Stealing Vengeance
(Vengeance #1)
by Kaylea Cross


Kindle Edition, 275 pages
Published September 23rd 2014


Goodreads synopsis:
She’s an expert at getting into places she doesn’t belong. 

The government created Megan, transforming her into a Valkyrie—a deadly operative only whispered about in certain circles. They took everything from her and made her into a weapon. Now someone is leaking secret information about her sisters-in-arms, betraying them for money. Loyal Unto Death is the Valkyrie motto. So when Megan is recruited to find who leaked the files, she takes the high-risk assignment. Even if it means working with the man who betrayed her trust long ago. Even if it means giving her life. Because she’ll do whatever it takes to find justice. 

But this is one situation she can’t escape from on her own. 

Tyler Bergstrom never forgot the resourceful woman who escaped during the toughest phase of SERE school. So when he learns the stunning truth about her and his unwitting part in her past, he volunteers to work alongside Megan for a chance at redemption. Except she doesn’t want a partner. Doesn’t want to let anyone into her life, including him—hell, especially him. Yet whether she likes it or not, for this mission they’re partners. Now it’s a race against the clock to bring down the shadowy figure targeting Valkyries. But the threat goes deeper than they ever imagined. No one is safe. And if they can’t overcome the past and learn to trust each other, they’re both dead. 

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4.5 Stars

This is the first book in the Vengeance series by Kaylea Cross.

This story focuses around a group of elite women who have been trained from a young age by the government in all manner of different skills. This features Megan who has trained since she was taken from her foster home at the age of five.

Megan has never had a serious relationship and when a covert team approaches her she agrees to help them find the person who is spilling the information about the Valkyries to their enemies and thus causing their death. Megan is assigned a partner named Ty who had been a fill in instructor in her SERE school training. She has a problem with him because during her training he gave her food and then turned her in not knowing by doing that she was beaten and punished. He wants to apologize and this is why he has taken the assignment to be her partner.

This story is called a standalone but it has its beginnings in other books by Cross. I like the whole concept. Intriguing. I thought this book was good. I liked the interaction between Megan and Tyler but the team as a whole was outstanding too.

This book will move straight into the second book called COVERT VENGEANCE featuring Megan’s sister, Amber.

Be aware this is much more covert mission than romance. So if you are in it just for the romance, you may come away disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

3 1\2 stars
Fans of the Author Kaylea Cross might fall in love this the start to this new series I am not one of them. Recently I have read many books that use the term Valkyrie as part of a A-team of Women special forces.

The story works but it blends with the other romantic suspense author are creating their own A-Team of women who kick ass and it starts to become a blur.

Kaylea Cross is able to put a whole lot of information is short book keeping readers wanting more while other wonder if series will be worth the cost.

If you love Kaylea Cross you will love the Vengeance series.

Thank you the author and Netgalley for a copy of Kaylea Cross Stealing Vengeance.

DNF @ 30%. I tried, I really did, but there is just something missing from this story. No connection to the characters, plot, nothing. Sorry.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an advanced copy from netgalley - thank you

I've not read any of Keylea Cross's novels before and this was a real treat - I shall certainly be looking out for more of her work

This is the first in a new series 'Vengeance' - absolutely loved it - couldn't put down and had to finish it in one go so now really looking forward to being able to get my teeth into the subsequent books.

Well written, great characters throughout

Highly recommend

Valkyrie is a secret government agency. For years everyone thought it had been shut down until one day, it's operatives started turning up dead, shining a light on the fact that it was still in service. Now, the all female special ops team is re-forming to save the remaining women. Megan is recruited out of hiding to help, even though her partner is someone from her past who betrayed her. Always loyal to the sisterhood, Megan can't turn the job down no matter how much she hates Tyler.

Initially, it felt as though the book was off to a slow start. There are several characters and plot lines that had to be setup so it could all work out, which I understand is important to any suspense book. I liked that Tyler wasn't an ultra alpha, more support for Megan than anything else, and knew his place, that she didn't need him to protect her. I also liked that the entire team, with exception of Tyler and Alex was all female. It was a relatively quick-ish read, well thought out, with no glaringly obvious plot holes (which I find happens frequently in romantic suspense books). Overall, a pretty good book.

ARC received for review

DNF

I hate to do it because I love Ms. Cross' other books. This one started out with one heroine and then the book is about a different one. Plus the bad guy...I just don't get it. Plus is was slow and boring.

Steling Vengeance, the first book in this new spinoff series about the Valkeries, was great. I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters next! The plot was suspenseful enough keep you hooked.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I've read a few series where the plot arches over several books and that is what we have here. You get a hot romantic couple and bits and pieces of the suspense plot. It works great here and I look forward to reading the other books. Megan is a powerful heroine and Tyler is her match in every way. The plot revolves around the Valkyries, a group of female special operatives who have been trained from childhood for only the most sensitive and dangerous missions. If you read Kaylea Cross, she has used them in prior books and they are a scary bunch.

Megan was a young orphan when she began her training and now she is a deadly weapon who can get into any place she wants. She has been in hiding because the Valkyrie program has become public knowledge. Someone is also leaking classified information and Valkyries are dying. Megan takes their motto, Loyal Unto Death, seriously and will do anything she can to find the person who leaked the information. One catch, they want her to work with someone who betrayed her trust.

Tyler Bergstrom was Megan's instructor for SERE school. He was blown away by her skills and resourcefulness, but he had no idea what her training really consisted of, or that he played a part in causing her immense pain. He just knew she was special and more than an operative to him. When offered the chance to team with her to track down the person leaking the classified files, he jumps at the chance to right the wrong he unwittingly committed against her and to see if they have a chance to be more than teammates.

A great start to the Vengeance series, Stealing Vengeance, Suspense, deceit and second chances. A great support cast and engaging characters made tis a fabulous read. I will definitely be recommending and looking to read more.

Kaylea Cross has done it again! I liked the whole basis of this series of strong women, however I wish she didn't call them Valkyries as another author has done the same thing. Aside from that, I loved Megan and absolutely adored Tyler. I liked how they originally met and how their relationship developed despite that meeting and interaction. Overall, I can not wait for the next in the series to come out!

👩🏻‍💻 Review of Kaylea Cross’ STEALING VENGEANCE:
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Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
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I blame BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER—the movie, starring Kristy Swanson—for my fascination with strong women who can kick butts with ease, fluffy white prom dress or no. *This is also a case of living vicariously, because I would be the first to go down in any kind of feats of strength competition, & also the first to die in a zombie apocalypse.
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Last night I read Kaylea Cross’ STEALING VENGEANCE, an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed, sensual romantic thriller that had me invested from the first page and totally gave me Buffy, Nikita, etc vibes.
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Megan Smith is a Valkyrie-in-hiding. An orphan, she was trained from childhood to be a master thief, an expert in fighting and escaping & basically whatever else her handler required. She’s no longer performing missions—until another former Valkyrie approaches her and tells her that someone else is killing her former sisters-in-arms. Megan risks everything to help, even if it puts her own life at risk & requires that she work with Ty Bergstrom, a man she’s resented for over a decade.
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Ty’s POV is refreshingly open about how long he’s had feelings for Megan, even though he’s also aware of how much she (rightly) resents what he did all those years ago. Sometimes you just want to read a book where the hero is 💯 from the beginning; this book went for it and did it splendidly.
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And the heroine is someone you. do. not. want. to. mess. with, even if she does have a secret mushy core where she hides her insecurities, fears, and wants. She’s been alone her whole life, & the story of how she finds/is brave enough to pursue her own family is lovely. As is her determination to protect others, even while secrets about her own life come to light.
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This book was just what I needed. It’s my second Kaylea Cross book and I’m excited to check out more of her catalog because this book had all the good romantic thriller stuff: car racing, combat, & lots of kissing. Pure entertainment of the top secret variety.
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TNW rating: 🧁🧁🧁🧁
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How do you feel about a super strong, kick-butt heroine? Who’s your favorite?

The story of Tyler and Megan is full of suspense and intrigue. I loved the world building, the character depth and the secondary characters. Fast paced, well written, lots of heat & chemistry. You can definitely expect that the story will be continued in the series.

Wow. Hands down my favorite book by Cross to date! I love a badass heroine and Megan is a female version of Jason Bourne. Her love interest Tyler, is a strong and capable man who sees and appreciates her value and skill set. At the same time he sees the woman too. The writing has a cinematic quality about it that pulls you in and gives your imagination terrific and vivid imagery. This book is impossible to put down!

I did feel a wee bit lost at the start of this book. I hadn't read any of the books featuring the other Valkyrie's (Trinity, Briar, etc) so I was a bit on the backfoot. However, I was caught up in no time and it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Megan and her fellow Valkyries were shot down in flames by the government. After they were left out to fend for themselves, she went into hiding with a former ally in England. But now there are others hunting for her. They say they are fellow Valyrie's but can she trust them?

Ty was an instructor in the SERE course that Megan undertook as a Valkyrie trainee. But when he later finds out the part he paid in her capture and torture he has an innate need to try and rectify his inadvertent betrayal.

Megan as a thief has no equal! She gets in and out of places with ease. But with Ty dogging her every step she may not be able to slip the lash as easily as she once did. But even more weirdly she finds herself wanting him around. Valkyrie's don't do relationships but as she gets to know Trinity and the others will that idea change?

Great paced, tense thriller. If the leads were reinvented as the other sex, they'd still be great characters. It's less about a great female covert agent, than a covert agent who just happens to be a female! Ty is a great wingman - he may have come at this mission as an act o attrition but he finds himself staying more for the warrior and the woman than for the forgiveness.

I loved finding out more of Megan's pre-Valkyrie life and the total lack of regard that the government had on small children. I did feel the blood pressure rise at certain parts! Great action story with the added bonus of some sexy bedroom scenes.

What a start to a new series! I just loved Ty and Megan. She is such a strong heroine, and Ty is a great supporter. There is lots of action, mystery, and intrigue in this story and it moves quickly. I could read about this group of kick-ass women all day. It looks like some of the characters in this book previously had their own stories, and I plan on reading all of those asap! I can't wait for book 2 to learn even more about this great group!

*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh, this author never fails to deliver. This story is about Megan and Ty. 2 very strong people. They each have a mission. Hers to save her Valkyrie’s. His to save her and to teach her to love! Mainly Him! It has a lot of suspense, adventure and yes there are some hot moments to. If you want a book you can’t put down , here it is! This book earned everyone of its 5 stars.

Stealing Vengeance, Book 1 in the newest series by Kaylea Cross is full of action packed scenes with twist and turns that had me guessing on who to believe. What really drew me to this book, besides being written by this author, was the premise of taking orphaned girls and turning them into these fierce warrior women who got the job done. The main characters in this book, Meg and Tyler has history, where one side feels betrayed and the other remorse. They are now working together on a common goal to figure out who is betraying and killing off those who were part of the now supposedly defunct program, the Valkyrie project. With them now being in such close proximity, it gives them a chance to really get to know each other and maybe find some peace.

I did enjoy this book, Meg and Tyler were such great characters, with strength and also softness to them. The chemistry was definitely there. The only issue I had was that I have not had a chance to read the previous books that this is a spin off from so I felt like I was missing something. But besides that, the story kept me interested and I am really looking forward to the stories of all the other Valkyrie women out there.

We first met the Valkyrie's in Disavowed part of the Hostage Rescue Team series and I have been not so patiently waiting for more books about these highly trained female operatives and I wasn't disappointed at all. As with all of Kaylea books there is a n underlying story so I would advise reading them in order to get the full story line

This is Megan and Ty's book These two have history and it isn't good she believes he betrayed her years ago and he wants to make that up to her so he agrees to be her partner on this latest job. Can they work together with their history. He will do whatever he needs to help her solve who the traitor is but in the process this talented thief and assassin will not only steal his heart but maybe kill it as well. I am looking forward to Amanda's story the second book in this wonderful series

4 stars!

Ms. Cross is a great storyteller mixing romance and suspense with ease.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

What a non-stop action packed book with lots of twists and turns and secrets revealed. I did not see the one secret coming so wow was that a surprise!

This is a great new series with these awesome bad-ass woman warriors that can do just about anything! I have not read any of the previous stories so will look into them next. I am so glad that there was info at the back of the book with the titles of each of the previous valkeries story.

Tyler and Megan didn't seem like they had a chance with her being hunted and in danger while he had a family back in the US. Yet, he was willing to give up that life for Megan.

Parts of the story were just so heartbreaking when you read what the women were made to endure and how the helpless orphans were preyed upon by this unknown person who created the school.

Can't wait for the next book and what happens with Amber, as we need to know if she finds Hannah and if the other woman are safe.