Review: Good Mix of Action, Romance and Intrigue, all mixed with the Paranormal world.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2013
This is the first book in The Company Store series by Ann Gimpel.  It is also the first book that I have read by this author, but I guarantee it won't be the last.  I liked the way the author slowly brought us into the secret shifter world.  We were given information as we needed it, not just given an info dump.  It made the story more about who the characters are and not what the characters are. And who are they? They are secret agent types that work for an international security company that sends them on missions all over the world. They are also a man and woman who have to learn to trust one another and themselves.We meet Miranda as she is returning to the states after a mission to take out the head of an international human trafficking organization in Amsterdam.  Miranda takes a few minutes to fantasize about Garen, her boss and founder/chairman of The Company.  She knows that they are fruitless dreams, because Garen has a reputation of barely acknowledging employees until they reached full operative status.  Miranda is still just a junior grade agent and has a ways to go.  After she factors in being a lycan, her dreams burst as they always do.When Miranda and her pilot Lars land at JFK, they find out that human trafficking organization known as the International Success Ltd has already beaten them there and killed her new pilot.  It seems they have already figured out who she really was and how to track her down. Miranda and Lars are forced to lie low in a safe house until alternate transport is arranged.Meanwhile Garen, is having a mild freak out.  Miranda was the best choice for taking out Derek Roulan, the head of ISL, due to her being the most exotic and seductive female agent. But against his own company policies and personal agenda, Garen was interested in Miranda. In The Company, only those with supernatural abilities make it to full operative status and learn about each other. Garen had tried many ways and times to figure out if Miranda was one of them, but each time she managed to block him. He knows that until he knows for sure, he can't even think of showing an interest in her. But he also can't get her out of his mind and worrying about her is tying him up in knots.  When he finds out that Miranda and Lars are together, his jealousy is almost more than he can bear.I liked that this story was a good mix of action, romance and intrigue all mixed with the paranormal world. Miranda is a strong, kick ass female, an ex-Green Beret.  She fights for what she believes in and is side by side with the guys kicking bad guy butt.  Garen is an Alpha in every sense of the word, but he doesn't treat Miranda like a moron or a child.  He respects her abilities, and although he wants to hide her away and protect her, he knows that she can do a good job of protecting herself. I am going with 3 stars on Goodreads and keeping a look out for book 2 in the series.