Deep Cover by Scarlett Cole

​ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date:07/31/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

In case anyone missed all of our “best of” lists that include Scarlett Cole, I’m a HUGE fan of her work. She’s one of the few authors I’ve found who can do rockstar romance that doesn’t irritate me, and other new adult romances that I don’t feel too old and grumpy to be reading. (The Strongest Steel is one of my all-time favorite reads in ANY category of romance, and I’ve read a crap-ton of romance, y’all. That’s saying something.)And while I don’t normally dig romantic suspense, that doesn’t include Ms. Cole, because I ADORE her Love Over Duty series. So, the fact that I loved Deep Cover should come as a surprise to exactly no one. ​

First of all, it’s important to note that you can read Deep Cover as a standalone, but I don’t recommend it. A few secondary characters in this book were primary characters in the first two books in the series, and you won’t enjoy seeing them if you haven’t read the first two books. They aren’t intrusive at all in this book, but as a fan of the series, seeing Six and Lou and Delaney and Mac was like visiting with old friends, and I wouldn’t want new readers to miss out on that feeling. So, long-story-short, read the whole series. Start with Under Fire. Sorry to be a hard ass about it, but, yeah...it is what it is. (*shrugs*)

My favorite part of the book, by far, was Amy. She’s a young agent in a man’s world, and she’s more than holding her own. She’s smart and tough and good at her job, and the case the team worked on wouldn’t have been successful without her. Fans of competence porn (the only kind of porn I enjoy), will love Amy.

Cabe is a perfectly balanced hero, as well. He’s protective and alpha, but still mindful and respectful of Amy’s competence and independence. He doesn’t boss her around or go all caveman on her, which I really appreciated about him. Given his past and how his previous relationship ended, he could’ve easily become a super over-protective jerkwad, but he didn’t. Kudos, Cabe. Kudos.

The barriers to these two finding their happily ever after are pretty straightforward, too. I loved that. They had some misunderstandings, sure, but they talked them out and communicated like adults at all times. I can’t even TELL you how much I appreciated THAT. If there’s one thing I can’t tolerate, it’s stupid misunderstandings in romance that could be easily cleared up with a single, adult conversation.     

The action in the book was paced perfectly, too. That’s a must for romantic suspense, in my opinion. It’s one area where so many of the RS novels I’ve hated in the past fell down. This one has the perfect blend of suspense and romance, and the plot moves along swiftly.

So, no big surprise here, I’ll close out the review by reminding y’all how much I love this author. I know, I know...the gushing is getting embarrassing. Just go 1-click the book, OK? You won’t regret it.

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from NetGalley, free of charge.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
Check out the author’s backlist. It’s full of awesomeness. Seriously, there’s not a clunker in the bunch. Pinkie swear!

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