Amazing read, with lots of banter and a great spark between the main characters. There’s a lot of suspense as well, with plenty of conspiracies and secrets to obfuscate matters and challenge Raider and Brigid. Hardly anyone is quite who they seem, be they the designated good guy or bad guy. All the characters are well-written and a little, or even a lot, quirky, each in their own way which makes the story so much richer.

With so many different plot twists and a great many interesting secondary characters whose own budding romances are slowly being introduced, the focus sometimes shifts away a bit too much from the main couple. They have a lot of magic on page but I’d have liked them to have had a bit more time to really get to know each other and learn to trust. Trust and honesty, due to circumstances, is not exactly in abundance when it comes to this couple or even their group of friends in the Deep Ops unit. At the end Raider and Brigid’s relationship progresses a little too fast to my liking though, the HEA bow tied too swiftly and neatly to get to the required formulaic ending.

I will post my review on Amazon on 9/24/2019

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my fair and honest review.

Fallen is the second book i the Deep Ops series, I loved the first book and this one was just as good as the first one was. The sparks are flying between Brigid and Raider, can they control them to get through this mission without them both ending up dead. This band of misfits just works together and makes the storyline so much more interesting. We should all have a dog like Roscoe lol! This book was action packed, well written and I would certainly recommend it to others.

3.5 stars

Fallen is book 2 in the Deep Ops series and was another enjoyable read. Brigid and Raider were a great couple and had awesome chemistry. While I enjoyed this book and all the characters that are in it, I did feel like something was missing. There were moments were I was excited about what was going on but for a lot of it I was bored and the ending was so rushed my head was spinning. I'm looking forward to book 3 since it's Wolfe's.

I enjoyed this exciting suspense tale, and this entire team of crazies are hilarious!

Raider Tanaka is an agent on a revenge mission. He’s a handler, and his last undercover asset was murdered by the Irish Mob in Boston. He’s using his new post, with the outcast Deep Ops unit, to find the people responsible, and make them pay. Meanwhile, he’s got a new asset, a talented hacker who was caught, and made a deal to get out of prison. She now works for them, and he hopes to use her skills in his mission. The fact that he’s fiercely attracted to her won’t stop him from enlisting her help. Though it might make things more difficult.

Brigid Banaghan is stuck. She got caught hacking into something she shouldn’t, and to stay out of jail, she made a deal to work for the government. She now uses all her skills for good, and she’s fine with that. She was trying to do a good thing when she got in trouble to begin with. But her new handler is an uptight control freak, and she doesn’t know why she is so attracted to him. She cannot get involved with anyone. All the agents in her unit work undercover, and have to lie all the time. She’s not sure she’s interested in being with someone who has such a dangerous job. Not that he’s shown any real interest anyway… But, when Brigid’s father is being investigated for connections to the Irish mob, she has to turn to Raider for help.

Raider and Brigid had great chemistry, and I loved watching their slow build to passion. They both had serious trust issues, and I really enjoyed watching them figure out how to be together. They were opposites in a lot of ways, and that definitely worked for them. I loved Raider’s strong, stoicism, and Brigid’s bubbly brilliance. Their connection felt very real, and I liked how they were trying to fight it before realizing it was pointless.

The whole team is an absolute riot. They all have their crazy little idiosyncrasies, and I love each of them. Wolfe definitely seems a little off, but you can’t help but love him, and his little pocket kitten, Kat. He has a lot of romantic tension with his reporter “friend”, Dana. There’s also a lot of tension between the boss, Angus Force, and the team psychiatrist, Nari. I can’t wait to see how that all shakes out. Force’s insane dog, Roscoe, has a serious drinking problem, and likes to wear (and chew) high heels. He is so crazy, and provides a ton of comic relief amidst all the action happening in the story.

The suspense plot was exciting, and I liked not knowing where the next hit would come from. Brigid’s dad, Sean, was a great side character, and I adored their relationship, strained though it had been. Parts of his past were intertwining with her present to create their current predicament, and watching it all play out was exciting.

As much as I enjoy the main couples in these books, what I really love most is the team dynamic, and how they’re always there for each other, like a big, insane family. They all have their issues, some more serious than others, and I adore watching them help each other through everything. I’ll be anxiously awaiting Wolfe’s story next. He and Dana the reporter’s dynamic is very interesting, and I can’t wait to get into his head!

Brigid was a hacker on the other side of the law but now she's working for the government, as is Raider, who is considerably more straight laced. The issue of Brigid's father, who was involved and may still be involved, with lots of bad people and things, is really an excuse to get these two together. The action is less interesting than the people (and the dog) in this quick and entertaining read. You know Brigid and Raider will get together so watching the relationship grow, well, that's what this is all about. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Fun.

So many lies, so many concussions. I was so happy that Forces dog, Roscoe, was in this book too. I feel bad for the dog, but he sure does make me laugh. While this book is mostly about Brigid and Raider, the other characters get a lot of attention also. I like that when a book is part of a series.

Hold on because this one moves quickly! The bad boys of the HDD are back to tackle human trafficking with the toughest hacker ever. Brigid grew up on a farm with a simple life but she caught the hacker bug and loved it. Raider grew up in foster care and fought for the life he has today. He's tough, sexy and funny on the sly. These two have the best times together, a little fighting, a little love and ton of sarcastic humor. This one stands-alone because the storyline is individual for this couple, but the characters are familiar to the rest of the series. Received an early copy through Netgalley, review was voluntarily written.

I will start by saying, in my opinion, I think you should read the series in order to fully understand the sequences of events and character dynamics. I read Taken, but somehow missed Hidden, so the continuation of situations had me a little confused in Fallen and it took a bit for me to catch up to the general going’s on within the series (stuff is referenced from previous books). However, aside from my oversight, it was an enjoyable enough story to pass some time. There were some instances where the hero/heroine annoyed me, their characters seemed somewhat adolescent and the big reveal of the secrets/lies by omission they hid from each other did not really live up to the anticipation from the buildup. It was more like, ‘Really? That’s it? The big reveal…’ but overall, it was a decent read. There was a good amount of tension and suspense, a bark of laughter here or there and some action and romance to balance out the book.

*I received an ARC through NetGalley and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Another superbly written story by Ms. Zanetti. Kept me on the edge of my seat. SO enjoyed it from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were all so different and flawed. Made for a great suspense filled read. Brigid is a hacker with a bunch of secrets. Raider may be one of the good guys but he is a bad boy. Loved the heat between the two. Brigid's father really contributed to my enjoyment. Always surprising Raider by not doing what was expected. I did laugh at the pig named George Willowby Smith III!

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2019/09/17/fallen-by-rebecca-zanetti/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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I'm enjoying the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/227577-deep-ops" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Deep Ops series</strong></em></a>. which is romantic suspense.  There is a new couple in each story. The humor is a bit ridiculous / quirky, and the action is violent and gritty. It's an interesting balance. There's a dog and a cat on the team.

The team has been building throughout the series.  I do like their connection and how they have each other's back. Every guy is one of the walking wounded with gunshot wounds, knife wounds, bruises, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, etc  in pretty much every book.  I would read these in order as the relationships and team and even the political environment is progressing as we go along.

<strong>Fallen</strong> is the story of Brigid and Raider.  Brigid is a very talented hacker, a bit new to the group. Raider is her handler but I don't remember him very well from the earlier books. And I went back and checked, he is heavily in the first two books.  He is part of the foursome who lived at Miss A's home.  I do remember all about Miss A.

They are teamed together for Raider to go undercover to get to a mobster with whom Brigid's father has ties. I feel their building respect for each other's skills and how they began to care about each other.  The lust, before they had the trust, didn't feel quite right to me.  But they got there and their sexy times were HOT.

Some of the action and events are so screwed up, it's easy to believe because that is how the political environment is these days. This team has distinct and off-beat skills in spite of their various odd personal situations.  It's kind of like rooting for the underdog but they ARE really skilled; they just are NOT popular or PC.  They have found a spot in my heart.

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4 - "It’s not the size of the weapon…" Stars!

We return to the Deep Ops universe for the second full length book of the series, this one giving us Raider and Brigid’s story, up to this point Raider has been the straight laced, all business handler, while Brigid is the hacker who is on her last chance. That all changes in this book, with both of them revealing, and dealing with secrets that the reader didn’t initially know about them.

"You’re not the only one who’s tough to figure out…"

Another enjoyable read, I found it a little sluggish on development in places but it was no struggle in general to read, and what kept me interested mainly was that I loved this couple together, Raider and Brigid are of the opposites-attract variety, but they each smooth out the rough edges of the other.

"You’re gonna have to learn that every time you throw down a challenge, I’ll take it, twist it, and make it mine…"

I think the rest of the Deep Ops team that Zanetti has crafted also add massively to this series too, I don’t think I have ever loved a canine character as much as I love Roscoe, and with Wolfe and Dana up next in Broken I am sure we will get to see more of him and everyone else as the series progresses.

"I want you to know that the last week has been one of my best in years…"

Plenty of action thrills, a few spills, plenty of chemistry, and some giggles along the way as well, Fallen is a great addition to the series in general.

"Don’t start anything you don’t want to finish."

Bookgasms Book Blog's review 

Sep 16, 2019  ·  edit


really liked it


Holy Crap. Rebecca Zanetti always knows how to write an amazing book in whatever genre she wants. She has no idea how much I needed this book and her glorious writing as I was in such a book funk. Brigid and Raider were absolutely delicious. I was so obsessed with this story it isn't even funny!

Fallen is the second full length novel in the Deep Ops series but it is a complete standalone. It tells the story of Brigid Banaghan, an FBI Hacker and Raider Tanaka, her handler, who embark on an undercover mission to infiltrate the Irish mob. But when lines get crossed and fiery chemistry comes into play, it's hard for Raider and Brigid to tell the difference between fact and fiction. 

I really loved this story. It was uber sexy and gripping. I was so enthralled with the high adrenaline pumping action scenes and the romance between Tanaka and Brigid I did not leave my chair once! I am now so hooked on this series and cannot wait for Wolfe and Dana's book! 4.5 stars! ~Ratula

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

I really like this group of quirky people and the rough position that they are in. They have the world's worst headquarters with what people who the world of crime fighters consider losers. Or if not losers they are being "punished" for something. The Feds are doing everything they can to NOT support their efforts. And that is just wrong. It does make the story even more interesting though. You just never knew what was going to happen next.
Angus, Wolfe, Nari are all good secondary but very important people in the story. I enjoyed their input into the story even Brigid's father Sean managed to put some sparks into the story. I also liked the inclusion of some of the animals too. Not people "like animals" but real ones. Kat and Roscoe to be specific. Kat is a sweet kitten but Roscoe is the one with the very interesting personality. This is a dog who is a booze hound with a fetish for shoes. All of those things have to be kept put up and away from him.
There is plenty of action as well as romance to the story which I enjoyed. Just to let you know there are several investigations going on at once but not in a confusing way. The story kept my interest all the way through. So I would say that the author hits another high note with this one. And all I could say was, "give me more."

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Whew! I've been wanting this story FOREVER and it didn't disappoint. Loved Raider and Brigid. They were good together. The whole "I'm keeping a secret from you" trope is definitely not my favorite, but this worked.

4.5*
Another out of the park hit for Rebecca Zanetti! I love this series about a rag tag group of men and women of The Deep Ops!
Raider Tanaka is out to find who killed his friend. He may of lost it for awhile but he knows this team can help him. Trust and truthfulness is a way of life, lying is unforgivable.
Brigid Banaghan is a hacker and a damn good one at that. She hacks for the better good and to bring down the bad.
Raider and Brigid have to come to terms and act as a loving couple if they are going to be convincing enough to be able to bring down the bad guys. With their attraction getting stronger and the danger getting more intense both of them surviving seem slim. Time is working against them if they can’t get the information needed all will be lost. Including the future Brigid hopes for with Raider.
She’s keeping a secret from them all. One Raider will never forgive her for lying.

This series just keeps getting better and better. With every story told I fall deeper into the lives of these characters and I feel so connected to all of them now. Raider and Brigid definitely had my attention when I was first introduced to them, but in their own story I fell in love with them more than I thought I would.

I have to say, the best thing about this book is that it's actually a surprise. When it first starts out it seems like it's leading in one direction and I had the thought in my mind that I knew most of what would happen. But then it's like the story took a sharp turn and ended up in the complete opposite direction and I honestly loved that. It kept me on my toes and had me me constantly wondering where else the story would lead. I really liked that suspenseful feeling it and how captivated it had me.

And the characters were brilliant. Raider was a very straight laced type of guy when we first met him but we got to see a completely different side of him in this book. Getting to dig deep and find out his secrets along with Brigid was fun and it had me obsessed with him. And Brigid herself was certainly a mystery in the previous book so I couldn't wait to see what she was hiding. Together, they brought a ton of romance and intrigue to the pages and I found it very enjoyable to read.

Overall, this is certainly a book I would recommend reading. I would say that it could possibly be read as a standalone but I think to truly understand the characters that you would need to read this series in order.

Alright, I seriously cannot get enough of this series! The characters are amazing. I love Brigid and Raider together. They compliment each other perfectly. The rest of the team are just as compelling. I really want Wolfe and Force's books. This is romantic suspense at it's best. There is tension, plenty of action, and so much humor. I need my own Roscoe. The gripping plot in this one is full of twists and kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend this one!

I am so disappointed in this book with these two MCs I just expected more. In general, this author seems to be more hit and miss more than anything else.

It was going well for a while but then it dragged, it picked up again which is good but the case that they were working was just so FUBAR that the last thing Raider and Wolfe pulled was just unbelievable and ruined it for me. The MC are okay together but Brigid acts like a teenage with a ridiculous crush. She’s a grown ass woman so I don’t get it. I wasn’t that keen of Raider he was a dipshit for me tbh. Not only that a lie by omission is still a frigging lie.

This is me and not the book as I seem to be the only one who doesn’t really like it.

I’ve got to think about continuing the series.

I was so chuffed when Brigid and Raider finally got their turn to tell their story in Zanetti’s latest “Deep Ops” installment. Their earlier appearance in the series really had me hankering for more of sparking chemistry between them. Both characters struck me as combo of cool, tough, hotheaded, and quick-witted personalities. Which is why it’s a bummer that I didn’t feel that FALLEN fully delivered that.

The second (novel) entry to the series had the Deep Ops team face off with enemies that affect Brigid and Raider’s life. They went undercover to infiltrate and expose the deadly organized crime and its corrupted, powerful conspirator. The broad plot itself is all right; the opponents were brutal, more than a little unhinge, and bloodthirsty - the team had quite a fight that left them bruised, bloodied, and broken against the bad guys. And it was such an action-packed, adrenaline rush thriller that‘s rather exciting to follow. My personal issue laid on the character development of the MCs.

The Brigid and Raider I saw in FALLEN were not what I expected them (from previous books). There’s a positive way to look at it; as in them being at the center stage and played the big(ger) roles in the book gave chance to dig more into the characters’ persona, and the agents merely being imperfect human by showing their vulnerable side at times. The nitpicky me however, howling in outrage for Brigid seemed more like a crybaby pushover in this book. Raider at least still showed guile and shrewdness overall (the unexpected bashing on the head notwithstanding). On the romance department, their budding relationship - while expected - felt overdone.

All in all the pro and con were pretty balance to me (Kat and Roscoe still playing a big role in my amusement with their antics). For all the cunning and vicious impression the villain gave, the conclusion felt too easy (while still bloodied) for their calibre. And I developed perplexity - not to mention hostility - over a certain pairing agents. But the silver lining for me was the promise of something brewing with clues and hints shown here; that had me impatient for Wolfe and Force books to be published. I only wish they deliver (way) better than Brigid/Raider gave (me). 😁


Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.