• Home
    • Contact Me
  • Reading Challenges
    • Pondathon II
    • Completed Challenges
      • CannonballRead 13 Bingo
      • SpringIntoLove Bingo
      • SnowInLove Bingo
      • JingleBooks Bingo
      • FallIntoRomBingo 2020
      • 2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
      • 2018 Romance Roundabout Challenge
      • Read Harder 2018
      • January – March 2018 Quarterly Challenge
      • Title Hunt Quarterly Challenge: January – March 2018
      • Cover Hunt Quarterly Challenge: October – December 2017
      • October – December 2017 Quarterly Challenge
      • Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Series
    • Reviews by Year
      • 2017 Reviews
      • 2018 Reviews
    • Reviews by Rating
  • Rating System

Llama Reads Books

This llama reads - mostly romance, fantasy and science fiction

Reviews

Review: Disavowed in Wyoming – Juno Rushdan

December 20, 2021 Leave a Comment

Review: Disavowed in Wyoming – Juno RushdanDisavowed in Wyoming
by Juno Rushdan
Series: Fugitive Heroes: Topaz Unit #3
Also in this series: Rogue Christmas Operation, Alaskan Christmas Escape, An Operative's Last Stand
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Publication Date: December 28, 2021
Genres: Romance
Pages: 256
Source: the author

I received an advance review copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

He'll put his own life on any line
If it means keeping her away from the danger stalking him

Fleeing from a CIA kill squad, former operative Dean Delgado is hiding out back in Wyoming, where the terrain—and the people—are all too familiar. Working undercover, he befriends veterinarian Kate Sawyer—the woman he was once forced to leave behind. But when an emergency call brings Kate under fire, Dean must blow his cover to save her. Now, despite the risks to his own life, protecting Kate is the only mission that matters.

Amazon  Apple  Barnes & Noble  Kobo  Indiebound  Bookshop

Goodreads

4 stars icon m/f romance icon suspense


Not only is this the third book in the highly enjoyable and thrilling Fugitive Heroes: Topaz Unit series, it’s also a second chance romance! There’s very little overlap with previous books so this could easily be read as a standalone.

Dean left his small hometown of Laramie as a teenager suddenly without any word, leaving behind his younger brother, Lucas, and his girlfriend, Kate. Fifteen years later, he’s got a lot more experience, but he’s not sure he’s in a much better place. After a mission went wrong, his CIA team was disavowed, and now he’s back in his small hometown, but in hiding. Kate’s a veterinarian with a mobile clinic, though it’s barely staying afloat. When a woman arrives on her doorstep one night begging for help, she can’t say no, but the results lead to involving the elderly bartender downstairs – who turns out he’s not exactly what he seems. Dean’s cover is blown and he knows it’s only a matter of time before a kill team hunts him down, but can he convince himself to leave Kate again?

“Kate thought what he did best was leaving, but the reality was, what he did best was protect her. Despite any pain it caused him.
Only a fool wouldn’t be afraid of a kill team, but a marine’s core tenet was to defend those who could not defend themselves. No matter the personal cost.”

There’s several key differences between this book and the past two books. For one thing, while the past books involved the couples being on the run, in this case, Dean and Kate stay in one place. Kate doesn’t quite believe Dean about the whole kill team. To her, it sounds like a convenient excuse for him to run off again without her, and she can’t resist getting to the bottom of the mystery that’s landed in her lap, even if it’s already resulted in the death of more than one person. And even though Dean knows that trouble is on the way, he can’t bear to leave Kate again, especially when he’s convinced she’s going to be in harm’s way. Most of the previous books’ characters were either ex-military/CIA, but, as Dean hilariously puts it, Kate is “candy-coated.” And sure, she has a big heart – she was always rescuing animals as a kid – but she’s also got the backbone and determination to keep going, even when the going’s tough, like when the dog you’re trying to treat bites you. Dean respects that about her, and it’s one of the reasons why he never contacted her after he left. He knew that if he popped back up in her life, she wouldn’t let him get away with disappearing again and he was convinced that he’d only drag her down. Hiding out in Laramie again has given him a lot of time to reflect on his actions and he knows he may never be able to salvage the relationships he broke fifteen years ago. It’s obvious from the beginning that their chemistry is hotter than ever, but whether the love is still there? That’s something that will depend a lot on whether Dean’s learned from his mistakes.

“You think I’ve never looked back. Are you kidding me?” He gave a sharp laugh that ended in a pitiful sigh. “All I do is look back, to the point where I can’t move forward. Because when I left you behind, it was like ripping out my heart.”

Unlike Zee, the previous book’s heroine, Dean’s not as focused on figuring out what went wrong, so there’s not much to do with the overarching plot line of who set their team up. There are some new hints courtesy of the villain, however. Like previous books, the villain again is almost as interesting as the main characters, though why is something I can’t go into without getting into spoilers. Suffice it to say that it’s heartwrenching, and I like the way the author chose to play out the confrontations between Dean and the villain.

“Team Topaz is done running.” Hunter caught her gaze as he spoke. “We’re done hiding. We need to figure out who put us in this predicament and fight back.”

Overall, this book is setting up a showstopper of a finale, and I can’t wait for the next book!

Content notes: View Spoiler »violence (including death), kidnapping, childbirth, death of a person from childbirth complications, forced prostitution, forced drugging, child abuse (in the past), homelessness (in the past), alcohol « Hide Spoiler

Related Posts

  • Fugitive Heroes: Topaz Unit Series
  • By Juno Rushdan
  • Same Genre
Review: Rogue Christmas Operation – Juno Rushdan
Review: Alaskan Christmas Escape – Juno Rushdan
An Operative's Last Stand
Review: An Operative’s Last Stand – Juno Rushdan
Review: Rogue Christmas Operation – Juno Rushdan
Review: Alaskan Christmas Escape – Juno Rushdan
Nothing to Fear
Review: Nothing to Fear – Juno Rushdan
An Operative's Last Stand
Review: An Operative’s Last Stand – Juno Rushdan
Guarding His Heart
Review: Guarding His Heart – Synithia Williams
On the Brink of Passion
Review: On the Brink of Passion – Tamsen Parker
Cherishing the Goddess
Review: Cherishing the Goddess – Lucy Eden
The Earl in My Bed
Review: The Earl in My Bed – Stacy Reid

You might also enjoy

The Inn on Sweetbriar LaneReview: The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane – Jeannie Chin
Wolf in Sheep's ClothingReview: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – Charlie Adhara
Alien Quarantine RescueReview: Alien Quarantine Rescue – Robin Lovett
Previous:
Cover Reveal: A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young
Next:
Cover Reveal: Shades of Lust by E.M. Lindsey

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me



READING LLAMA

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I’m the Reading Llama! I love reading books. My favorites usually include a female protagonist with at least a little bit of romance.

Twitter    Goodreads    RSS    email

Follow

Currently Reading

May Reviews

Something Wilder by Christina LaurenJust Like Mother by Anne HeltzelForged in Flames by Ali WilliamsA Show for Two by Tashie BhuiyanUnder Fortunate Stars by Ren HutchingsIf You Want Me Close by Skye KilaenBlame It on the Brontes by Annie SerenoThe Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner

Recently Read

Goodreads Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Lauren has read 7 books toward her goal of 250 books.
hide
7 of 250 (2%)
view books

Reading Challenges

CBR13 Bingo

CBR13 bingo
July 1 - October 31

hide
12 of 25 (48%)

Badges

25 Book Reviews Reviews Published Professional Reader Frequently Auto-Approved Romanceopoly 2019 Participant

Latest Tweets

Tweets by llamareadsbooks

Archives

Currently Reading

Wanting a Witch Wanting a Witch by Lauren Connolly
Legends & Lattes Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Stardust Thief (The Sandsea Trilogy, #1) The Stardust Thief (The Sandsea Trilogy, #1) by Chelsea Abdullah

Archives

  • Ghosts, a secret library and magic collide in a dystopian Edinburgh. Highly recommended!
  • This month’s sticker from the #RomStickerClub is super cute and SHINY!
  • Finished up my ARC of Jackie Lau’s His Grumpy Childhood Friend (out this Tuesday) and I loved this quote! “Practice”
  • Starting off with a quote from one of my favorite books, Charlie Adhara’s The Wolf at Bay, second in Big

Categories

  • Book Tour
  • Challenge
  • Cover Reveal
  • Excerpt
  • lol
  • Most Anticipated
  • PondathonII
  • Reviews
  • Sunday Update
  • TBR
  • Uncategorized
  • Wrap-Up

Copyright © 2022 · Dreams Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in