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.
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As always, Linda Howard builds a strong woman character who is also believable, but not so perfect that she’s super-woman. Her struggles to get through her training make you want to cheer and weep for her; her constitutional inability to give up just make you want to cheer! Definitely a keeper!
Linda Howard is a great storyteller, and always delivers with humor.
I liked the characters and their flaws……couldn’t put this book down!!!! Exciting adventures
A really good story. Very hard to put this one down until you have read the last word!!
another great book from a great author
Excellent characters and build up. Some slow parts, action seemed squeezed into a small section, a lot of anticipation, climax was a little surprising and the overall series plot was a bit contrived but overall really hooked me. I look forward to every Linda Howard book I can get my hands on and I read this one in a day.
i enjoyed this book. It was not the typical book where the alpha male saves the day, the heroine saves herself and the alpha male cheers her on!
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t the same cookie cutter romance book.
“The Woman Left Behind” by Linda Howard was an interesting romance with action in the field. Jina Model worked for a paramilitary organization. She operated a drone. Out of the blue, she was transferred to a “Go-Team”. In order to keep the job, she had to go through physical training. Team Leader Levi (Ace) did not think she would make it through training. But with a lot of grit and mule-headed stubbornness, she succeeded. Her team nicknamed her “Babe”. On a mission to Syria, things went bad! Jina got separated from her team. Her team was attacked. They had to race to their evacuation location. Jina heard them on the radio discussing their situation. Two of the men were badly injured. As far as they could determine Jina’s location had suffered an explosion. Ace said they had to leave her behind. Jina’s radio could not transmit so she couldn’t tell them she had survived. Jina had to get to the Evacuation site before the helicopter left or she would be left behind! Lots of suspense! Enjoyed reading this story and highly recommend it!
Great book. It was an interesting insight into female training in military teams. I only wish the book was longer and that the romance was more developed.
Well done Ms. Howard! This book is so good. The main characters are wonderful it is very detailed, action packed but sentimental.
Always love Linda’s books. She just gets better and better. I just wish she had more books written that I had not read
Really enjoy Linda Howard’s books and I enjoyed this one. It was well written and engaging as her books usually are. The story just wasn’t as good though as most of her other work.
Fantastic novel that took me away. Intense, suspense, paramilitary, romance, thriller. Jina and Levi, aka Babe and Ace. I can’t say enough about this book. Audio was well done.
I’ve read many Linda Howard novels. She always has very strong male leads. It is no different in this one. Many times her male leads are so macho that they seem to ignore the female lead, although it is tearing them up inside. Same here. Ms. Howard writes powerful character descriptions. I don’t always like her characters but underneath all that bravado, angst, roughness, etc. there’s a good guy. That’s true with the entire go-team.
The female lead struggles and the reader feels for her and admires her grit. In the end her job works out to exactly where she needs to be.
This is one of the best books I’ve read/listened to in a long time. It had one error in the audio version. The reader said “revelant” for what I assume was relevant in the print version. Of course it may have been a typo there, too. Being dyslexic, I understood what was meant, but I did replay it twice to make sure I was hearing the kind of error in a published work that I make daily.
GREAT story! I read the library book, and liked it so well I went out and bought my own copy so I could read it again. I highly recommend!
Linda Howard knows how to weave belivable charaters, and make them human. I loved this book from fisrst page tolast word.
Great book. Awesome writer.
It was different but I loved it!!!!
Could not put the book down. The characters were so real. I had to know the end…I felt I was there with them and cannot wait for the next book.