Fatal Deception is the third book in the Steele Ops series. From the beginning until the end I couldn't put this captivating read down. It was a fast-paced suspenseful read with great characters. It had action, suspense and danger. I loved this book and this amazing series. I can't wait to read what this talented author writes next.

I have been enjoying this romantic suspense series so much. I love the overarching plot with the guys running their own private security company and the women who challenge them. Roman is the epitome of a broody hero and I've been waiting for his story since I met him in the first book. And he definitely was the grumpy wonder that I was waiting for. Isa was just such a good match. I love how she stood up for herself. Plus, who doesn't love a smart and strong woman?! The chemistry between them was great. Throw in the suspense and action and you have quite the entertaining read. I would definitely recommend this whole series! Thank you to Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fatal Deception is the third and final book in April Hunt’s Steele Ops Series. This is an action-packed, military-style romantic suspense novel with no cheating and a happily ever after. It can be read as a standalone, however, reading it in order will give the reader a better appreciation for the characters and the series itself.

Trusting the wrong person while serving his country changed Roman Steele’s life forever and now he is slowly adapting to civilian life and building his security company, Steele Ops. Life throws him a curve ball when he is sent to investigate a break-in at a high-security lab, where he meets the lead virologist, Isabel Santiago. From the start the chemistry between Isabel and Roman is explosive and their interactions are intense, but they must work together in order to discover who is behind the break in and to stop the virus from being used as a weapon. Will Roman and Isabel be able to put their stubbornness aside long enough to save themselves and those they love? Read it and find out!

I originally discovered April Hunt while searching Netgalley. Since then I have read all of her books and I think Fatal Deception is a great addition to her Steele Ops series. Hunt’s intriguing storyline and amazing cast of characters draws the reader in and leave us craving more. I know this is the final book in the series but I really hope some of the other characters also get their HEA.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced readers copy received from Netgalley.

4.5 stars

I devoured Roman and Isa's story! Action, suspense, a little humor and a lot of heat with a dash of "a fine line between love and hate" defined this couple's journey to their HEA as two emotionally damaged people learned to let down their guard enough to learn to trust again.

Roman has simply been existing since he was injured in the line of duty. None of his family knows the full story of how he lost his leg and he is no hurry to share. He is known as the grumpy brother but it doesn't stop his family from trying to draw him out. They never anticipated that one beautiful former Army doctor turned virologist with a spine of steel and no fear of a grumpy Steele would be the one to bring him back to life!

Isabel has her own demons that haunt her in the form of what could have been on many different levels, but when her lab is breached by a highly trained team looking to steal a deadly virus, she embraces her anger to get past the shock and fear and focus on stopping it from being unleashed on the general public. Roman is a shock to her but there is no denying the sparks that fly every time they are in the same room. I loved seeing Roman and Isa's relationship develop; they certainly know how to push each other's buttons in every way! In the midst of some pretty intense moments, they find a way to support each other and open up to each other. Now if they can just keep themselves from derailing the best thing to ever happen to them when their fears come to the surface...

Fatal Deception crisscrosses the US as Isa races to find a cure for the virus and Roman and Steele Ops team do their best to keep her safe. New faces are introduced that I would like to see in future books, and familiar faces play important roles as well. All in all, this was a wonderful read and great addition to the series that left me ready for more of the Steele family!

ARC received from NetGalley

Dr. Isabel Santiago was a top Virologist and the only one working a virus that was stolen from her lab. When her mentor lets her know about an outbreak in rural Alaska she immediately wants to get there to study it. The team hired by her company to protect her and find the virus Steele Ops has different ideas.. Especially Roman Steele and they have clashed more than once.
Can Roman save Isa in time against someone she never expected to facilitate the break in and in turn can she save Roman.
This book is high suspense and adrenalin!

Fatal Deception is a fast paced high action thriller that kept me turning page after page. Slightly too technical for me but the overall story is very exciting. During this time of a pandemic the fear of a deadly virus being released fells all too real giving this story an air of authenticity. This book is very well written and I loved the characters. Rough and grumpy Roman and dedicated scientist Isa seem like an unlikely pair at first but as the story goes on you can feel the chemistry between them. This is definitely a book I recommend.

This is book 3 in the Steele Ops series and can absolutely be read as a standalone. Roman Steele learned the hard way not to trust people when he trusted the wrong person while still in the military and lost his leg as a result. He is handling civilian life alright as long as he doesn't have to deal with any people along the way. But when he is called in to investigate a lab break in, he finds himself butting heads with the lead scientist. A woman he finds not only beautiful but infuriating. Isabel Santiago is the lead virologist at the lab she works for. And when she finds out her lab has been broken into and a deadly virus has been stolen, she knows they need to find these people before her virus can be turned into a weapon. But she has to put her trust into a man who see's danger everywhere, even when he has his own trust issues. Now these two have to work together and hope they can stop these people before it's too late.

This is the first book I have read by this author but it sure won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Roman is definitely a grumpy, alpha man but he has a heart of gold and is never afraid to do what needs to be done. Isabel is a strong woman who isn't afraid to stand up for the things she believes in but at the same time she accepts guilt for things that she truly has no control over. Both of these characters have trust issues, and at times I felt like that got in the way of things more than was necessary-which is the only reason I knocked this down from 5 stars! I was all in right from the start in this book and it definitely made me go and get the rest of the series along with all her other books! A great read!

Happy release day to Fatal Deception by April Hunt! Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for letting me read this book early! This is the third book in the Steele Ops series and while I hadn’t read any of the other books in the Steel Ops series, I really enjoyed this one and I didn’t feel like I really missed out on anything by not reading books one or two.

Fatal Deception 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Roman Steele learned a hard lesson about trusting others. While serving his country, he put his faith in the wrong person and lost a leg for his loyalty. So far, civilian life suits him—as long as he doesn’t have to deal with anyone. But when he’s called in to investigate a break-in at a high-security lab, he finds himself butting heads with the lead virologist, a woman as infuriating as she is beautiful.

When criminals break into Isabel Santiago’s lab and steal a deadly virus, she’s desperate to find the culprits before they turn her research into a weapon. But first, she must put her trust in the brooding security expert who sees danger around every corner. As she and Roman race to track down the culprits, these two unlikely partners find there’s more at stake for them than they ever imagined possible—but only if they stop the enemy in time.

This is the third book I’ve read this year that’s kind of like this (about someone coming in and stealing a super contagious strain of a deadly virus in the hopes of using it as a bioweapon) and man, these kinds of romance novels are moving up as some of my favorites! They’ve got the perfect mix of science, action, drama, and romance and I love them! I liked Isa as a main character- she was so intense and smart and I loved that. I liked Roman a lot too- he was so sweet, but he tried to hide that sweetness behind a gruff exterior and it was great. I also really liked how they had Steel Ops as the basement level under their bar- I thought that was clever and honestly, it makes me want to go read books one and two now haha. The plot itself moved really well and I didn’t realize who our villain was until our characters found out who our villain was! I highly recommend this book.

I enjoy a lot of suspense in my romance novels and this book definitely had that. It was intense. Roman and Isabel are running for their lives from the beginning. And what a cause - a virus that's been stolen and can have catastrophic effects on so many.

The characters are well developed, the action quick paced and the story interesting. I enjoyed this book.

This fast-paced, action-filled romantic suspense story was a great read.

Isabel and Roman are on the hunt to find out who broke into her lab to steal a deadly virus. The plot struck the right balance between action and mystery and relationship and character development. I didn't feel like either part of the book was lacking. I liked seeing how the relationship developed between Isabel and Roman as they try to track down the thieves before the virus is used as a weapon. They were both interesting characters with a lot of chemistry.

This was my first April Hunt book, and I enjoyed it so much I am adding the rest of the series to my TBR list!

Fatal Deception is the third book in the Steele Ops series - the first book was my introduction to romantic suspense and I was HOOKED! My favorite genres are romance and thrillers, I should have known I would love the mashup of the two!!

When I saw a new book in the series was coming out - I jumped at the chance to read and review without reading anything of what it was about. And then I saw it was about a virus. I knew it was written before our current pandemic - but still wondered if it would be an okay time for me to read it.

I’m really glad I did though - I was definitely able to separate the fictional threat from the real life virus and they are different enough from each other. I loved the romance and flew through this book!

There were a few continuity issues but I’m reading an advance copy and assume they will be resolved for the final copy. Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for the advance reading copy. I hope there will be many more Steele Ops books to come!!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Isa is a strong, independent, brilliant woman who is working with a deadly virus. When her seemingly impenetrable lab is broken into and the thieves get away, she has heaps of guilt and is so mad she could spit fire. Isa is one of a few people who truly know what this virus is capable of and when she tries to explain it to Roman and his team, they are all a little less than enthusiastic about what Isa and her co-workers were working on.

Roman is a character that we've seen before. He's somewhat of an enigma. Silent, broody type. He didn't disappoint. He has lived through some horrible things and you get to see a side of him that you didn't in previous books. He wants to be strong and aloof, but Isa breaks those barriers with little effort.

The romance and mystery were perfectly entwined. I loved watching both unfold. Neither was the star of the story – they were equals and it made the story that much more enjoyable. I truly loved the mystery and the romance. Having a science background myself, I could tell that the author did a great job at trying to research what truly happens in those virology labs. Protocols and mannerisms were very well detailed.

You will not be disappointed with this story. You'll be wanting to know who is behind the mystery and cheering on for Isa and Roman. It was a wonderful story.

Triggers: Kidnapping, Murder

Plenty of action and heat:
This was a fast paced, action filled romantic suspense. It was a bit scary to read about a deadly virus during our current quarantine, however the suspense and mystery was still well done.
Isa was a research scientist studying a deadly virus when assailants broke in and stole what she was working on. Roman and his team at Steele Ops were tasked with getting it back and keeping her safe. Sparks flew between these two and it was fun seeing them spar. You could feel the tension and chemistry between them and I was so glad when they finally worked things out.
There was plenty of intrigue and tension throughout and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. It was book 3 in the series; I hadn't read the previous ones but was able to follow along just fine and enjoyed being introduced to this crazy group of friends and family. I now look forward to reading all upcoming books.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Fatal Deception by April Hunt was an action packed romantic suspense. This was my first book by April. I truly enjoyed the storyline and the characters. My disappointment was the EXCESSIVE language. The F word was used over 150 times.

I really liked both of the main characters Roman and Isabel. The book is part of a series but I totally felt like it stood alone. Roman and his brothers have a security business. They are called in when a virus is stolen from Dr Isabel’s lab. Don’t be concerned that this will make you think of Covid. The story line was very different than real life.

Great chemistry between Roman and Isabel. The physical scenes are detailed.

I liked the comradery between the team members and would like to see King get his own story.

Sexual content - several physical scenes with details
Violence - someone is trying to kill people with a virus, kidnap Isabel, etc the violence was not disturbing to me
Drinking - there is a bar above their office;
lanaguage - over the top excessive profanity

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/11/05/fatal-deception-by-april-hunt/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I've been enjoying the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/245946-steele-ops" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Steele Ops</strong></em></a> series, which has a group of brothers, and some of their friends, who mostly all have a military background form a security business.  With <strong>Fatal Deception</strong> being the third in the series,  there is a great support group and circle of friends I have come to appreciate.

So when the team is providing security and investigating a lab break-in, it was an interesting story for these times.  The lab had a killer virus which was stolen.  The main person working towards a cure is Isabel; she is most knowledgeable. Isa is adamant about some things; she is used to being in charge of her team.

Roman is heading security for this case, but Liam, as usual, is working on the computer side.  Isa and Roman have some words over how to handle security. Roman wants to protect her. Isa wants to save lives from the virus. They both want good outcomes but have different ideas about what is most important.  As they spend time together, they develop a respect and attraction for each other.

Of course, each of them has personal issues from their past which they have to work out in order to have a real relationship. Their personal growth, along with a battle against a killer virus and terrorists makes for an exciting read.

Amazing!

Engaging plot that has well developed characters. I enjoyed the relationships and the twists.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Fatal Deception is the third book in the Steele Ops series by April Hunt. A fast-moving romantic suspense at its best - starting fast and continuing throughout the book. I could not put this down and keep turning pages just as quickly as possible. I loved getting to see the same side characters from the previous book. A suspenseful romantic series that gets better with each book.

I loved this book so much, and this series has been amazing. I hope this isn't the last we see of these characters!

Roman Steele is that grumpy, aloof character we've fallen in love with over the first 2 books in the series. He was a military man until he lost his leg on a mission gone wrong. Now, he and his brothers have formed Steele Ops, a private security firm that takes on jobs the military and police agencies can't or won't do. They've been hired to deal with a break in at a lab, and track down a stolen virus before anyone can cause havoc with it. This puts him at odds with the lead virologist, who won't let him get away with bossing her around.

Dr. Isabel Santiago runs a lab at Tru Tech, and studies a very rare but terrifying hemorrhagic virus called FC-5. When a group of people break-in to her lab, which is supposed to be all but impossible, and steal the virus, Isa is panicked about what might be done with it. Then, when Roman Steele pops up on the scene acting accusatorily, she is not having it. But, she needs help tracking down the culprits, so she'll have to learn to trust him, and quickly.

Roman and Isa had chemistry for DAYS, and I loved their bantering. They have both been hurt, and shaped, by their pasts, and they each had major hurdles to overcome before they could even consider being good for each other. Roman hasn't let anyone all the way in since his injury, not even his brothers. The death of someone close to Isa has lead her to stay away from home longer than she should have, especially when she can use work as an excuse. Though she talks to her grandfather regularly, she hasn't been home to Texas in a long time. This mission puts both Roman and Isa in the position to have to trust each other more than they have anyone else in a long time, maybe ever. Watching them grapple with their issues and help each other, while still dealing with the simmering attraction between them, was awesome!

The side characters here were amazing, as they've been throughout the series. I really hope we'll be getting more stories in this world, like Tank and Jaz! And King! Roman's brothers Ryder and Liam too! And Natasha the detective was fun as well. I'd love to see any or all of them in future stories! The family is close, and always calls each other on their crap, which I love. The other (non-related) team members are always great for comic relief too, and I don't want to let any of them go before we get to know them better! I also loved Isa's best friend and co-worker Maddy, and Isa's sly and smart grandfather too. Her grandfather knows her better than anyone, and she couldn't get anything by him, which was so fun. Maddy was ride or die for Isa and I adored their friendship.

The suspense plot was exciting, and often unexpected, and I thought it was very well done. It kept the story moving forward, and kept me guessing what would happen next. I enjoyed the way everything worked out it the end, though some of that was unexpected too!

This story was everything I wanted it to be. Honestly, my only tiny complaint would've been to see a little further along in time, in the epilogue. I'm hoping the fact that we didn't means we WILL be getting more in this world at some point! I highly recommend this book, and the entire series!

I've been a big fan of this series and have been waiting for Roman's book since his grumpy ass walked onto the page.

I loved Isa. She's smart and unrelenting and definitely stands up for herself. Roman is gruff and stand off-ish and an absolute, grumpy delight. Together, there is immediate chemistry and loads of button pushing. I adored that Isa wouldn't back down and roll over to Roman's orders. Of course, the rest of the group is always fun to see.

Plot wise, it was good. I will say that reading about a deadly virus while in the middle of a pandemic was a bit itchy, but the story was solid and the science wasn't too science-y. The build up is a slow burn and I didn't quite expect the main conflict to go down the way it did. And yes, I definitely wanted more from the epilogue, but I'm banking on getting more of their HEA in the next book...which I'm absolutely here for.

Overall, this series has a great balance of romance and tension and the characters are fantastic. I can't wait to see who's up next.

**Huge thanks to Forever for providing the arc free of charge**

Fatal Deception is the third stand alone in the Steele Ops series by April Hunt. A romantic suspense that's filled with danger, excitement and lots of steam.

When a group of armed men break into Dr. Isabel Santiago's lab and steal a deadly virus, Roman Steele and his team are called in to protect her and help find the virus. Roman would prefer Isabel to go into hiding to stay safe but with so many innocent lives on the line she refuses. They fight against their attraction towards each other because there's more important things going on but can't resist for too long. Roman has to figure out a way to keep her safe at all costs, find the virus and protect their hearts at the same time.

Roman Steele is one of my favorite type of alpha heroes. Sexy, deadly, tortured soul, hidden insecurities, and walls around his heart a mile high. When heroes like him fall in love, they fall in love hard. Isabel was a strong character herself and her personality was just as large as Romans. She was brilliant and caring but sarcastic and stubborn. While they do bump heads quite a bit the sarcasm, tension and sexual compatibility between them is on point.

Fatal Deception is definitely action packed. Kidnapping, virus outbreaks, and life-threatening attacks keep the action non-stop. I think what hurt the story most for me was the actual back and forth between them. They would go from having supercharged emotional interactions to reactions cold as ice. They went hot and cold one too many times for me that it was annoying. However, that ending was fantastic and I can't wait for more of the Steele brothers and members of the team to get their stories.