoe York! All nine storys follow a SEAL on his journey to finding the love of his life, even if he wasn't really looking for love. Pour yourself a glass of wine, get cozy by a fire, and dive into this fabulous box set! 

I loved all 9 of these stories but I'm going to review my three favorites: 

The Navy SEAL's Christmas Bride - Cora Seton

This story had me laughing out loud at the antics between Dan Hemmins and Sarah Metlin. Sarah is bound and determined to prove that she's more than qualified to join special forces in the military and Dan is dead set on proving her wrong. What started out as a competition between soldiers quickly turns into a battle of the sexes that leaves them both hot and bothered. When Dan finally concedes that Sarah's an excellent soldier and an incredibly sexy woman, he stops at nothing to make her his forever. Between the competitions and the steamy sex scenes I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Sarah's determination is endearing and admirable. Dan's confidence and competitive edge made him oh so sexy! 

A SEAL for Christmas - Jennifer Lowery 

If I knew that I could meet someone like Donovan by getting hit by a car while riding my bicycle, I'd be on my way to buy a new bicycle! When Cloe gets hit by a crazy guy running a red light, Donovan quickly steps in to protect her from the guys insults. He even promises the EMTs to look after her since she refused to go to the hospital. One night of protection turns into a few days once the same crazy guy starts calling Cloe and threatening her, Donovan is determined not to let her out of his sight. Cloe, still apprehensive to letting people in after losing her family and her fiance last Christmas, is starting to slowly let Donovan into her heart. Donovan's multilingual seduction had me dreaming of Irish/Italian men! And his family was icing on the cake! They were like real people you want to go home and spend the holidays with!

SEALed Until Christmas - S.M. Butler

Jesse Richter and Charlie Morgan couldn't be more perfect for each other. Jesse, who is steal dealing with the death of his first love, believes that he can save everyone he comes across. Charlie, who has her own cross to bare, believes she doesn't need help from anyone. Little do they know that they are going to save each other from a lifetime of heartbreak and loneliness. Charlie's secrets may tear them apart but Jesse may just be strong enough to keep them together if he learns to let go of his guilt from the past. These two characters were so well-written that you could feel their emotions right along with them. You could fell the love between the two of them radiating off of the page. This was definitely one of my favorite stories in the collection! 

Please be sure to look up all of the wonderful authors who contributed to this collection. I've been cyber-stalking their websites since I finished these so that I can read their other works. And be sure to let them know how much you loved these stories after you read them!