Rookie Instincts (Tactical Crime Division: Travers City #1). By Carol Ericson. Harlequin Intrigue (ARC eBook).

As narcotics agent Aria Calletti joins the FBI Tactical Crime Division, a case of two dead women is handed off to the team. The women were murdered in Port Huron, looked alike, carried the same ID, and had Fentanyl on them. But the second woman’s crime scene also had a baby left in his carrier next to his dead mom. This leads to a Missing Person report filed by the successful Detroit businessman, Grayson Rhodes, who has been worried for his sister Chloe and nephew Danny since they missed Thanksgiving dinner. But when Aria meets with Grayson she finds he is already in Port Huron, working undercover as a dock worker named Gary. Can the new member of the TCD and a civilian bring this investigation to a close?

I really like the opening chapter with one of the bad guys and wished there was more of that narrative throughout, but that particular bad guy didn’t really carry the same threat in the rest of the story. I would’ve like a bit more build up for the romance as well, but crime stops for no one. Overall, Rookie Instincts was an entertaining read and I’ll plan to follow the series as we got introductions to each member of the team and each should have interesting cases assigned to their professional strengths as the series goes along.

I have been enjoying all of the Tactical Crime Division series books. I started reading them because I like author Elizabeth Heiter’s romantic suspense books (and she’s a Michigan author) and I was super excited to start this one because it takes place in Traverse City, Michigan. I’m really liking the Michigan connection here…

Author Carol Ericson is new to me, so I looked her up, and see that she has written a whole slew of books! I’m happy I found a new author whose books I enjoy. I discovered this particular title on a Harlequin related Facebook page - because of the talk of the setting being Traverse City. I sure hope this book is in every book display in Traverse City, Port Huron and Detroit. A large part of the story takes place in Port Huron. Our two main characters have connections to Detroit.

The character focus in this book is on Aria Caletti. She is a former Detroit police officer and her first day of being with the FBI Tactical Crime Unit Traverse City team, has her looking into the deaths of two women with the same ID. There is a difficult scene with a baby being found next to one of the murdered women, fortunately, the baby was safe. As they start to investigate with the Port Huron PD, they come across Grayson Rhodes who filed a missing persons’ report. Grayson just happens to be a civilian working undercover at the docks trying to discover what happened to his sister. He’s a huge lead. He’s also wealthy and hot ;)

Aria and Grayson start to work together to figure out what happened to his sister. A lot of the reality about the opioid epidemic is woven into this story. As they get to know each other better, sparks fly. Aria tries to keep her professional distance, but as we all know, love gets in the way of professional detachment. The secondary characters in this book are also a lot of fun. We meet the team leader, Alana and the rest of the agents: Alex, Max, Ophelia, and Selena. I’m looking forward to reading more about their stories! This book was just released October 27, 2020 so it’s not too late to get in on the first book of what promises to be an exciting and suspense filled series.

Aria Calletti is working with her team to figure out why a couple women with the same id is showing up dead. Grayson Rhodes is a new team member and turns out related to one of the victim's and the child next to the body. As they figure out what's going on they are on a mission to figure out what is going on with the women why they are dead and who is behind it.

I love a good mystery and this is the type of book that will keep you hooked till the very end. There was so much going on in this book and I loved watching at the team worked together to piece what was going on. I enjoyed seeing the romance bloom between Aria and Grayson. Overall pretty great book I really enjoyed it.

Exciting, fast-paced romantic suspense. A clever murder mystery involving drugs. Several interesting characters, especially the protagonist and new man in her life. A quick read. I look forward to reading the next one in this new series.

What is TCD? Who are the impressive and not so impressive characters that we get to meet? Aria, Grayson, Chloe, Tony, Brandy, and Alana? What do they each do for a living? The reason they all become a part of this story is sad. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? I could not help but to cry at the Prologue of this book. Oh goodness... What heart to heart do Alana and Aria end up having? Oh, I liked Opaline, Axel, and Selena. Not sure how I felt about Max or Carly, until about 1/2 way through the book. I found myself liking Grayson pretty quickly.

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT from Netgalley FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

Good story that had me hooked from beginning to end. Aria is the newest member of the Tactical Crime Division team and arrived just in time to participate in their most recent case. Young women have turned up dead, each bearing identical IDs. In a strange turn of events, a baby was found with the most recent victim. While investigating that murder, Aria learns of a missing person report filed for a woman and her baby. This puts Aria in contact with the woman's brother, Grayson.

Grayson is worried about his half-sister, Chloe, and her son, Danny. They never showed up for Thanksgiving dinner. Chloe may be an addict, but when she makes a promise, she keeps it. The last time he talked to her, she mentioned Port Huron, so he is now pretending to be a dockworker and hopes to learn something about her disappearance.

I liked both Aria and Grayson. Aria is very good at what she does. She began her career as a Detroit street cop and did some undercover work before the TCD recruited her. She has excellent instincts, and though she was a little nervous at first, she fit in with the team very quickly. Grayson is a successful businessman who loves his younger sister. He blames himself somewhat for Chloe's problems and is determined to do whatever he must to find her and Danny.

I liked the first meeting between Aria and Grayson. There was no doubt about the immediate connection between them, though Aria was careful to be professional. I ached for Gray when he was so hopeful that she was in jail, only to find out that she was dead. The scene at the morgue was heartbreaking, and Gray's determination to find her killer was understandable. As Gray carried out his plans and Aria worked the FBI side, they spent more time together. The sparks between them continued to grow, sometimes at inconvenient moments. Aria tries to resist, aware that her job makes relationships difficult, but she can't deny her growing feelings for him. It was interesting to see Gray interact with Aria. He knows that she is a fully capable FBI agent, but his innate protectiveness makes him worry over her safety. He tried her patience a few times with that protectiveness until one event brought the reality into focus for him. I loved the ending and seeing how Gray and Aria took a realistic look at their prospects for the future. I hope to see them in future books and catch up on their romance.

The suspense of the story was excellent. From the moment of Chloe's shooting to the end of the book, I was hooked on the story. I loved seeing each of the TCD agents put their unique talents to work to solve the case. Aria's instincts in thinking outside the box were excellent, and she arrived at some interesting conclusions. I understood her skepticism over Gray's "undercover" intentions, but she quickly learned that his instincts were also good. As Gray's actions led to an arrest, the intensity steadily increased, and more information came to light. The search for the "kingpin" took an unexpected twist, and the final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.

I enjoyed meeting the other members of the team and look forward to reading their stories. Max and Alex both have fascinating histories, and I am intrigued by the relationship between the two sisters, Ophelia and Selena. There was a heartbreaking scene with Aria and the team's leader, Alana, that made the book's theme even more poignant.

4.5 stars.

Aria Called to is new to the Tactical division team but quickly makes a name for herself. Grayson Rhodes is undercover on the rocks trying to find into about his step sister. When his step sibling turns up dead, he works with Aria to uncover a killer.

This was a great read. I definitely loved the growing relationship between Aria and Grayson. This story really keeps you on your toes. What a roller coaster ride. Totally loving the Tactical Division series. One of my favs!

I received this as an ARC for an honest review from NetGalley. TY!

Rookie Instincts was another great plot for the Tactical Team. With new addition to the team, Special Agent Aria Calletti, the action gets underway immediately when girls start turning up dead with a bullet in their chest and a bag of drugs on their body.

I enjoyed this fast-paced intrigue that told an excellent story of love, loss, forgiveness and the trials of drug addiction. If you love fast-paced mysteries with a little bit of love in the mix, you definitely don't want to miss this series or Rookie Instincts.