Cover Image: Every Last Breath

Every Last Breath

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Member Reviews

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!

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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.

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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.

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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

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Completely mesmerized by this book and the characters. Maddox is an integral part of an elite organization tasked with containing a lethal terrorist bio weapon. The asset she is asked to pick up to assist her team turns out to be the only man she has ever loved, returned from the dead. Excellent writing, good character interaction and suspense filled hunt to get the bad guys.

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Exhilarating and Intense from beginning to end!

I love romantic suspense novels that are well-balanced between story and relationship and this book did not disappoint. There are plenty of both in this engaging read and neither outshines the other. The author’s writing style is captivating and easily pulls you into the scenes and you can literally feel the anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and danger rolling off the pages. The characters are realistically flawed with their own internal struggles and shortcomings and complex emotional struggles. And there are secrets, lies, betrayal, life and death, messy emotions, deep bonds of friendship and family, steamy romantic chemistry, devastating pasts, and much more to enjoy. The characters are amazing and the storyline is well-developed and believable. I look forward to reading more of this series and from this author. There is never a dull moment in this book.

*Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the advanced copy. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

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A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook/Casablanca Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I think this is part of a series, and this was the first one I have read. I was confused from the beginning. I thought we needed more background info. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood. Who knows but this just wasn't for me. 3 stars. I may try again at a later time.

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

I don’t know what I was expecting when I got this book but it far exceeded my expectations. I loved this book which is full of action, suspense and romance.

Maddox Kincaid and her team are working to stop the release of a deadly bioweapon. Maddox gets sent to turn an asset that can get them access to the sale of the bioweapon. Maddox is then blindsided to find that her ex who she has believed dead for years due to a mistake she made is alive and had faked his death. They are forced to work together and deal with their issues while still trying to stop the bioweapon.

The characters are great and relatable. Maddox was a great protagonist showing all the ways she was strong despite her hard past. Cole was just as emotionally broken as Maddox. The pairing is completely believable and tears at your heart even as you get sucked into the mystery and suspense of the story. They both throughout the story have to work through both anger and then guilt about how their relationship ended and how it changed the people they were then to the people they are not.

This book is a must-read for lovers of romantic thrillers. It was fast paced and while it was mainly romance it had a great plot with substance. It kept you sucked and keeps you from wanting to put it down. The book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger which serves to leave the reader wanting to read the next book.

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I received a copy of this from Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was really exciting. I didn’t want to put it down. Very action packed and a second chance romance. I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be reading the next one. Awesome story

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Every Last Breath is a fast-paced, thrill-a-minute story about literally preventing the end of the world. It’s also about the love and heat between Maddox and Cole and all the tragedy and unresolved issues that are preventing them from being together again. They are working together to try and neutralize a lethal bioweapon, but has too much happened for them to ever trust enough again to rekindle their personal relationship?

It’s an exciting story, with non-stop action and danger popping up everywhere. However, the writing is poor and rather juvenile and things drag out far too long, almost to the point where the reader loses interest.

My biggest complaint about the book is the author’s nearly constant use of adjectives and phrases that are probably meant to be cute, entertaining or make you feel in the know about the spy business, but reading sentences like, “His tone was sharp enough to sever a carotid artery.” gets old quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of Every Last Breath. It’s not my cup of tea but seems to have gotten many positive reviews so far and may be the first book in a successful series.

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Didn’t disappoint. Just as I wanted and expected , this was a wonderful blend of suspense and romance. Thanks for sharing.

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I love discovering new-to-me authors who can deliver the goods as Juno Rushdan does in Every Last Breath. This book is an intense, explosive Second-Chance Romance Thriller that begins with a bang and never lets up. Maddox Kinkade is an expert undercover operative for the Gray Box Black Op Unit on covert assignment to defuse a threat by a group hellbent on releasing a lethal bioweapon upon the innocent masses. Maddox made a huge mistake nine years ago when she unknowingly betrayed the trust of the love of her life . . . a mistake that cost him, Cole Matthews, everything including the life of his father as well as his own life. Or did it? When Maddox is ordered to meet a man and solicit his help in preventing the ultimate disaster, she is shocked to come face to face with the presumed dead love of her life. Where has he been for nine years? As shocked as Maddox is, Cole is just as surprised and angry as he's never forgiven his former lover's betrayal. As the clock is ticking and time is running out, these two professionals must let bygones be bygones and work together someway, somehow. Meantime, they're walking a fine line between love and hate because the one thing they haven't lost is the explosive chemistry sparking between them. Can they keep it together long enough to save the world from a madman?

Take a breather before you start Every Last Breath because you won't get another one until you finish! This book packs a wallop in every way - nonstop action, explosive scenes, espionage, sizzling passion - all well-written and expertly woven into plot lines that had me burning through the pages. I enjoyed the strong support cast and would love to see more of these characters. I also liked that the author managed to make me feel a little empathy for the villain, and that's not easy to do! While most things are resolved in this book, I like that there's an ongoing story arc that I assume we'll explore more of in coming books in the Final Hours series. Every Last Breath is an emotional, second-chance romance thriller that kept me riveted to the pages and my seat all the way through. Grab this one and read it the first chance you get as it's A Must Read!

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Really enjoyed this book. Can’t wait for the next one. Very well written romantic suspense. Wonderful secondary characters. Really liked both main characters.

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This book starts with a bang from the beginning, literally. And the action never stops. Action-packed, heart pounding, thrilling, those are not cliches when it comes to this book. These are accurate descriptions of what you will feel while reading this book. The writing is superb and I felt like I was in the moment every step of the way.
The rapid fire style of writing keeps you interested and doesn't let up. Even the quieter moments have an underlying anticipation about them, that something is about to happen.

I look forward to the rest of this series.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review.

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This was a fun quick read. I don't read too many romantic suspense novels, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one, and would like to read more by this author.
Maddox is a covert black-ops officer who finds herself tasked with stopping a dangerous mercenary from handing over a virulent strain of small-pox to a terrorist. Her only option for success in her mission is trusting Cole, the man who broke her heart and devastated her world years earlier. Both Maddox and Cole must learn to put their feelings aside in order to hunt down their enemy and save the United States, and the world. They might just be able to resolve their issues and find a way to trust each other again.
I enjoyed this book. Maddox and Cole were relatable (as much as incredibly fit, well-trained back-ops officers can be!). But their actions and motivations seemed organic and realistic. I usually don't enjoy books in which the characters share a past that the reader was not privy to, but in this case their past was revealed in a timely manner and did not slow down the story or make me feel as though I was missing out on anything by not knowing was was going on from the beginning.
The action also really added to the story. Sometimes descriptions of fights or hand-to-hand combat can get boring or seem like filler. The author did a great job of describing the actions scenes in a way that helped the reader picture what was happening and contributing to the personalities of the characters.
I liked the secondary characters as well. Maddox's team was made up of people who I would like to read more about, and the villain was appropriately scary and borderline psychotic.
The chemistry between Maddox and Cole also contributed to the story and helped the reader feel a connection with the characters. I believed their relationship was complicated, intense, and unavoidable.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense, and I would also love to read the next books in this series.

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2.5 Stars

At almost 500 pages this is one long romantic suspense novel. The thrills were good- a new smallpox virus being sold to the highest bidder and possibly to be released in DC- but the romance left me wanting. For as much introspection that happened in Maddox’s and Cole’s head, not a lot went on as far as talking out and resolving their past.One minute they are hurt and angry over things that had happened and the next they are ready to re-profess their love. There’s an underlying mystery that doesn’t get resolved by the end gearing up for a good start to the next book.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

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4/5 stars

Maddox, an operations officer, has to convince her ex-fiancé Cole to work with her and her team in order to recover a bioweapon. It might not be so easy with all the history between them and the fact that Cole's been presumed dead for years! However, they'll have to try put aside their history and feelings in order to locate the bioweapon and prevent a deadly attack within the next 48 hours.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this romantic thriller! There was so much action in this story and I don't just mean the steamy kind! This story has twice as much action and thrills than a normal romance. The operations were realistic, intense and detailed without being overly descriptive. The other action between Cole and Maddox was just as intense. I loved reading scenes with them as they worked through their past. The sexual scenes were so steamy! Everything from the characters to the detailed operations felt amazingly real in this story.

I was also surprised that there was a tiny element of mystery in this story as well. There were several points of view with one being the assassin's story told in a brief chapter in between Maddox and Cole's chapters. It definitely kept the story flowing hearing the villain's perspective here and there.

The story overall was evenly balanced between the characters lives and the operations. There was definitely intense scenes in both which I absolutely loved! Not only were the operation scenes well written, but the character's interactions were also written very well. The family and work family dynamics felt completely realistic and well written regarding Maddox and her brother, Maddox and Cole, Cole and his brother and between the whole team. Maddox's team felt natural as if they have been doing this together for years. I hope to see more from the rest of the team in the upcoming book!

This story was a fast paced, action-packed romantic ride and I can't wait to read the next books in this series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read this amazing ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Great story with non stop action!
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I have to say that this book was a surprise in many ways. First of all the writing was quite riveting in many places. With loads of anticipation and heart pounding scenes, there is never a dull moment in this story.

I love a great story that holds me captive. This book does it with a mixture of suspense, surprises, and romance. A perfect combination!

I fell for Cole and his overly patient way he dealt with Maddox, trying to convince her she was always in his heart.

She got on my nerves a bit as she pushed him away then pulled him back- never forgiving but recognizing she still had feelings. Frustrating and a tad annoying especially towards the end.

Overall, a fabulous read full of the tension we look for in a suspense thriller with a heightened romantic edge.

I would definitely read more by this up and coming author in this genre!!

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Love, betrayal, covert ops, family drama, high stakes, action, intrigue, ...you name it...Maddox and Cole have it covered. Their story is fast paced and full of twists that will through you a loop and then keep you guessing and wanting more. This is a great suspenseful book that checked off all the joys of an intrigue filled book. The group and their mission is intriguing and built in such a way that I can’t wait to read about any or all of the players in more detail. The writing is vivid and dynamic. I could envision several scenes, especially the helicopter looking for Maddox, or the yacht game, on a big screen. It would be epic. I can’t wait to read more on this series!

Thank you NetGalley, Juno Rushdan and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read this book and share my opinion.

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Wow, just wow! This book has everything and I mean everything to draw you in keep you entertained and turning pages deep into the night. A secret agency that is trying to keep America safe, lost lovers found, and a criminal that kind of has morals. Would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fast paced down and drity drama from the first page till the last.

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