Customer Reviews

Operation Sheba: Super Agent Series, Book 1

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

STORY BRIEF:
Julia and Conrad are CIA agents in Europe. Conrad fakes his death and disappears for 17 months. Julia was in love with him and grieves. Because her life is in danger, her boss Michael brings her in from the field and gives her a job as an analyst at CIA headquarters. He also gives her a new identity. Michael helps her heal, and they fall in love. There is a mole at the CIA. Conrad has been trying to find the mole for 17 months. He comes to town with some evidence and asks Julia for her help. She is furious that he caused her to think he was dead. Now she is torn between the two men she loves. The mole is dangerous and plans to kill Conrad, Julia and others.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This is a good CIA thriller with lots of heroic action and suspense. There is no relationship development because we meet the three characters after they've fallen in love. Julia loves both Michael and Conrad. The reader will find out later if she ends up with one of them or not. Read this for action and suspense. It has a happy ending. There were none of my pet peeves. The plot and characters were good. I liked it, but I wanted to be a little more surprised or delighted (or maybe a little more romance) in order to give it more stars.

A small part of the story talked about Julia's abusive childhood. I liked the author's insight into the effects of abuse and how Julia survived it, described on page 46. "Having grown up with an abusive stepfather, Julia had learned at a young age the cost of showing emotion. Emotions were not to be trusted. Emotions got you another punch from a hard fist. Instead she learned to tap down the emotions so she could analyze and control the situation in her favor." I was intrigued with Julia's character as having "a high level of introversion. She craved solitude, preferred to work alone, and sought companionship on a one-on-one basis. A lone wolf to whom isolation was comfortable." (page 43). This, a consequence of abuse.

DATA:
Story length: 295 pages. Swearing language: strong (including religious swear words). Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 5. Setting: current day Berlin, Virginia area, Prague, and Mexico. Copyright: 2009. Genre: suspense thriller with romance.

This is the absolute best romantic suspense story that I have ever read! Do not miss reading this treasure. Keep an eye on this author because Misty Evans is going places!

Julia and Conrad are CIA operatives who are working on an overseas undercover assignment together, and they are also personally involved. Con is a former Navy Seal who took Julia under his wing during her CIA training, and for the past 5 years they have been living and working together. Julia feels intuitively that something is off with their current mission, something is just wrong with it, but she does not know what it is that has her so concerned. She expresses her thoughts to Con, but he just minimizes her feelings, tells her that everything will be fine as he departs for his dangerous assignment, leaving Julia waiting for him in their apartment. Conrad dies in an apparent premature explosion during his mission, leaving a devastated Julia to return home to America to work at CIA headquarters, and to try to heal her broken heart.

A year and a half pass and Julia has become involved with the new CIA director, Michael Stone, who is the youngest chief ever appointed to that position. Awakening in Michael's bed one morning, Julia senses someone is in the bedroom with her and she knows instinctively that it is not Michael. Carefully pulling her gun out from beneath her pillow, Julia fires 2 shots before being disarmed, and finds herself enclosed in Conrad's arms again. Conrad swears her to utmost secrecy about his existence and presence there at Michael's home, tells her that he will see her soon, and slips out of Michael's house through the many alarm systems without being detected. Michael returns from his morning run to an empty bed, the smell of gun powder, and 2 bullet holes in his bedroom walls. Frantic with concern, Michael spots Julia sitting on his balcony with her hand still clutching the gun. Julia, deeply shaken by the unexpected arrival of her "dead" lover, makes up an excuse and leaves Michael's home to return to her own apartment before going to her work as an analyst at CIA headquarters.

Thus begins the most romantic suspense story that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Julia's lost love Conrad tells her of a traitor within the CIA, and that her life, and the lives of many others are in grave danger. Together Julia and Conrad, along with some trusted friends, set about unmasking the traitor within the organization. Who stands to replace Michael if he dies, or is discredited somehow? Why is Julia's name on a Kill List?

While I was reading this story my hubby and I were alone in the car together traveling from Kentucky to Texas , and I kept exclaiming "This is the best book that I have ever read", "Oh, Wow", laughing, saying "please don't hurt the dog", "someone please save her" as I busily scribbled notes for my review. Finally hubby asked if he could read it also after I told him about the plot. He said it sounded like a book that anyone, male or female, would enjoy, and he is absolutely correct.

This is truly the best book that I have ever read. I adore this story, and I sincerely hope that Ms. Evans will continue to write more fabulous stories such as this one. Operation Sheba is not at the head of the class, it is in a class by itself. The adventure never stops, it is really sexy, and the reader will go from laughter to terror as the plot is uncovered and the traitor is exposed.

Operation Sheba by Misty Evans is a Keeper..I rated it 5 stars because I cannot go any higher. Privately I say 10 stars out of the 5 stars possible...It is that fantastic. Enjoy!
Written by Susiq2, reviewer, for Cata Romance

Flat out, I love this series! Opertion Sheba is a must read for anyone who likes romantic suspense. This book has it all, characters to root for, a returning soul mate, a love triangle and it's a political thriller that gives the reader a peek into the world of the CIA. I am wildly impressed with the author's attention to detail regarding the CIA.

Also impressive is the love triangle. Misty Evans does a brilliant job at dealing with a woman in love with two exceptional men. We know one of these guys is going to lose the girl, but Misty handles a delicate situation with the ease of a master. And yes, I did cry when Julia/Abby lets one of these men go. Just fabulously done.

I can't believe this book has any multiple star reviews. The plot is lame, the writing immature. I usually finish books I've started, just because I've paid for them--not this book which is a gigantic waste of time. Everything about this book is contrived and unbelievable. Evans must have a lot of relatives to write reviews.

Ah, yes! Sexy spies and secret solders make Sheba and Solomon's suspenseful story something special to savor. Mystery, intrigue, and heart stopping action grip the reader and hold on tight.

Julia Torrison (Sheba) is now Abigail Quinn and works analyzing terrorists for the CIA rather than doing fieldwork. Thinking she built the bomb that killed her partner, Conrad Flynn (Solomon), she is touched by director Michael Stone's caring concern and soon succumbs to his charm. He loves her as she strives to free herself of the nightmares that make her relive her past. Only when she learns Conrad faked his death does she once again become the fearless, charismatic, tough, risk taker. Tenacious as a pit bull, she sets in to uncover the traitors who make up a shadow CIA that is crippling the agency and caused the death of five agents. She is a survivor but hurt runs deep as she feels Conrad, her partner and true love, betrayed her.

Conrad Flynn, with his "superior operational brain, courage to act, cool logic, hyperawareness" is a smart, cunning risk taker, but he is also a rogue agent that is out of favor with the powers-that-be. His love for Julia, for his country, and for justice create problems that threaten his very life as well as his career, and his chance for finding happiness with Julia. He is a flawed hero on a tough journey.

Misty Evans does a masterful job of developing vibrant, believable characters that inhabit a world full of international and personal intrigue--a world where greed, the desire for power and vengeance drive the antagonists' actions as they contrive to defeat Good with Evil. The action scenes are an adrenaline rush while the love scenes are astounding. The smooth, unobtrusive writing style of Misty Evans keeps the reader totally involved.

Operation Sheba is the first of what appears to be a series. Look for more about these complex characters in I'd Rather be in Paris as Misty Evans takes the reader along with the characters as they work to make the world a safer place so Good can thrive.

I recommend Operation Sheba for a keeper.

[...]

Operation Sheba is my kind of suspense thriller. Detailed enough to create a realistic world (one I feel I could step right into) and suspenseful enough to keep me flipping the pages.

Having read Misty's delightful novella, Witches Anonymous, I was more than a little curious about her ability to leap genres. My anticipation was well-rewarded. This book is a fantastic read. I won't bother to cover plot details, others have done a great job here. What I will say is this, these characters are real. I felt an instant kinship with the heroine, Julia, whose strength and sharp wits masked a vulnerability she needed to keep hidden--even from herself. The conflict she faced when her lover returned from the dead with information designed to break her heart yet again made my own heart constrict in sympathy.

What I loved is how the author was able to blend love scenes that are both spicy and sweet with such thrilling action. The classic chase scene alone is rarely done with such finesse these days. I enjoyed it so much, I read the scene twice before moving on!

I bought this first on my Kindle and now have pre-ordered the book so I can have a print copy too. I can't say enough how much I love this book! Next up will be book two in the series. Keep writing, Misty, so I can keep reading!

Julia Torrison experienced the worst day of her life seventeen months ago, and couldn't seem to put it behind her. That was the day her partner and love of her life, Conrad Flynn died. What made that day worse was that she had killed him. She was the explosives expert the CIA had paired with Con, and the premature explosion that ended his life haunted her. After that fateful day, she was brought back stateside, and given a new identity as Abigail Quinn. She was assigned to the local CIA Counter Terrorism Center as an analyst to begin her life again. Julia was able to finally do that with her boss, the CIA director, Michael Stone. She felt safe with him, and didn't feel the need to always look over her shoulder for something bad to happen. Early one morning, Julia was awakened from sleep, and immediately knew something was wrong. Michael was still out for his morning run, but someone was in the bedroom with her.

Conrad Flynn hated having to let Julia in on his subterfuge by breaking into her new lovers home, but it couldn't be helped. Her life was in danger, and even though he had faked his own death to protect her, she now had to be enlightened on events that were still a threat to her. When Con filled her in on the trail he had been following, Julia was dismayed when he said it led to Michael. She knew Michael would never betray other agents or betray his country, and was determined to prove it. Con was conflicted because he knew she felt his betrayal deeply, and was reluctant to trust him, but he would sacrifice anything to protect his true love. As they collected more evidence, they saw the distinction between friend and enemy begin to blur leaving them unsure where to place their trust.

What a good suspenseful read! While Julia is a tough independent agent, we also see her vulnerable struggle to deal with Con's resurrection and the love they shared. Michael is also a big part of her internal conflict. There is no doubt as to the love shared with Con, but she also cares very deeply for Michael and does not want him hurt. The political intrigue and heated scenes make this one a must read.

Misty Evans expertly draws the reader in to this riveting suspense-drama about CIA agent Julia Torrison and her lover/partner Conrad Flynn. The story is fast-paced and action-packed with just enough romance and intrigue to make it a suspense-lover's favorite! This may be Evan's first story, but it surely won't be her last. I'm looking forward to reading much more from this author.

As a free read on Kindle, you'd be hard pressed to beat Operation Sheba. The story is well told, the characters sympathetic and interesting, and the plot is full of intrigue, espionage, and thrills. The pacing and plot evolution were reasonably well done, and there were really only one or two parts that I thought would've been better served by a bit of editing, as I felt they were a little too descriptive or over written, but nothing to truly bog down the narrative or the let the tension in the plot fizzle.

I admit that this book is not in preferred genre of mine, and had it not been a free Kindle download, I wouldn't have read it, but I will say that it was well written and any fan of romantic spy thrillers would be very satisfied by it. If Misty Evans has any other books in different genres, I'd definitely be interested in checking them out, because I WAS pleased with her writing style and very much enjoyed the way she wrote the relationship between Julia and Con, and very impressed by the machiavellian plotting and imagination that went into the development of the antagonist. And I really loved Smitty and Ace, though they were perhaps not as developed as they could've been.

I had one issue that I feel important enough to mention. There are a series of POV shifts at one particular part of the book when Jules and Con are in the safehouse and Michael is...lets say "otherwise occupied" to prevent spoilers. I wish the author had chosen to go another route on that, because I found it very distracting - unable to concentrate on the warm fuzzies (or the sizzle) of the Jules and Con moments out of concern for what was going on across town. And visa versa. Perhaps had it been written with less back-and-forth it would've been more effective for me. I'm not sure.

Considering the genre is not to my taste, though, I was pleasantly surprised and I was interested enough and impressed enough to finish it and like it. Hats off to Misty Evans for that.

Heart stopping suspense, heart touching romance, a sassy heroine every woman will envy and a mouth watering hero to fantasize about. Operation Sheba has something for everyone. If suspense is your thing, don't miss out on this debut effort from Misty Evans. I, for one, will add her to my favorites list and look out for anything else she writes. 5 stars!!!