Secret Maneuvers (Ex Ops 1) By Jessie Lane

Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

One 'dear John' letter haunts Bobby Baker's every living moment. It’s the letter he stupidly wrote to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he left to join the Army. The letter that he told her that he wasn't so sure if they were ready for forever yet. But before he can let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, are nothing but a mistake, she up and disappears from the small Georgia town they were both raised in.

Fifteen years later, Belle unknowingly walks back into Bobby's life when her job as an ATF Agent forces her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever is involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico.

Bobby will use this mission to try and soothe Belle's hurt feelings while proving to her that their love is still meant for forever. He'll use every dirty trick he's learned since he joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. But Belle's not making it easy as she keeps him at arm's length in the hopes that mistakes of her own never come to light.

★★★★ STARS!

Bobby was the hometown hero and Belle was the girl from the wrong side of town, but they were high school sweethearts, and in love. Bobby promised Belle the world one far better than her reality of an abusive, alcoholic father, and a town that treated her like trash and used every opportunity to stomp on her.

"I don't know if I would ever be able to accept that the popular, hometown boy had taken a chance on the bad girl from the wrong side of the trailer park. He was the football star. I was the angry girl with a massive chip on my shoulder and my middle finger stuck up in the air at the world"

But after joining the army and one Dear John letter weeks later Bobby ended up being the one that shattered her the most, and yet made her the woman that would coincidentally walk back into his life fifteen years later as ATF Agent Annabelle Roberts.

"Moss green eyes scanned the room, roaming right over me. As if she didn't even know who the hell I was!....Unbelievable. Fifteen years later and Annabelle Smith was standing in my unit's meeting room as a freaking ATF agent...My first love-the one who I'd foolishly let get away-stood right in front of me...My Belle"

Secret Maneuvers is awesome! Seriously it has everything you love about a first love/second chance romance, the angst, the secrets, the the moments that just pull on your heart and make you cry, and some that'll make you want to scream. But it's also packed with suspense in the form of the Mexican Drug Cartel, has a group of secret Ex Op's men that you'll love (making this a series yay!) and a hero/heroine you'll end up adoring.

I love a strong heroine and Annabelle was that in so many ways. After receiving the letter from Bobby at one of the worst points in her life she vows to never be that girl again, one that believes in love and happily ever afters, that day she leaves Sylvania, Georgia and vanishes for fifteen years without a trace. I loved when Bobby an Belle are reunited, her no longer the young broken teenage girl but now a strong confident woman- an ATF agent, and wanting nothing to do with the boy that years ago broke her heart. Life goes on, and even though she has never stopped loving Bobby a lot changes in fifteen years and this time around Annabelle has secrets in her life that she knows could surly destroy their memories of the past, the present, and any future they could possibly have.

Bobby was great, regretting the letter almost right after sending it to Belle he searched for years trying to find her and make up for the colossal mistake but came up dead end after dead end. When she eventually comes back into his life he will do anything to apologize and try to make up for all the lost years, but somethings different, this isn't the same Belle, she's cold, and truly wants nothing to do with him.

"I take it that's the famous Belle? The sweet southern angel from home that got away?

With a gruff voice I answered, "Yeah. Thats her, alright"

..."Well, brother, looks as if your angel is gone in more ways than one"

When the bombshell is dropped I felt so bad for Bobby but at the same time this is where he kind of began to really tick me off. I mean yes HUGE news MEGA secret to find out that directly impacts him and his anger right off the bat was justified, but when he continued to just be a jerk with a hidden agenda of sorts...well I was happy when it all backfired on him. But being a true hero Bobby makes up for his wrongs with the help of his team and some very blunt words.

"You're the man that had the American Dream handed to him on a silver platter and managed to fuck it all up! All because you couldn't pull your head out of your ass long enough to forgive a woman who you dicked over in the first place. If anyone's the dipshit here, it's you"

Also the whole other story that you almost, almost forget is even happening the whole reason Bobby and Belle have been reunited, and once were taken to the climax and the two worlds collide were given a look into a world of human trafficking, drugs and guns all run by one of the deadliest cartels and men in Mexico- the Rivera Cartel, and the ruthless Miguel Rivera a man that is willing to do anything and will stop at nothing to make it to the top of the game.

"It was started by Ricardo Rivera, Miguel's father in the early 1990's. Ricardo kept the operations small, but since his death in 2008, Miguel has quadrupled his area and power...He now owns most of the northeastern Mexican territories' drug routes...He's a Power player that needs to be take out"

This Book has it all, I was hooked right from the prologue, and enjoyed it all the way through. It's told in duel POV's, which is always a plus for me because you get both sides of the story and aren't left feeling incomplete. So if you are looking for something different with a little suspense this is the perfect read for you, a great contemporary romance you will definitely enjoy. The only thing I don't really know about is the cover though, the green to me kinda maybe makes it look like a bit paranormal or sci-fi-ish maybe and the guy kinda looks like The Incredible Hulk....