Every Last Breath
by Juno Rushdan

SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca

Sourcebooks Casablanca

Mystery & Thrillers , Romance

Pub Date 30 Apr 2019

*This book is not recommended for those under the age eighteen*

I am reviewing a copy of Every Last Breath through Sourcebook Casablanca and Netgalley:

Maddox Kinkade has become an expert at managing the impossible and now she has been tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. She finds that recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, however Maddox will do whatever she must, even if it destroys her in the process.

After Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthew’s life, he wants to fight back, he wants to hate her. The crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.

I give Everlasting Breath four out of five stars.

Happy Reading

This book was a wild ride, really just super exciting! I just loved Maddox and her kick ass attitude! And Cole was definitely her equal. The story totally had my name written all over it. I love the race against the clock, the mystery of trying to figure things out and the hot relationship. Already bought the next book! I definitely recommend this book!
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. I also purchased a copy for my own personal library!

I read the ARC of Every Last Breath, by Juno Rusdan, at the invitation of the publisher through NetGalley. The action starts immediately, and never stops. Book One in the Final Hour Series, this is a story of the protections we get from people in public service who risk their lives daily to protect our rights to live in freedom, safety, and peace. It is a reminder of the evil in the world. It is also a beautiful love story set against the struggle between good and evil.

Aleksander has an axe to grind with the United States. Maddox Kinkade is a member of a covert op of the CIA tasked with subverting the sale of a bioweapon that contains a hybridized drug-resistant form of the smallpox virus. Nikolai Reznikov (aka, Cole Matthews) is loyal to the U.S., but has been targeted for assassination by the Russians.

Maddox and Cole are former lovers. She thinks he is dead, and when she is tasked with extracting the target of an assassination, she is devastated to learn that target is Cole — he is still alive. While both feel wronged by the other, each wants to hate the other, but somehow cannot. Soon Cole and Maddox are working together, and the action is fast-paced, and exciting right up to the end. For those who enjoy an action-packed thriller with a little romance and a little sexiness thrown in, this a book you must read. I highly recommend Every Last Breath.

What Makes The Grumpy Book Reviewer Grumpy?
The usual things:
• using “further” (which refers to more of something) in place of “farther” (which refers to distance);
• missing commas;
• incorrect verb usage: “wasn’t” in place of “weren’t”, and “was” in place of “were”;
• split infinitives;
• misplacement of the word “only” within sentences;
• beginning sentences with conjunctions.

Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

I know this is a late review, but I am loving this book! I think the set up is very well done, and the tension between Maddox and Cole/Nikolai is thrilling. I am excited about this book and looking forward to reading the 2nd book, which is already out. I like that the first book in the series focuses on a heroine rather than a hero.

Romantic thrillers are my kind of book. I enjoy devouring them and this one was no different!

Fast paced, edge of my seat, thrill ride, with the perfect amount of romance thrown in leads to 4 stars for me. Writing was fantastic, I love Cole and Maddox, and I love the buildup of tension, just so good.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

First volume in the Final Hour series, Every Last Breath features Maddox, agent in a FBI’s special branch, when she learns the fiancé she has thought dead for 9 years is still alive and she has to gain his help for her current investigation.

Maddox and Cole were a happy couple when, to prove to her father Cole’s family wasn’t involved in mafia’s business anymore, she repeated to him a conversation she had heard. Lots of deaths followed as a result, especially Cole’s father, and Cole himself disappeared, certain Maddox had betrayed him. Let’s just say that the reunion is tense, neither one trusting the other, and they need some time before they explain what happened to each other.

However the attraction is immediate like in most reunion story, and even if Cole is the first to finally admit he still loves the heroine, we see the feelings evolve on both sides as they learn to know the person the other has become. Those who know me know I’m not fan of reunion stories but I thought here it was quite well exploited and it leaves more place to the plot. And as there’s a lot of things taking place we don’t feel like the relationship is as fast as it is in reality.

I found the investigation grabbing with a fast pace, Maddox’s team members are very present and I liked how they are protective of her because they know of her past with the hero. The action scenes are very descriptive and detailed; we even follow easily each character’s moves during the fighting.

However I want to rant against the publisher who put the 12 first chapters of the second volume at the end, so Every Last Breath is in fact only 80% of the book. We don’t need as many chapters, almost half of the story, to know if we want to read the sequel, because when we finally have the second volume in our hands it’s frustrating to already know the whole beginning. As for me, 4 chapters were enough to convince me and I went to request it on Netgalley – and I would have read it even without those 4 chapters.

Apart from this annoying point, I really liked Every Last Breath. See you soon with my review of the sequel.

Every Last Breath certainly has a great title and is fitting for the book. I felt like I was on a non-stop action packed suspense thriller ride. Maddox is a tough undercover operative with an assignment to stop a bioweapon threat. A decision that she made in her past changed everything about her relationship with her love, Cole. However her new assignment causes a reconnection that takes some adjusting after her tragic past. Juno Rushdan did an exceptional job in writing the first book and I simply could not put it down. I cannot wait to pick up the 2nd book Nothing to Fear to continue the story. Every Last Breath is full of romance and passion and a lot of intensity with questionable motives. There are a lot of illustrative scenes.

I received this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

The clock is ticking and Maddox Kincaid thinks she can manage the impossible. It might not be so easy this time. She is tasked with finding a way to stop a possible pandemic as a result of a bio weapon. Enter Cole Matthews long thought dead my Maddox. Cole believes Maddox betrayed him, but he knows he has to help to stop the deadly weapon. The clock is ticking on not just the weapon but on Maddox and Cole too.

CW: past late-term miscarriage, grief

Every Last Breath is an impressive romantic suspense debut. Filled with twists and turns, the fast pace still allowed for plenty of character development and the romance balanced with the action. The latter is important to me as a reader. I don’t want to be worried about characters who are making out when they should be focused on safety but I also don’t want the plot to neglect their love story. In this case, I’m sure Rushdan’s real life experience as a former military intelligence officer came in handy and it helped me trust her characters would come out fine in the end.

This is also a second chance romance. Maddox believed her almost-fiancé died nine years ago, only to find he’s very much alive while out on a mission. A mission in which she needs his cooperation in order to prevent a pandemic from happening. Cole, on the other hand, is pissed. He thought Maddox betrayed him all those years ago and he’s not going to make working together easier on her.

Complicating all this is that Maddox is a covert operative for Gray Box, a secret government outfit and she was wrapping up college back when she and Cole dated. He has no idea how capable she is in the field or what a kickass woman she’s become. And it should stay that way: secret government organizations are supposed to stay a secret. I loved how Maddox navigated this issue. I loved both of these characters. They are both tremendously strong and have overcome so much to get to where they are. If you love books about people who are excellent at their jobs, this is the book for you.

Cole and Maddox have so much history to overcome but they were very much in love before everything went awry and their chemistry is still intact. It's so clear to the reader that they're good together, both in and out of the bedroom, and it's just a matter of whether they'll take a chance on each other. Cole can be harsh with her at times but it makes sense given what he believes. And Maddox tries to protect her heart because of what she experienced after his presumed death. The story deals very frankly with her late-term miscarriage and grief, which is good to see on page but may be triggering to some. It was refreshing to see how Cole’s grief was handled once he learned what had happened, as men’s grief over miscarriage can be minimized and often isn’t acknowledged at all.

I don’t want to spoil the plot because there are so many great twists and turns to experience. But I do want to mention a couple of things about the villain I found interesting. This made me think about the evolution of Bad Guys in books/TV/movies. We're back to the Russians/Eastern Europeans and that feels true to life. But the story delves into our complicity with what has happened in those countries. There’s a reason so many countries hate the US and we need to deal with that. Despite what the villain plans to do, which is heinous, he has a strong code of honor. It really humanizes him. I prefer not to have any POV from villains in my books but I will admit the brief insights we get from him added to the tension and pacing.

While the main mystery of this book is wrapped up, there’s a larger arc for the series that ends on a cliffhanger. There’s a double agent at Gray Box and I cannot wait to find out who it is. Bring on book 2!

CW: assassinations, attempted murder, violence, kidnapping, hostages, threat of pandemic, past death of loved ones, past late-term miscarriage (cervical incompetence), reference to past panic attacks, grief, psychiatric hospitalization due to depression and grief, prejudice/racism, brief reference to past diagnosis of child leukemia (appears to be in remission), reference to 9/11

Great debut by Juno Rushdan ! Who can resist a "second chance" romance? Maddox and Cole are great characters. I enjoyed Maddox being a strong woman and Cole respecting that. The storyline was well flushed out and keeps you wanting to turn the next page. I look forward to Juno Rushdan's next book.
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. My review is voluntary and honest.

Special thanks to Juno Rushdan, Sourcebooks & NetGalley for providing our free copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan is very intriguing. While reading, I’m always trying to figure out who is telling the truth and what’s real and what’s not. It’s action-packed for sure.

If you’re a fan of Jason Bourne movies, you’ll like this book. The romantic theme is great. Throughout the novel, the romance is simmering under the surface as a secondary narrative storyline. She’s trying to trust her instincts and her heart is fighting her on it. Especially when it comes to her old flame. Too bad her next mission relies on him.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book! I’m happy this is a series. I will definitely read the next one.

This is fast-paced romantic suspense with intense situations and characters. My Rating 4.5.

Maddox is a specialized CIA agent whose Gray Box team has been tasked with tracking, capturing the terrorists and recovering a stolen bioweapon. Maddox and her team have just returned from a mission and aren’t at 100% but they are ready to roll. Her superiors know that she could use extra help so they send the team to retrieve a non-CIA ‘asset’, Cole Matthews. The team shows up just in time to rescue Cole from a kidnapping by Russians. That is a bit of surprise but even more shocking to Maddox is the moment she sees Cole’s face.

Maddox knows this man as her almost fiancé who supposedly died nine years ago. She knows she made a mistake in betraying his family, but she went through extreme pain when she thought he was dead and has never moved on to another love. To cope with her losses, Maddox immersed herself in CIA training ending up in a covert organization. Maddox can’t understand how her first love could have allowed her to go through that pain of loss and she is livid. The only reason she would be willing to work with ‘Cole’ is the threat to innocent lives.

Cole created a new persona after Maddox’s betrayal devastated his family. He became a security specialist with the added background of assassin training. He never expected to see Maddox again and isn’t thrilled with the idea the agency he has always hated wants to use him. But once they pull him into the mission, there is no way he is going to let Maddox fight the danger without his protection.

The team knows the extreme risk of the bioweapon but they don’t realize the depth of the focused revenge intended by the enemy. Added to the dangerous mission is the discovery by the team that there is a mole in the base and they don’t know who they can trust.

This book in one word is “Intense”. The characters, Maddox and Cole, are intense ‘warriors’ aka operatives, who have personal history. The plot is suspenseful, tension-filled and intense. The same is true of the relationship between Maddox and Cole, plus there is a good dose of passion – both in anger and in chemistry. Their time together sizzles and sometimes they have to step back and remember the mission they have to complete before they can address all of their own issues. The story resolves the mission but leaves open the identity of the mole. I will be glad to read the next book in the series.

This has an excellent blend of tension, action and romance; Romantic Suspense just the way I like it. I highly recommend this to readers who like intense romantic suspense.

Source: NetGalley 2019.

Fast-paced nd fun thrill ride that will most certainly be a crowd pleaser and hopefully will expand into a successful series.

The plot was really interesting, but the book was long and didn't wrap up everything. When I spend so much time on a single book, personally, I expect for it to come to a satisfying conclusion.

Readers of Dan Brown will enjoy EVERY LAST BREATH, a fast-paced, part spy, part romance, action story. Maddox Kinkade, a member of an off-book special-activities outfit—is commissioned to recruit Cole Matthews, her former lover whom she believed had been dead for ten years, to stop weaponized smallpox from being sold to an arms dealer who is looking to exact revenge by unleashing it upon the United States.

This is a suspenseful, fast read that will keep the pages a turning.

This is a great intelecual thriller from start to finish. Couldn't put it down finished it in two evenings!
I truly hope this becomes a series it's an amazing read..

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Being a new author to me and not a book I would normally read, it wasn't half bad! I loved the fast pace of the story. I would have loved to learn more at the end. I would recommend to someone who like a good suspense novel!

I didn't know what to expect from this book as it was a new author for me and not really the type of book I read but I liked it ...The only thing I didn't like was the ending I wish she would have told who the mole was.

Wow. What a ride this book was! This was a fascinating, thrilling, second chance romance. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Steamy, Sexy and Suspenseful!!!! All wrapped up together. Holy Electricity Batman! This book is red hot! I wasn't quite sure how I would like a romantic suspense novel, but this totally worked for me. The electricity and heat between Maddox and Cole just sparks off the page. I was completely drawn into their story and invested in what was going to happen with them and their relationship. At the same time you have this crazy madman running around the city with a bioterrorism weapon trying to annihilate America. It's like The Notebook and The Avenger's Infinity Wars got together and had a baby, and that baby was this book. I loved it. Super hot romance on one page and total butt kicking, not getting away with it in my house on the next. I could not put this book down. And this brings a whole new light to a genre I didn't even know existed. You have twist and turns and intrigue and too hot to touch passion that leaves you ready for more. It's explosive! Did I mention that I could not put this book down??? This book was such a rush and it checked all the boxes for me! Oh, and the cliffhanger at the end..... Oh boy!! How fast can Juno Rushdan write the next book in this series?? I will be first in line to read it.

Every Last Breath took my breath away!

My thanks to Juno Rushdan, Sourcebooks Casablanca Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.