Jina Modell works in Communications for a paramilitary organization, and she really likes it. She likes the money, she likes the coolness factor—and it was very cool, even for Washington, DC. She liked being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room.
But when Jina displays a really high aptitude for spatial awareness and action, she’s … and action, she’s reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with one of the GO-teams, an elite paramilitary unit. The only problem is she isn’t particularly athletic, to put it mildly, and in order to be fit for the field, she has to learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, shoot a gun…or else be out of a job.
Team leader Levi, call sign Ace, doesn’t have much confidence in Jina–who he dubbed Babe as soon as he heard her raspy, sexy voice–making it through the rigors of training. The last thing he needs is some tech geek holding them back from completing a dangerous, covert operation. In the following months, however, no one is more surprised than he when Babe, who hates to sweat, begins to thrive in her new environment, displaying a grit and courage that wins her the admiration of her hardened, battle-worn teammates. What’s even more surprising is that the usually very disciplined GO-team leader can’t stop thinking about kissing her smart, stubborn mouth…or the building chemistry and tension between them.
Meanwhile, a powerful Congresswoman is working behind the scenes to destroy the GO-teams, and a trap is set to ambush Levi’s squad in Syria. While the rest of the operatives set off on their mission, Jina remains at the base to control the surveillance drone, when the base is suddenly attacked with explosives. Thought dead by her comrades, Jina escapes to the desert where, brutally tested beyond measure, she has to figure out how to stay undetected by the enemy and make it to her crew in time before they’re exfiltrated out of the country.
But Levi never leaves a soldier behind, especially the brave woman he’s fallen for. He’s bringing back the woman they left behind, dead or alive.
more
Oh my gosh, best book I’ve read in a long, long time!!
This story had me going between snorts of laughter, to checking my blood pressure at the adrenaline stirring action sequences. Seriously, so good!
Jina Modell leaves her life in small town, America to travel to DC and takes a job as a communications expert for a paramilitary organization. She likes her job, but when the opportunity presents itself for advancement, she leaps in with both feet, not realizing until too late that she may be in over her head.
She’s placed with a Go-Team of elite operators and is expected to train like a warrior, something her job as an analyst definitely never prepared her to do. But, Jina is no quitter. She’s the middle child of a large family and refuses to back down– even though her new teammates outweigh her by a hundred pounds!
There’s so many funny scenes while she’s training I don’t know where to start 🙂
Here’s a couple of my favorite lines:
“You’re going to learn how to navigate by a compass,” Levi said, telling her what she’d already surmised. “Then I go into the woods, call in the coordinates, and you have to find me.” She looked up at him, resigned. “Oh, freakin’ joy,” she muttered. “If I don’t find you, do you stay lost?” “No, but you crap out of training.” Well, losing him had been worth a shot.
Howard, Linda. The Woman Left Behind: A Novel (p. 51). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
He must be confident she wouldn’t make the cut, that she was going to crap out, and the prospect of getting rid of her put him in a good mood. She’d like to twist his dick off. And throw it out of the damn plane, a dick without a parachute, and see if he’d dive out after it. Of course he would. Men would march through hell for their dicks. But wouldn’t it be funny if a hawk or something caught the falling dick and carried it off to be eaten?
Howard, Linda. The Woman Left Behind: A Novel (p. 137). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
There’s an underlying plot that runs through the story and builds to a murderous climax at the end, but a lot of this book is centred around Jina’s growth as a person and the intense love/hate relationship she has with her leader, Levi.
Levi is tough, he has to be. The decisions he makes out in the field could be life and death for his team. He holds himself up to an impossibly high standard and expects the same from them. So his attraction for the newbie has to go ignored, even if it’s the hardest thing he’s ever done.
When the team is deployed on a mission that turns into an ambush, Levi has to make the toughest decision of his career. In order to save the rest of the group he must turn his back on the woman who owns his heart.
This book is definitely going on my re-read shelf!
I give The Woman Left Behind 5+ lovely kisses- Non-Stop Action-Packed Page-Turner!
I really enjoyed this book. Great interaction between characters. This gave me a perspective in what our service men and women go through when overseas . Also a great love story
Jina Modell is introduced as a person who works in an office with no desire to exercise on a daily basis and enjoys her job in Communications of a paramilitary branch of the government. Imagine Jina’s surprise when her boss calls her in with a group of others and is told they scored high on a test and will now train, work and go on operations with GO-Teams. Thus, begins Jina’s introduction to team leader’s Ace’s GO-Team and weeks of rigorous training. The team is not happy with a female joining them especially a desk only tech person but slowly she works her way into becoming part of the team. Covert operations, drones, and someone out to get the team make for an action-packed story. There is adult sexual content which you can skip over and still fully enjoy the book.
Linda Howard has done it again. Wonderfully written suspense. Strong female character. A must read.
Great sequel to Troublemaker. Very engaging from first page. Story is action packed and original.
I’ve read everything Linda Howard has ever written. I was reading her books when her McKenzie series was brand new. Haven’t missed a book yet. This one had me confused from the get-go.
First, it had too much adventure and not enough romance. And the adventure wasn’t all that great. It was written around the story of a tech geek who is put into the field, but has to train rigorously in order to get there. Throughout the whole thing we read about the huge chip on her shoulder, the one that forces her to never quit and to never feel like she’s an equal to the guys. Even at the climax of the book, she’s still getting it wrong. And that’s why I had so many problems with it.
When I read the blurb of this book, I truly thought it would resemble All The Queen’s Men, since the stories were similar. I loved that book and automatically assumed I would love this one. I liked this one. That’s it, just liked. What saved this book from being a two star for me is Linda Howard’s writing. I’ve always said that she has a way with her words that, even when you don’t like what she’s saying, you’ll still keep reading, because you know there will be at least one spot that you will just LOVE. There were a couple of spots in this book that I loved, but there were a lot I just liked. I won’t stop reading her books because of it, but I hope the next one has a lot more emotion and a lot less filler.
I swear this was one of the best books I have ever read! Jina was an amazing woman. She was a computer geek who liked her job working for a paramilitary group – in an office. She was proud to have been chosen to be a drone operator for the group. But that meant she had to go in the field with them and be as fit/trained as the rest of the team. It just about killed her but she got in shape. She was hilarious through the training and had me laughing during the first half of the book.
I highly recommend this laugh-out-loud thriller.
Linda Howard can do no wrong, in my opinion, and this book proves it. I’ve been reading her books for years, re-reading some every year. This will be on that list. Jana is funny, brave, scared, smart, everything a real woman would be in this situation where she’s surrounded by testosterone and forced to keep up with her newly assigned job working as the GO-Team’s on-site drone operator. Levi, call sign Ace, is the badass you would expect him to be since he’s in charge of a group of strong men in dangerous situations and saddled with a woman who has to pull her own weight or quit. He expects her to do the latter, but the word simply isn’t in her vocabulary.
This unique book has wonderful characters forced to make realistic choices in life and death situations.
A brilliant story. The characters leap off the pages. I didn’t want it to end. One of the most romantic and sexy stories I’ve read in years.
One of my favorite authors, read everything she writes. Can’t wait for her next
book!
I love Linda Howard and have read and enjoyed many of her books. This story blew me away. I’ve read it twice now, and enjoyed the experience each time. Lots of action. Highly recommend this book.
Enjoyed this book. Liked the characters and was a little intense in places. It has been a while since I read it so I don’t remember all the details but if she expands the series I will definitely be reading the next one.
Wonderful book! Kept you guessing. Great charactors.
Suspenseful Do-Or-Die Story
In the very beginning, Jina’s big mouth personality was a bit grating. I thought she was going to be an annoying complainer. She was a complainer, but not as annoying as I read further. In fact, by chapter 3, her complaints became more amusing, and I started to appreciate her personality. By the end of the story, I was cheering her on.
Ace was a stand-up and do-the-right-thing type. Dependable and steadfast, Ace was someone you would want on your side. However, to Jina, he was extremely overbearing and rubbed her the wrong way from the start. It was fun to watch this match in the making.
This is definitely one of Ms Howard’s best! I have read it more than once and that is something I rarely if ever do. Great story line and an amazing heroine. Would definitely recommend this excellent book!
Love the humor and the characters!
Great book!
Absolutely loved this book!! From the first page to the last!!
I very much enjoyed this book. It would be on the list of books that I would read again and enjoy.
When I read the overview, I didn’t think I would like it. Then it was discounted and I bought it. I really enjoyed the premise and the characters.