A year of looking over my shoulder and struggling to sleep at night, afraid of everyone and everything. Except for him.
I knew it was wrong to watch Zeke the way I did, but I couldn’t stop myself. He was so big. So strong. Calm and controlled. He was also lethal and deadly. The kind of man capable of conquering everyone and everything. Just what I needed.
So I collected every bit of bravery I possessed and asked for his help, hoping he wouldn’t turn me down.
He didn’t.
Now I’m spending every day at his side, learning to be my own hero. He makes me feel strong. Confident. Understood. He also makes me want what I never expected to want again. To be touched. To be held. To be desired. I know he feels the same—I see how he looks at me when he doesn’t realize I’m watching—but I also know he’ll never act on it. If I want more from him, I’ll have to be the one to make it happen. Luckily, someone’s been teaching me how to be brave. How to reach for what I want and grab it. And how to hold on tight enough no one can take it away.
🎀She’s a girly girl 🧸He’s a deadly teddy bear 🛏️She keeps his nightmares away 🍳He learns to make her favorite food 💔PTSD 🩱That pool scene 🥵
Jemma Westbrook does not know how to tell a bad story. And she doesn’t know how to write an uninteresting character. Stoic? Yep. Enigmatic? Yep. Bland and boring? Nope, not even a little bit. And Zeke lives up to the larger-than-life, completely intimidating badass readers full expect him to be. Until Savannah. And oh how I freaking love Savannah. I had no idea how Jemma was going to take Zeke from broody loner to all-in lover, but damn if she didn’t do it freaking perfectly.
What I love about it:
Watching the stoic grump fall, and fall hard.
So much wonderful banter.
Slow burn, to incendiary ignition.
Heroine who finds her footing, recovers her voice, and claims her space... and her man.
Backstories that made me cry and futures that give me so much hope.
Epic crossover I never saw coming, but now can't live without.
Ch 34... the chills I got. Whoa. Did not see that coming.
My FitBit throwing a heartrate acceleration notification.
Favorite quote: “I judged Pierce a little when he lost his shit over the woman who became his wife. Questioned how he could allow his judgment to become so clouded.
Zeke and Savannah are two lost souls who find themselves together and able to help each other heal and find love and peace with each other. Along with adventure and suspense,this book has it all. Absolutely enjoyable.
This supposed to be the first book of the series, yet if you new to the author then you will not understand first 30% of the book. It mentioned Savannah has been kidnapped, but not in detail. You will not understand what she had been through, but you will see mental toll on her. At first you will be patient enough to find it out, then suddenly there's a lot of information that has been lost along the way. I could probably read the previous book in the different series first, but why wasting time when you can see this book is confusing anyway.
I understand this is a cross connection book, but most of the time you will only received a brief mention of other characters. ESPECIALLY if its the first book of a new series.
The other problem I realized was, I don't know that Sadie and Savannah are twins until almost end of the book. Why? Because they don't have usual twin connection. It feels like they were an estranged sibling at best. I knew they were on their rough time, but still. I'm not a twin, but knew couple of twin that will feeling weird looking at their connection.
Connection between Savannah and Zeke.. I really wanted to say their romance is good, but the truth is I'm not so sure. Perhaps true that Zeke the only person who understand Savannah at the moment, but Zeke hung up on his ex definitely not helping his cause. His view against relationship because of what happened with his ex also not a good reason for me. What is his past had to do with his view against relationship? At the end also he said if his ex still alive he probably married her. I mean.. Why?
The problem around the suspense element also a bit chaotic. It's like the author can't decide on one plot. It's convoluted and too muddy to understand.
Covert Operation is perfection! I know they’re fictional characters, but dang Jemma Westbrook writes them as if they’re real. Add exciting action and suspense to the plot and it’s amazing to read.
Zeke has been a part of many iconic moments in the series. He has been the abrasive, stoic leader of Team Shadow that often walked the fine line between two sides. Savannah has been in the shadow of her sister Sadie, waiting for her time. The slow burn between these two opposites lit a fire! He would burn everything down for her.
Savannah touched a part of Zeke’s heart that we never knew existed. I love his softer side. Who knew he could be a cinnamon roll? Chapters 3-4 melted me into a puddle because they showed a side of Zeke that was hinted at but never fully brought out until now.
I love that Savannah redefined her life. She boldly went after the hope and options that Zeke gave her as he stood beside her and behind her, but never in front of her. Sweet on the outside, but bold on the inside for herself and Zeke.
Including a crossover was an epic move. I’m crossing my fingers that we see them working together again. There is a background story there that I’m eager to know more about.
Jemma Westbrook never fails to deliver an excellent story. Each Alaskan Security couple has had a story tailored to their own connection within the bigger picture. She keeps each couple fresh but relevant to the series. This series has kept my interest from book one, and I’m ready to read the new adventures with Team Shadow.
Ah, I LOVE Savannah and Zeke's story, even if it did make me cry multiple times. They are two slightly broken and lost souls trying to find a normal that they can live with - a new beginning, they have baggage, demons and fears but they also have so much love to give. Zeke is big, dark, brooding and can be terrifying, but to Savannah he offers safety and security. She knows he will never hurt her, nor let anyone else close enough to hurt her, she is safe with him, she also knows he would never judge her for her fears, feelings or frustrations. In turn she offers him a freedom he didn't know he needed, but now craves with every breath he takes. Their relationship is beautiful, acceptance without judgement, unconditional love, support, belief and empowerment all wrapped into one very steamy and sexy relationship package. Team Shadow are guys we have met in passing, but here we get to know them better, see their motivations, their broken pieces and their protective instincts...I cannot wait for more from Team Shadow, especially Maddox's book which is next. I read this on Kindle Unlimited.
FMC: Savannah MMC: Zeke Tropes: Romantic Suspense, Healing from Trauma, Friends to Lovers, Close Proximity Setting: Fairbanks, Alaska; Nashville; Memphis
Thoughts: Savannah and Zeke were the perfect couple to start the Team Shadow Spin-off series. Savannah was finally ready to start living and moving forward with who she’d become after surviving being kidnapped and raped a year ago. Zeke was still looking for ways to ease his guilt over something that happened a decade ago and agreed to help her learn to protect herself. The progression of their relationship was perfect. The more time they spent together, the more they understood each other. I really liked that Savannah helped Zeke just as much as Zeke helped Savannah. Zeke was so careful with Savannah, but was constantly surprised by her resilience.
I really enjoyed the plot and pacing of this book. It was the perfect way to have the Shadow team of Alaskan Security move to Tennessee. I really liked the tie between Zeke and Christian from the Sinners and Saints series and the cameo of those characters. This was a great book and a great introduction to the Shadow Team.
OK, so... technically this is a continuation of another Alaskan series, but this begins the new chapter in Tennessee.
Poor me! I'm going to have to binge the prior 12 books... Boohoo - hahaha! (NOT a hardship). It is easy to become invested and attached to this storyline and characters. Zeke has been an effective member of the team, but holding everyone at arms length, everyone except Savanah. She has been through so much pain and trauma that she has kept herself cut off from everyone, while she figures out how to move on. (And this is where prior reading would have come in handy.)
Her sunshiney personality takes a while to rise to the surface, but being around Zeke (and his grumpy demeanor) makes it easy for her to feel safe enough to trust him. Their connection and chemistry is fun to read and enjoy.
There's plenty of dangerous situations that these people deal with, to keep the pages flipping, and I really enjoyed this one. I'm excited for the next one in this series. I'm going back to book one now, and figure out what I missed!
I want to start by saying that I love this series and world that the author has created. I feel like her writing style has changed in the last couple books and I don't feel the same connection to the characters as I did while reading earlier books.
This was a slow burn but the relationship also felt a little quick. There were some conversations related to Savannahs past and the trauma she lived thru but it felt like a lot of missed opportunities to make those conversations deep. Especially with the twins. And Zeke and Mona.....they were close and I was expecting a heart to heart. It all felt under developed and missing heart and depth.
I liked the crossover. But again, I wanted to know more about Christian and Zekes past together. I liked Savannah's time spent with Elise. Her book was a disappointment for me so I was happy to see her back and getting some of her personality back. The description of her driving was the funniest part of the book.
Savannah has decided she needs a new start and believes Zeke is the one who can help give her the strength to take those first steps. Zeke has demons of his own that drive him to help women who need to regain that strength, so he agrees to help her, but an unexpected friendship develops that gives both of them a fresh start. Then Pierce sends them to Tennessee to look for a new place for Alaska Security to start a second chapter and amid the mystery and danger, a romance blossoms and healing is found. There were interesting insights in this story about changes in people who have been traumatized and the difficulties those create in the relationships with those that love them going forward, how those that love them the most can actually hinder their progress when all they want to do is help. The cameos from Christian, Lydia and the others were pretty awesome too! Another awesome story in the series!
Zeke, despite his grumpy exterior, is endearing, especially when it comes to Savanna. Initially, his rough exterior and curt demeanour define him—a hardened man who prefers solitude. However, beneath his gruff facade lies a complex character shaped by past experiences and unspoken vulnerabilities.
Zeke’s transformation through his relationship with Savanna is captivating. Her presence gradually chips away at his walls, and he finds himself drawn to her spirit and determination. Through tender moments and quiet gestures, his character unfolds—from guarded to deeply affectionate and supportive.
Savanna’s gentleness and compassion towards Zeke emerge subtly, revealing his learning to trust and feel deeply. Watching him navigate these emotions, battling his instincts to retreat, is heartwarming and poignant. His journey isn’t just about finding love; it’s about rediscovering lost parts of himself, making his character arc incredibly moving and relatable.
TITLE: Covert Operation AUTHOR: Jemma Westbrook (pen name for Janice Whiteaker) SERIES: Alaskan Security: Team Shadow #1; Alaskan Security #13 RELEASE DATE: 12/27/2024 GENRE: Romantic Suspense RATING: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 SPICE LEVEL: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ ----------- This was my first read of 2025 and I absolutely loved it! The Alaskan Security series is one of my favorites. It feels like coming home any time I get to read a new book in the series. I loved getting reacquainted with some old characters, getting to meet new characters, and being absolutely floored (in a good way) by the appearance of some characters from another one of my favorite series by Janice Whiteaker.
Zeke has been around since at least Book 5 in the Alaskan Security series, Strategic Maneuvers, and has completely fascinated Janice’s/Jemma’s readers ever since he stepped on the page! Savannah hasn’t been around quite that long, but she did first appear in Book 9, Defensive Alliance, and has kind of been lurking in the shadows (I think I just made a pun😏 lol) ever since.
After reading this book, these two have cemented themselves as two of my favorite characters in the series, and one of my favorite couples in the series! I absolutely loved that Janice/Jemma paired Zeke with Savannah! Getting a whole book focused on Zeke was not only exciting, but also heartbreaking when Janice/Jemma began leaking his backstory throughout the pages of this book. Savannah’s story, if you’ve read Defensive Alliance you know is a harrowing tale, and I feel like Zeke and Savannah balanced each other well in this book! They were the calm to each other’s storms!
If you’ve never read this series before, and you’re wondering about if you can read this book as a standalone, I would say no. I think this story would be much more enjoyable if you read at least from Defensive Alliance onward, if not Strategic Maneuvers. I’d recommend starting with Book 1, Loss Recovery (or it’s prequel Collateral Damage), so you get the full enjoyment of the series, but that would be 12-13 books you’d have to binge read before reading this one.
[SPOILER BELOW - DON'T CLICK/READ BELOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED!]
I have been wanting Zeke’s book since his first appearance on page at the beginning of the Alaskan Security series! It was so worth the wait. He has been such a man of mystery, running the full spectrum from not knowing which side he was actually on to how he helped the women of Rogue learn to defend themselves. This book was worth every second of the wait. He has always been this big, bad, scary mercenary but to watch him melt and fall head over heels for Savannah was delightful. I loved how he gave Savannah exactly what she needed, even when she didn’t know she needed it (cue screaming in a soundproof gun range). The best part of the whole thing was watching Savannah realize what she is capable of. These two are fire and I’m sorry the anticipation is now gone for his story but so glad Zeke finally got his HEA!
Covert Operations is so good I didn’t want to put it down. So I decided to cancel my plans for the day (it was 4:30am) and continue. It was totally worth it. You go through so many emotions reading this one. Both Zeke and Savannah have been traumatized. Zeke helps women regain control by being able to defend herself. Savannah has hidden but decides to ask Zeke to help her. His belief in her changes her and shocks him. I laughed out loud a lot. I love that about Janice Whiteaker’s books. There are laughs, drama, tears and steam. This book is steamy with Zeke initially holding back and Savannah wanting all of him. The epilogue is great too.
I read this as a standalone but it's book #13 of a series so there's a lot of backstory that wasn't fleshed out in this book, presumably because it was fully covered in the earlier books. I'm not rating this because it doesn't seem like it would be fair to when I'm the one that read it out of context. The writing was good, I liked the characters, etc, and I'm intrigued enough to consider reading some of the earlier books in order to hear the full story of some of the things that led to this book, but I don't think I'm ready to commit to the full series and I don't want to piecemeal it further.
Loved this story…Savannah had to overcome being abducted and doing what she had to to survive after her parents were murder. After being rescued and moving to Alaska where her twin sister lives and works for a Mercenary team she meets Zeke and asks him to teach her how to fight back. Zeke is 6 foot 6 of solid muscle and fighting his own demons. Savannah isn’t expecting to recover from her trauma at least any time soon, but there is something about Zeke that draws her to him and although too stoic and withdrawn, same goes for Zeke. The twists and turns in this book keep you wanting to turn the page. Really great story!
I enjoy all things “Alaskan Security” and this book was no different. Savannah and Zeke connection grew naturally and they fit each other perfectly. I liked that this book explored the various sides of trauma and how people deal with it differently due to all sorts of reasons. I really got a kick out of the crossover with the “Saints and Sinners” crew and hope that we get more series crossovers in future books. I’m looking forward to the change of location and to Maddox and Audrey’s story next.
Both been through so much, they truly deserved their HEA.
This was a story of trust and allowing walls to crumble, growing and finding the strength within to move on.
Great cross over with another of Janice’s series, no spoilers here, I was so excited when I realised where we were going!
Looking forward so where this new venture for Alaskan security will take us, and hoping we are going to be joining forces with more of the crossover going forward.
Another exciting read from JW! Having met Zeke in previous outings, he exudes stoicism while showing compassion for the women he has helped. Savannah is a sweet, soft and very tough woman who has done the best she could to overcome a situation no woman should have to endure. JW does a fantastic job showing the steps it takes to come to terms with evil thrust upon a person, and the actions needed to rise above. Zeke's compassionate stoicism is exactly what Savannah needs to be a new better version of herself. Loved it!
3.5 stars I don’t think I’ve read anything else in this series. At times, that was a disadvantage. But not too much. This was both a love story and a covert operations story. Lots of characters. Zeke is the MMC. He’s hard and stoic and not very friendly. Until Savannah, the FMC. She was a hostage rescue who was brutalized for quite some time by her captor. Now she’s recovering within the confines of this security group, of which Zeke is a part. Their growing friendship and then love story is sweet.
This was a nice easy read and I liked both characters. It had been so long since I read Sadie and Jamison’s book that I truly had zero clue what was going on with Savannah’s background and that made it difficult. This was a slow burn that flipped a switch and bam, they’re all in. Pacing that out differently would have been nice. I did like Zeke and how he opened up more to Savannah than he had anybody else. He found his person.
Anybody else wonder how Pierce makes money as all these missions just seem personal?
Zeke's HEA with Savannah does not disappoint. What girl doesn't want a growly, protective, larger than life man to stand by her side and support her as needed and what guy doesn't deserve the quietly strong, understanding woman to back him no matter what. That's what Zeke and Savannah are for each other. Definitely a slow burn, but the spice is oh so nice ;) This book will give you all the feels, Enjoy!
I enjoyed reading this book. I typically don’t like to read books where the MC is recovering from a trauma. But the author did a great job portraying Savannah’s strengths. Her internal struggles were not depressing or drawn out. Zeke is so good to her. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. They have some sweet moments and you can really see the love he has for her. There’s good action and a lot of romance in this book.
This was a sweet, suspenseful, and spicy read. Not quite as much action as I was hoping for, but still a good read. Zeke and Savannah had good chemistry and I enjoyed the banter between them. Savannah is trying to find her way back after a life altering experience and Zeke is there every step of the way to help her. Everything wraps up nicely and I loved the bonus epilogue. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.
Savannah is in her new home after being rescued from an abduction and has not been leaving her home from fear. After she visited Zeke to ask for self defence help she wondered if she might have made a mistake asking the largest, meanest looking operator. Can Zeke keep Savannah safe, train her as she needs and still resist his strong feeling for her? Great read!
Another duo find their place together in this story. The concept of starting over after physical assault is always touchy, and the author does an amazing job of telling it from many viewpoints. You'll cheer for all of them by the end. Lots of intimate moments, both emotionally and physically. And lots of action. That's what makes a great Alaskan Security story.
If I could rate this book higher than 5 stars I would! I have been waiting forever for Zeke’s book to come out and the wait was well worth it. I am now the proud owner of the entire series of Alaskan Security. It was tough to read slow because I didn’t want the book to end. Definitely a MUST read!
This was a beautiful book, and the relationship and chemistry between Zeke and Savannah was spectacular. Savannah's recovery did not follow the path I expected, and I think that was a major point, that you need to see people where they are in their journey, not where you want them to be. Loved, loved, loved this book!
Savannah is Sadie’s sister. Sadie is married to to Jameison on Shadow. team. Zeke is the head of Shadow team.they are a slightly broken pair that help heal each other to lead a somewhat normal life,
Incidents start happening are they after Savannah or Zele due to their past. Can they solve the mystery and have a Happily Ever After.
The style of writing was hard to get into. And I feel like there should have been more drama and more between the MMC and FMC. Lots of long inner dialogue in my opinion. And the end was very abrupt. That said I did love the actual characters and the bones of the content. I just think the actual execution could have been better.
Oh boy. We've heard about Zeke since almost the beginning, the deadly mysterious leader of shadow.... and this is the story of how he's brought to his knees by a sweet women who suffered pure hell as they become each other's safety.