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OLIVIA & TRENT

olivia_n_trent_nv_imperiled olivia_n_trent_nv_scorched olivia_n_trent_nv_crashed olivia_n_trent_nv_caught olivia_n_trent_nv_ablaze olivia_n_trent_nv_chased olivia_n_trent_nv_burned olivia_n_trent_nv_isolated olivia_n_trent_nv_entwined
 
Full Name: Olivia Santos and Trent Mann
Series Name: Shenandoah Shadows Series
Nationality: American
Organization: CIA
Occupation Agent

Creator: Melissa F. Miller
Time Span: 2021 - 2024

ABOUT THE SERIES

Olivia Santos is an agent with the CIA.

Trent Mann is an operative with Potomac Private Services (PPS).

A bit more on that company reveals that it was created by a close friend to Mann, Jake West, who had started it "for men and women like him-people who had seen the darkest side of humanity and come out intact. Well, mostly intact. Former special forces operators, undercover law enforcement agents, and intelligence specialists tended to trust their guts. Sometimes a person knew they were in the soup before they knew it. Call it instinct, call it a hunch, call it what you will, Jake respected that feeling." PPS will play an important role in all of the adventures we follow Santos and Mann, and several others, on.

Back on Santos, we learn at the very beginning of the recorded adventures that she "lives on a razor's edge. As a NOC-an agent with non-official cover-she's well aware of the risks: if her cover's blown, there's no diplomatic immunity, and a life sentence in a foreign prison is the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is too gruesome to mention." We also find that she is locked in a marriage with a controlling man who uses his power and wealth ("more money than Midas") to try to keep her in line - it is not working but it is proving very annoying to her. Described as "a fiery blonde with the enormous eyes", her beauty is enough to attract a lot of attention, something she has to work to prevent.

As for Mann, he once "thrived on danger" but now, "haunted by a costly mistake in his past, he focuses on his work for PPS to hold his nightmares at bay". Since he has chosen to keep himself out of the field for now, the memories of "the jihadist ambush and execution" of someone close to him still too strong, he is part of the training staff at PPS's facility along the border between the two Virginias. It is as an evasive driving instructor there that he will come into contact with Santos. Prior to his employment with PPS, Mann was a "Black Squadron sniper/recon/intel/surveillance operator", or as he thought of himself, "a simple SEAL Team 6 guy".

As the series progresses, other people will take center stage although Santos and Mann will continue to play major parts in each of the ensuing adventures. After three tales about Santos and Mann, it will be Mann's employer, Jake West who will be the focus along with a professional outdoorswoman and outfitter, Chelsea Bishop, Santos' cousin and close friend for three more adventures. That will lead to Ryan Hayes, an attorney for PPS, and Leilah Khan, a professional racecar driver, who find themselves in considerable danger. As mentioned, Santos and Mann will not be far from the action.

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:9
First Appearance:2021
Last Appearance:2024

This series of  novellas which I have chosen to label Olivia & Trent has the official series title of Shenandoah Shadows by the author/publisher.

The two main characters play major roles in all of them but it is the first three in which they are the driving forces.

The second set of three deal more with supporting characters in the first three adventures, Jake & Chelsea, and I have seen at least one of the books given that subtitle.

The third set of three bring in two more characters who will find their lives connected with the others.


1 Burned Burned
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2021

Olivia Santos "never imagined her cover would be compromised from the inside. She has no choice but to go on the run—as luck has it—with her musclebound driving instructor. Soon Trent and Olivia are on the run from the government, foreign agents, her husband, and an endless list of shadowy enemies. As the danger reaches a boiling point, Olivia and Trent will have to ignore the fire crackling between them to focus on staying alive."
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2 Scorched Scorched
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2021

Trent Mann and Olivia Santos "walked through fire together. But when they came out the other side, he froze. He hasn't laid eyes on the CIA operative in months, not since they worked together to reveal an explosive political scandal. The heat between them was unmistakable. But the minute the dust settled, he fled like he was being chased by a ghost. Because he was.
Olivia has problems of her own. A vengeful ex-husband, livid political enemies, and a meddlesome mother, to name just a few. But she can't stop thinking about Trent—and the haunted look in his eyes. When Trent learns she's playing with fire, he races to her side. But will he be too late to save her from the forces she's unleashed?"
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3 Ablaze Ablaze
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2021

When Olivia Santos and Trent Mann are "both called as witnesses in a federal prosecution, they’re marked for execution. Forced to stay together in a safe house, they do their best to avoid one another. But when the government safe house goes up in flames, they end up right back where they started: on the run with no one to trust but each other."
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4 Isolated Isolated
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2021

"Outfitter Chelsea Bishop understands the Shenandoah Wilderness. She appreciates its beauty and its danger. So when a client and his guide vanish during a backcountry camping and rafting expedition, she knows she'll need an expert's help to find them ... just so long as that expert is anyone other than Jake West, the man who broke her heart a decade ago.
Jake West sacrificed his personal happiness for the greater good a long time ago. The former pararescue specialist lives to save others, and he's damn good at it, too. When the only woman he's ever loved walks into Potomac Private Services, he refuses to assign the matter to anyone else.
Jake and Chelsea plunge into the wilderness together to find the missing men and land smack in the middle of a criminal conspiracy. When a storm rolls in, they're cut off from the outside world and in danger from ruthless criminals, the harsh landscape, and, maybe most of all, the memory of the passion they once shared."
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5 Imperiled Imperiled
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2022

"Jake’s long-buried feelings for Chelsea bubbled to the surface when they were trapped in the woods together, and, in the moment, she felt the same. But now that they’re back to their ordinary lives, she wants to take things slowly. He’ll proceed at any speed she wants. The problem is, Chelsea’s not returning his calls. She’s not returning any calls, because she’s been abducted. What Jake and Chelsea found in the woods stirred a hornet’s nest, and now she’s in grave danger. While Jake’s trusted team and Chelsea’s closest friends hunt for her, Chelsea herself plays a high-stakes game with her captor to stay alive."
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6 Entwined Entwined
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2022

"Chelsea survived abduction, hypothermia, and an attempt on her life. But the knowledge that she’s still in danger haunts her. Jake is determined to protect her at all costs. Her abductor’s behind bars, but she holds the key to a four-million-dollar puzzle, and there are people who will stop at nothing to get it.
Jake promises Chelsea he’ll stay by her side no matter what. But when he gets a lead, he’s forced to choose between honoring his commitment or hunting down the people who threaten her. Will he have to sacrifice their happiness to keep her safe?"
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7 Crashed Crashed
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2024

"Glamorous professional racecar driver Leilah Khan is a thrill seeker, always up for adventure. She’s also tough and fearless. She has to be, as one of the few women in a field dominated by testosterone. Attorney Ryan Hayes is intellectual and methodical. He may work for a private security firm, but his job is to avoid danger, not seek it. All the same, when his friends surprise him with a driving experience with Leilah for his birthday, Ryan finds it—and her—exhilarating. After they leave the racetrack, still coursing with adrenaline from the high-speed laps, Leilah crashes her street car. Someone’s tampered with her brakes. And they, whoever they are, won’t stop there. Ryan and Leilah go on the run, unsure if the danger chasing them is from her racing rivals or his work for Potomac Private Services."
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8 Chased Chased
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2024

"Ryan Hayes and Leilah Khan are caught up in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. After Leilah’s brakes were cut, the attorney and the racecar driver escaped by the skin of their teeth and set off on the trail of their would-be killers. When they finally discover who wants them dead and why, they realize it’s part of a much bigger operation. Now Ryan and Leilah are in a race against time to stop a sinister conspiracy. To avoid distraction and bring down a powerful enemy, they agree to pretend the passionate night they shared never happened. But It’s a promise they may not be able to keep."
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9 Caught Caught
Written by Melissa F. Miller
Copyright: 2024

"Ryan and Leilah have finally caught up to the mastermind behind the attempt on their lives, not to mention a criminal operation that stretches around the globe. Now it’s up to the unlikely pair to stop the powerful crime syndicate as the danger escalates—with a little help from their friends. The odds are stacked against them, but they’re not just fighting for survival—they’re fighting for a chance at love. And nothing’s going to stand in their way."
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MY COMMENTS

This set of adventures are most definitely spy related in so far as Olivia is an agent with the CIA and a lot of what happens to her and her lover and her friends all touch on espionage matters. They are also most definitely romance books because romance - the feelings between the three (so far) pair of individuals - plays an even more important part in the stories than does the spying stuff.

That said, the author, Melissa F. Miller, is one heckuva good storyteller and her writing grabbed the attention of this old fool right away and made me keep wondering what was going to happen next.

I applaud her use of the novella for telling these stories as none of them would have justified a full-length book. Such a great idea - having a series of shorter works. Well done!!

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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