Jake and Alexa make a formidable team as they race against the clock to save the world. They make a great team and balance each other out perfectly but will Jake finally get his chance to build something special? Another great story from Laura Griffin.

Laura Griffin is back with another title in the Alpha Crew series, Total Control is book #4. Featuring Jake Heath a Navy SEAL and Alexa Mays a FBI Special Agent. I've read and enjoyed other Laura Griffin books and the Alpha Crew series has not disappointed me.

This short story seems to be the conclusion to a series of shorter novels that revolved around a bunch of sexy and super badass Navy SEALs. I am a huge fan of Laura Griffin, but I must admit that this series has left me a little bit wanting, mostly with the length of the story and trying to shove too much into the action happening in the short time the story is going. That being said if you take the story at face value there is a lot to enjoy. Jake has been interested in Alexa for a long time, but she has resisted him for reasons that were never made clear until she finally needed his help. Alexa is sure that she is after a dangerous terrorist and needs Jake’s help to catch him, even if she has to go through back channels asking for the favor. When the danger becomes all too real, Jake is determined to protect Alexa with everything he’s got, even if she fights him along the way. As they spend more time together they overcome the issues in their way and their chemistry has a chance to bring together a connection. The fire between them made Alexa and Jake’s love story enjoyable and getting to know them was wonderful. Jake was the ultimate alpha male, protective and kick-ass, willing to sacrifice himself for others, but also determined to make the bad guy pay, and the sweet moments he shared with Alexa rounded his character out nicely. Alexa was a little bit prickly until she softened toward Jake enough to let him in, and then I really started to like her, but there was obviously a few issues for her to work through first. In the end I enjoyed this ending to a series that falls a little short of typical Griffin magic, but in the end was worth the read and provided some quality entertainment.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one from beginning to end. Jake Heath met Alexa Mays on an OP six months ago and she has resisted his contact since. Now when he is heading on a 72 hour personal leave with his brothers and father she shows up asking for help. After turning her down he shows up on her doorstep the next morning. What ensues is a wildly hectic weekend hunting a terrorist cell but getting close. Definitely like this novella romantic suspense series!

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

We met Navy SEAL Jake Heath and FBI agent Alexa Mays earlier in the series and their chemistry was apparent right from the start. Now she needs his expertise, and Jake is determined to take this opportunity to convince her to give their relationship a second chance.Love the push-pull relationship between the two of them as they try to stop the bad guys. Total Control was one of the better romantic suspense books that I have read lately. I can tell that this will be another series that will be a must read for me.

"Total Control" is a great read for romantic suspense lovers, of which I am one. Alexa and Jake's story is fast paced & engaging from page one. It never slows down or lags as these two work to find a terrorist hellbent on releasing a bomb on American soil. Suspenseful, yes, but there is also a hot sexy coming together as Alexa & Jake make a connection that has been a long time coming. The FBI agent & the Navy Seal is a winner for me. **I was gifted a copy of "Total Control" from NetGalley & leave my review based on my reading** Read twice, it is a 4.5 Star read for me!

***ARC Provided by NetGalley***

This was a shorter novel, but still enjoyable as books by Laura Griffin always are.

Jake and Alexa have a connection, but there is also a reason that they have decided to stay apart. Until they are forced to stay together, and then they are forced to work together (well, they choose to but it's the same idea) and it's impossible to ignore the attraction.

As always with titles by this author the romance and the action are balanced well, and both work together in a way that leaves a believable romance as well as an action story that feels realistic.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

ourth in the Alpha Crew romantic suspense series and revolving around the members of this SEAL team. The couple focus is on Special Agent Alexa Mays and Navy SEAL Jake Heath.

This ARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Gallery Books for an honest review.

My Take
Okay, I gotta say I'm disappointed in Total Control. The plot was rather thin with the focus on the romance...and only the romance. There's no office interaction for Alexa other than her brief mention of why her boss is a pain and agents who are helping her out. As for Jake, there's only the intro of his team on this practice mission, and we get very brief mentions of that family camping trip he's blowing off. Comments that do reveal why it's so easy for him to ignore it, but still...? And what is his rank? I know he's the corpsman, but that's a job description.

It's that third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Alexa's and Jake's perspectives that keep us in touch with what each is thinking and experiencing. Always helpful in a romance!

It is a treat to have a macho kind of guy like Jake appreciate the same attributes in a woman, and it's too bad that she has that built-in bigotry against him. Okay, so that's not a fair comment, as Alexa's experience with the "boys' club" has colored her attitude toward men "in the office", which does make it plausible as to why Alexa is reluctant to get involved with Jake. But...oy...

However, Alexa does irritate me with her too-gung ho attitude and refusal to comprehend that Jake's contacts may not want contact with a fed. I mean, duhhh... Nor do I understand Mario's attitude...if he's such a SEAL legend.

That's a tacky move, asking for that favor after blowing Jake off for six months. As for Alexa conducting this investigation on the side, how does she manage to get so many agents to do surveillance for her...'cause it sure sounds like they're full-time.

I do love Scout, he's an interesting character who brings a nice bit of humor to the story with his interactions with Jake and Alexa, lol.

Still, it was a sweet and unexpected ending with Alex making a major advance on her character arc...we'll have to see where it goes in #5.

The Story
Alexa Mays is following a hunch, investigating a terrorist on her own time, and needing Navy SEAL Jake Heath's help. Aid she doesn't want, but Alpha Crew has a reputation, as does Jake, for finding those who don't want to be found.

And Alexa is desperate to find this terrorist before his people strike.

The Characters
Special Agent Alexa "Lexie" Mays works counterterrorism in the LA office in a male-dominated environment. Her dad had been a homicide detective in Phoenix before he retired.

FBI Office, LA
Special Agents Brian, Amy Chen, Connors, and Hull are helping Alexa out. Supervisory Special Agent Nate McCormick is Lexie's boss...and an ex-boyfriend. The counter terrorism chief is a friend of Lexie's.

Navy SEAL Jake Heath is a corpsman. His surgeon dad has cancer, and his three brothers are all doctors.

Alpha Crew is...
...good at finding people who don't want to be found. His SEAL teammates include Petty Officer Kyle Marin; Ryan Owen, who is one of Jake's best friends; Ethan Dunn; and, Lucas Ortiz, who is dog sitting Scout, a retired explosive-detection canine with medical issues.

Lance Kilborn, former CIA, is a friend of Jake's who now runs a PI firm in Orange County. "Mario", a retired Navy and a SEALs legend, is a friend of a friend and customizes guns. He shares space with Sammy's Custom Choppers. Emma is Ryan's girl ( At the Edge , 1). Tinley is an ex-girlfriend of Jake's.

Jerome Matapang is a terrorist; his brother Joe had been arrested for drug running. Courtney Stapleton, a yoga instructor at Black Swan Yoga, is Jerome's ex-girlfriend. Tom Green is known as Tango X. John Ocampo's truck is registered in Nogales, Arizona.

The Asian Crescent Brotherhood (ACB) is under investigation for attacks throughout the world.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a complement of blues and oranges in Jake's bare (and muscled!!) torso, his dog tags hanging around his neck. The background is quite appropriate with that chain link fence on an angle against a deep blue-gray background. The text begins just above Jake's pecs with an info blurb in white, the author's name immediately below it in white as well. The title is below that in a colonial blue with the team insignia between the words. At the very bottom is the series information in white.

The title is what Alexa wants: Total Control.

Laura Griffin delivers authenticity, story, and great relationships with plenty of sizzle. I'm a new reader, and I'll be back for more. Really enjoyed Jake, Alexa, and TOTAL CONTROL.

The beginning is exciting, the end is great, but the middle... well, the middle is good. Not great, but good.

Lexie needs Jake to help her find a terrorist. The plot is solid, but there isn’t much chemistry between these two, and Lexie is sort of wooden and uninspiring. Jake, now I liked Jake. He felt more real to me.

The other series from Griffin is deeply researched and realistic, but this doesn’t feel that way. Maybe that’s the issue.

received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Amazon labels Total Control as a “Terrorism Thriller.” It is a book that is very reflective of today’s current events.

Navy Seal Jake Heath is a member of the Alpha Crew. On his last mission, he worked with FBI Agent Alexa Mays and her counterterrorism team. Since then, Jake has carried a torch for Alexa and has called her many times to invite her on a romantic date. However, Alexa has gone out of her way to ignore all of Jake’s overtures.

When she finally reaches out to Jake, it is because her team has discovered that a very dangerous terrorist has been spotted on American soil. This is a man that Jake and his team have already been tracking and have not yet been able to catch. Unfortunately, Alexa’s boss does not believe her observation. Therefore, she reaches out to Jake to help her find this man and prevent him from placing any lethal bonds.

Thus begins an absorbing cloak and dagger story. What follows is an enthralling page-turner where the action never stops! In fact, the last run-in between Jake, Alexa and this extremist group who plans to cause havoc on American soil, would make an exciting “chase scene” equal to any popular terrorist movie!

At the same time, Jake and Alexa discover their red-hot chemistry that culminates in some very steamy sex scenes..

Total Control is a riveting intrigue that could have easily been taken from current events.

This is the fourth book in Ms. Griffin’s “Alpha Crew” series. In spite of that, it easily works as a stand-alone story.

Loved it! I have read all the books in this series and Jake and Alexa made a hot and interesting couple. Alexa and Jake have been harboring feelings for each other and working on this case just brings them closer together. Filled with action, suspense and a HEA made for an awesome read.


******I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley******

I love Laura Griffin's books normally. This author is one of my favorites in this genre. This book was good...just not great, most likely because it is a novella. The story felt rushed and when I finished the book, it just wasn't memorable. I didn't really care about Alexa: nothing really stood out or made her memorable. Same for Jake as he was just another alpha male hero.

The real action began toward the end of the book and I did enjoy the suspense and action that went on in bringing down the bad guy. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

The thing that drew me to Laura Griffin’s TOTAL CONTROL, aside from the fact that she’s an instant-buy for me, is the cover model who could wear the crown of “Best Zoolander Blue Steel Mouth.” I love her Tracers series, after all. Then I cracked it open and started reading and got back to the basic facts that make Griffin a juggernaut in romantic suspense: exciting pace and great characters. Navy SEAL Jake Heath has been attracted to FBI Agent Alexa Mays for months, but it’s just not something Alexa is willing to take a chance on—Navy SEALS ship out, after all. But when it turns out her counterterrorism group and his team are tracking the same extremist who’s now on American soil, she’s going to have to deal with the smoldering attraction. The suspense was more prominent than the romance in this one, but it was still good.

*Originally published at Frolic: https://frolic.media/romantic-suspense-wrap-up-august-september-2019/

I love Laura's writing. Especially all her Navy Seal books. This one was intriguing throughout the whole book and I kinda didn't want it to end. This is one of the better books I've read and can't wait for the next one.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jake Heath a Navy Seal is very surprised when he sees FBI Special agent Alexa Mays who called him after he was working out. Wishing that she was finally coming around and they could actually try and date he is shut down when all she wants is his help to look for a terrorist who is believed to be in California. He says no and leaves, later when she arrives home he is there getting after her about how easy it was for him to get into her house and that he will help her. The beginning of their working together is not as easy as she would like it for he knows people who are off the beaten path and of course she looks like an FBI agent so she must stay outside. She, of course, wants to take them down as well but this would get them off point. This goes on for a while and they get back on course looking for the suspect and Jake wants to be with Alexa. She wants to be with him but she also wants to capture this guy and focus on her job for it is difficult for a woman to promote. Just when everything looks like it is a dead-end it begins to pick up again. This is an action pack story and sees how it ends.

An energetic story, filled with an intense and intriguing investigation and vigorous, charming characters.
I absolutely adored Jake Heath and Alexa Mays, I loved everything about them. The chemistry between them, the connection they had both professionally and personally, the way their personalities complimented each other, the equality between them, their ability to kick ass and get things done.
The story was filled with high energy when it came to catching the criminals, and sort of sweet fragility when it came to the attraction between Jake and Alexa. I liked how the developing relationship was played off, how the author gave them a fair chance yet kept it real, kept it from going to unrealistically too far with the developing emotions.
An entertaining and potent tale, a quick read and that had just enough depth in it to hold my interest.
~ Four Spoons

I love everything Laura Griffin writes because she knows how to write stories that have just the right mix of suspense and romance. There is heart pounding action and simmering romance in her newest novella, TOTAL CONTROL. This story has likable characters, a great story and lots of action.

Jake and Alexa first met when they worked on case together. Now, six months later, they are thrown together again when Alexa asks for Jakes help on a case she is working on. She has a hard time ignoring the sizzling chemistry flowing between them as they work together trying to find out more about a terrorist cell. Jake is a Navy Seal and his stubborn tenacity and unwavering determination have helped him survive seven tours of duty. Special Agent Alexa Mays works for the FBI in counter terrisom. She finds herself constantly trying to prove helpself in this male dominated field. I enjoyed this engaging story. It is the fourth book in the Alpha Control series.

I enjoyed this book. I was glad to see the 2 characters get together after the tension in the first book. I like this series. Hope there is more to come.

Quick yet action packed highly entertaining adventure filled with danger, mystery, interesting charters and hear racing twists..... a thrilling read from beginning to end and a great way to spend a relaxing summer afternoon.