MarkAlan

A terrific ending to this series. It's worthwhile reading the other two books in the series (which I didn't review, as I wanted to read the final book first - but both are great) The Lawmen: Bullets and Brawn: Bodyguard with a Badge and Police Protector. On her site, she goes into the background for writing the books and gives plot summaries.

Besides being a tightly written thriller with a HFN ending, it's also a biting indictment of the US foster care system where kids can get booted out of their foster homes as soon as they turn eighteen. They're left to fend for themselves and easily can resort to crime to get by, or become used by criminals as in this book. 

Here's the blurb:

Undercover DEA agent Marcos Costa is shocked to see Brenna Hartwell—his very first crush—cozying up to the brutal drug lord he's about to bust! He hasn't seen her since childhood, but he never imagined she'd turn to a life of crime. What the hunky agent doesn't know is that Brenna's working her own bust as a rookie cop undercover. 

Brenna didn't think she'd ever see Marcos again, especially not on her first undercover mission! She knows she has to keep her distance…but while she and Marcos play out their daring ruse, their youthful passion reignites. One wrong move could blow their covers. Can two loners used to self-reliance trust their lives—and hearts—to each other? 

Brenna was briefly at the same foster home as Marcos and his brothers, and both were attracted to each other as children. A fire at their foster parents house splits them up, but Marcos and Brenna are constantly in each other's thoughts. While Marcos had the house Cole had secured to go when he turned eighteen, Brenna ended up in a variety of foster homes, some of which were abusive, and she learned to take care of herself, but also not to trust others, which gives added tension to the attraction between her and Marcos.

(One detail I particularly liked was that Marcos wasn't constantly telling Brenna how strong she was. I find that annoying, but it's done so often in Intrigues. If the character is strong, she'll show it through deeds--there's no need for the guy to keep saying it every second page.) 

The book has plot twists galore that will keep you guessing right to the end.