Justice for Milena
Susan Stoker
Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Book 10
Release Date March 13, 2018
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this
book for review from Rock Star Lit and the author. I was not
compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part
255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials
in Advertising".
It’s been years since Milena Reinhardt has seen TJ “Rock” Rockwell. The last time, he was nearly a shell of a man…but he was her man…and he tore her heart out of her chest. Circumstances unbeknownst to TJ have ensured Milena’s never fully recovered.
TJ left his sniper days behind—for the most part—when he left the Army and become a respected Texas Highway Patrolman. He also left behind Milena. He’s convinced it was the right thing to do at the time, but that doesn’t mean he’s ever forgotten the woman who loved him in his greatest time of need…or has stopped thinking of her since.
Neither thought they’d see each other again, until a pedophile’s operation is taken down and the evil man sets his vengeful sights on Milena. This could be their second chance, even though TJ and Milena have enough secrets and trust issues to end any relationship before it starts. But when the bad guy closes in, they’ll have to set aside their fears and trust in each other, to save the one thing that means the world to them both.
** Justice for Milena is the 10th book in the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.
** TJ and Milena face a truly nasty foe. While his sins are never described on the page, certain basic information is included for the characters to grasp the full breadth of the villain’s evilness. For my more delicate readers, please remember…good always triumphs over evil.
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My Thoughts:
Make sure to read the Author’s Note because you may decide to add
something to your TBR list.
TJ “Rock” Rockwell shows the frustration that some of our
returning soldiers may feel. His
nickname is perfect and I think as you read this story you may feel the
same. Melina Reinhardt shows you don’t
always know everything about who you work for.
This is what adds the suspense to the story.
I’m giving you fair warning – you will need to keep a tissue, or
maybe a box, handy. There’s one scene,
and the minute you start to read it, that may bring at least one tear to your
eye. This book seems to have it
all. We’re always told that good things
come in small packages. This is one of
those packages but there’s also a little man who will steal your heart – he
stole mine. Melina had a great creative
idea so that children will remember loved ones.
This author has a way with words.
I never have any trouble playing her scenes in my mind. And I can almost hear her characters talking
in my head – or maybe I have an audible implant I wasn’t aware of. She also has a way of creating suspense where
I almost want to hold my breath. She
also created a scene where I couldn’t control a shiver.
What’s good about this series is that you could read these books
out of order and it will not take away from the enjoyment of the story you are
currently reading. So even though this
is book ten of the Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes you could start here and
then work yourself backward. At least
until her next book comes out – and if you’re like me you won’t have much
patience about having to wait. Just a
hint though - the Epilogue tie in leads
to another series. And if you’re really paying
attention then you’ll notice that there’s actually another lead into another
book coming in June.
Excerpt:
Milena bit her lip and stared at the FBI Agent. She’d thought he looked friendly enough when he’d first entered the room. He was good-looking and tall. She had a weakness for tall men. But at the moment, he looked ruthless. She had no doubt he’d do just as he said—make sure all the perverts who partook of Jeremiah’s immoral and hideous scheme would go to jail.
But wait…she was also a part of it, even if indirectly. Was she going to be arrested too? Was that why she’d been held for so long? “Am I going to jail?”
“Should you be?”
Milena stood on the other side of the room and stared at Cruz, honestly not sure how to respond. She opened her mouth to speak when a loud thump came from the mirror behind the agent.
Intellectually, Milena knew the mirror wasn’t really a mirror, but a window where someone, or several people, watched from the other side, but she’d blocked that out. After the bang on the window, she couldn’t ignore the fact that there was, indeed, someone observing her interview.
Someone who wasn’t happy about the turn in the conversation.
Another heavy thump sounded, and Milena jumped. Whoever was on the other side definitely wanted attention.
Surprisingly, Cruz smirked. Milena stared at him, totally confused.
“You’re not going to jail,” he told her, standing. He walked over to her chair, still lying on its side on the floor, and righted it. He held the back and gestured to the seat. “Come. Sit back down. I’ll explain what’s going to happen next and answer any other questions that you have.”
Warily, Milena inched toward the chair and sat at the very edge. Without commenting, Cruz walked back around the table and sat down. “It’s obvious you had no idea what was going on at the school. Not only that, you don’t exactly meet the criteria to be an insider.”
“The criteria?”
“You’re female, for one thing, so you obviously aren’t a customer of Jeremiah’s and his stable of girls,” Cruz told her.
Milena swallowed hard at hearing the poor abused children being described as belonging to a “stable.” It was appropriate though, as they’d been treated like animals…with no feelings or rights for as long as they’d resided at the school.
“And, I’m not trying to be rude, but you’re simply too old for Jeremiah’s tastes. You’re what…twenty-six?”
“Seven,” she told him.
“Right, you and Sadie are of no interest to Jeremiah. The school has been under investigation for quite a while, and what you’ve said you did there matches up with the records we confiscated from Jeremiah’s office.”
“I saw some of the men who came at night,” Milena said shakily. “Do I need to be worried about that?”
Cruz immediately shook his head. “I doubt it. They have enough to worry about. You weren’t blackmailing them, and they’re going to be more than aware that the evidence against them isn’t based on anything you saw. The videos, pictures, and bank records are going to do them in without any eyewitness testimony from you.”
“And the children? What’s going to happen to them?”
For the first time since the interview had started, Milena saw true anger on the agent’s face.
About the Author:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all-American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She's married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.
She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.
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