This is good romantic suspense with lots of action. Maddox works for a secret organization and they have come across some information that someone will release a deadly virus. They have to get the virus before it can be released and the only man who can help get it, is Cole. When Maddox helps retrieve Cole, she finds that he is the man she loved and the man she thought was dead. Cole had his reasons for leaving her, but now he wants her back. But, before they can think about that, they have to find the madman and his son who are going to release the deadly virus. A man bent on revenge against the US. Can they find them before people die, will they be able to forgive each other and will they be able move on?

This is the first book I have read by Juno Rushdan. The author background is the reason why this story will keep readers needing more and loving every second they spend reading this romantic suspense. The story is action packed with just the right amount of action, romance and twisty to keep readers excited for the next book in the series as well as stories written by Juno Rushdan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Source books Casablanca

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of Every Last Breath from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The premise of this story is that a female agent of a super-secret government anti-terrorist group and her team must stop the deployment of a fatal bio-weapon against civilians. In the process, she is pitchforked into learning that her former lover is still alive and is being made a part of the action. That action starts with the first page and rarely slows below a gallop outside the sex scenes. The combat scenes are described in the kind of detail that apes Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, and the book is brought to a comfortable conclusion with respect to this story’s arc. The epilogue makes it clear, though, that future Gray Box novels will forthcoming.


(Please note that I tried to post this review on Amazon for the benefit of advance purchasers, but Amazon rejected the review attempt because the book is not yet out.)

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Given the job of neutralizing of a lethal bioweapon, she needs help from a former boyfriend. Cole is back from the dead and is hesitant to help, he was betrayed by Maddox and isn't sure if he can trust her. Can they work together to neutralize the weapon? I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It was a fast paced well written book.

Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan is the first book by this author that I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books. I was drawn into this fast paced action packed book right from the start. I did not want to put it down. This book has it all a little romance, action, a plot that keeps you interested, emotion and non-stop action what more could want. The characters were well developed and the storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. Warning there are some explicit sex scenes and adult language. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the second book in this series to come out. Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to another go to author.

The secret agent action in the “Gray Box” fascinated me. I enjoyed reading about the gadgets, the system methods, the characters, the schemes, etc. The story captured my interest and the end left me wanting to read book #2 in the series.

The fighting action scenes are not my thing. I almost quit reading after the first one but learned to skim through until the story resumed.

The Maddox-Cole relationship was extremely tiresome. Too much time is spent on their repetitive feelings, fears, more feelings, more fears, forgiveness, more fears and more feelings! Ugh—enough already.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

New Series, suspenseful, love story that wasn’t annoying...great read!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This is my first book by Juno Rushdan and I loved it!!! There's lots of action, suspense, great characters and the story moves at a fast pace. I really liked all the characters, not just the main characters. This is the first in a series, so I am very much looking forward to the next books to see where the continuing mystery goes with finding out who the "mole" is. I highly recommend this book!!!

Wow`! My first book by Juno Rushdan and definitely will not be my last. I read it in one sitting. Fast paced, strong but vulnerable, both Maddox and Cole, such a win - win. Mystery, action, suspense, covert ops, espionage and love. This book checked all my boxes. It took me away on a wild ride and I didn't want to get off. Next please!
Thank you Sourcebook Casablanca Publishing and thank you Juno Rushdan. A new favorite author. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were unsolicited.

This review was originally posted on <a href="http://booksofmyheart.net/2019/04/18/every-last-breath-by-juno-rushdan/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
&nbsp;

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
&nbsp;
I found Juno Rushdan by reading the Sourcebooks sampler of romantic suspense novellas, <strong>Turn the Tide</strong>.  I hurried to request <strong>Every Last Breath</strong> which is the first in the <em><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/251229-final-hour" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Final Hour series.</a></strong> </em> This could be read as a standalone. In fact, I went back to the novella to see if I could find connections and none were obvious, other than operatives for high stakes governments mission by a covert type group.

We learn the covert group here is Gray Box. Maddie is chosen for the current operation because she speaks Russian and was once engaged to the brother of one of the players.  Shocks and twists are slammed into us throughout the action. I have to wonder how realistic some of the violence and corruption is.  It might be horrifying how much is.

A second chance romance for Maddie and Cole is interwoven into the life and death government action.  The crazy choices and mendacious events in their pasts take time to process. Their passion is as clear as ever.

I enjoyed the fun beginning in a thrilling world of adventure.  I definitely plan to read <strong>Nothing to Fear</strong> in August, which is  connected to the characters here.

So much love for this book! The plot was riveting, the characters were unique and they felt real, and the second chance romance was smoldering! Holy cow! I couldn't put this book down! One of the most intense book I've read in a while. I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this action packed romantic suspense novel. Maddox and Cole met years ago and were madly in love but unfortunately their families and the government got in the way. When Maddox finds out Cole is still alive, after thinking he's been dead for 9 years and it was her fault, she is stunned. She now works with a secret black ops team and has to stop a bioterrorist's plot with Cole's help. Cole was sure Maddox betrayed him but he's never stopped caring for her. Twists and turns keep the reader guessing as to who the bad guy really is and this book ends on a cliffhanger so we'll have to wait till the next book to find out more.

Every Last Breath was an addicting romance, packed with explosive adrenaline!

It was exactly what I’d hoped it would be when I picked it up. I’ve been searching for a new romantic suspense series for a long time, and I have to admit this book really hit all my buttons. I liked Maddox Kinkade. She was strong, but still kind. She had reservations, but was also still a hopeful person. She felt honest. I also liked Cole, and for the same reasons. There was angst in this book, but the stakes were so high I could understand where the pain came from, and why it was so insurmountable. It only made me love Cole and Maddox more.

There were a few hiccups preventing me from giving Every Last Breath a full 5 stars. With how deep the author showed Cole and Maddox’s relationship, some development should have been given to Maddox’s friendships with the others. Not only does the connecting emotions make the current book better, but it helps the readers excitement for upcoming books too.

Still, whatever hangups I had, it didn’t stop me from devouring Every Last Breath in a night, and it won’t stop me from coveting the next book either.

Be prepared not to be able to put this book down, read well into the night, and be blown away by Juno Rushdan’s Every Last Breath ( Final Hour #1). This is the first book by this author that I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books. Every Last Breath is the first book in the up-and-coming new series, Final Hour.

Every Last Breath is perfectly balanced with intense nonstop action, a plot thick with intrigue and suspense, woven with deception and betrayal, where loyalties will be tested and of course heart-pounding romance. I was surprisingly delighted that the thriller aspect and the bioterrorist plot is not overrun by the romance but perfectly intertwined in this book.

This book was well written, paid attention to detail, and the main characters and the secondary characters were all well developed. I loved the vast range of dialogue between Maddox and Cole; it is barbed, hurtful, soft and caring and intensely hot and steamy. I loved Maddox, and I found her to be smart, bold, loyal and every bit as kickass as the men that surrounded her without losing her soft feminine side. Cole is the son of a Russian crime boss, and he is the epitome of the alpha male, intelligent, determined and incredibly hot. However, he too is struggling with his demons from the past.

Our two main characters Maddox and Cole have a tangled past, things between them are tainted, broken and complicated. They haven't seen each other in nine years, and then they are thrown together by circumstances that are out of their control, to work together, to bring down a madman who is hell-bent on taking his revenge out on the United States by way of a biological weapon.

I don't want to reveal too much of the storyline; therefore I will stop here. Usually, I don't like to compare authors, but in my humble opinion I feel that Ms.Rushdan has earned her self a top spot in the thriller genre right alongside the “big boys.” This book will keep you reading to the very last page and then dangle you right on the edge of the proverbial book cliff, setting you up for the next book in the series. I for one am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Nothing to Fear, due to be published late August 2019. I know that if you give this book a chance, it will take you on a wild thrill ride you will not soon forget.

***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

I received an advance copy of Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Normally this would not have been a book I would have chosen to read. I am so glad I didn’t follow my usual choices. There was intrigue, suspense, action and romance. I literally could not put the book down. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Apparently this was the first book in a series because one plot line was left dangling. It was disappointing because I really wanted to know. Guess I’ll have to wait for the next book.

I've never read anything by Juno Rushdan before, so I decided to try Every Last Breath. I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. It's a second chance romance with tons of action and thrills. The story has a bit of everything I love, so it was an excellent read. The two main characters have a very complex and heart breaking connection that adds just the right amount of tension and suffering to each of them. Because of this shared history, their characterizations are dynamic, plausible and richly drawn. I was actually more invested in the characters than the plot. Don't get me wrong, though, because it's a well written story line with that wow factor that draws you in, and before you know it, you've reached the last page. I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Intense, action-filled and combative. Those words describe both Every Last Breath and Maddox and Cole's relationship. What a backstory? To avoid spoilers, I'll just say the decisions both made when they were young and madly in love are some of the most stressful and regretful I've ever read in a novel. Wow. How do you come back from their past?

Fast forward to today, Maddox is a highly skilled, highly competent black operator and Cole has matching skills working for a more mercenary group. They hate each other for real and perceived events that broke them up yet can't deny their sizzling attraction still burns for each of them. Between nasty physical confrontations, tense psychological situations trying to stop a mad man bent on revenge from launching a mass-murdering virus Mad and Cole begin to work their way back to each other.

This book was edge of your seat intense (yeah I know I said that already), touching, aggravating and super fast-paced. I can recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers, romances and spy novels!

An adrenaline fueled high octane story, nonstop action from start to finish.
Maddox Kinkaid works for The Grey Box a super secret organization tasked with stopping the threat of a terrorist..Novak..from setting loose a bio weapon...a mutated version of smallpox on an unknown target. Cole Mathews...formerly Nikolai Reznikov...is recruited to help on the op. Cole and Maddox have a history together. But nearly 10 years ago events caused Cole to fake his death aND leave a devastated Maddox behind. However now they are thrown together to stop the threat and must come to terms with their past.
For the most part I really liked this book. Hardcharging action that makes for an entertaining fast read. The only problem I had was that occasionally the personal bits seemed a little angsty...but not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story though and I did like Maddox and Cole. Maddox is tiny but tough and can handle herself in just about any situation, Cole is a strong Alpha male intent on taking care of her. I can recommend this book for anyone who enjoys action, covert ops with a side of romance.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Hey, book friends! Today's review is of Every Last Breath, the first book of the Final Hour series and debut novel by Juno Rushdan. Get ready, because this debut novelist has just earned herself another fan. As in, "Seriously, is book two out yet?"

Luckily for me, book two is not only in the works but has a set publication date. But we'll get to that.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks Casa for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for my honest review. We are avid James Bonds fans in my household; therefore, any book that is hailed as being Bond-ish (That's James Bond, to differentiate from any E. L. James fans) has my immediate attention and interest. Replace the British sexpot with an American femme fatale secret agent—I’m sorry, femme fatale operations officer—and you have a novel featuring a badass heroine.

Maddox Kinkade is an undercover officer working for a covert CIA subsect, Gray Box. Today’s mission? Stop the madman threatening to unleash a bioweapon in the country’s capital. With a team fit for duty, and friendships of steel to boot—steel-tipped, no less—they are ready to face off against any enemy, foreign or domestic.

What Maddox isn’t prepared for is her presumed-dead fiancé, Nikolai Reznikov, now Cole Mathews, to shock the hell out of her and turn her already upside-down life on its side. His “death” nine years earlier has pained Maddox in ways that will haunt her forever, and his coming back to life reopens the wound she’s not yet healed from. She bites her tongue to keep from asking the questions she desperately needs to hear. Why did you leave me? Why did you let me think you were dead?

Cole Mathews has wanted nothing more than to be rid of Maddox’s memory for almost a decade. Believing her responsible for the death of his father, Cole stepped out of their life—the life they’d once shared as future husband and wife, the architect and the art enthusiast—to seek revenge for those responsible. Her sudden reappearance into his life is the chance he’s needed to finally be rid of her, only it seems his heart isn’t quite finished with Maddox yet.

Forced to join forces and to each learn who the other has become, they work together to bring Aleksander Novak—known as "the Ghost"—down before he destroys the working government. Maddox fights to keep a tight rein on her personal feelings in order to get the job done, while Cole is forced to face a series of truths that make it all but impossible to leave Maddox in the past.

If either of them is to even consider the option of a future together, they not only have to navigate the monstrous threat they face in Aleksander, but they will also need to accept that the people they were are long gone. Maddox is a scum-sucking spook in Cole’s eyes. And Cole became the killer his father the assassin always wanted him to be.

Evading the Bratva—the Red Mafia—and chasing Aleksander across ocean and through the busy D.C. metropolis, and navigating the line between ally and enemy in both their personal and profession lives, Maddox and Cole, along with her team, will need to gear up and focus on the job, or else there won’t be a future to even consider.

This romantic suspense is the whole package for me. Family drama? Check. (Can you say protective-older-brother-who-is-also-her-superior?) Fast-paced, action-packed badassery? Also check. Emotionally laden, sexily scintillating chemistry? Double check, and then some.

I love series like this whose secondary characters support and enhance the plot line, urging you to get to know them through the novel and each subsequent one after. I want to go hang out at a bar with Maddox's team. Director Bruce Sanborn (the Black Ops Whisperer), the mountain of muscle Castle Kinkade (hey, bro!), Gideon "Reaper" Stone, John Reece, Alistair Allen, and Sean "Ares" Whitlock, these are the guys you hope are protecting our country in real life. The more you learn about the Gray Box operators and analysts, the more you want to consider a career in espionage.

Aleksander Novak is sinister, but his backstory makes his character complex and interesting amidst all of his depravity. Overall, I thought him very well developed. There was only one instance that I thought something he did belied the picture I had of him in my head—which jolted me out of the story for a moment—but he's a villain worthy of Ian Fleming.

Juno Rushdan is quick to jump right into the story, which I love. The book is full of fun action puns and entertaining metaphors. One of my favorites was, "He'd been a moth drawn to a blowtorch."

I don't want to give anything away about the ending, but I will say that I appreciate the fact that Maddox didn't need a man to save her. She fights smart, the action scenes feel realistic (and practically tangible, they're written so well), and I love that she exhibits physicality without unrealistic machismo. She uses her strength and grit and intelligence as a woman would, she relies on her team as a great leader would, and she handles her business! Maddox Kinkade is a character I won't soon be forgetting anytime soon.

As far as warnings go, readers should be aware of the adult language and explicit sexual scenes.

The sequel, Nothing to Fear, is set to be published in August of this year, and I cannot wait. Check out Every Last Breath on April 30th to find out why this series (and this debuting author) will soon be gracing my shelf of honor. I mean, 5 stars? Nothing. This baby's gettin' 5 ninja stars! Juno Rushdan has just been added to my list of favorite romantic suspense series writers.

P.S. Does anyone know where I can get a steel prayer bead necklace? Thanks in advance.

I read this book as an ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it. Told the author so on FB. So bummed that I have to wait till August for the next book.

#Everylastbreath #NetGalley