Red-Haired Ash Reads

Lorenzo “Ren” Santoro was a former Navy SEAL and member of the covert Ghost Ops team. He now calls a research ship home and likes his life on the water. When his research team agrees to help with a top-secret Navy project, he is shocked to find his best friend’s daughter is one of the scientists. He has done his best to keep his distance from her for the past few years but now that they are both on the same boat together he can’t ignore his feelings, especially since someone keeps attacking her.

Ren and Halle’s story had an action packed romance that kept me hooked from the beginning. Ren is a protective and intense man who has spent years trying to deny his attraction to Halle because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with her father. The trope of dad’s best friend is one that I have only read a few books from so I am still unsure if I actually love it, but I did enjoy these two. I liked Ren and how he kept Halle safe during their escape. While Ren does try to initially keep Halle at a distance, that quickly changes when he realizes how much she wants him and that he could easily have lost her to the people after their research. 

Halle was a smart and capable woman. I really liked how she wanted Ren from the beginning and refused to let him push her away.  While Halle isn’t used to extreme danger, she handles herself extremely well and works well with Ren to keep their research safe. I really love how she tries to protect Ren and reminds him that he is loved frequently. It was very sweet. 

Overall, this was another great romantic suspense with an interesting plot. I really enjoyed the whole adventure to protect this Naval research. I also really liked that there wasn’t a lot of tension from Halle’s father when he finds out that they are a couple. Hopefully we get a book about Ren’s friend Sawyer, who was a fellow Ghost Ops and is now a sheriff in Hawaii. 

TW: attempted kidnapping; near drowning; on page asthma attack; death; violence; death of a parent in a car accident and by cancer mentioned; death of a child mentioned; 

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

1. The Hero She Needs
2. The Hero She Wants