April Hunt “will keep you on the edge of your seat” with this heart-pounding romantic suspense novel of a military man and the one woman he can’t resist (Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author). Roman Steele learned a hard lesson about trusting others. While serving his country, he put his faith in the wrong person and lost a leg for his loyalty. So far, civilian life suits him — as … loyalty. So far, civilian life suits him — as long as he doesn’t have to deal with anyone. But when he’s called in to investigate a break-in at a high-security lab, he finds himself butting heads with the lead virologist, a woman as infuriating as she is beautiful.
When criminals break into Isabel Santiago’s lab and steal a deadly virus, she’s desperate to find the culprits before they turn her research into a weapon. But first, she must put her trust in the brooding security expert who sees danger around every corner. As she and Roman race to track down the culprits, these two unlikely partners find there’s more at stake for them than they ever imagined possible — but only if they stop the enemy in time.
5 stars
Isabel was in the army but now works at Tru Tech as a virologist. She is studying a virus that is worse than Ebola or anything out there. When masked strangers break in and demand the vials, then disappear just as fast, the company hires Steele Ops. Roman was Special Forces until an IED took off part of his leg. Now he runs Steele Ops along with his brothers and other military vets. The company goes where other government agencies cannot. As Isabel works on a cure, a call comes in that they believe the virus has been released in Alaska. They must go up there and try to help the people of the little town. There is heat between Isabel and Roman but Isabel is too busy with work and Roman believes he doesn’t deserve her. When tragedy strikes, both realize they both deserve happiness.
I read this book in less than a day. Makes you think about what’s happening now in the world. Thrilling and suspense and some very smoking hot sex. I don’t know what else to say but you will not be disappointed in this story.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *
I enjoyed getting a story for broody Roman. The bioterror theme was a fun one to see with the science side. Good characters and some bumps in the road. This is a a steamy romance.
I know it’s weird but in this time of the pandemic, I am really enjoying these outbreak romances. I have been waiting so patiently for Roman’s story and it was so worth it. It’s a great story with some awesome action. Loved the connection Roman and Isabel had, enjoyable story great writing. April Hunt has not written a book that I didn’t like.
I loved everything about this action packed series!!! Isa and Roman were perfect for each other. April Hunt is definitely a favorite author of mine
After losing his leg in a gruesome event while serving his country, Roman Steele is closed off and cautious about trusting others. He’s adjusted to civilian life in his own way, but his people skills are lacking. When he and his team are hired to investigate a seeming impossible theft from a high-security lab, Roman immediately clashes with the lead virologist, who just happens to be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.
Isabel Santiago is devastated when criminals break into her lab and steal a deadly virus, intending to use her research as a weapon. She’s desperate to catch them and recover the virus before any damage can be done, but that means putting her faith and trust in the arrogant, brooding security expert. Roman and Isabel work together with Roman’s team to get to the bottom of the theft, but there is no denying the palpable connection they share. With both Isabel and Roman tentatively imagining a future together, there’s more at stake than they ever dreamed of, but they first have to thwart their enemy’s nefarious plans.
This was one heck of a nail-biter. It was tough given the current pandemic situation, but it also made me strangely thankful because the virus in this book is so much worse and deadlier than Covid. The pacing was fast and kept me engaged and Roman and Isabel were explosive together. I couldn’t help cheering for them as a couple, though both at times needed a good smack when they kept making poor decisions and inadvertently put themselves and others in danger, even as each tried to protect the other. The drama was very up and down, which suited the plot and the characters, but I was hoping for a bit more time for Isa and Roman to just be together and have an uninterrupted discussion of their feelings. Other things kept getting in the way, and understandably so, but I wanted more out of that last scene just to be gratuitous, even though their feelings for each other were more than obvious to one and all. I also vastly enjoyed the twist near the end. The Steele Ops crew was very charming and likable, and I’d like to go back and read the first two books of the series now and hope for more continuations.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sizzling heat, heart, and humor — April Hunt’s romantic suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat with every turn of the page.
Fatal Deception is part of April Hunt’s romantic mystery suspense series Steele Ops. These are standalone books but is part of one worldbuilding and it centers around a private security agency. This works really well for each book since they can tackle different scenarios. For Fatal Deception its a bioterrorist threat on the domestic front. Isabel Santiago and Roman Steele are an unlikely couple at first glance but as the book progresses its apparent that they both have a savior complex which could have led to a disaster in terms of story plot. Luckily Ms. Hunt has given these two great secondary characters that gives them some dose of reality that lets them shed the sacrifice themselves and save the other scenario really quickly. There is insta luv here but I do give it some leeway because of the urgency of trying to find the villain before a nasty virus is set loose. Overall I found Fatal Deception an enjoyable read, it was fast paced, excellent characters, great dialogue, great chemistry between leads and a satisfying ending mystery wise.
Action-packed, suspenseful, and twisty!
Fatal Deception is a steamy, sinister tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Dr. Isabel Santiago, a devoted, intelligent infectious disease specialist who with a little help from the wounded, sexy, security expert, Roman Steele, finds herself struggling against time to protect the world from a mercenary group determined to cause global panic and mayhem.
The writing is tight and seductive. The characters are tenacious, fiery, and smart. And the plot is a sultry, compelling tale filled with twists, turns, red herrings, secrets, lies, palpable attraction, danger, and murder.
Overall, Fatal Deception is another provocative, timely, fast-paced addition to the Steele Ops series by Hunt that has just the right amount of mystery, passion, and intensity to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and leave romantic suspense fans delightfully satisfied.
This was the first book I had read from April Hunt but will not be my last. Fatal Deception tells the story of Roman and Isa. Roman is an ex-military operative that now works for a secret private organization. The team he is part of is hired when the lab where Isa works is broken into and a deadly virus stolen. This book hits that romantic suspense vibe just perfectly. The pace is quick and the story intriguing which kept the pages turning as I wanted to see how it all ended. Roman and Isa had great chemistry and I liked that they both had a backstory that made them seem perfect for one another. I like that both are super strong characters and yet they had such respect for one another. I’m always in for a found family and the Steele Ops group seems to have that in spades. The outlying characters were great and have me wanting to go back and read the first two books in the series. If you are looking for an entertaining romantic suspense with a strong female character, this book is for you.
Note: While the book does deal with the story of a deadly virus, it didn’t focus on the effects so much that it triggered anything with regards to COVID. Focus was much more on the team and action in the story. That being said, the reader should be aware of this plot line given the current circumstances.
Thank you to Forever for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
I was glued from the first page to the last as Roman and Isa try to catch the people responsible for stealing a lethal virus and releasing it in Alaska. Roman is the security and Isa is the Dr and the two were made for each other, as Isa races against time to find the antidote and Roman keeps her safe as someone is out to get Isa before she can figure out how to save the infected.
A great read with some steam, suspense, some action, lies, betrayals, some teary eyed scenes and great characters. Both characters were strong and determined and putting them together…sparks and fireworks. The story flowed beautifully and I couldn’t get enough of these two….loved it!!!
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy and expressed my honest opinion*
4.5 stars
I devoured Roman and Isa’s story! Action, suspense, a little humor and a lot of heat with a dash of “a fine line between love and hate” defined this couple’s journey to their HEA as two emotionally damaged people learned to let down their guard enough to learn to trust again.
Roman has simply been existing since he was injured in the line of duty. None of his family knows the full story of how he lost his leg and he is no hurry to share. He is known as the grumpy brother but it doesn’t stop his family from trying to draw him out. They never anticipated that one beautiful former Army doctor turned virologist with a spine of steel and no fear of a grumpy Steele would be the one to bring him back to life!
Isabel has her own demons that haunt her in the form of what could have been on many different levels, but when her lab is breached by a highly trained team looking to steal a deadly virus, she embraces her anger to get past the shock and fear and focus on stopping it from being unleashed on the general public. Roman is a shock to her but there is no denying the sparks that fly every time they are in the same room. I loved seeing Roman and Isa’s relationship develop; in the midst of some pretty intense moments, they find a way to support each other and open up to each other. Now if they can just keep themselves from derailing the best thing to ever happen to them when their fears come to the surface…
Fatal Deception crisscrosses the US as Isa races to find a cure for the virus and Roman and Steele Ops team do their best to keep her safe. New faces are introduced that I would like to see in future books, and familiar faces play important roles as well. All in all, this was a wonderful read and great addition to the series that left me ready for more of the Steele family!
ARC received from NetGalley
Dr. Isabel Santiago was a top Virologist and the only one working a virus that was stolen from her lab. When her mentor lets her know about an outbreak in rural Alaska she immediately wants to get there to study it. The team hired by her company to protect her and find the virus Steele Ops has different ideas.. Especially Roman Steele and they have clashed more than once.
Can Roman save Isa in time against someone she never expected to facilitate the break in and in turn can she save Roman.
This book is high suspense and adrenalin!
Fatal Deception is a fast paced high action thriller that kept me turning page after page. Slightly too technical for me but the overall story is very exciting. During this time of a pandemic the fear of a deadly virus being released fells all too real giving this story an air of authenticity. This book is very well written and I loved the characters. Rough and grumpy Roman and dedicated scientist Isa seem like an unlikely pair at first but as the story goes on you can feel the chemistry between them. This is definitely a book I recommend.
This is book 3 in the Steele Ops series and can absolutely be read as a standalone. Roman Steele learned the hard way not to trust people when he trusted the wrong person while still in the military and lost his leg as a result. He is handling civilian life alright as long as he doesn’t have to deal with any people along the way. But when he is called in to investigate a lab break in, he finds himself butting heads with the lead scientist. A woman he finds not only beautiful but infuriating. Isabel Santiago is the lead virologist at the lab she works for. And when she finds out her lab has been broken into and a deadly virus has been stolen, she knows they need to find these people before her virus can be turned into a weapon. But she has to put her trust into a man who see’s danger everywhere, even when he has his own trust issues. Now these two have to work together and hope they can stop these people before it’s too late.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it sure won’t be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Roman is definitely a grumpy, alpha man but he has a heart of gold and is never afraid to do what needs to be done. Isabel is a strong woman who isn’t afraid to stand up for the things she believes in but at the same time she accepts guilt for things that she truly has no control over. Both of these characters have trust issues, and at times I felt like that got in the way of things more than was necessary-which is the only reason I knocked this down from 5 stars! I was all in right from the start in this book and it definitely made me go and get the rest of the series along with all her other books! A great read!
I enjoy a lot of suspense in my romance novels and this book definitely had that. It was intense. Roman and Isabel are running for their lives from the beginning. And what a cause – a virus that’s been stolen and can have catastrophic effects on so many.
The characters are well developed, the action quick paced and the story interesting. I enjoyed this book.
FATAL DECEPTION is the third instalment in April Hunt’s contemporary, adult STEEL OPS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on the team at Steele Ops, owned and operated by the Steele Siblings. This is thirty-two year old, US war veteran Roman Steele, and thirty-one year old, doctor and virologist Dr. Isabel Santiago’s story line. FATAL DECEPTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Isabel and Roman) FATAL DECEPTION follows in the aftermath of a break-in and theft at the Tru Tech Lab. The FC-5 virus was stolen, and with it the possibility of biological warfare with the potential to wipe out millions of people. As the primary researcher at Tru Tech Lab, thirty-one year old, doctor/virologist Dr. Isabel Santiago finds herself on the defensive when the team at Steele Ops but most especially Roman Steele, lay blame for the theft at our heroine’s feet. A mysterious outbreak of potential cases of FC-5 has been reported in a small village in Alaska, and the team at Steele Ops along with Isabel Santiago fly out to uncover the truth, and in doing so track down the people responsible for the deadly theft. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Isabel and Roman, and the potential fall-out as Roman struggles with demons from the past, and the virus is about to get up close and personal with the team of investigators.
Isabel Santiago finds herself the target of the people responsible for the theft of FC-5 but our heroine, along with the team at Steele Ops are in the dark as to the who, what and why of the attacks on Isabel Santiago. Roman Steele continues to struggle in the aftermath of the war that changed the direction of his life but his struggle comes home when he finds himself falling for a woman who knows about loss as much as our hero.
The relationship between Roman and Isabel begins acrimoniously as Roman’s attitude and alpha-behavior directed towards our story line heroine. The team at Steele Ops suspects there is a sexual attraction between Isabel and Roman but Roman refuses to give in or admit he may be falling in love. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are reintroduced to Steele Ops team: former Army Ranger Knox Steele and girlfriend Zoey Wright, retired Navy man Liam Steele , retired Marine Ryder Steele; FBI profiler Grace Steele and US Army Ranger / police officer Cade Wright; Hunter ‘Tank’ Dawson; former Marine sniper Jaz Curva; along with their mother Cindy Steele; Isabel’s grandfather Carlos Santiago; doctoral student Maddy Calhoun, and Isabel’s mentor Anthony ‘Tony’ Winter. The requisite evil has many faces.
FATAL DECEPTION is a story of betrayal and vengeance; power and control; secrets, lies, desperation and love. The premise is intriguing and suspenseful; the romance is seductive and captivating; the characters are energetic, charismatic and colorful.
Plenty of action and heat:
This was a fast paced, action filled romantic suspense. It was a bit scary to read about a deadly virus during our current quarantine, however the suspense and mystery was still well done.
Isa was a research scientist studying a deadly virus when assailants broke in and stole what she was working on. Roman and his team at Steele Ops were tasked with getting it back and keeping her safe. Sparks flew between these two and it was fun seeing them spar. You could feel the tension and chemistry between them and I was so glad when they finally worked things out.
There was plenty of intrigue and tension throughout and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. It was book 3 in the series; I hadn’t read the previous ones but was able to follow along just fine and enjoyed being introduced to this crazy group of friends and family. I now look forward to reading all upcoming books.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
I loved this book so much, and this series has been amazing. I hope this isn’t the last we see of these characters!
Roman Steele is that grumpy, aloof character we’ve fallen in love with over the first 2 books in the series. He was a military man until he lost his leg on a mission gone wrong. Now, he and his brothers have formed Steele Ops, a private security firm that takes on jobs the military and police agencies can’t or won’t do. They’ve been hired to deal with a break in at a lab, and track down a stolen virus before anyone can cause havoc with it. This puts him at odds with the lead virologist, who won’t let him get away with bossing her around.
Dr. Isabel Santiago runs a lab at Tru Tech, and studies a very rare but terrifying hemorrhagic virus called FC-5. When a group of people break-in to her lab, which is supposed to be all but impossible, and steal the virus, Isa is panicked about what might be done with it. Then, when Roman Steele pops up on the scene acting accusatorily, she is not having it. But, she needs help tracking down the culprits, so she’ll have to learn to trust him, and quickly.
Roman and Isa had chemistry for DAYS, and I loved their bantering. They have both been hurt, and shaped, by their pasts, and they each had major hurdles to overcome before they could even consider being good for each other. Roman hasn’t let anyone all the way in since his injury, not even his brothers. The death of someone close to Isa has lead her to stay away from home longer than she should have, especially when she can use work as an excuse. Though she talks to her grandfather regularly, she hasn’t been home to Texas in a long time. This mission puts both Roman and Isa in the position to have to trust each other more than they have anyone else in a long time, maybe ever. Watching them grapple with their issues and help each other, while still dealing with the simmering attraction between them, was awesome!
The side characters here were amazing, as they’ve been throughout the series. I really hope we’ll be getting more stories in this world, like Tank and Jaz! And King! Roman’s brothers Ryder and Liam too! And Natasha the detective was fun as well. I’d love to see any or all of them in future stories! The family is close, and always calls each other on their crap, which I love. The other (non-related) team members are always great for comic relief too, and I don’t want to let any of them go before we get to know them better! I also loved Isa’s best friend and co-worker Maddy, and Isa’s sly and smart grandfather too. Her grandfather knows her better than anyone, and she couldn’t get anything by him, which was so fun. Maddy was ride or die for Isa and I adored their friendship.
The suspense plot was exciting, and often unexpected, and I thought it was very well done. It kept the story moving forward, and kept me guessing what would happen next. I enjoyed the way everything worked out it the end, though some of that was unexpected too!
This story was everything I wanted it to be. Honestly, my only tiny complaint would’ve been to see a little further along in time, in the epilogue. I’m hoping the fact that we didn’t means we WILL be getting more in this world at some point! I highly recommend this book, and the entire series!
Fatal Deception is the third stand alone in the Steele Ops series by April Hunt. A romantic suspense that’s filled with danger, excitement and lots of steam.
When a group of armed men break into Dr. Isabel Santiago’s lab and steal a deadly virus, Roman Steele and his team are called in to protect her and help find the virus. Roman would prefer Isabel to go into hiding to stay safe but with so many innocent lives on the line she refuses. They fight against their attraction towards each other because there’s more important things going on but can’t resist for too long. Roman has to figure out a way to keep her safe at all costs, find the virus and protect their hearts at the same time.
Roman Steele is one of my favorite type of alpha heroes. Sexy, deadly, tortured soul, hidden insecurities, and walls around his heart a mile high. When heroes like him fall in love, they fall in love hard. Isabel was a strong character herself and her personality was just as large as Romans. She was brilliant and caring but sarcastic and stubborn. While they do bump heads quite a bit the sarcasm, tension and sexual compatibility between them is on point.
Fatal Deception is definitely action packed. Kidnapping, virus outbreaks, and life-threatening attacks keep the action non-stop. I think what hurt the story most for me was the actual back and forth between them. They would go from having supercharged emotional interactions to reactions cold as ice. They went hot and cold one too many times for me that it was annoying. However, that ending was fantastic and I can’t wait for more of the
Steele brothers and members of the team to get their stories.
4/5 stars!
After the lessons he learned from his time in the military, Roman Steele returned to civilian life by going into business with his brothers. At his latest investigation, he meets Isabel Santiago, a virologist who is in danger after a failed kidnapping by the same group who took a deadly virus from her work. The two must face danger and their instant connection with each other as the road towards love is full of personal demons and their hurtful past. Along with a wonderful group of comrades and family, this thrilling series is full of strong individuals, action, danger, and emotional upheavals as each couple learn to let go of their internal struggles to let in love for each other.
Though I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, it didn’t deter from the enjoyment of the story. I liked how the couple each grew as individuals and learn to accept the growing feelings they have for each other. I liked the secondary characters that were their support group and though I found certain characters to be transparent in their roles in the story, I still enjoyed reading the book. It would have been nice to get the Isabel/Isa to be consistent in the story and some details could be added to make some transition some fluidity, but the story is strong and I look forward to reading more of the series, especially when there are more characters that needs their own books.
**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.**