GRR Reviews Protecting Olivia by Riley Edwards

Olivia just needed some fun to escape her stifling life. Her mother, a White House aide, seems to be having unreasonable mood swings. She never had a father. Having been roofied and kidnapped, and spent days in a stinky room handcuffed to a bed made her contemplate death, and how much life she missed. Then she was rescued... by Leo, callsign Panther, and the rest of Red Team... // When the president calls, the Red Team responds. It seems a White House aide's daughter's missing, and the daughter is best friends with First Daughter and her mom is best friends with First Lady. And someone is sending a message... someone with deep connections and deeper pockets. // Leo "Panther" is an ex-SEAL. Conducting an off-the-books rescue was normal. Falling for the rescue victim, however, is not. Yet from the moment she uttered "don't leave me", Leo was captivated by Olivia. Leo has no choice but to take Olivia into hiding while the rest of the team unravel the conspiracy. Will they give in to their attraction for each other? Will Red Team find out about the grand conspiracy gripping the nation? Who is playing whom?

There are a couple more subplots, like why mom's having mood swings, how Olivia's father actually showed up (turns out it's a secret baby trope), and how the grand conspiracy is confusing as heck, as the "bread crumbs" seems just to be "too easy". But the rescuer falling for the rescued, it's basically insta-love. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Nightstalker by Riley Edwards

Jasmin knew it wasn't the name she was born with. She knew she was captured and tortured and rescued. But she cannot recall the details. She went back into the field as an operator, being the best shot in the business. So who is Lincoln? Why his words can turn her on like no other? And when he went missing on a mission, can she save him? // Lincoln had been through SEAL training, and later, as a CIA operative. He just returned from a two-year undercover assignment, and there was Jasmin, alive and kicking, and... lost. Lincoln knew Jasmin like no other... but that's a secret Jasmin had to find out for herself, and it's hiding in her own mind. When Lincoln went MIA on a mission, Jasmin may be his only hope...

Okay, good twists and turns and the Red Team stories continue in "Protecting Olivia". The military bits are actually not bad, but the conspiracy and hidden identity stuff seem a bit over the top... Like what happened to Jasmin's head... or her secret relationships with others (some she didn't even know) all in the name of "national security". The meta-story, about someone messing with the US government, as vague and twisty that I'm not too sure if I like it. Overall, the novel is definitely a 4/5 though.