One shot--an assassination attempt.
One death--a bodyguard's life lost.
A million questions.

DiAnn Mills drew me into High Treason from the first page. The third and final book of the FBI Task Force series, I unfortunately didn't enjoy this one quite as much. That doesn't mean I didn't want to read it. It had an incredibly detailed and action-packed plot, but a lot of things about it got on my nerves. Like every book I've read by DiAnn Mills thus far, she packed true personalities and histories into all the characters, and the story kept me guessing with every page-turn. But...I don't know, this one didn't quite do it for me.

A Saudi Prince brings his mother to Houston for experimental cancer treatments. When someone tries to kill him, FBI Special Agent Kord Davidson is on the case. He doesn't take no for an answer--he stood beside the bodyguard as a wannabe assassin ripped out his life. Kord doesn't want a partner, but when the CIA provides its fiery and talented operative, Monica Alden, his choice in the matter is gone. He worries she as a woman won't be respected. But because of her femininity, she's able to relate to the prince's sisters...and get answers he could never get himself. But her faith in God and Jesus? Nah, he's not so sure about that one, even if he is madly attracted to her spunk and drive.

This book would've been way more enjoyable for me had I not known as much as I do about how the Central Intelligence Agency operates. While it's not a career I'd want, I've been fascinated by the CIA and how it operates since my youth. High Treason had serious issues here. I could legitimately write a white paper on it. Without going in depth:

For the most part, the CIA does not operate in the United States. The CIA's mission is to collect foreign intelligence, not info about any U.S. citizens. The Homeland is the FBI's turf. So that whole aspect of Monica Alden annoyed the heck out of me.
CIA personnel are not "operatives." They are officers.
No one could easily "transfer credentials" from the CIA to the FBI. You may have a top-secret clearance at the CIA, but that doesn't clear you for the FBI. Each organization does its own background investigations.

I will say this, though--I really liked Kord. He knew what he wanted with Monica. I might've rolled my eyes at a lot of his flirts, but I also smiled. Committed and focused to the task at hand, yes, but Kord was also funny and warm. He had a lot of charm, and I found him very endearing. While a grown man, I may even go so far as to call him "cute." Don't tell him I said that, though!

High Treason by DiAnn Mills has so much layers to it. I had to reread sections at times to ensure I caught all the details. It's funny, engaging, and suspenseful, with a good dash of romance. I just couldn't get over its errors--mistakes that could've been avoided even with a brief study of the CIA's website. I enjoyed it and its fast-paced, dialogue-filled story, but it really wasn't my favorite.

Mills takes the FBI Task Force to the next level in this third installment of the series.  
In this fast-paced political suspense/thriller, FBI Special Agent Kord Davidson and CIA Operative Monical Alden must work together on a task force to protect a Saudi Prince while he is in the States.  The two must work together after an attempted assassination of the prince, in between two cultures where women are treated differently. As they work together to try to figure out who is trying to kill they put aside their personal grudges and develop an admiration for one another that leads to love.  

Mills does a smashing job with keeping the reader engaged and turning the pages, keeping the best right for the end.  The cultural differences are treated respectfully and faith plays a huge role in the development of the main characters, as in all of her books.

I highly recommend this book, and the rest of the FBI Task Force series to readers who enjoy the suspense and clean romance.

This was an awesome conclusion to DiAnn Mills FBI Task Force series. The characters seemed so real and the plot so realistic. I would highly recommend this book.

High Treason is plot driven, but that doesn’t mean the characters take a backseat. Kord and Monica find themselves working together to solve an assassination plot against the Saudi Prince Omar during his visit to the States for both business and his mother’s cancer treatment. Monica and Kord are familiar with Saudi culture, and they are both Type A personalities, which means nothing stands in their way in the race against the clock to crack the case, except maybe a budding romance, the flu, treacherous betrayal, and the fight for acceptance in a culture that doesn’t accept strong women on equal footing with men. It’s an uphill battle for all involved, but the story hurtles at breakneck speed toward an exciting ending.

DiAnn Mills has definitely done her homework in terms of researching the FBI Task Force as well as Saudi culture. I love that the author has Monica maintain her identity as an American female agent with a job to do and still show respect for the Saudi culture. As a result, Monica earns that respect back from Kord, the Prince, and the Prince’s sisters. I absolutely love the relationship Monica forges with these sisters, showing them that even in their patriarchal culture, they can have agency in keeping themselves safe and strong and confident.

Despite the harrowing action to combat the threats and untwist the assassination plot, the story has a few bits of humor. I won’t give anything away, but I can say Monica unwittingly earns extreme admiration from an unlikely admirer. So adorably sweet.

High Treason is the third in the FBI Task Force Series; however, these books are not connected. It has been my pleasure to read and enjoy the first two in this series, and the third, High Treason, is just as thrilling and faced paced.

I liked this book but with some reservations. The story-line was good and the characters interesting but it also moved pretty slowly at times.
A lot of that had to do with the investigative nature of parts of the story. They had a lot of evil doers to uncover. They don't get them all but as the story goes along, they get quite a few of them. That is when the action does kick in because it's a dangerous job trying to keep the prince safe and uncover each plot against him. Adding to the difficulty is the culture in which Monica has to work. Being a woman is not something that is valued at first. She has to work to show her respect for their culture but also show that she has skills And boy, does she have skills, that was something that I enjoyed. A spunky, smart, skilled heroine is always a plus in my book.

Kord is not too happy to have her on board at first either. He's used to working on his own and he's also grieving a loss that happens pretty dramatically in the beginning of the book.

There were other emotional things going on in the story which was a good addition. The prince's mother's illness and the two princess'es made things more interesting.
I found it a bit hard to rate this book. Although I usually enjoy reading books by this author, this one was not one of my favorites. There is a mild romance going on but I would have liked a bit more. It had more emphasis on the suspense and it was light on the romance part. It made it a bit harder for me to believe the H.E.A. that the story ended with.

The attempt to assassinate Prince Omar is the driving force behind High Treason for me. Unraveling the twisting story of conspiracy, betrayal, and deceit really kept me engaged and turning pages. Reading the inner workings of the sharp minds of both Monica and Kord is very satisfying.

Both Kord and Monica have similar backgrounds, having previously worked in the Middle East. Monica and Kord start off their new partnership on rocky ground; the two are like oil and vinegar. Both are very much individuals, fighting to stay separate.

“I told you this partnership wouldn’t work. You know nothing about a brotherhood of loyalty.” (Kord to Monica)

But when combined, Kord and Monica make something so much better, a partnership in both work and life.

Kord has a history with Prince Omar. The prince trusts Kord implicitly and requests that Kord join his security detail while in Houston. Kord is the quintessential hero type, rescuing kidnapped wives and children, protecting his new partner, and saving the day on a regular basis.

Where Kord is already a part of the prince’s security team, Monica is the outsider. She’s been assigned to work with Kord to stop the assassination attempts. As a western woman, she struggles with earning respect from Kord, the prince, or his security team. She’s relegated to the women’s wing with the prince’s sisters, put on the sidelines of all the action. Ms. Mills does a great job describing Monica’s frustrations with her treatment.

“I wouldn’t survive under his rein, and I do mean r-e-i-n.”

Monica finally does earn the admiration of Kord and the prince. I really appreciate this facet of High Treason. The prince and his team show real growth of character by accepting and relying on Monica.

The romance aspects in High Treason seem rushed to me. Not rush into bed/sex, but rush into feelings. But maybe that’s what happens when you spend 24 hours a day with someone? I’m skeptical. Kord and Monica start as partners, first trying to be civil, then developing trust, and then falling for each other, all in a very short window of time.

Ms. Mills does a great job showcasing the differences between Western and Saudi culture. I particularly welcome how respectful Monica is towards the prince. As well, I applaud how much the prince and his staff are thankful Monica is on the team by the end of the novel. The interplay between the two sets of characters (western vs Saudi) is a well-orchestrated dance.

I’m always entertained by Ms. Mills’s use of Houston as a background to her stories. This time around, it is Morton’s The Steakhouse (a company I used to work for!) and the Houston Rodeo. Though, I do marvel at how quickly characters seem to drive between locations. There never seems to be any traffic in these novels. And as someone who lives in Houston, I find that difficult to imagine!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading High Treason. It’s a plot-driving ride, with plenty of action to hold my attention.

Monica, a CIA operative who has had experience in the Middle East, and Kord, an FBI agent good friends with a Saudi prince, team up to protect that Saudi prince while he is in America. Someone tries to assassinate the prince and Monica and Kord work hard to uncover the origin of the plot.

This is definitely a character driven novel. Monica had previously been betrayed by a fellow operative and she is still troubled by it. That is an obstacle to the budding romance between Kord and Monica. Monica and Kord do much soul searching and that sometimes bogs down the narrative and detracts from the possibility of a suspenseful plot.

The strength of this novel is Monica being involved in the team protecting a prince from a country where women have few rights. Monica knows what to do, such as not look the prince in the eye. She has lots of interaction with the prince's sisters so we get a good idea of what it is like to be a woman in Saudi Arabia. We also learn a bit about attempts at modernization in Saudi Arabia as well as leasing oil reserves. I wish Mills had explained that latter concept as I had to do some outside research to understand why some would oppose the prince's idea of such leasing.

I was a bit disappointed in this novel. The FBI seemed to be somewhat ineffective in actually protecting the prince. Monica was not a character that captured my interest. That she would fraternize with another operative seemed out of character. And Kord was paying attention to Monica too many times when he should have been watching out for the prince. I would have liked the plot much more if they had agreed to keep their emotions in check until their assignment was over.

I have read other novels by Mills that I thought were much better. If a budding romance getting in the way of effective work doesn't bother you, then you might enjoy this novel of romantic suspense.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

DiAnn Mills has another hit on her hands with her third fast paced novel in the FBI Task Force series. It’s the story of Kord and Monica who are both protecting a visiting Saudi Prince. Kord who is FBI, is a long time friend of the Prince, and Monica is an expert from the CIA. They are brought together under a tense situation, so they not only need to protect the prince, but they need to work together to do it. Tension rises, family ties are questioned, and in amongst all of that….is there a spark between Kord & Monica? Add in two different cultures and religions into the mix and the story starts to unfold.
What I loved about this book is how DiAnn Mills took two totally different cultures and religions and brought them together to show the reader how the two worlds can combine with respect and honor. I loved the pace of the book which left you guessing at every turn what would happen next. Just as you thought you had it all figured out, a new twist would arise. A brilliantly written novel that has all the keys…love, mystery and The Lord. I was so graciously gifted this book from Tyndale House for an open and honest review, Thank you Tyndale.

DiAnn Mills brings us nail biting,hard hitting suspense as Monica and Kord race to solve several murders and the assassination attempt on a Saudi Prince.
The plot was thought provoking with Monica,the heroine sharing her faith to the Saudis and watching God's love shine through with her testimony.
I was with the sensitive sharing of differences in the female roles and the complex characters.
I recommend this book to those who like hard hitting Christian romantic suspense.
An ARC was to me by the publisher and my opinions are 100%my own.

You can read a book quickly if you are familiar with the subject or the area., Many times I'll pick a book based on where it takes place, because I can more readily imagine the setting. But this book is very different. Out of respect for DiAnn Mills, I know her books are well researched. Since I don't know that much about Saudi Arabia, their government, or the people, this book took me quite a while to read. It was very interesting and educational. It still has the suspense that DiAnn's books have. You won't be disappointed.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the author and NetGalley for an honest review.

High Treason by DiAnn Mills kept Monica and Kord busy dodging bullets while trying to protect Prince Omar. The intensity of their duties required more than any government official should have to face while on the job. The situations they find themselves in are realistic and time appropriate.

DiAnn Mills is a fantastic suspense author that never disappoints! This latest book in her 'FBI Task Force' series is a super fast read that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. Characters are well-developed, plot line well written, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough while reading this novel!

Monica is a CIA agent and Kord is an FBI agent. They are thrown into a protection detail when an assassination attempt on a visiting Saudi prince occurs. Relations are strained between the US and Saudi's and the Prince has a twofold purpose for his visit. His mother has been diagnosed with cancer and is visiting MD Anderson and the Prince is looking into leasing some oil fields to the US. If the Prince was killed on US soil the tenuous relationship would be severed. Monica has experience in the protocol of behavior for women with Saudi men. And Kord is a friend to the Prince and insists on being part of the detail to protect him. Neither Kord nor Monica are happy with the situation at first, but as time goes on they manage to forge a shared respect for each others abilities.

High Treason was filled with excitement as well as quite interesting relationships between the characters. I love that Monica didn't try to change years of tradition by being an overbearing female. She gained respect from the Prince and his entourage through her behavior and ability. I also loved the peek into the life of a Saudi leader. It was interesting to the story as well as an interesting look into that culture. Monica had trust issues and through the story had to work through those. This led to a couple of good spiritual discussions between Kord and Monica as well as Monica and the Prince. I liked that the characters were able to have healthy dialogue without spewing hate. Monica was a very strong female lead and I really enjoyed that. She was strong and determined and ready to run into danger to protect. I liked how Monica and Kord's relationship grew and how they were able to establish a mutual respect for each other. The suspense was timely placed and kept the story moving along at a fast clip. If you are a fan of romantic suspense then I highly recommend this FBI Task Force series, you won't be disappointed!

NOTE: This review will post to my blog, Amazon, Goodreads and facebook when permission from the author is granted or when the book becomes available to review.