REVIEW: Hot Pursuit by Lynn Raye Harris

Hot Pursuit

(Hostile Operations Team #1)

by Lynn Raye Harris

4.5 HEARTS

From Goodreads

The last man she ever wanted to see…

Might be the only one who can save her…

Things are about to get HOT in the bayou!

Evie Baker’s luck just ran out. Thanks to an ex-partner with organized crime ties, she’s lost her restaurant, her money, and nearly all her self-respect. Forced to return to her hometown and work as a shampoo girl in her mother’s salon, she doesn’t think her luck can get any worse.

But then someone starts shooting at her, her sullen baby sister is suddenly missing, and the high school heartthrob who stole her heart—and her virginity—is the only man big enough and bad enough to help.

Captain Matt “Richie Rich” Girard can’t afford to get involved. He’s already on the verge of a court-martial after a Top Secret op gone wrong, and he’s been ordered to stay out of trouble while he’s home for his sister’s wedding.

But when Evie’s ex-partner turns up dead, staying out of trouble is the last thing on Matt’s mind. He failed Evie once before; he can’t fail her again. If he’s going to protect her from a killer, and find her sister before time runs out, he’ll have to risk his entire future—and both their lives—to do it.

Holy, hot hostile operations! This book is every bit as sexy as the cover. Hot Pursuit is the first book in the Hostile Operations Team series by Lynn Raye Harris and in case you can't tell I loved it! I definitely wouldn't categorize it as erotica or even graphically sexy, but the story, the plot, the characters sucked you in and wouldn't let you go. This book has it all...action, intrigue, heat, banter and tons of depth.

Evie Baker is back in town to lick her wounds and get back her life back. Right after culinary school she moved away and started her own business. Trusting in the wrong guy turned out to be her undoing. The accountant she had hired was helping her to make money and everything seemed on the up and up, so she gave him more and more freedom. That was until he took off with all her money and she lost her business. There were even rumors of mob ties, but that was never proven. So, here she is back in the hometown she escaped washing hair in her mom's hair salon. The townspeople have always been nice to her, if you can forget the last 2 years of high school when she was labeled as easy and teased mercilessly. But, people grow up and move on and that's exactly what she wants to do; get back on her feet and move on. Enter Matt Girard, her childhood best friend, her high school crush and the first guy she ever slept with. Now, he's back to witness her humiliation and he wants, of all things, to be her friend, again.

"You've made mistakes, and you have every right to regret them. But don't let them own you, Evie. Don't let them be more important than they are."

Matt "Richie Rich" Girard is back in town for a short time. All he needs to do is keep his head down and stay out of trouble. As the head of an elite special ops team he is in charge of completing his missions and keeping his men safe. The last mission didn't follow those lines. Yes, he followed orders, but he should've followed his gut instincts and pulled out. Now, he's awaiting trial to see what his fate holds. He could be kicked off his team or worse be court martialled. He doesn't know what he would do without his team and his job. Yet, seeing Evie again is giving him ideas. He has missed her so much over the years and has always felt guilty about the night he took her virginity and then told his friends. He had no idea the hurt she suffered after he left with all the teasing and propositioning. Evie was always his best friend and never wanted to see her hurt, especially knowing he caused it. He would love nothing more than to make amends and show her a really good time while he's home. His heart doesn't seem to have gotten the message that a fling is all he's capable of and now he has to keep her alive long enough to convince her they would be perfect together.

Evie and Matt were great together. You could feel the comfort they had with each other after years of being friends. But, that comfort did nothing to soften the attraction they fought as adults. On top of everything else, Evie's accountant is back demanding something he left behind and the mob is involved. Talk about action packed. I highly recommend it! I can not wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating
4 out of 5