Total Bravery

Drake’s fourth True Heroes romantic thriller (after Absolute Trust) sizzles with suspense and danger as a recruit from a search-and-rescue operation must protect a beautiful, intelligent researcher. Raul Sa and his German shepherd, Taz, are the newest members of Hawaii’s Search and Protect Corporation. Raul’s friend and coworker Arin Siri asks him to help her sister, Mali, who’s being threatened by people who want to stop her investigation into human trafficking. After Raul rescues Mali from her pursuers, they experience a sudden mutual attraction that builds steadily. Raul and his team agree to search for some of Mali’s colleagues who have gone missing, a mission made more dangerous by civilian Mali’s presence—but she’s the only one who can identify her fellow researchers, so she has to tag along. The peril of the mission is made more believable when Mali sees firsthand the skills Raul employed in his former military life. The mystery keeps the story moving, but the relationship between Mali and Raul begins precipitously and never really develops, leaving romance readers high and dry. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (May)