Lexi Mills feels responsible for the death of her partner after an explosion that not only killed him but also took foot. Having stopped in and seen her partner's wife and daughter which hurt her more than the explosion she has been sent to Texas. New people, New partner yet once she gets going into a case everything feels off, for she is thinking it is like the one that took her partners' life. Now does she follow the rules or does she follow her own rules and go after the person who was responsible for the last explosion? This is a good book with an ATF agent a female going after the bad guys and her wanting not only revenge but also justice. A good exciting story with good characters.

This book starts off with a bang…literally.

In the first chapter, we see how Lexi loses her partner during a bomb disposal event that goes very wrong, and also causes Lexi to lose part of her leg and foot. She spends the next year of her life working her way back to health so that she can rejoin the ATF’s Special Response Team. Now though, she has a special motivation for her efforts. She wants to find the criminal who murdered her partner and left her with a partial amputation. When she is sent to a border town to investigate a collapsed tunnel, she just might get her chance.

Brian Shea is a new author to me, but I’ve read several novels by Stacy Lynn Miller, and I recognized her brilliance in this story immediately. The characters are strong and well developed. I really liked how the authors worked in Lexi’s home life with her partner and family. These are not perfect people, and adding that in makes the overall tale more realistic. The setting fits perfectly into the narrative. The story is fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

These two authors obviously make a good team, and together they have given us a gripping tale that thankfully doesn’t end here. There are more books coming in Lexi Mills’ story, and I can’t wait to read them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Seven River Publishing for an honest review.

Lexi Mills feels extremely guilty about her partners death and vows revenge. After she gets cleared for duty after rehab and learning how to live with only one leg, she finally gets out of desk duty and is sent to be an liaison to the local police on the collapse of a tunnel on the border.
Goodreads

4.00 Stars. Good action and entertainment. With the end of 2022 winding down, I had realized I didn’t get the chance to read many action books, in fact hardly any at all this year. I love my YA books, and of course my fantasy and paranormal hopefully with a romantic twist, but sometimes I just want something action packed, with a fast pace, that has me highly entertained. This is where Fuze came in and was a safe pick for me because while I didn’t know Brian Shea, Stacy Lynn Miller, is known for writing some gripping action scenes, but can also add real emotions and even some romance into her action books. I was excited to try their collaboration and I’m glad I did because this was an entertaining read.

I really liked that the main character Lexi (nice name) was an ATF explosives expert. Her job was to disable mines, bombs and any other explosive ordnance. While we see that type of character in movies on occasion, I don’t remember too many books with this as a main character job, so I found it very gripping to read. I also liked that while Lexi was an explosive expert, it didn’t mean she was automatically a superhero in fighting skills and a perfect shot. She was an expert in her field but adequate in other areas because she didn’t need to be more, so it made the book seem very believable when she got into tight spots that she wasn’t a Mary-Sue character suddenly.

Part of what motivates the character of Lexi is revenge. Her work partner was killed in the same explosion that also took part of Lexi’s leg and her foot. We go through some rehab with Lexi and getting used to a prosthetic (which includes wound care and daily use). I thought this book is one of the most thorough books I have ever read on someone who wears a prosthetic. It’s not just mentioned once and forgotten about, instead it’s consistent, informative and felt very real. While my opinion is coming from someone who doesn’t know what it is like, so take it for what it is, but I was impressed.

While this is an action book, this does have some of Lexi’s home life. Lexi has a potential for a sapphic relationship, but you will have to read the book to find out. I would say this is about 75% about solving the mystery of who is behind the crime and all the action scenes, and 25% is about Lexi and her home life, family and friends. I thought it was a good mix. It was just enough to start to get to know Lexi a bit deeper, but plenty of mystery and action to keep the book fast paced.

Lastly, I find myself torn but I feel like I must give a TW. It is an odd TW because it is a TW that the authors never intended to have but because of events that happened after they had written the book, it turned into one. I am going to put it behind a spoiler and in the spoiler, I will just put in general what happened but not any story outcomes. While this is a TW that could affect anyone, it has the chance to affect people from the USA and possible some Canadians a bit more. (view spoiler)

This book was a fun action ride and besides a couple writing bumps, this was a nicely matched writing duo. I just found out that this series is on Kindle Unlimited and that the next installment will be out soon. I’m excited and it is not often that you find action books about queer women ATF explosives experts, and I want to read more.

A copy was given to me for review.

So far Stacy Lynn Miller has not written a series that I didn’t like. Often so much happens and they are generally a little bit out of the norm, which makes it refreshing, so I was very curious how I would like this collab with Brian Shea. I was not disappointed, if you like a lot of action, this is the book to read.

The storyline is well-build starting with the introduction of Lexi Mills (an AFT Bomb expert), how she lost part of her leg, how she coped physically and mentally with that traumatic event and how it led to one of the best things in her life, her girlfriend Nita. But it also left her with unfinished business and a thirst for revenge. The romance in this book is only a minor storyline, but I liked it very much and it adds a lot to the character development of Lexi. Both ladies have baggage and their story is far from finished, I really want to know what lies ahead of them in the next book(s).

The main storyline is about an investigation headed by Lexi and she gets help from detective Black from the Nogales PD. The investigation starts small and becomes bigger as the story progresses and it is full of action scenes. It’s not so much of a mystery as you get to see the POV of the villains as well, although some things are kept in the dark for a while. The story wraps up nicely, but will be continued in a next book.

If I were to rate this on the storyline alone I would easily rate this higher, but the writing could have been smoother, especially at the beginning of the book the dialogues were a bit clunky and there was some repetition of certain facts. Maybe it’s the process of co-authoring and finding the right writing groove as it was less obvious near the ending of the book.

I can’t wait to see how the story continues and I noticed that it’s expected to published in February 2023, so the wait is not long. Recommended!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Some books you just wish you could give more then 5 stars and this one of them!
ATF Lex Mills lost her partner during a raid, but not only that, she also lost her leg. She fights her way back and promises to revenge her partner. Uncovering a terrorist plot has her racing to keep people save, and gives her a chance to finish what she started when her leg was lost.
Excellent read! Perfect addition to your thriller mystery TBR pile.

Book #1 in a new series starts with a bang! Literally. ATF Agent Lexi Mills has survived an explosion that took her left leg from the knee down and killed her partner. She has worked hard at rehab and has returned to duty. Lexi and her new partner are assigned to investigate an organization that Lexi nelieves is responsible for her partner's death. The dynamics as she learns to work through her new abilities and trust her new partner made for an excellent start to this series. Books 2 and 3 are already on the horizon and I feel pretty safe in saying this will be a favorite series of mine.

This is a story about ATF bomb expert Lexi Mills. Lexi has suffered a near catastrophic injury and as had her left foot and leg amputated at the knee. She is fitted with a prosthetic leg and foot. She begins an intense program to regain her strength and get used to the prosthetic leg. Her physical trainer is Nita and they fall in love during her rehab.

Lexi is looking for the person responsible for causing her near death accident and the leader of the Gatekeepers. The Gatekeepeers is a para military right wing group who seek to take over the US government. They are on a mission to stop illegal immigrants from entering the US.

Lexi starts her mission on the US border at Nogales AZ where she meets and teams up with detective Noah Black. Lexi and Noah form a partnership to investigate the collapse of a tunnel under the US/ Mexican border where several people are killed.

This book was high on action and the mystery of who is behind this organization trying to take down the US government. The romance is in the background but it is recognized and several nice and sappy moments occur between Lexi and Nita. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to action fans who like a bit of queer romance to spice up the story.

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I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

This is the first book I have read from Brian Shea (and Stacy Lynn Miller). Not sure why it took so long!

A good story, told well, with twists and turns. Even the ending gives a "hmm" moment.

The main character is Lexi Mills. She is a ATF agent, and she is on the hunt for some very bad people in this book. There are a number of likable and relatable characters helping her along the way. She overcomes a lot of difficulties throughout the book, but continue to show a real stick to it attitude.

I will be reading more from Mr. Shea.

This is a good start to a new series by Stacy Lynn Miller co-authored with Brian Shea who came up with the plot and detailed outline and Ms. Miller brought the story to life. Fuze is book one of the Lexi Mills Series which will be followed by Proximity (book 2) and Impact (book 3). This series features ATF Special Agent Lexi Mills, a bomb disposal expert who lost half her leg and her partner’s life after a wrong move during an operation. Now she is obsessed with hunting down the man who killed her partner.

Fuze is an action thriller with a lesbian protagonist but the focus is mainly on the action not much on her personal life. The book is action-packed and filled with detailed descriptions of bomb-defusing and special operations, and some of them will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Lexi is in a relationship that is very important in her life and presents its own challenges. Most of the beginning of their relationship and Lexi’s struggles after she lost her leg happens off-page, which is a pity because it’s very much connected to the rest, to Lexi’s feelings, and her behaviour. Even though the action parts reach a conclusion, the book finishes with an open ending about what will happen next in Lexi’s professional and personal life so you’ll need to read the rest of the series to find a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, a good action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 4 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the first of what I hope would be a long series, because I really, really enjoyed it. I've read Stacy Lynn Miller before and liked her writing, but still very happy that this collaboration with Brian Shea is top-notch. I really like the main character, ATF agent Lexi Mills, who lost her leg and her partner while trying to enter a compound with a doomsday-like group. Lexi, a biracial, gay woman, has to deal with the trials and challenges of living and working as an amputee plus dealing with survivor guilt. I enjoy the relationship Lexi has with her girlfriend, but just to be clear, this is not a romance-focused book. This is a mystery thriller that follows Lexi investigating a series of crimes that leads to a conspiracy among fundamentalist nationalist groups to eventually sow anarchy and overthrow the US government. The plot moves forward at a good, fast-pace, perfect for those of us who enjoy this genre of books.

** Thank you to Severn River Publishing for providing an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review!**

Great mystery thriller. A story of overcoming and inner power in which our protagonist has pick up the pieces and move forward. I am ready for the next installment.

Fuze is a story about “otherness”, not the same as, different, imperfect individuals who don’t fit a “perfect” mold. Thoughtful portrayals of how it feels not to live up to what others think you should be, how you look, who you love, what you believe. It’s also a high octane thriller with a brave heroine in ATF Special Agent Lexi Mills.
Following the death of her partner, Darby, and the loss of a leg on a failed mission, Lexi is thrown into a harrowing operation to stop home grown terrorists. She logs lots of miles traveling from Kansas City to her new base with the Dallas Feds then to Nogales.
An extremist group at the border crossing has blown up a tunnel. Lexi is teamed up with an indispensable colleague in Detective Noah Black. Together they will face bombings, explosions, a church burning, gunfire attacks, nearly being blown up, and cheat death repeatedly. Lexi has a very personal score to settle with the radical group’s leader. Multiple hate factions are plotting with joined efforts to destroy the government. Lexi and Noah epitomize a very tactical, concise exercise in apprehending and preventing threats. It’s intense, fast paced, nonstop action.
I have read several of Brian Shea’s books, but Stacy Lynn Miller was new to me. Both brought authenticity to the plot. The characters distinctive personalities were thought provoking and memorable. As the first in a new series it has an epic ending, sets up perfectly for additional missions but it didn’t leave me hanging, just waiting for more.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital advance reader copy of “Fuze A Lexi Mills Book” by Brian Shea and Stacy Lynn Miller and Severn River Publishing. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.