The emphasis in this novel is character relationships more than suspense. Many of the characters are from the first book in the series. This plot concentrates on Layla, a CIA Agent and Izzy, an NCIS Agent. Both women come under investigation and must defend themselves to save their careers. Layla is being accused of being a double agent and Izzy is a suspect in the murder of a colleague who assaulted her when she was in the police department. There is some sporadic suspense as the leader of a cartel wants to kill Layla. This is a result of an operation happening before the events in this novel.

A central aspect of Layla's part of the plot is a mole in the CIA and her location being repeatedly revealed. Crooked law enforcement officials seem to be a popular plot point right now and finding one in this novel disappointed me. Izzy's part of the plot dealt with sexual assault. That brought added interest to the novel as I am not sure Layla's story would have been sufficient.

There is a very good Christian message in this novel as Layla reconnects with Hunter, a man who previously hurt her deeply. Forgiveness and honestly is essential in re-establishing their relationship. He has had doubts about his faith and that is addressed well.

The end to this novel is a bit quick. When Layla's issues are finally cleared up, all of a sudden Izzy's are too. That seemed a bit unrealistic to me.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Rachel Dylan’s books are full of intelligent characters, lifelong friendships, ensemble casts, and multi-layered plots with plenty of twists and surprises along the way. Backlash (book two in the Capital Intrigue series) is no exception.

While Dylan’s experience as a lawyer is evident in the details, she also delves into government agencies such as the CIA and DEA. And all of it makes for a fast-paced, entertaining read that is hard to put down.

The balance between suspense, action, romance, and faith is precise, and while there’s a lot going on with multiple investigations and questions, the storyline never got confusing or convoluted.

Fans of authors like Dani Pettrey, Lynette Eason, and Susan May Warren who have multiple points of view and layered plots will enjoy Backlash.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This story has a lot of intrigue and just enough romance. I did not want to put this book down. I loved the twists and turns. This has great characters. I loved each of the different storylines. We get to know a lot about a bunch of characters. I enjoy reading about women who want to work as analysts and spies and more while I am such a homebody. This is so well written. I can’t wait to read the next story. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Wow, this amazing thriller is a must read. This is the second book in the Capital Intrigue series. This romantic suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat from the opening of the cover through the turn of each page. This unputdownable engrossing novel will have you so enthralled in the story that you don’t want to stop reading.

The three CIA agents are very relatable, realistic and likable. When Layla is pushed into becoming a CIA operative and upon her return to DC her life is turned upside down. When a team member is found dead, another member’s house is ransacked and a restaurant that she would frequently meet her co-worker friends at is bombed, Layla soon realizes that she is the target. As an internal investigation is opened on Layla and as luck would have it the lead investigator is her ex-boyfriend Hunter. Is there a mole in the CIA? With so many twists and turns, this romantic suspense novel is intertwined with romance, mystery and inspiration that makes this a bestseller. I love how the characters reflect on their faith in their lives and how they rely on their faith to come out on the other side of life’s challenges. The amazing plot twists are sure to keep you guessing.

I can’t recommend this book enough, I am sure this author will be a new favorite. The storyline will have you flying through the pages, holding your breath to see what happens next, not wanting the book to end but will leave you totally satisfied when you arrive at the last page. I devoured this book and it is a new favorite that I will remember for a long time. Thanks Rachel Dylan for this phenomenal read.

This is book two in the Capital Intrigue series. It is a stand alone book, however you do miss some history of some of the characters and other good reads by skipping book one, "End Game".
This book is full of mystery, suspense and some romance. If you enjoy reading FBI, NCIS, CIA type books you will love this one.
We reconnect with many interesting characters, which we met in book one. There are different story lines throughout this book, however it is well written and you always know which characters are speaking.
This book focus is on Layla and Hunter. When they are forced to work together they must put aside their difference to discover a mole and try to keep the cartel from killing her.
I look forward to reading book three. I love all the characters and all the story lines throughout this series. I was given a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

This was a very intense, heart thumping story. DEA, CIA, Cartel, and moles. Someone within the “good guys” is playing dirty. Making it hard for agents to trust anyone. Sure kept me guessing right up to the last chapter. And romance, wow! Couples learning more about each other making for satisfying love stories. I was glued to my seat as I was reading about car chases with bullets flying, safe houses (or were they?) and a female agent able to shoot out a tire in a car on their tail. Lots of action, friendships and love. Great story!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the author but was not required to write a review.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. It kept me in suspense the entire time and on the edge of my seat. Rachel has a way of drawing you in so that you feel like an actual character in the book. Her writing style is riveting and oh so perfect.

From the FIRST page... sit down and buckle up because wooo boy are you going for a ride! Also, be prepared for some fingernail biting. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Do you ever set out with the intention to figure out "who done it" while you're reading the book. I typically dive in, just trying to enjoy the story, but the more I read suspense novels, the more I want to see if I can deduce who the bad guy is. lol

Well, Rachel has enough characters in Backlash to keep you guessing. I pretty much guessed each person at some point throughout the story. Enough to drive myself crazy! I guess that's a good thing because it means Rachel was keeping me on my toes. There are explosions, shootings, attacks and everything else you expect from a suspense novel like this! lol

Layla was an amazing character in this book! She's not a field agent. She doesn't want to BE a field agent. Thankfully she was required to do some training because she was going to need it in this story. And while she's trying to protect herself from whoever is after her, people around her are dropping like flies. I also liked that Layla's ex-boyfriend, Hunter, is brought in. He was easy to dislike from the start. You hurt Layla, you have to deal with all of us. hahahaha

Then there's Izzy's storyline and honestly, I appreciate that Christian fiction authors are tackling really tough topics such as sexual assault. Rachel handles it from the victim's perspective and she does it very well. It's important for people to also read about the men who support and care for women who have been assaulted, which Rachel does with Jay and Aiden.

As I continued reading this story, I wondered why anyone would want to work for a government agency. lol Do people get started there believing they can change the world? All "pie in the sky" visions and then they turn dirty? OR are they dirty and see an Agency as pay dirt? I don't even know who to trust any more. Anything ever happens to me, I'm hoping Marco, Zane, Cass, Layla, Izzy, Bailey, and Viv are on my side.

Of course, I can't forget the most important aspect of the story... their faith! When characters struggle with faith, I think we can relate to them on a level that helps us see ourselves better. The ladies, who are all friends, are able to encourage and support each other because of their shared faith.

Don't miss out on this fantastic suspense in the heart of the Capital! I wish I would've had time because I would've loved going to Alexandria or DC to get some photos with the book!

Rachel has excelled again in her latest book "Backlash". Layla knows how to hold her own. As arrows come at her from all directions, who can she trust? Perhaps an ex-boyfriend. But can she really trust him? She is an honest person and goes by the book in her job. Will it come back to haunt her? Possibly, but what can Hunter, her ex-boyfriend do to help? I really like Layla, she's strong, determined, hard-working and skilled. She is also a person of integrity and will do what is right regardless of the cost.
You'll keep turning the page and before you know it, you've finished the book.
A MUST READ!

Blessings,
Karen
Rating: 5*
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the Capital Intrigue series. This book could easily stand alone and is quite a suspenseful read. Dylan did an excellent job creating the scenarios and the characters were very real. So much that it seemed your were right there with them. There are four main characters, two male and two female and there were investigations into all of their lives and conduct while working for the CIA and FBI, State Department, and NCIS. Some of the jobs overlapped with a lot of fears, deceit and back stabbings. Who is the Mole? Breath holding suspense until the last chapter. Also woven in is romance, forgiving and christian faith. Loved this book…..I was given a copy by the publisher and I am leaving this review in my own words.

This is the second in the Capital Intrigue series. Wow!! Dylan knows how to keep you guessing all the way to the end. I seriously enjoy these books. I’m not usually a suspense reader but these books are so enjoyable I can’t stay away!!

Backlash is intense. Someone is out to get CIA analyst Layla Karam. It could be a drug cartel from her recent field operation. Or maybe someone in the CIA is framing her. After several attempts on her life, Layla seeks help from her ex-boyfriend and private investigator Hunter McCoy. They try to sort through the puzzle pieces to get the full picture of who wants Layla and several others from their team dead. Of course, romance and danger always seem to go hand in hand!

I loved End Game, and somehow Backlash is even better! Rachel Dylan brought more action, more danger, and all the plot twists I could handle. While the story is action-packed, there’s plenty of time to get to know the characters. Even on Layla’s team, readers get to find out about Zane and Cass, two other agents with the DEA that are also being targeted. They have some romance sparking. Also Izzy faces off with her past in this story, and I’m glad we see more of her in this novel. You don’t have to read End Games to pick up Backlash, but it does explain some of the back story for Izzy.

I highly recommend Backlash – It kept me flipping pages to the very end.

Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved this fabulous, edge-of-the-seat thriller!! Second in the Capital Intrigue series, I was very happy to see these Christian friends who work in the CIA, FBI, State Department, and NCIS that we met in End Game, the first explosive novel in the series. The characters are realistic, likable, and well defined. The mystery is incredible and the whodunit was not anyone I would have anticipated. Stunning and intense, it will keep one up late at night turning pages.

Layla, Vivian, and Bailey were law school students together and have kept a very close friendship since their days at Georgetown University. Layla loves her analyst position at the CIA, but the powers that be have different plans for her. In the top one percent of employees, they want Layla to work in the field. While it is not her preference, she has gone on a few missions. The most recent was in Honduras in conjunction with the DEA. The head of the drug cartel had not been captured, but a huge haul of drugs and cash were confiscated and a couple thugs killed.

One of the DEA agents, a woman, found an intruder tearing apart her home. Fortunately, he left rather than harming her. He had tattoos of cartel symbols, so she wanted to let Layla know in case someone came to her home. The next day Layla went to meet her friends at their usual Saturday lunch place. They were unable to get their usual table. When a bomb exploded in the restaurant, they were minimally injured. The tourists who insisted on taking their usual table were killed. Then a third member of the four-person team who went to Honduras was found murdered at his home. There is no doubt about it, someone is targeting and killing the team Layla went to the Honduras with.

Layla was met at the hospital by long-ago college boyfriend, Hunter, who caused their devastating breakup when he had a drunken fling with another student. Now he is a private investigator who does contract work for the DEA. He may be the only one at this point who can save her life by finding who the killer is. It is suspected that there is a mole in the DEA, so Layla must look at her co-workers and former co-workers with a new eye, people she wanted to trust. Whether she can trust her life to Hunter is another matter.

The characters are defined well through their thoughts, conversations, and actions. One thing that caught my attention is that Rachel has written some of herself into this thrilling novel. I especially enjoyed getting to know Layla much better, learn of her faith struggles over recent years as she shares them with Hunter, who has grown far from the Lord. I definitely appreciated seeing Izzy again as part of this group of faith-filled ladies. Her story, past and present, continues throughout.

The best part, for me, is the reflection of faith in each character’s life, including the struggles and how they get through them. The plot is excellent, the suspense breathtaking. The author had several surprises for us readers, and I would never have suspected who was really working with whodunit!! All loose ends were tied up, and I cannot wait to see these four friends in their next adventure! I highly recommend this to those who appreciate Christian thrillers with protagonists working in various government agencies, faith challenges, danger, and romance.

From a thankful heart: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

I love this authors books she always knocks in out of the park. With this new series I was so excited for book two and Im glad I got the chance to read it. It was amazing it was action packed for sure. There seem to be a lot of moving parts to this book which makes it seem like a lot is going on at first but in the end the puzzle pieces fall into place and it all makes sense in the end. I liked that the author kept it a clean read and that literally keeps you guess up until the end. I can't wait to see where the author takes the team next. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a review and have given my honest opinion.

Backlash was such a great story! It was hard to know who to trust in this tale of intrigue. I really enjoyed the multiple stories going on throughout the novel. Of course, Layla and Hunter’s backstory of love and betrayal was captivating. I enjoyed watching them work together even as the events from the past that broke them up were constantly on their minds.

The story line that followed Zane and Cass was also related to the accusations and danger that Layla found herself embroiled in and added even more trouble for the team members.

And finally, it was great to see Izzy, a side character from book one. She had some serious troubles to face in Backlash, as well. She was such an interesting character with a lot of trauma to overcome from the past as well as new problems that arose in this story.

I really enjoyed this novel and all of the twists and turns it took. Backlash raised the question of who could be trusted within the various government agencies and how easy it could be to make enemies without realizing it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Backlash is the second book in Rachel Dylan's Capital Intrigue series. While there is enough background given that I believe you could probably read as a standalone, I would say it would best be enjoyed reading the series in order. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and I found even having read the first book, it took me some time to remember who was who and get it all straight in my mind.

In this book, we focus on Layla's story. The story truly starts off with a bang, when the restaurant where Layla was meeting her friends is the center of a bomb attack. Could it be related to a case she was working on? In the midst of this, she discovers that she is in the center of an internal investigation... leaving her uncertain of who to trust. She turns to the least likely of sources in her ex, Hunter. Together they navigate the danger and work to discover who is behind these attacks from all sides. While there is definitely some romance there between the two, I have to say much like the first book, the action really takes priority in this story. It was enough to make someone like myself who enjoys the romance happy, without being too much for those looking for more suspense and less romance. Overall, I found their story intriguing and found myself waiting to find out what would happen next.

I likewise enjoyed how the story bounced back and forth between these primary characters and other side perspectives as well. Actually, I must admit I found that I preferred the side characters myself even more. Still, it was an enjoyable read that fans of suspense are sure to enjoy.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

What an adrenaline-filled, intensely engaging thrill ride! Rachel Dylan is a master at weaving romantic suspense tales with non-stop action, relatable and lovable characters, and a complex plot with quite a few surprises. Backlash is book 2 in Capital Intrigue series and it can be read as a stand-alone but reading the series in order will help keep the relatively large crew of main characters straight and help in understanding a subplot that is a continuation from the first book.

The main plot deals with Layla, who is a tough CIA operative, and Hunter, her ex-boyfriend who is now a private investigator that contracts with the DEA. Layla's one joint mission with DEA makes her and her team a target and Hunter is brought in to help out the team. Layla and Hunter have a convoluted history that prevents Layla from trusting Hunter, but escalating threats draw them together as they figure out how to merge their past, present, and future. The subplot deals with Izzy, one of Layla's friends and an NCIS agent (introduced in the first book), who is confronted by her past when a murder investigation lands on her doorstep. These two plots run parallel and don't actually intersect except for the women's friendship but they come nicely together to form a cohesive storyline. The book has it all - the nail-biting suspense, the heart-stopping romance, tough issues like corruption within government agencies and surviving abuse, and uplifting themes like forgiveness and depending on God's bigger plan.

If you enjoy romantic suspense, you will absolutely adore this book.
I received a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Back Lash by Rachel Dylan is another thrilled novel with a wonderful cast of characters. It is book 2 in the Capital Intrigue series. It can be read alone but you miss so much of the character development and book one was great; so I recommend reading both of them.

Layla is an analyst for the CIA but they are trying to convince her to be an operative. Her language skills make her a huge asset. She and three teammates end up killing someone that has the cartel coming after all of them. Hunter, her ex boyfriend from college is one of the people brought in to protect her. Watching their relationship develop was interesting

We had Izzy from book one with a continuation of her storyline from book one. She is dealing with some past trauma and a murder accusation.

Zane and Cass were another couple that we were getting introduced to. I love Zane and I am still on the fence about Cass. It will be interesting to see if they get the next book in the series and where it takes us.

Sexual: kissing 1

Violence: 2.5 there is at least one death, and people trying to kill them. Nothing graphic.

non graphic scenes, but you know that someone was physically and sexually assaulted (possible triggers)

No drinking or language

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.

Fantastic second book in the Capital Intrigue series!

Rachel Dylan uses her knowledge and research skills as a lawyer to create a suspense filled, action packed second installment of her Capital Intrigue series.

As is with all series I love that I am reunited with characters from the previous book and introduced to new characters. Which is fun!

The pacing is perfect. Sometimes with suspense novels the author might speed up things but Rachel Dylan doesn't do that. She keeps the action, twists and turns, as well as the romance moving along at such a good pace that the reader wants to keep reading.

The characters are dimensional, unique with fully developed fictional lives that makes you want to know them, and cheer for them.

Ms. Dylan weaves in the faith thread so well. I'm not one for preachy books and I love how she wove the faith thread in through the relationships.

I highly recommend this series and suggest that you read them in order.



Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher. I wasn't required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

God is there even when we think we can’t feel Him or hear Him - Layla

This statement is one she is sure to repeatedly remember as you follow her through this incredible book! Layla is an accomplished analyst for the CIA, specializing in the Middle East since among her vast skills, she fluently speaks several of the necessary languages for that area of the world. A required assignment with the DEA sends her whole world and the rest of her team into chaos.

The author has once again done a fabulous job of creating multiple stories in one, causing the non-stop action to keep you guessing who or what is behind it all. I will admit, the end result is not what I expected. Murder, a mole in the CIA or is it the DEA, safe houses that aren’t safe, etc. - the suspense won’t let you put the book down! This story can stand alone, but reading Capital Intrigue Book 1 first, gives you even more insight into who Layla is. You don’t want to miss this series!

This ARC was received through Baker Publishing Group, Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley. The impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.