Books like 'The Only Reason'
Readers who enjoyed The Only Reason by Donna Schwartze also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance action / adventure mystery military suspense love-triangle drama friends-to-lovers espionage
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Finding the Way Back by Brittney Sahin
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsYears ago, he chose duty over love. He's not sure if he can do it again.Charlie "Knox" Bennett traded medical school for the Navy and never looked back. After almost eight years of working top-secret missions for the commander in chief, Knox's greatest regret is lying to his best friend...Categorized as:
female-mc friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary -
![Gabe by Riley Edwards]()
Gabe by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGabe Harris was the walking, talking personification of a hero. And a hero was what I needed. My life went from boring to hair-raising with a stroke of a key. I knew better than to poke around on the dark web. But when my friend Kalee Solberg came home months after she’d been presumed dead, I couldn’t stop myself from looking into who was behind her capture...Categorized as:
espionage military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary -
![Finally Free : A Black Ops Romance by Riley Edwards]()
Finally Free : A Black Ops Romance by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBlake Porter was one of the lucky ones. She’d met the man she was going to marry while she was in high school. She thought she was living a fairytale; the nerdy wannabe journalist dating the gorgeous star quarterback. One wrong move proved to irrevocably alter the course of their lives. Betrayed by the girl he loved, Levi McCoy left for the Army and never looked back... -
![Salvaging His Soul by Samantha A. Cole]()
Salvaging His Soul by Samantha A. Cole
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThink you know everything about the Sexy Six-Pack? Think again! This is the story fans will never see coming! Jaws will drop and hearts will pound because everything is not as it seems! Jase Atwood is a man with a forgotten past and an unsure future... -
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![The Final Goodbye by Brittney Sahin]()
The Final Goodbye by Brittney Sahin
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen a serial killer strikes a small Alabama town - anyone could become the next victim, or the main suspect . . . Ben Logan, a former soldier, and now the successful owner of a private security firm, can handle just about anything. Well, anything except a run-in with Riley Carpenter. When Ben joined the Marines, he never looked back, and he broke his best friend's heart in the process...Categorized as:
female-mc friends-to-lovers love-triangle military suspense action-adventure adult book -
![Myles by Riley Edwards]()
Myles by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFormer Delta Operator Myles Simms doesn’t know when to quit. The concept so foreign to him he can’t give up on Delilah Watts. A woman he’s never met—a woman who might be the enemy yet he’s compelled to save her. Intel Specialist Delilah Watts never imagined sending an email would be deadly. Kidnapped and left to die, yet she regrets nothing... -
![A Secret Service by Joy Jenkins]()
A Secret Service by Joy Jenkins
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCarter Owens, daughter of a Secret Service agent, is trained to disassemble any weapon, any situation, and anyone. Her biting sarcasm and razor-sharp mind make her impossible to beat in a word fight and when talking doesn’t work, she uses her fists. She attends Hamilton Prep, Washington D.C.’s most prestigious high school, where everyone is related to someone in power, except her...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers espionage female-mc suspense political-intrigue romance contemporary young-adult -
![Walker: Lighthouse Security Investigations by Maryann Jordan]()
Walker: Lighthouse Security Investigations by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLighthouse Security Investigations The Lighthouse SI Keepers were men and women from the SEALs, Rangers, Special Forces, Deltas, and AF Special Ops. All having been trained in CIA Special Ops, the Keepers were the best of the best and ready to take on any mission. Julie Baxter, chaperone to three teenage girls to the Mayan ruins in Mexico was having the vacation of a lifetime... -
![Surviving the Fall by Brittney Sahin]()
Surviving the Fall by Brittney Sahin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGone was the man Jake Summers had become; in his place, there were only questions...After having been abducted from an FBI operation, Jake Summers wakes up the victim of an explosion in London a week later. He is perhaps the sole witness to the start of a massive terrorist plot, but his memory of the event — and of the last twelve years of his life — have been erased...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult book -
![Jonny's Redemption by Riley Edwards]()
Jonny's Redemption by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan two lost souls find redemption or are some transgressions beyond forgiveness? Lieutenant Jonny Spencer’s life is spiraling out of control. With no end in sight, he withdrawals. Giving in to the darkness is his only reprieve. Roberta “Bobby” Layne knows what it means to live in the shadows. Her childhood was spent fading into obscurity—loneiless her only friend...Categorized as:
female-mc friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult angst audiobook -
![Leo by Maryann Jordan]()
Leo by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe had no complaints… Great job, great boss, great co-workers. And a best friend he’d known for years.Okay, almost no complaints… The women he dated paled in comparison to his best friend.She had a lot of complaints… A job she hated, a tyrant for a boss, working with people that got on her last nerve. And no time for love. Plus, the guys she dated couldn’t come close to her best friend...Categorized as:
military suspense friends-to-lovers romance mystery slow-burn action-adventure small-town -
![Forever by Janie Crouch]()
Forever by Janie Crouch
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSome loves are meant to be from the very beginning.Jess O’Conner and Ethan Bollinger have known each other almost their entire lives and have loved each other from the start. The people of Oak Creek have watched them grow up, and everyone has always known what they are...Soulmates.But sometimes, fate demands a different path, derailing even the most carefully mapped plans...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary fiction -
![Evade and Capture by Lori Matthews]()
Evade and Capture by Lori Matthews
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSpencer Gordon wasn’t expecting the call from Kathleen Drake, a woman she’d spent years keeping safe as part of the Witness Protection program. The terrified woman begged Spencer for help. Taking a leave of absence from her job with Homeland Security, Spencer hurries to her friend’s side. But the threat to Kathleen is larger than Spencer bargained for, forcing a call for reinforcements...Categorized as:
suspense military female-mc romance fiction insta-love contemporary action-adventure -
![Turbulent Intrigue by Melody Anne]()
Turbulent Intrigue by Melody Anne
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe final novel in bestselling author Melody Anne’s Billionaire Aviators series finds Ace Armstrong back home after years away in the CIA. Faced with the stipulation in his father’s will to find a wife or lose his inheritance, the “black sheep” of the family takes to the skies like his aviator brothers...Categorized as:
espionage military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook billionaire -
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![Jameson's Salvation by Riley Edwards]()
Jameson's Salvation by Riley Edwards
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf there was ever a time when Jameson Grant wished he was a different sort of man, it was now. The sort of man who had it in him to accept the promise of tomorrow from a sweet woman. But he wasn’t the kind of man who liked sweet. The former SEAL didn’t like much of anything or anyone...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
![Scars by Brynne Asher]()
Scars by Brynne Asher
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBeing a spy isn’t for the faint at heart—especially for the brute American and the beautiful, cunning Brit… Who am I? I’m Cole Carson and I’m the best at what I do. Four years ago, the CIA forced me to babysit the young MI6 princess, Isabella Donnelly. Beneath my paygrade and skillset, but I like to think I taught her everything she knows—because I’m just that good...Categorized as:
drama espionage female-mc friends-to-lovers military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure -
![Blood Bound by Samantha A. Cole]()
Blood Bound by Samantha A. Cole
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Rylie Hart adopts her best friend’s daughter, in the wake of the woman’s untimely death, she goes from being an honorary aunt to a mother in the blink of an eye. Two years later, after kindergartner Mickey is diagnosed with leukemia, an anonymous donor is her only hope...Categorized as:
drama female-mc friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult bodyguard -
![Protecting Sparrow by Jane Blythe]()
Protecting Sparrow by Jane Blythe
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGrief is all that’s stopping this friendship becoming more.When Sparrow Oswald's helicopter is shot down in Africa the last person she expects to come to her rescue is her old friend Ethan Zimmerman. She'd love for there to be more between them but he's not over his wife's death. As they work together to find who is using Ethan's plane to smuggle drugs the spark between them grows...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult book contemporary fiction -
![Xtreme Behavior by Em Petrova]()
Xtreme Behavior by Em Petrova
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis special operative and a K-9 handler must work in close proximity to solve a crime—and whether they kill each other or wind up in bed is anyone’s guess.After a string of deaths are linked to a man locked up for another crime, Special Operative Alix Broshears and his team are racing against the clock to stop him before another person dies... -
![Barracuda Security: Complete 5-Part Series by Camilla Blake]()
Barracuda Security: Complete 5-Part Series by Camilla Blake
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBook One Maclean Harris is a man who lost everything that mattered and is trying to put his life back together the best that he can. A former cop, he’s recently taken a job with the brand new security firm, Barracuda Security. He’s handed a new case, one that seems simple enough. Keep a lady attorney safe from a potential stalker...Categorized as:
suspense military female-mc law-enforcement contemporary anthologies romance action-adventure -
![Even Odds by Fiona Quinn]()
Even Odds by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDouble crossedDouble agentsDoubling down……She’s putting her heart and her life on the line.Raine Meyers is only alive today because of the heroic efforts of the Delta Force Echo Team. It’s time to pay that debt.As an undercover defense intelligence officer, Raine tracks a Russian threat to the Delta Force wives left vulnerable while their husbands are downrange protecting the U.S...Categorized as:
suspense military espionage female-mc political-intrigue romance contemporary mystery -
![Rafe by Maryann Jordan]()
Rafe by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe true measure of a man is not in the mistakes he makes…but in how he handles those mistakes. Rafe Walker gained fame while in the Army when he was photographed for a Military Calendar. Afterward, modeling contracts rolled in but he found his life in California lacking and longed for a change... -
![Darius' Promise by Jen Talty]()
Darius' Promise by Jen Talty
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCaptain Darius Ford has done his best to put the past where it belongs. He and his team have a new gig with the Brotherhood Protectors, and starting over never looked so good. That is until the woman who has haunted his dreams comes waltzing into his office as if she wasn’t the reason his military career ended. Special Agent Fenmore Harley has never for a second believed that Darius was a liar...Categorized as:
military suspense drama romance second-chances mystery action-adventure contemporary -
![Critical Doubt by Barbara Freethy]()
Critical Doubt by Barbara Freethy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey met in a war-torn city on the other side of the world and shared an anonymous night of passion. They didn't intend to meet again. Nor did they think they'd be reunited by sinister secrets... Five years later, FBI Agent Savannah Kane is headed to a small town in Georgia for the funeral of her best friend's husband...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
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![Elusive Promise by Barbara Freethy]()
Elusive Promise by Barbara Freethy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"The twists are endless, the danger is far reaching, and the thrills are nonstop." Isha C. Goodreads on Perilous Trust, OFF THE GRID: FBI SERIES When tragedy strikes an engagement party, Special Agent Parisa Maxwell becomes the sole survivor and the only witness to a kidnapping and the theft of a legendary diamond...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Danger Signs by Fiona Quinn]()
Danger Signs by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHer choice is arranged marriage . . . or death . . .Kira al-Attiyah's hope for a bright future in the U.S. died along with her father. Now, royal family tradition demands she marry. Refusing? Not an option. Especially since honor killing isn’t just urban legend. She knew what she had to do. She just never expected her intended to be a terrorist . .Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult animals -
![Conflicted by Lori Matthews]()
Conflicted by Lori Matthews
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of the Callahan Security Series.Meet Elias Mason of the US Coast Guard’s TEAM RECON. As in reconstructed. As in broken and needs fixing.Team RECON has a new headquarters now—Miami, Florida, which also happens to be Elias’s hometown. He’s been avoiding his past like the plague, but there are some things you can’t outrun... -
![Five Years in Yemen: A Titus Ray Thriller by Luana Ehrlich]()
Five Years in Yemen: A Titus Ray Thriller by Luana Ehrlich
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA CIA contractor goes missing in Iraq. Five years later, he turns up in Yemen. Now, it’s up to Titus to find out if he’s a traitor or a patriot. After Titus accepts an assignment to bring rogue CIA contractor Jacob Levin back to the States, he learns the operation has been put on hold pending Presidential approval. That’s fine with him...Categorized as:
suspense female-mc political-intrigue espionage romance christian mystery contemporary -
![Tate by Maryann Jordan]()
Tate by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCountry music, his parents, cold beer, and apple pie…just a few of the things Frank Tate loves. The former SEAL, now a Lighthouse Security specialist also loves his job and lives for the next mission. But when a call from home sends him back to the mid-west, the past and present collide as danger follows the girl he left behind years before... -
![Guarding Your Heart: Baytown Boys by Maryann Jordan]()
Guarding Your Heart: Baytown Boys by Maryann Jordan
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSophie Bayles was devastated by grief when her beloved brother, a soldier, had been killed in action when she was a teenager. Guarding her heart, she left Baytown and the boy she had loved…her brother’s best friend. Callan Ward lucked out when he was assigned to the Coast Guard station in his hometown of Baytown... -
![Troy by Dale Mayer]()
Troy by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSEAL of Honor: TroyWhen a friend of Tesla's sends out an SOS on the lowdown on an oil rig in trouble, Troy has a good idea what he's getting into. As far as he is concerned, the maximum danger, the potential for betrayal, and the chances of not coming home sounded like the right kind of job for him.After all, he lived alone... -
![Gage's Goal by Dale Mayer]()
Gage's Goal by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGage hadn’t told the rest of his team, but he’d planned to meet up with Lorelei after their team disbanded. A little one-on-one time was needed to see if all the sparks they’d felt over the last few years were the real thing. He’d deliberately avoided getting involved with anyone he worked with, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity... -
![A Third Moment in Time: A Collection of Short Stories by Susan Stoker]()
A Third Moment in Time: A Collection of Short Stories by Susan Stoker
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Third Moment in Time is a collection of stories by Susan Stoker, including 3 short stories that have been published previously in recent anthologies, a story written specifically for social media, and a brand new, never been published novella featuring a beloved character from the Silverstone series.The Bully: When a bully at school targets the seventh-grader, Annie Fletcher is on her own... -
![Liam's Lily by Dale Mayer]()
Liam's Lily by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen former Navy SEAL Liam O'Brian joins Legendary Securities, he looks forward to being shipped somewhere exciting for his first mission with Levi and his crew. Instead, he learns exotic and enormous aren't exactly synonymous when he stumbles upon the oversized pachyderms inhabiting his new backyard... -
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![Lethal Secrets by Jenna Gunn]()
Lethal Secrets by Jenna Gunn
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEli’s first mission after the SEALs is FUBAR. Gather intel? That’s a negative. Save a woman and claim her as his to protect? Roger that. ~Mia BaileyWomen like me don’t get fairytale endings.We get abusive brothers.Liars and cheating.We get scars.Damage so deep it will never be shaken.Until a gigantic battle-hardened SEAL decides to prove otherwise.Vows to avenge me.Puts his life on the line... -
![Into the Black: A Romantic Thriller by Elise Noble]()
Into the Black: A Romantic Thriller by Elise Noble
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDiamond may be used to saving the world, but can she save her own relationship? With her husband’s killer still on the loose and her life in England a disaster, Diamond returns to the only thing she knows: work. As the star of special ops takes on enemies from the States to Syria, she finds the toughest battle is the one going on in her own head...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
![Dangerous Choice by Barbara Freethy]()
Dangerous Choice by Barbara Freethy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn Dangerous Choice, Special Agent Diego Rivera must choose between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, and between his ideals and the agency he serves… Don't miss this new thrilling, chilling, romantic suspense by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Relic by Fiona Quinn]()
Relic by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDigging For The Truth Can Be DeadlyBrian is ex-special forces.He’s working for a security group that only hires the best of the best. His job is fueled by danger and adrenaline, and he loves every minute of it. At least he did up until this minute. When Sophia walks into their briefing room, Brian’s heart stops...Categorized as:
military suspense espionage female-mc political-intrigue romance contemporary mystery -
![Fear the Reaper by Fiona Quinn]()
Fear the Reaper by Fiona Quinn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEverything was going according to plan…until it fell apart in the most spectacular way… Ex-SEAL Ryan “Reaper” Hamilton is well on his way to having it all. His marriage to Kate is finally on solid ground, and his goal of being a K9 trainer with Iniquus’s Cerberus team is within reach...Categorized as:
suspense female-mc military espionage political-intrigue romance contemporary mystery -
![Live, Love, Spy by Lexi Blake]()
Live, Love, Spy by Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLife can often be awkward when you are a child genius. For Louisa Ward, that came in the form of meeting her one true love at age 12. TJ Taggart was perfect. But being a year younger and a full year ahead of him in school always made things weird. Working in the CIA has made her into a strong and capable woman. Until she sees TJ...Categorized as:
suspense friends-to-lovers military espionage political-intrigue romance contemporary family -
![Ace of Spades by Sandra Owens]()
Ace of Spades by Sandra Owens
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo FBI agents struggle with desire in the shadow of a killer, in the third installment of Aces & Eights. Nate Gentry has been a rock for his two younger brothers since the day their mom walked out and left them with their abusive father. Now that they’ve grown up, he’s watched Alex and Court fall in love and settle down. But Nate isn’t made for romance. He keeps his relationships casual...Categorized as:
female-mc friends-to-lovers military suspense action-adventure adult alpha-mc audiobook -
![No Woman Left Behind by Julie Moffett]()
No Woman Left Behind by Julie Moffett
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy mother's life goal has been to see me, geek extraordinaire Lexi Carmichael, happily married. So bringing my first boyfriend, Slash, home for dinner has me hyperventilating. Things get a lot worse when bullets start flying over our corn chowder...Categorized as:
espionage female-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult alpha-mc -
![Her Daring SEAL by Caitlyn O'Leary]()
Her Daring SEAL by Caitlyn O'Leary
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA WOMAN WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING Rylie Jones is on a desperate quest to single-handedly take down a human trafficking ring. At last, she knows she’s close to accomplishing her goal when her younger siblings discover her secret double life, and all hell breaks loose. DETERMINED DEFENDER Darius “Dare” Stanton has been trying to find Rylie since he had first met her six months ago... -
![Incinerated by Lori Matthews]()
Incinerated by Lori Matthews
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMeet Axel Cantor of the US Coast Guard’s TEAM RECON. As in reconstructed. As in broken and needs fixing.When a cargo ship gets stuck in the Suez Canal and an American journalist on board ends up dead, Axel is sent in to investigate. He didn’t count on running into Sloan Bishop another reporter and the love of his life. Or maybe the hate of his life. Ever since he ended up in one of her articles... -
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![Catch and Release by Lori Matthews]()
Catch and Release by Lori Matthews
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCallahan Security is Back!!! Jake Boxer wants a vacation, but when Jameson Drake calls and asks for a favor, he has no choice. Drake's accountant is in trouble and needs protection, so Jake agrees to take on the job. Little does he know the accountant is not only brilliant but drop-dead gorgeous... -
![Kade's Turn by Tiffany Snow]()
Kade's Turn by Tiffany Snow
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAssassin-for-hire Kade Dennon knows exactly who he is: a soulless killer who can’t be saved. And he thinks he’s fine with that…until he meets Kathleen. Beautiful, kind, and tough as nails, Kathleen Turner is nothing like the nameless one-night stands Kade usually goes for. Just being around her makes the hardened hit man feel emotions he never thought were possible...Categorized as:
drama love-triangle male-mc military political-intrigue suspense action-adventure adult -
![Rescued by Stephanie St. Klaire]()
Rescued by Stephanie St. Klaire
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJust as the walls start to come down, boundaries redefine, and things heat up, tragedy hits the small mountain town of McKenzie Ridge. Sexy EMT Dawson Tayler made hearts break, and panties melt with a single look. Far from home, in the charming tourist town, he lives a simple life his family would be appalled by – if they were alive... -
![Killian by Dale Mayer]()
Killian by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKillian is called up to retrieve a woman who’s been kidnapped, then escaped, only to be captured again.With a sketchy SOS coming in, he’s tracking her from Vancouver to Alaska, where the intel finally stops.The apple of her father’s eye, Cisco was a late gift in his life. But when it counted, he wasn’t there for her, leaving her alone and unprotected... -
![Corbin by Dale Mayer]()
Corbin by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCorbin is tracking a cabinet minister’s pregnant daughter, who’d been snatched off the streets several days ago. The incident followed several other missing women’s cases, except those women already had given birth, and their children were also kidnapped at the same time... -
![Call Sign: Redemption by Patricia D. Eddy]()
Call Sign: Redemption by Patricia D. Eddy
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsre demp tion: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil Trevor Moana can’t escape the sins of his past. His kills as a CIA assassin haunt his dreams. Working for Second Sight helps him atone, sometimes even forget. Until Dani Monroe walks through his door. The one person he’s hurt the most needs his help. In Caracas, Venezuela, one shot changed four lives...
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