Review: Alpha One by Cynthia Eden

Alpha One

By Cynthia Eden

Shadow Agents #1

The Set Up
Juliana James, estranged daughter of U.S. Senator Aaron James, was abducted by Diego Guerrero, head of a powerful and deadly Mexican drug and gun running cartel. She’s at a location in Mexico and the covert Elite Operations Division (EOD) has been engaged to extract her. Logan Quinn, the team leader for the mission, has a history with Juliana and it was pure coincidence that he was selected for this operation.

The Issues
Logan was involved with Juliana ten years ago when she was 20 and he 22. She hasn’t seen him since he abandoned her and he’s got some pretty big secrets that might turn her away from him forever. And, he’s not being completely honest with her about her role in tracking Guerrero and bringing him down. The Senator has evidence against Guerrero that would destroy him and Juliana plays a part in that and continues to be in danger.

What Works
The action starts from the first sentence as the book opens with Juliana in captivity. It’s almost non-stop excitement as Guerrero is so powerful he has a long reach, wreaking havoc as the team tries to protect Juliana. The romance is still at the forefront even as they hardly have time to breathe before the next threat is on them. The other members of the team (Jasper, Gunner and Sydney) are really interesting characters and the teasers about their backstories hooked me. The climax was pretty tense, exciting and well done.

What Didn’t Work
Because there was so much action and so many secrets, it was difficult for the romance to bloom until near the end. Also, the team was really getting their butts handed to them a lot! It probably was realistic but it made the EOD look a little weak.

Bottom Line
I liked the story, the action, the characters and the concept of the Elite Operations Division. If this book is any indication, their assignments are going to be pretty rough and exciting. Tweak the romance a bit and this series will be at the top of my list for the genre.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)