I love Sharon Sala and this book didn't disappoint. It has action, mystery, love and hot sex scenes. One of the things I loved about this book was the couple got together without a lot of stressful back and forth. They knew they loved each other and went for it. I listened to the audiobook. Tim lounibos does a good job with the male voices, but leaves a little to be desired with the female voices. There's also a few phrases that sound cheesy when said out loud, but aren't so bad when read silently. The story itself was interesting and well written. A definite recommend if you like a mystery thrown in with your romance.

Army veteran Cameron Pope has come back to his small Kentucky town with his dog, Ghost. He quickly joins the hunt for his niece who was kidnapped after his sister was assaulted in her home. When not saving the day, he is pinning for a woman he had a one-night stand with years ago. He has been approached by the FBI to help the FBI to assist in a human trafficking ring.

Rusty Caldwell is an FBI agent who has been assigned to investigate the human trafficking ring. She just also happens to be the woman Cameron Pope had a one-night stand with years ago. She too, has not been able to get Cameron out of her mind.

They see each other again and the lust/insta love is still alive. They also happen to work well together as they begin to investigate, the action and tension ramps out and doesn't stop.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. I found this book to be fast paced and entertaining. This is the first book in a new series. It is romantic suspense meets mystery and deplorable people. I enjoyed both Rusty and Cameron along with the side characters. I had to shake my head a few times at their insta love, but otherwise, I enjoyed this audiobook.

A fast-paced entertaining read with enjoyable characters. Ghost (dog) steals the scenes he is in and saves the day a time or two.

I look forward to reading/listening to more books in the series.

At first, I wasn't sure about this book. The author seemed to skip around to so many different point of view characters. I felt a little bit like I had whiplash for a short time. I knew she was a seasoned author, and she knew what she was doing. This was just a different way to go about it. At times I got confused as to where the story was going and whose head she was inside of. In the end, I decided to keep listening and trust the process. All the characters mentioned were necessary. This story was complex and it was a twisty road to the end. I loved Cameron and Rusty. Their story was pretty much love at first sight and then again 5 years later. I actually liked this part of the story. They just knew they were meant to be together. I enjoyed their journey back to each other. I love that Rusty was a tough character and didn't depend on a man to protect or take care of her. The case Rusty and Cameron were working on was interesting and kept me listening to the end. The narrator was okay. His female voice was pretty terrible. Other than that, this was a solid read.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of Don’t Back Down by Sharan Sala. This is a gripping mystery/ thriller. Very enjoyable to read.

Oh my gosh, this book is amazing. The start of the book makes you want to continue. Then, the danger of what Rusty is doing and that she is an FBI agent draws you in. But it's not until her second mission that the book has you totally sucked in. This book has mystery, thriller, suspense, love, and romance. I cried, I laughed, I had oh my gosh moments where I had to stop and take a second to get my bearings. I had moments where I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what next. Let's just say I didn't see who was responsible coming at all, and I was totally shocked. I absolutely loved the ending and how everything was wrapped up. It doesn't make you sit and wonder what happened to everyone they give you the facts and finish the book beautifully. I'm so in love with this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Sharon Sala for allowing me to read it early. I'm so impressed.

Great start to new series. A gripping mystery of human trafficking that reconnects two passing ships in the night. Cameron never forgot his one night stand with the beautiful redhead. Returning home after 2 tour of duty with his faithful cadaver dog, Ghost has him searching Pope mountain for his kidnapped niece.
Rusty is FBI who is recuperating from injuries she got on her last case. Asked if she could observe a possible human trafficking lead they have in Jubilee, KY works perfectly since her only family she has lives there. When she finds out that the hero who found and rescued the kidnapped toddler was her Soldier boy, it was her fondest wish come true. He was someone she never forgot.
Fast pace story that grabs you for the first page on. Several twists and turns to who is the Boss, the mastermind behind the missing women and children. What I found unbelievable was the instant romance between the main characters. That was to corny for me, so only 3.5 stars, but the storyline was very good. I did prefer the book over the audiobook, the characters voices in my head were better. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #DontBackDown #DreamscapeMedia

Book Title: Don’t Back Down
Author: Sharon Sala
Narrator: Tim Lounibos
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Suspense/Romance
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Five years ago. Cameron Pope a 29-year-old Army soldier is heading out to Afghanistan. He meets beautiful red-haired Rusty Caldwell and they have a one-night stand. They don’t share any info or their last names.
Now five years later Cameron returns home to Jubilee, Kentucky along with and his white German shepherd service dog Ghost. He and Ghost are immediately part of a manhunt for his three year old niece Lily Pope who has been kidnapped. They do find her and she is rushed to the hospital but Ghost is also injured. It appears she has been taken by human traffickers.
The FBI is called in which includes – guess who? Yep the beautiful redhead he has not been able to forget.
Cameron is surprised and that Rusty lives in Jubilee and certainly not aware that her family is one of the most wealthy families in Jubilee and have no use for the hillbilly families who in the nearby hills. Cameron and Rusty need to work together to find the traffickers before they do more harm: also want to find a way to resolve the feuding.

Story kept me interested. I am not a big romance fan but I loved these two!!
Plus the story kept me curious.


Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 7, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

Don't Back Down
by Sharon Sala
Pub Date: 07 Mar 2023

Okay, I am not a big fan of "insta-love", but Cam and Rusty make it still feel sweet and true (while admittedly, eye-rolling at times)...lol

Cam and Rusty met and had a deep connection, leading them to one perfect night together before Cam heads out for his 2nd tour of duty. It is now five years later and their paths cross again as they are assigned to work together to figure out a human trafficking case that involved Cam's young niece who was kidnapped. There is plenty of mystery and suspense, along with swoon worthy romance (yes, it's kind of cheesy/lovey dovey, but it still made me smile!), a kid and a dog...you boo the bad guys and cheer for the good!

This is the first of a new series and I am looking forward to the next book! I listened to the audiobook which had one male narrator. While I would have preferred a male and female reader, he did an okay job.


4 stars

Romantic suspense in the heart of the Kentucky mountains!
Sala writes a nice piece with two main characters going for the gold in love and war.
We have here Cameron and Rusty-an army vet meets a woman from the past belonging to a wealthy family.
This leads to a longing for the past five years that a man just can't ignore much less being a beautiful red head that's as spicy as a taco in the Summer months.
We are taken on this journey between these two as the niece goes missing and human trafficking begins to take hold.
For me the excitement builds around the mid center wehn Kevin Vanzant was killed for a laptop among other things. That was as it appeared to be in this audio a changing point for this story.
It was upon that turning point that Bear was uncovered being a twin of Rusty and possibly being the last "unknown" of the missing puzzle in solving the women trafficking issues.
The rest of the blow-up was truly a heart pounding thrill. Luckily, Rusty had no long lasting ill effects not even a concussion.
However, Cameron was there for more than just moral support and it made for a lovely romance.
Thank you to Sharon Sala, Dreamscape Audio, Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A chance encounter, instant attraction and then five years apart. FBI undercover agent Rusty lost her heart to a soldier whose name she doesn’t know. Meanwhile Cam has survived two tours in Iraq and recently returned to his hometown of Jubilee,KY. When Cam’s niece is kidnapped, connections to an FBI human trafficking case bring them back together, but the stakes of the investigation are high. This small town, open-door romantic suspense has appealing characters and plenty of dangling clues that kept me guessing until the reveal. Narrator Tim Lunibos ably voices the many characters and keeps the pace moving smoothly.
My favorite character is Cam’s dog, Ghost. I appreciated the way Cam recognizes Rusty’s strengths and skills, but their relationship, besides accepting the lasting love-at-first-sight, sometimes seemed to play into old-fashioned gender roles. That said, I enjoyed the book and will be looking for the next in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review audio book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Army Veteran Cameron Pope is back home in Jubilee, Ky with his dog Ghost. When his niece is kidnapped, he races to find her. Though the toddler is found within hours, the FBI is on alert. Could this be part of the human trafficking that seems to be surrounding the town?
Whom he never expected to see again was the redheaded that grabbed his heart five years ago and with whom he had an unforgettable night.
FBI Special Agent , Rusty Caldwell, goes undercover to Jubilee supposedly to visit family and recover from a car accident. In reality, she’s there to investigate the possible human trafficking occurring around the town. When she discovers she’ll be teaming up with Cameron, she is elated. She too has never forgotten their night together.
As feelings intensify, so does the danger.
The plot was engaging and the main characters likable. It was also a reminder that human trafficking is a reality in our nation.
I was entrusted a copy of this audiobook by Netgalley and Dreamscape. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Don’t Back Down☀️
By Sharon Sala⛰️

Review📖

This was a crazy story. It starts off with a one night stand between two people who expect to never see each other again. From there the MMC heads back to war. 5 years later he arrives home to his niece being kidnapped. He and his dog find the guy who took her, but that’s just the beginning. It turns out that the kidnapping is apart of a huge human trafficking operation. He is ordered to work on the case and the other person working on the mission is the women he met 5 years ago. This has tons of twists and turns and was very fast paced. A mix of romance and suspense! I didn’t love this one, but it was interesting.

Insta love💕
Small town🏡
Military dog🐕
War veteran🪖
Twists and turn🌀
Human trafficking🚫
Romantic suspense🔪

3 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️