Review: Unforgiven

Unforgiven by Rebecca Zanetti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fast paced suspense, with a dash of humour and romance

Unforgiven is touted as the 5th book in the Deep Ops series but can easily be read as a standalone. (I did not read the first four and now have a longer TBR list😊)

This book has great suspense and mystery linked with a good dose of romance. It is fast-paced with two antagonists. It breaks the drama with a dose of humour.

Jethro, the MMC, is a former MI6 agent who is now living a simpler life while teaching various classes at the university and sometimes helping the Deep Ops team on their cases. At the university, he meets a new teacher, Gemma Falls, and her adorable 3-year-old, Trudy. First impressions have Jethro thinking ill of Gemma, but slowly this changes as he gets glimpses of the real Gemma.

Gemma has been running from an abusive ex. She is working under an assumed name to earn enough money to keep her and Trudy safe. While Gemma experiences odd happenings making her anxious that her ex has found her, Jethro gets called to a homicide scene where a killer left a note addressed to him. And so, the game of cat and mouse begins.

The Deep Ops team interfere to keep both our MCs safe even as Jethro insists he can handle the situation himself. However, when our antagonists team up, all bets are off, and Jethro does what is needed to keep Gemma and Trudy safe- including calling in his friends for help.

I loved the fast pace and action of the book. The relationship Jethro built with Trudy was sweet, and the one with her mom, Gemma, a lot hotter. However, the book shows that both these characters are game theory experts, but this unique skill is not used in the resolution of the suspense elements. I felt this was a huge, missed opportunity.

ARC provided through Netgalley.