The Woman Left Behind is a story that reminds me why I adore romantic suspense! Jina, the heroine, is intelligent and bold. She is thrown into a job she didn't want, but refuses to roll over and give up. Seeing her push herself beyond what she thought she was capable of is empowering. However, Jina never loses her believability. There are times she breaks down and cries and those times remind the reader that she is determined but she isn't a robot. The story is focused on her journey from her cushy desk job to being part of an elite special ops team. I found all of the story to be engaging, even when the tasks seemed mundane (like months of training).
Ace, the hero and leader of the special ops team, is certainly douche-y in the beginning. He doesn't want Jina or anyone on his team. He worries that the addition of a 'geek' would be a liability for his team. He also worries that Jina's presence will be a liability for him because he can't stop thinking about her. However, as long as they are on the same team, she is off limits to him (and the rest of the team!)
By the end, I was totally crying. What Jina endures could have been written in such a way to minimize what happened or given to the reader in a kind of information dump. But Howard gives us the inner and external struggle Jina faces and I simply couldn't hold back the tears of pain and sorrow I had for her character.
Whenever possible, I will always gravitate towards romantic suspense and The Woman Left Behind is one of the books that reinforces why. Well written characters, engaging plots, and real danger and emotions make these stories unputdownable!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: yes
- Trope: special ops
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes but I still would have appreciated an epilogue to give more information about where they all go from the end
The Virtue Falls series by Christina Dodd, The Red Stone Security series by Katie Reus, The Tracers series by Laura Griffin, The Omega Sector series by Janie Crouch...then you will probably like The Woman Left Behind!
See full review on The Book Disciple