Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Review for Amanda McKinney's BURIED DECEPTION


 Rating: 4.5
Review courtesy of Romance Junkies


Former Marine, Easton “Chief” Crew is the founder and CEO of a combat-tracking training facility and volunteer search-and-rescue team. He and his teammates are called in to help search for a missing teenager in the swamps of East Texas. There is something about Mia Frost that draws Easton to her. He agrees to assist her in searching for another missing person. However, the situation takes a turn when the injured man accuses Mia of assaulting him. Can Easton trust Mia? Will he be able to protect her against the real threat?

Dr. Mia Frost is a psychologist who specializes in treating PTSD and building psychological profiles on criminals. She gets called in to interview a rescued teenager and to provide the authorities with a profile on the girl’s attacker. However, the girl’s situation reminds Mia of her own painful past. When her client ends up missing, Mia turns to Easton to help search for the man. Things turn dire when that client claims Mia assaulted him. Will Mia’s traumatic past come to light? Will she finally gain closure from what happened to her? Can Mia and Easton catch the real villain?

What is there not to love about Easton? He is gruff and a touch antisocial, but he does have a vulnerable side that he keeps under wraps. I like how observant Easton is toward his trainees. He analyzes each ones’ strengths and weaknesses. Easton does not baby them; instead, he prepares them for the harsh reality of war and combat. I also like Easton’s low tolerance for bullies and glory hounds. He knows achingly well the casualties such men cause on the battlefield. What I adore the most about Easton is his primal need to protect and pamper Mia. He sees Mia as no one else does.

Mia is such an inspiration for women. She has survived a harrowing situation, something no teenager should ever experience. Mia allowed that traumatic event to turn her towards her chosen profession. I admire Mia for how she tries to help other people overcome and deal with their own troubles. She often feels like a fraud because she never really got over her own mental demons. What I like the most about Mia is her steadfastness toward her clients. She never abandons them. Instead, Mia gets a little too immersed in helping them find closure.

BURIED DECEPTION is the first book in Amanda McKinney’s romantic-suspense thriller series, ON THE EDGE. This is my first time reading anything from this author. She did not disappoint! The story’s suspense kept me immersed from start to finish. Mia and Easton’s romance is more low-key than being the book’s main focus, which I was totally fine with. The only nitpick I have is Easton and Mason’s hostility towards each other. It just felt unresolved.

BURIED DECEPTION is a gripping tale of two damaged people finding each other during a turbulent time. I hope Mia’s co-worker and business partner, Jo, receives a book next. I cannot wait to see what deep, dark secrets she is harboring!


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