Her Wild Hero

Tyler doesn’t let improbable science get in the way of an entertaining adventure in the third X-Ops paranormal romantic thriller (after Her Lone Wolf). Kendra Carlsen, trainer and data cruncher at the Department of Covert Operations, finally convinces her boss to let her take part in a field exercise in the Costa Rican jungle. Then her team is attacked by experimental human-animal hybrids, who lack the self-control of the X-Ops shapeshifters. Bear shifter Declan MacBride, who’s been nursing a crush on Kendra for years, thinks he needs to protect her; he’s impressed when she proves to be a capable, courageous fighter. Kendra starts to realize how attractive Declan is, but he’s terrified that seeing him in bear form will scare her off. Even as fantasy science, the hybrids and their origins are hard to believe, but Tyler keeps the reader distracted with relentless ambushes and a sizzling night of lovemaking. Closing hints about a new kind of shifter will keep readers eager for the next book in the series. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Creative Book Services. (May)