Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: True Heroes (6) (Book 6)
Format: Paperback; 304 pages
Publisher: Forever (January 28, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1538759608
ISBN-13: 978-1538759608
Author's Website: http://piperjdrake.com/
Notes: I received an ARC of the book from the publisher for review purposes. This is no way affected or compromised my review or rating.
Mere days ago, Jing Ying Yue had been plucked off the streets of Sinapore and kidnapped. She'd been knocked unconscious and woke up to find herself being held prisoner in a tiny cabin on a cargo ship crossing the Pacific Ocean. She doesn't know why she was kidnapped or who specifically did it. Yesterday she'd been rescued from her kidnappers. After spending the night in the hospital, she is going to be reunited with her father who has been doing business on the island of Oahu. She is being accompanied to the hotel where her father is staying by the man who rescued her, and she was eager to get back to her life. Only as they are pulling up to the hotel, the unthinkable happens...
He followed her gaze and took in the very obvious contingent of private security waiting at the top of the drive, a handful of men, all dressed in suits, each projecting an air of fit intimidation. Very impressive to most, Zu guessed. "Your father's security detail, I assume?"
She nodded in a jerky way, then shook her head side to side too fast. "He's one of them. One of my kidnappers. He's here."
They need to figure out who kidnapped Ying Yue and why or she will never be safe..
This is the sixth book of the True Heroes series by Piper J. Drake. You could probably get away with reading this one as a standalone, but I don't entirely recommend it. At the very least I recommend reading Chapter Twenty-Three of 'Fierce Justice,' the fifth book in the True Heroes series, first. It includes the moment Zu finds Ying Yue on the cargo ship. I wish the author had included it in a prologue for 'Forever Strong,' but alas, she didn't. If, however, you want to learn how Search and Protect became intertwined with the Hawaiian government then I recommend you read 'Total Bravery,' the fourth True Heroes novel, followed by 'Fierce Justice' before reading 'Forever Strong.' The series centers around the Search and Protect organization--a privately owned contract organization with a specialized skill set. They are not mercenaries for hire, although they have the skill set to be ones if they wanted to be, but they don't. They work with canines trained for a specific type of search and rescue. They specialize in infiltrating difficult areas and extracting high-value hostages.
Azubuike Anyanwu, Zu to his friends, is the head of the Search and Protect. He and his team had been in charge of searching the Cargo ship which Ying Yue found herself on. They'd been hired by the Hawaiian government to spearhead a search for victims of human trafficking. The mission had been initiated by a task force sponsored by the Hawaiian government and was part of a larger campaign to stop human trafficking on the islands. From the moment he'd found Ying Yue he knew she was different. He found himself instantly attracted to the beautiful courageous young woman who showed strength and resourcefulness where others would have fallen apart. As the two are thrust together in an effort to protect Ying Yue from her kidnappers, the attraction that's been simmering between them comes to full boil. Zu, however, never gets involved with clients, especially not one he feels may be emotionally compromised after experiencing something as traumatic as a kidnapping. Ying Yue will have her work cut out for her in order to convince him she's not as vulnerable as he thinks.
Jing Ying Yue has a background in nonprofit capacity building and has a PhD in international tax law and policy. She'd been in Singapore for the past two years working with a few nonprofit organizations building their nonprofit capacity. Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit. When capacity building is successful, it strengthens and increases a nonprofit's ability to fulfill its mission over time, thereby increasing the nonprofit's ability to have a positive impact on lives and communities. While there may be a connection between her chosen profession and the kidnapping, her father is much more likely to be the reason. Her father is a wealthy and successful businessman and her kidnappers may have taken her to gain a ransom (although thus far no ransom demand had been made) for her or in an effort to gain some sort of leverage over her father. At this point, there are a lot of unknowns and it was anyone's guess as to why Ying Yue has been targeted. The fact that someone had gone to the trouble of infiltrating her father's security team, however, suggests they are serious in their attempts and not likely to give up any time soon. As it becomes clear the kidnappers are determined to get their hands on Ying Yue, she finds herself becoming more and more attracted to the man who's trying to save her. That's when things start getting interesting.
I ended up giving this one 4 out 5 roses. It was a fast paced, intriguing, suspenseful, and an engaging read. I liked the chemistry between Ying Yue and Zu and the mystery surrounding her kidnapping. I also liked how Ms. Drake put a spotlight on a topic that until recently was not often breached--human trafficking. The only thing I wish the author had incorporated into the story was the fact that often times the people who are trafficked are not from elsewhere. Sometimes they're kidnapped, manipulated, and/or lured into the trade right here in the US. The statistics aren't pretty, especially here in Florida. A friend of mine was once approached by someone who tried to pose as a security guard from a store and wanted to separate her from her child not really explaining why. She absolutely refused and called her husband who was a police officer. While we'll never know for sure if the man was a sex trafficker, we do know he wasn't who he said he was. Sometimes traffickers can be subtle sometimes not so much. One things for sure, if you're a parent you should know some of the things to look for, and if something doesn't feel right go with your gut. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.
Notes to keep you in the know:
The following is a link to a blog article that I found it very informative. It is entitled 'Your child has already been targeted: 7 things you didn't know about human trafficking.' Feel free to check it out:
https://military.citymomsblog.com/military-moms/your-child-has-already-been-targeted-7-things-you-didnt-know-about-human-trafficking/?fbclid=IwAR0WxKNdjX0pWgHcEnfz9CNlhaPrK4CXR8TjGbzgsFGoKBVEYwSr9UQowOEOrder of the True Heroes series:
