Don't Look Back is the sixth book in the Unbroken Heroes series by Dawn Ryder. I have read some, but not all, of the books in this series. Each book can stand up reasonably well on its own, but there are so many characters and interconnected plot-lines that I think returning fans will get the most out of this read since it ties up the loose ends from the entire series.

Shadow Ops Agent Thais Sinclair has sworn off falling in love for good. It’s what’s kept her calculated, steady, and on-task in a world dominated by men. She needs nothing and no one but her own wits and strength to guide her. But when she’s slated to shadow the one man who could reveal their entire operation, all bets are off. Dunn Bateson, illegitimate son of a Southern debutante, has always had to fight harder than the rest to get what he wants. Now, the last thing he needs is Thais following his every move. She is so strong, sly, seductive. . . No woman has ever captivated him so completely. Thais may only have room for her mission in her heart, but is Dunn up to the challenge of showing her that she’s worth every risk he is willing to take?
Don't Look Back is an entertaining read, but there is a lot going on here. I do recommend reading this particular book as a stand alone- simply because there is a good portion of the story that is spent dealing with the consequences and reactions to everything that has happened earlier in the series. I really did enjoy the romance part of the story. I liked seeing Dunn and Thais face off and find their way through the walls they each had built, and share a little about their pasts. Dunn was a little too suave, and shared much less about himself than he knew about Thais, which bothered me a little. I think the danger and politics are very well done, scary, and frankly worrisome in this political climate. Made me more than a little worried about how much of this kind of stuff is really happening, because I really would not put it past some of the people currently in power. I was engaged in the story, and liked seeing some familiar characters return to the front lines. My biggest issue was with the number of voices used to tell the story. There seemed to be little to no indication as to when the narrator was changing, at least in the Kindle version, which sometimes became confusing. I had to go back and reread a few times just to figure out where those jumps happened to I could adjust with them.

Don't Look Back is a good conclusion to the story, and I was glad to see the loose ends all tied up, but with enough secondary characters still single that there could very well be a connecting series in the near future.

This is the last book in the Shadow Op series. This book concluded the series with a bang. This book is filled with many twists and turns that you do not see coming. Amongst the drama, two operatives learn to trust their feelings as well as their skills. I truly enjoyed this story and am sad to see the series end.

This is the sixth book in this series by this author. This is a fun fast paced story. This author always brings you a suspense filled story and this one is no exception. Amazing well written characters which you fall in love with as you read. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.



Highly recommended read

I voluntarily reviewed an advance read copy of this book

Why haven't I read more from this series? It was a great read! Don’t Look Back was a fun romantic suspense read with a great cast of characters.The romance didn't ring true for me. I felt there was too much explained and repeated .

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book

I really liked this book... this was my favorite book in the series. Thais Sinclair is so used to doing anything and everything for a mission. Dunn Bateson has spent most of his life fighting hard to be more because he had to live without a large piece of his life...his mother.

Now that his mother needs him he is ready to step up and work with anyone to keep her safe. Even if it is the only woman who has ever captured his attention....Thais.

Overall a really good book!

This was a fast-paced romantic action suspense. The writing, however, was a bit all over the place and hard to follow. While it can be read as a standalone, I would not recommend it. It would be very hard to follow with a lot of holes if read alone. Overall, my least favorite of the series. 2.5/5

This series from Shadow Ops can be read as a standalone but each story carries a bit of the story before it and it continues the action from start to finish. Dunn is a very rich anti social man who can afford to fly planes two or three at a time to keep you guessing where he is but now he has got to know his birth mother Miranda so he comes out more to see her. Dunn also fascinated by Thais Sinclair the lone female agent in the Shadow Ops who keeps her feelings and secrets behind a well constructed wall, but Dunn is prepared to climb it. Dunn and Thais are thrown together to try an save Miranda who is making someone nervous enough to try to kill her, just trying to stop them has Dunn, Thais and the Special Ops teams jumping through hoops to save her. I was lucky enough to read three of the six books and they fit perfectly together but ok as a standalone.

Suspenseful and intriguing story line. Loved the characters, everything was very well developed. Very good ending for the series.

This book is action packed, fast paced, adventure and suspense story that you just can’t put down. Has brilliant characters that really catch your attention and holds you captivated right till the very end of their story. The story really pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Loved this book. Definitely be looking for more books by Dawn Ryder in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of Don't Look Back by Dawn Ryder. I have read several other books in this series and was familiar with the history of the two main characters, Thais and Dunn. I liked them as a couple and was happy to see them finally see each other as partners but there was so many things happening to them and all around them, it seemed to take away from their story and they danced around what they wanted for a long time. Both characters are loyal and driven to protect the ones they care about and willing to jump in do what was needed. Lots of action and suspense keep the reader engaged but I would not recommend this as a stand alone read as there is too much history in the previous books.
3.5 stars

Received in exchange for a honest review.

Here we have a illegitimate son who has proved himself and is cunning and crafty but also stubborn and kind being shadowed by a woman who gets his juices going and challenges him. So what happens?

Dunn stays stubborn but in some delicious ways and Thais digs her heals in and tries to stay the distant Shadow Op agent trying to protect him although he does a better job on his own. As Dunn’s mother challenges her candidate more and more and stands up to him. the danger to those around her grows and we some pretty unconscionable things done. Dunn ends up keeping Thais out of the line of fire as they try to not be found and seen. At the same time the attraction between them is through the roof and they are trying to fight it.

Dunn likes to push Thais’s buttons but you also see him be very protective and kind to her. He is challenged by her and likes it. she doesn’t roll over when it comes to him and this is something he really finds intriguing.

The story is interesting and has danger at every page. Whether the danger is the man trying to win or the danger of falling in love and giving in to the attraction or even both you never know. Each page brings a new adventure for these two and it keeps you on your toes to the end where we see a sweet conclusion for this couple.

* * * ARC provided for an honest review * * ***
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While the book is advertised as a standalone despite being part of a series, I did not find it so. There was too much history between the characters and that may have been the reason why I felt so disconnected with the storyline.

I don't think I'd recommend this. There are others in this category that I've enjoyed more.

Is this the end? This series of alpha males in a covert sometimes wet work organization finally met head on with their bad guy. It is a bit anticlimactic. For readers who have not read the start of this series, it is recommended to read at least a few of the previous versions to enjoy the book better. There are many tie ins from with previously featured characters and past events. Ms. Ryder does a quick two sentence flashback reference to previous situations and relationships. These are great for readers who have read the series and needed a brief reminder. For those who have not read this series, it will only leave them feeling as if they are still missing a key element. Specifically who is Dunn Bateson and why do they care?

Dunn Bateson burst onto the scene a couple of books prior. He is a sexy Scotman with a slightly illegitimate background. Still, he is a powerful man not to be crossed. As we learn more about this sexy man, I like him more and more. He's a rich man who is always suspicious of people's motivates when they want to get close to him. He's met his match with Agent Thais Sinclair who is closed off and not interested in relationships. Her past is still an open wound for her.

The chemistry between these two is hot. Their sexual tension is good as Ms. Ryder draws it out across the book. Their sex scenes are a bit tame for a jaded erotica reader like me. Still, they are nicely done. I still felt something a bit lacking with these characters. I'm not quite sure if it is because I had an arc copy and the lack of chapter delineation or if it is because the point of view jumps around too much. Whilst both characters are admirable, they didn't really engage me. I didn't feel vested in seeing their relationship work. I could have gone either way - they live happily ever after or they split off and go another direction.

What really felt like a let down was the big confrontation with the dastardly villain. I'm not quite sure if the shadow ops team had a hand in the removal or not. There is a scene with the Shadow ops which leads me to believe they were going to remove the threat permanently. Instead, the direction went another way and I'm not 100% sure if the other direction was provided by the Shadow ops.

Overall, this book is a quick and easy read. This romantic suspense is recommended for readers who enjoy alpha males and the women who stand up to them.

Don’t Look Back by Dawn Ryder was a suspenseful, intriguing with romance. It was a action packed story that has many twists and turns that keeps you waiting to see what is around the corner. The characters are strong, independent and smart maybe a bit wary when it comes to matters of the heart.
She is Thais Sinclair a Shadow Ops Agent who need no one. Dunn Bateson is he the man that could change it all for her? This is a great book that I recommend.

This book is part of a series. I have never read any of the others so I felt a little bit lost at times when characters were discussed. It can be read as a stand alone, but I would have liked to know some of those others first.
Thais and Dunn are both strong characters. Relationship is a struggle for them both. They're both damaged and inexperienced with sharing much about themselves.
This story will definitely make you look at politics in a different light. The race between political hopefuls is murky and full of criminal activity.
The writing was good, but it didn't hold my interest.

This is the concluding book in a series where the murky world of politics comes head to head with the shadows of sanctioned deep cover operations that are secret from all but a select few commanding them. In a progression of events over the series; the rot behind the politics is exposed but not eliminated can Thais Sinclair bring things to a satisfactory conclusion?
Dunn Bateson makes Thais feel things she's sworn off. When circumstances are engineered to make her the fall guy for the assassination of Dunn's mother will Dunn fall for the political machinations of his mother's enemies and Thai's bosses or hang all consequences to rescue her from the jaws of death? In a fast moving adrenaline fueled adventure romance blooms despite Thai's every intention to resist.
If you've been reading the series you get a last chance to interact with all the characters and catch up on all of life's happenings with them. In a true game of cross and double cross it's hard to decipher friend from foe and keep all the plots and subplots straight which all makes for a fun adrenaline fueled ride. Dunn and Thais are great characters, their chemistry and sparring with each other adds to the appeal of the final story.
The story takes so many twists and turns that it is almost impossible to predict the end which makes it all the more fun. I can't wait to see where the author will take us next.

This is the last in the series and it stars Thais and Dunn, if you have read the previous books, you know that Thais and Dunn have had previous history. Thais and Dunn have quite the banter back and forth but underneath it all the chemistry is hot. Thais is tasked to protect Dunn and takes her work very seriously.Throughout the story we are rewarded with some past characters and finally get to capture the bad guys and wrap up the story. Plenty of action, hot sex scenes, comic relief and all in all a good read. I do have to say I skimmed through most of it, as I was not as pulled in with Thais and Dunn's story as I thought I would be. 3.5 stars


****ARC provided by St. Martin's Press thru NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*****

This was a good story, there was plenty going on, keeping the story very interesting, my only complaint would be that I felt we needed more interplay between Dunn and Thais, I felt like their relationship and backgrounds got brushed over a little bit.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like a good action story every now and then. You know, dangerous situations, bad guys on the loose, a bit of mystery, tensions running high, that kind of thing. This one seemed promising at first but quickly fell flat.

There was no mystery to the plot. Because of the alternating points of view, I knew everything 99% of the time. I was reading a series of events these characters went through, not a dynamic story. And everyone seemed secondary to to the Thais and Dunn storylines. Each event seemed designed to advance their stories, not the story as a whole.

It was very repetitive, too. Mentioning that Shadow Ops agents stay in abandoned/foreclosed/condemned house to stay off the grid is good information 15-20% through the story. It's unnecessary to mention it again 70% through. Thais's thinking was incredibly repetitive, as well. She struck me as a character with a decent amount of self-awareness so why she was confused through a good portion of the book was beyond me.

My biggest problem with the writing here was the use of "male" as an adjective. "Male victory", "male pleasure", "male approval", those all sound clunky and impersonal. I paused and laughed the first time I read it and cringed every time after that.

I don't think I'd recommend this. There are others in this category that I've enjoyed more.

This was an interesting read. It took me a bit to get into the story. The characters were interesting and the storyline was difficult to follow at times.