Conceal

Conceal is a nail-biter romantic suspense by Janie Crouch. Ms. Crouch has delivered a well-written book and furnished it with a cast of characters second to none. After being abducted and raped on her last assignment for Omega, Juliet feels safe only at Omega HQ. Evan was Juliet's undercover partner when she was abducted and the one to find her. A new case has begun and needs Evan and Juliet's undercover partnership to be brought back. Juliet doesn't want to go back into the field, but the

Juliet survived a traumatic event and memories of it still haunt her to this day, affecting every part of her life. The memories haunt Evan as well, infecting their working relationship, their cohesion, even the spark of something more that had been developing between them. This is a very different kind of second chance romance. It goes into some darker places in the human psyche and it should be noted that some situations and past events may be triggering for some readers. I loved the empowering message of Juliet’s survival and how she reclaimed her power. It was beautiful to watch how Evan supported her and loved her; giving her the room to be independent but with the knowledge that he was always there to back her up. I’m also loving how these siblings pull together for one another and I can’t wait to learn the real story about Dylan. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.

Conceal is a little darker than the other Omega Sector books, mostly due to things that happened to Juliet on a previous case. I gotta say that this is one time when Janie Crouch's writing didn't have to be so darn good. Juliet's anguish is almost palpable, and it's impossible to read her story without getting emotional. Her trauma is absolutely heart-wrenching. Of course, Janie gives us lots of danger and excitement to move things along. And then there's Evan, who is exactly what Juliet needs to heal just as she's exactly what he needs when things get tricky in the field. This third in the series is a great combination of danger and intrigue, romance, family, and healing. Parts of the story were difficult and emotional, but it's so worth every moment of the journey to be there to witness these wonderful characters coming out the other side.