Forged by Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Malina Johansson is an ordinary woman working as an analyst for a team of Navy SEALs, but she has secrets in her past which nobody can know about and Tyler Hale is one of three brothers and is on the Navy SEAL team which Malina is the analyst for, they have known each other since high school, but Malina has walls around her heart because of her past and Tyler wants to know the woman behind them because they have an attraction which is off the charts. That all changes when they go to Las Vegas for the birthday of a mutual friend and everyone knows that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so the alcohol flows and inhibitions lower and Malina and Tyler end up in bed together for the second time, but when she wakes up, Malina slams her walls back up and flees the room with no memories of the night before, but she thinks no more about it and goes back to ignoring Tyler as best she can while Tyler is determined to get under her skin, again as usual.

Five weeks later and Tyler is still pushing her buttons while she tries to ignore it, but she knows he is about to go on a mission which means she’ll have some breathing room while he is away, but things don’t go as planned and Tyler ends up being detained overseas longer than planned when his mission goes awry and this makes him realise that he can’t keep playing games with Malina any longer and is determined to win her over as soon as he returns to Pearl Harbour and debriefed. A few days into Tyler’s mission, Malina heads to the office after a disturbed night and an early morning dealing with the aftermath of it, all the while, she is reminiscing about a time in her life she would rather forget and sees an old friend at the harbour and stops for a quick chat which helps. It is hot, humid and she isn’t feeling her best when she approaches the front door, but she is shocked when she is waylaid by a coworker before she even gets through and what she is told shakes her to the core, she is suspected of treason and if she is seen, she will be arrested. Malina knows what she has to do and returns home to pack a few things, followed by a bus ride to the harbour via a corner shop and ATM for supplies, she stays as hidden as possible and asks her friend for their help to get to her destination. As she is about to leave, she sees a familiar face in the crowd and hopes that they are not there for her, so although she has only been there once, she heads to Tyler’s place, it is the only place she can think of to hide and hope that he will help her when he returns.

Over the next couple of days, Malina settles in and waits for Tyler while hoping that the conversation they will have will not deter him from helping her, even though it will mean danger for him, but when they do have that conversation, it is sober and over cards, this leads to truths being laid out on the table as they each reveal something which will affect the rest of their lives. Will Malina and Tyler be able to find out who has framed her for treason and the reason why, or will all the secrets of their past destroy them before they can? This is a thrilling ride as revelations occur and danger lies around every corner, it hooks you in and pulls you along as you follow the path and untangle the web of intrigue which surrounds the main characters.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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