Expected publication date: September 24, 2018
Cover blurb:
Lena Scott is in a world of hurt. She’s being forced to pay off her ex’s debts to people who’d rather kill her than look at her…and are making demands she’s desperate to avoid. But kidnapping and murder? Hell, no. When the threats turn deadly, Lena refuses to be a pawn any longer.
Five years ago, U.S. Marshal Dane Ryan left his old life and went into witness protection alone to keep his family safe. Working for Task Force Phoenix under a new identity, it’s his job to protect others from those who’d harm them.
When the beautiful and mysterious Lena lures him into danger, he suddenly doesn’t know who to trust. She has her own agenda, and they both have big secrets, but for either to survive, they’ll need to work together to defeat their mutual enemy. Falling in love will only mean more to lose…
**
This is the third (and final) book in the series, and I am sad to see it go. I really enjoyed getting to know the various characters throughout the books and was hoping the team would expand for more books, but at least Allison has another series on the way! But in this last outing of the Love Under Fire series, it’s finally time for Dane to take the forefront and get his HEA. And if there’s ever a guy who needs one, it’s him! This is a guy who was not a LEO to begin with, rather he turned in a former employer to the authorities and had to go into WITSEC, leaving his wife and son Tobey behind. There he joined Task Force Phoenix and since then he’s been shot, stabbed, impaled on a fence and bitten by a dog!
Lena has her own troubles; she is forced to work for Victor Kulakov, the focus of the team’s investigation and her husband’s former employer. He is holding her daughter Kenzie hostage, forcing Lena to carry out his orders in hopes of one day getting her daughter back. Not only is he involved in drug running and money laundering, but even worse human trafficking. When Viktor orders her to lure Dane back to her hotel room and get the drop on him, she has no choice but to follow his orders.
Once she brings him to Viktor, she discovers to her horror that he has kidnapped Tobey in order to force Dane to bring him his teammate Colton (from ‘Wanted for Life’), who he thinks is a former DEA agent named Robert Gates. Colton had been undercover in Viktor’s organization and had barely escaped with his life.  Lena and Dane leave Viktor’s hideout, ostensibly to find Colton in order to save both of their kids. They begin a desperate race to meet up with the other members of Task Force Phoenix, and find a way to save Tobey and Kenzie and finally put an end to Viktor’s reign of terror. The mission is steeped in danger and not everyone will survive…
This may have been my favorite of the series, the shared danger and heartache the both Dane and Lena face, and the depth of their attraction make for a thrilling story. One thing I do like about all 3 books is that they stand well on their own and could be read individually, though the overall story arc is best enjoyed in reading them all in order. But for those that don’t necessarily want to read a whole series, this one is probably the best of the three to get a mixture of action, suspense and romance. I have no trouble giving this one a whole 5 stars!
Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Amara for the chance to read this early!