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All The Queen's Men

Linda Howard

451 pages

A high-stakes blend of shadowy espionage and smoldering tension, where surviving the mission means risking a frozen heart.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like stepping into a dimly lit briefing room where the air crackles with unspoken history and lethal competence. It delivers a brisk, adrenaline-fueled ride that perfectly balances the gritty mechanics of international espionage with a deeply satisfying, slow-burn romance. The atmosphere is steeped in danger and shadows, wrapping the reader in a tense, smoldering mood where every glance carries the weight of past tragedies. The prose is sharp and action-oriented, yet it never loses sight of the intense emotional thawing at the story's core. It is a masterclass in romantic suspense, tailor-made for readers who love watching hyper-competent, guarded professionals dismantle their emotional walls while navigating high-stakes, life-or-death missions.

Mood
  • tense
  • smoldering
  • shadowy
  • dangerous
Tone
  • intense
  • suspenseful
  • romantic
  • gritty
Pace
brisk
Themes
healing from trauma · second chances · burden of guilt · undeniable attraction · found trust
The writing
Direct, action-oriented, and emotionally charged, balancing sharp espionage details with intense romantic tension.
The arc
From frozen, guilt-ridden isolation to a fiery, dangerous reawakening of trust and passion.
Who it's for
Readers who crave high-stakes romantic suspense where competent professionals fall hard while dodging bullets.
Content notes
  • gun violence
  • death of a loved one (past)
  • terrorism
  • trauma and guilt

About the book

(The second book in the CIA's Spies series)

CIA agent John Medina and electronics expert Niema Burdock share a violent past: the two were part of a covert operation that went tragically wrong, resulting in the death of several people. Now, five years later, their paths cross again and John, whose love for Niema has only grown over time, is determined to keep her in his life for good. Having spent the intervening five years living a solitary, staid existence--due to feelings of guilt over the ill-fated operation--Niema is somewhat reluctant to reenter the shadowy world she once inhabited. Still, she can't resist the lure and excitement of danger when John asks her to join him on his latest mission to discover the origins of a deadly new explosive already in use by terrorists.

Concocting a plan to reveal the source of the explosive, the two enter into a dangerous masquerade, walking a tightrope between safety and death, while passion boils beneath the surface. Unaware of John's feelings, Niema fights her physical response to the legendary agent as her emotions, in frozen limbo for the last five years, thaw with astonishing speed.

Description from Open Library.

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