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Fiction. Romance. Suspense. HTML: Jina Modell works in Communications for a paramilitary organization, and she really likes it. She likes the money, she likes the coolness factor�??and it was very cool, even for Washington, DC. She liked being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room. But when Jina displays a really high aptitude for spatial awareness and action, she's reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with one of the GO-teams, an elite paramilitary unit. The only problem is she isn't particularly athletic, to put it mildly, and in order to be fit for the field, she has to learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, shoot a gun...or else be out of a job. Team leader Levi, call sign Ace, doesn't have much confidence in Jina�??who he dubbed Babe as soon as he heard her raspy, sexy voice�??making it through the rigors of training. The last thing he needs is some tech geek holding them back from completing a dangerous, covert operation. In the following months, however, no one is more surprised than he when Babe, who hates to sweat, begins to thrive in her new environment, displaying a grit and courage that wins her the admiration of her hardened, battle-worn teammates. What's even more surprising is that the usually very disciplined GO-team leader can't stop thinking about kissing her smart, stubborn mouth...or the building chemistry and tension between them. Meanwhile, a powerful Congresswoman is working behind the scenes to destroy the GO-teams, and a trap is set to ambush Levi's squad in Syria. While the rest of the operatives set off on their mission, Jina remains at the base to control the surveillance drone, when the base is suddenly attacked with explosives. Thought dead by her comrades, Jina escapes to the desert where, brutally tested beyond measure, she has to figure out how to stay undetected by the enemy and make it to her crew in time before they're exfiltrated out of the country. But Levi never leaves a soldier behind, especially the brave woman he's fallen for. He's bringing back the woman they left behind, dead or al… (more)
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There is a lot of lust here, and eventually some very hot sex, but not really any romance. Mostly it's the story of a self-proclaimed nerd reaching deep within herself to learn what she can do.
Levi Butcher leads a paramilitary unit of macho men
It's interesting and the characters are well drawn, even if Levi Butcher comes across as being a bit of an ass sometimes while he tries to convince himself that the only feelings he has for Jina is that of a co-worker. I also had some issues with the resolution as it was a bit pat and easy. Still an interesting read with characters I was rooting for.
The Woman Left Behind is truly vintage Linda Howard. The struggle the two main characters had in keeping their attraction hidden was only a small part of what made this an engrossing novel. Jina's desire to prove herself felt very real as did her fear of many of the situations in which she was placed. My only complaint about the book was that the ending felt both too short and too long. So much of the underlying story about MacNamara and Congresswoman Joan Kingsley had to be explained and resolved that it took away from the main story, but otherwise this was a terrific book, one of Linda Howard's best in recent years.