The Agent is the third and final story in Nancy Herkness's The Consultants series. But you certainly don't need to have read the previous two to enjoy this one, and it is an enjoyable story. Which easily blends a little suspense with an engaging romance, whilst also exploring some difficult topics involving domestic violence and those who create safe havens for anyone courageous enough to leave an abusive relationship.

And with plenty of sexy moments, and likable characters, I was engaged throughout. But at times I did feel the writing and the descriptions veered a little to those of a regency or a historical novel rather than a contemporary one. Yet, it was still a satisfying read and out of the three I've definitely enjoyed this one the most.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

A new author to me, I thoroughly enjoyed this
Well written, great characters

Highly recommend

This is the first story I have read by this author and it was good. I liked that the main characters were older (don’t see enough of that in books). There was chemistry and it was well portrayed in the book. I also liked all of the secondary characters with their own little quirks and ways. I love romantic suspense and having just read an excellent story, I went into this with the feeling of “oh yeah, another great story” but unfortunately the mystery was not mysterious (we all knew who the villain was early on). It kind of drug on for me.

4 1/2 Stars for this mysterious romance.

This book had me on the edge of my seat all the way through! There are very few books that I can't figure out from early on ... but this is one that had me guessing till close to the end. I just loved Tully and Natalie ... they were so perfect for each other. Natalie is just a regular girl who owns a hair salon and escaped an abusive marriage a few years earlier. And Tully ... even though he is a wealthy businessman, he comes across as a regular guy (well except that he is a total hunk) with a heart of gold. The characters are well developed and had a natural banter between them. A great story that shouldn't be missed.

Tully handles security issues for the firm he owns with his two best friends because he has that natural protector gene. Natalie and Tully met through their mutual friends and they have been fighting the attraction between them for months. That is until Natalie reveals to Tully that someone has been sending her weird emails. It doesn't take long for those emails to become hand delivered letters and then frightening warnings. While Tully is protecting her, they give in to the attraction even though they know it won't go anywhere. Natalie never wants to get married again and Tully never wants to pass on his family's addictions, so marriage and kids are out of the question for him. Will Tully's feelings for Natalie cloud his professional judgement and put her at risk? You'll have to read the book to find out!

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review..

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, Nancy Herkness, for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for my honest review. I was so intrigued by the premise of this story that I failed to notice that this was the third book in the series—and that I hadn't read either of the first two.

Let me tell you...I will be reading them now.

I enjoyed that I could read this novel as a standalone. Tully and Natalie are so perfect for one another, and the cast of characters supporting them is fantastic. What I love about romantic suspense is that even when the characters experience that "black moment" before the finale, and even though you know it's all going to work out in the end, there's the little tiny voice in your head telling you that you've no idea what's going to happen. How will the characters make it work? Will the villain get away with it even if love prevails?

This book also touches on some serious topics that are near to my own heart, such as domestic suspense and narcissistic abuse. We need stories like this now more than ever, stories that make "strong woman" redundant, and that shift the stigma of what it means to be "abused." Emotional scars are just as real, even if you can't see them on your skin.

If you're looking for a series, check out this one. I loved it, and, of course, it was super sexy! I'm just sayin', I may never look at a grand piano the same way again.

"...falling in love is an act of hope, and we all need to hold on to that comfort as we stumble into the strange and uncertain future."

The above quote is actually from Nancy Herkness' author's note at the end of The Agent, and although I had highlighted several other passages throughout the book itself, this was the one that resonated most with me. The one that summed up why I loved this book—and Ms. Herkness' writing. Having said that, this book wasn't exactly comfortable, per se. After all, our heroine has a creepy stalker and our hero is hellbent on protecting her.

It makes for an exciting and intensely suspenseful read, and definitely keeps one's attention from page to page. There are some twists and some turns, knives and notes, fears and fragility. And it's all handled just so. Truly, I couldn't have enjoyed it more, and yet, it wasn't my favorite part of this story.

Nope, that goes to the sweet, sexy love story between Natalie and Tully. He's basically perfect—and I've known that since book one. I do love me a protective alpha cowboy type, after all, and that's exactly what he is. With a bit of billionaire thrown in because if I'm going to dream, I'm going to dream BIG. And Natalie is a kindhearted, protective soul, too. They make a good match, and the way they connected with one another had a smile on my face and in my heart. And a far bit of heat under the collar, so to speak.

I truly can't wait for whatever comes next for Ms. Herkness. I'd personally love to see the lawyer (you'll recognize who I mean when you read The Agent) get a story. With who? Well, I have some ideas. Until then, however, I'll continue to draw comfort from romance and love and hope for a better future.

I have loved every single thing about this book. It was exciting thrilling and tense.
Stalking is a real problem.
Natalie and Tully meet during the wedding preparations of their best friends. They were instantly attracted to each other but both have avoided relationships for good reasons.
She has been burned before and he was never one to promise something he couldn’t keep. But when Natalie started getting weird emails she asked Tully for help.

Tully is a co-owner of a security company. He’s made it his personal responsibility to guard and keep Natalie safe. Spending so much time together their attraction grew and as both avoided relationships, "friends with benefits" scenario was blooming. Both thought a few fun times between the sheets wouldn’t hurt either of them but as Natalie’s stalker escalated the more security tightened around Natalie and so did their mutual attraction. Suddenly they realize this is a whole lot more than just friends with benefits.

Natalie's anxiety about her independence and having a man in her life forces her to take a step back. But how will Tully be able to keep her safe if she insists they remain part.
Could both possibly overcome their fears and have their HEA?

I’ve been waiting for Natalie and Tully to get the story since I started the series! Natalie is such a strong person but she’s also very sweet. Tully has all the qualities we look for in the hero and plays perfectly for Natalie. Yes, resistance is futile. Sparks will fly. Fires will catch. Love will burn. It’s my favorite and Nancy Herkness is amazing with the delivery!

The Agent was a thrilling story that kept you on your toes about who the anonymous sender is while also keeping you in awe of the relationship building up between the two main characters. I enjoyed the book and finished it in one seating!

The Agent by Nancy Herkness is book #3 in her Consultants series. I loved reading about the third partner, former FBI agent Tully Gibson, meeting his other half. Tully swore he would never get married because of his family background. But Natalie Hart turned that conviction around. Of course after her abusive marriage Natalie wasn't looking to marry again. When Natalie got threatening emails she turned to Tully and KRG Consulting for help and protection. From there the action and suspense revved up. The relationship between Natalie and Tully got hot ans the story ends with a HEA.

Somehow, i seem to end up in the middle of a series where the characters have been presented in the previous books but this didn't shortened my enjoyment for this romantic suspense book.
Tully, an FBI agent, is the ultimate alpha that you will look foreword. He's a true gentleman, in and out of the sheets. Natalie is a strong heroine that will melt his cold stone exterior and while she's trying to make a new life for herself after so much suffering, she falls in love with him when least expected.
I enjoyed the dialogue and the steaminess, the secondary characters as well as the suspenseful moments. It really makes me want to read the previous books because the other characters have left a big impression on me so here i go.

arc provided by the publisher Montlake through Netgalley.

The Agent is the 3rd and final book in the Consultants series by Ms. Herkness and my favorite by far! I really enjoyed this series, but there was something about Natalie and Tully that brought out all the "feels" and emotions that really make some books special. Tully was everything I wanted Natalie to have in her life -- strong, dependable, protective, compassionate and sexy. There wasn't anything in Tully's character that I didn't like -- he was perfect for her. And I loved Natalie's kindness and compassion toward the women who turned to her for help -- what a wonderful, uplifting message this read conveyed of resilience, hope and faith -- things I think we all need while struggling through our current pandemic. I absolutely recommend this series if you follow this author and if you love romantic suspense. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

Romantic thriller involving a stalker who begins by writing notes then esculates. Our heroine calls for help from a tall,dark and handsome security expert and things move swiftly from there. A good read.

Natalie has restarted her life after getting out of a bad relation, and is not interested in another now no matter how tempted she is. But when she starts getting threating emails and letters, she has no choice but to ask for help.
Ex FBI agent, Tully is the security expert at KRG Consulting and has been attracted towards Natalia since they met. And when he know she is being stalked all his protective instincts come into play. He will do anything to keep her safe.
The agent is a wonderful romantic suspense read that is hard to put down. The chemistry between Natalie and Tully burns bright and hot. The suspense is thrilling and the romance swoon worthy. Tully is the perfect hero, sexy, intense, attentive and a gentleman to the core. A truly enjoyable read.

The Agent Review
Just finished reading Nancy Herkness's latest offering, The Agent", book three in The Consultants Series. In each of Nancy's series I find I have a favorite. For this series it would be this book. I really liked the other two couples but Natalie and Tully just struck me so very real. They are two perfectly imperfect people that together they deal with baggage of their past while finding each other.
The story touches on such issues as addiction, spousal abuse (both mental and physical)and how they impact new relationships.
The friends, coworkers and partners were engaging as well as the H an h. The story was intriguing with just enough steam to make it spicy. Love, intrigue and spice makes this a 5+ star read for me.
Nancy...
COVID did not slow you down. Great job!! Great insight into your processes.

I received this ARC for my honest review and I give this book 5 stars.  #TheAgent #NetGalley

This was such a natural conclusion to The Consultants series. Herkness excels at steamy love scenes and exciting drama. But I kept waiting for some twist in regards to the villain. It was a little too straight forward. Even with that said, I still love her books and look forward to what she writes in the future.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own

Great story. The characters had depth and it was a nice steady build with their relationship. The epilogue was a little long but I enjoyed it. I would definitely read more by Nancy Herkness.

I thought that this book was great!

The storyline was fast paced, it was easy to read and follow and it was an addictive read.

The characters were well developed and I really enjoyed their interaction.

I thought that this was a sexy, romantic read with plenty of action - what more could you ask for

It is 4 stars from me for this one, a great story - highly recommended!

*Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.*

The Agent is the third and last book in the Consultant series.

This one is a romance that starts at a wedding when Natalie is being urged to go out with the best man, Sully. As a recent divorcee with a dark past, she isn't interested in getting involved with anyone.

But when Sully takes her home afterward and discovers she is frightened of her ex-husband, he offers to help keep her safe until they discover who has been stalking her. As they spend time together and work on the mystery, they are drawn together. He owns his own Security company and is ex-FBI.

I haven't read the other 2 books in this series, but it was easy enough to get into the story.

It was also pretty easy to guess who was doing the stalking and the Red-Herring of the Ex- Husband didn’t last for long.

At the end of it all, I didn't have a problem with the story, I just wasn't overly drawn into it either. There was good sexy time and it was often enough, but nothing overly mind-blowing either.

3/5 stars

Natalie Hart has finally gotten her life back. She owns a beautiful hair salon. Has wonderful employees and friends. Escaping from her abusive ex took a lot out of her. When she starts receiving threatening notes, sometimes by email or left on her door, Natalie feels like like her life is becoming a bit dangerous. While attending her best friends wedding, Natalie feels a spark with one of the best men, Tully. Tully and his two other best friends own a security company called KRG Consulting. Deciding to ask for his help, took a lot of convincing on her part. Now they are spending more time together and their chemistry is beyond crazy. As the messages get more threatening, Tully spends more time with Natalie. Since neither one of them wants a relationship, they agree to be friends with benefits. The problem is that their friendship is turning into deeper feelings.

Can Tully catch the culprit and if he does, what will happen to this agreement between Natalie and himself.

This fabulous story was my favorite in this series. It had everything, danger, suspense, and lots of hot sexy times!