The Agent

The clock is ticking on the crazed antics of a stalker in Herkness’s sexy but uneven final Consultants romance (after The Hacker). Security expert Tully Gibson, one of the founding partners of KRG consulting, has sworn off marriage, believing that no woman would be willing to put up with his adrenaline junkie antics. Natalie Hart had to fight for a divorce from her emotionally abusive husband and has no interest in another failed marriage. For three years, she’s enjoyed being a single, successful salon owner, but fear creeps back into her life when a stalker sends her threatening messages online. The behavior doesn’t mesh with her narcissistic ex-husband, so Natalie turns to Tully for help catching the creep. Tully’s been lusting after Natalie since they were paired off at a mutual friends’ wedding, and he’s all too happy to be a source of comfort for her. Soon the stalker escalates into even more sinister behavior, and it will take all three of the KRG founders to stop him. Readers will be pleased to see the return of favorite characters and the camaraderie among the men is as strong as ever. Tully and Natalie have sizzling physical chemistry, but their emotional connection is never as convincing. The suspense will keep readers hooked, but many will wish for a deeper romance between the leads. (Jan.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the author's last name.