Allied Operations

Opening lines: Kyle rolled over on the mattress and slowly lifted his eyelids. Rumpled sheets, empty bed...

"Mrs. Tappan writes one of the best accounts of today's military fighting man/woman... The characters are so real, and the story so enthralling, that you don't want to put the book down!"
~ Fan review

Compelled to join an operation by an admiral with a personal agenda, Lieutenant Kyle "Mikey" Hammond finds himself thrust into the harsh desert terrain of northern Pakistan. Four American engineers have been kidnapped, and Kyle is tasked to work with Samantha, a civilian authority on Pakistan, whose expertise in terrorist negotiations is the hostages' only hope. However, this is just one part of Kyle's assignment. He's also operating off a set of top-secret orders that could ruin his military career.

From the outset, Samantha's negotiations with the terrorists walk the sharp edge between life and death. But she is an expert at such shrewd tactics...tactics that soon begin to mirror her personal dealings with the enigmatic Navy lieutenant. Determined to unearth the true Kyle, Samantha engages in a cat-and-mouse game with him that ends up peeling away some of her own carefully concealed layers. Once both their masks are lowered, love blossoms between them. But when the daring hostage rescue finally gets underway, a horrifying accident nearly shatters everything they've worked to attain. Their survival will hinge on the strength of their love...and if the man she's certain can save the day will become the hero he's convinced he's not.

Content guidelines: contains profanity and adult situations.