Shepherd 'Shep' Barlow is done with his military life and now wants to spend his life in solitude in his mountain, away from people. But when Hayden Sinclair—the daughter of the President of the United States—is taken while working on a job site in Nicaragua, his former commander reaches out to him to send him on a rescue mission to save her before she gets handed over to the highest bidder to be used as leverage against their nation.

Shep and Hayden are now on the run, trying to find a way out of the jungle and to safety. Every turn seems like a dead end, and the people hunting Hayden are too close for comfort. Shep has too many demons from his past that still haunt him to ever consider being with someone, and Hayden has seen her fair share of liars and betrayals to let her guard down for anyone, but as the two try to find their way out of this perilous situation, they start forming a connection that neither was expecting.

Hayden had found it difficult to trust anyone in her life when all most people wanted from her was a way to get to her father. The latest in this long line of people was her ex-boyfriend. Now she'd vowed to stay away from anything resembling a relationship, focusing instead on her work as an archaeologist. But as she spends more time with Shep, she starts appreciating his no-nonsense and straightforward attitude. He was always honest with her without downplaying or sugarcoating anything, trusting her capabilities, and doing whatever it took to keep her safe every step of the way.

After the way he lost his sister and feeling responsible for not reaching to save his men on time during his last mission with the Ghost Ops, Shep had chosen to keep to himself in the mountains. He felt undeserving of having someone in his life while also fearing that he'd let them down or worse—lose them. He had seen and done a lot during his time in the military, which he also didn't want to burden anyone with. However, he had a lot of self-reflection the more he got involved with Hayden. Being with her made him feel like he could want more for himself for once, and he slowly came to the realization that the people he'd lost in his life would want him to move forward and truly live his life instead of merely existing.

The situation between Shep and Hayden starts off with them giving in and acting on their attraction with all the chaos and uncertainty they were dealing with. But as the story progresses, Hayden's trust in Shep shifts from him just being there to rescue her on her father's orders to something deeper. With everything else feeling out of their control and unsure, the only thing Hayden seems to be sure of is Shep.

Like book one, this was packed with so much action that I couldn't put it down. I finished this in one sitting, and I loved it so much. It was so intense, and every near escape had me at the edge of my seat. It was so much fun.

What I'm liking in this series is how the women aren't damsels in distress but do what needs to be done to survive. Hayden worked with Shep as a partner and formulated their plan of escape, also taking charge when needed. The situations were really stressful, but they worked together well to come out of it.

The spice was really good, and I enjoyed the way Hayden took control and pushed Shep when he was too conflicted. It was exactly the push he needed, and they were great together.

Lorenzo is an interesting character, and the hints I got from this book about his story have my interest piqued.