Name: The Woman Left Behind
ISBN: 9780349413921

Linda Howard

'Suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat' - Bella Levi Butcher is singularly devoted to his work. As team leader for the GO-Team, his unwavering focus is on the mission. Levi knows all too well that one minor distraction can hold deadly consequences. But with the soothing, sensual voice of "Babe," the team's communication expert, constantly in his ear, keeping his concentration on the dangerous work at hand is becoming extremely difficult. Jina Modell definitely doesn't feel like a "Babe," especially when she's working with the gruff, no-nonsense Levi. When the base where she's stationed is attacked, Jina manages to escape but the rest of the team, working some distance away, is exfiltrated, thinking Jina died in the explosion-leaving her stranded. To survive, she's got to figure out how to get back to safety before she's discovered by the enemy. Levi would never willingly leave a soldier behind, especially a brave woman whose sweet voice haunts his every thought. Once he discovers Jina is alive, the tenacious warrior will walk into fire to save this intriguing woman who has captured his heart.

The Woman Left Behind

Elisa Almonte

Thrilling! 

Omg!!! Amazing! The heat projecting between Levi and Jina is absolutely electrifying! I wish there was more to the story, I was NOT ready to let go! Thank you Mrs.Howard!!!

Jina Modell works in Communications for a paramilitary organization, and she really likes it. She likes the money, she likes the coolness factor—and it was very cool, even for Washington, DC. She liked being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room. But when Jina displays a really high aptitude for spatial awareness and action, she’s reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with one of the GO-teams, an elite paramilitary unit. The only problem is she isn’t particularly athletic, to put it mildly, and in order to be fit for the field, she has to learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, shoot a gun...or else be out of a job. Team leader Levi, call sign Ace, doesn’t have much confidence in Jina--who he dubbed Babe as soon as he heard her raspy, sexy voice--making it through the rigors of training. The last thing he needs is some tech geek holding them back from completing a dangerous, covert operation. In the following months, however, no one is more surprised than he when Babe, who hates to sweat, begins to thrive in her new environment, displaying a grit and courage that wins her the admiration of her hardened, battle-worn teammates. What’s even more surprising is that the usually very disciplined GO-team leader can’t stop thinking about kissing her smart, stubborn mouth…or the building chemistry and tension between them. Meanwhile, a powerful Congresswoman is working behind the scenes to destroy the GO-teams, and a trap is set to ambush Levi’s squad in Syria. While the rest of the operatives set off on their mission, Jina remains at the base to control the surveillance drone, when the base is suddenly attacked with explosives. Thought dead by her comrades, Jina escapes to the desert where, brutally tested beyond measure, she has to figure out how to stay undetected by the enemy and make it to her crew in time before they’re exfiltrated out of the country. But Levi never leaves a soldier behind, especially the brave woman he’s fallen for. He’s bringing back the woman they left behind, dead or alive.

A Novel

Totally Addicted to Reading

The Woman Left Behind is the second book in the Go - Team series. 

I enjoyed this book not because the romance was hot, which it was not nor because of the suspense which it lacked. I enjoyed it mostly because of how the heroine was portrayed.

The story began with the villain from the previous installment plotting revenge against the head of the Go -Team. Determined to bring down the team the villain will use any means necessary to accomplish this goal. 

Later on in the story readers were then introduced to Jina Modell aka Babe. Jina is a computer nerd and communications expert for Go-Team. Due to her expertise in video games, she was reassigned to work in the field as a drone operator. However, before she could fulfill her duties, she would need to undergo rigorous training. Remember, she has no field experience. Her team leader did not expect her to last, and he made it known in no uncertain terms. Now this was where my admiration for her grew. She took on every challenge that came her way. Not one to quit she set out to prove she was a worthy team member.

Levi Butcher aka Ace, team leader for the team Jina had been assigned. Not keen on having a woman on his team he was determined to make her feel unwelcome, hoping she would quit. However, when he realized how much of a fighter she was, his admiration, which morphed into an attraction for her, grew. Now his reasons for wanting her off the team has become personal.
There were lots of sexual tension but as team members, they could not succumb.

The story focused on Jina's training, mostly. She went through a lot at this juncture. I admired her fighting spirit. She triumphed despite the odds. The camaraderie she shared with the team was fun and had me laughing at various points throughout the story.

It was not until months after her training that the effectiveness of Jina's training was put to the test. It was at this point I experienced the suspense and action element of the story. However, it did not last long. In the blink of an eye, it was all over. However, Jina proved she was a worthy team member.

Just like the suspense element, the romance aspect proved to be disappointing. The romance was nonexistent. Both characters got to together after everything was over, but there was no build up to their union as a couple. 

I wish I could say the story wrapped up nicely, but the ending was both weak and rushed. Sad to say I felt short changed as I did not get what I was expecting. 

Conclusion/Recommendation
Readers who love stories featuring a strong heroine going through rigorous training and little or no suspense and romance, may like this book. However, for readers of romantic suspense who love a slow burn romance and nail biting suspense, this may not be the book for you.

b.andherbooks

Working at an elite para-military organization has its perks, sometimes they even let you play really cool video games not available to the public during your lunchtime! Super cool, until Jina finds out the game wasn't really a game at all - it was a test that she passed with flying colors, a test that has now landed her into a crazy training program to get her ready to deploy with a GO-Team. 

Refusing to quit despite the crazy training, Jina the IT nerd eventually begins to hold her own with her assigned team of super fit action heroes. She holds her own even though she fervently believes her sexy team leader Levi wants her to fail.

Eventually Jina is fully certified and begins missions with her team. Over the course of year she alternates between being bored, scared, and amped. Jina and Levi hid their massive sexual tension from each other and the team, as but they are both committed to the team. Then Jina gets left behind...

My first Linda Howard, but I enjoyed! Fans may quibble about the very slow burn of this romance. I felt the tension between the characters but I was a little bit mystified over the kinda instant lust/love and the non-interaction that took place for a large part of the book.

Thank you to Avon for the free ARC!!!

Lynn Braden

Jina Modell is a support member of Axel MacNamara's Go-Team unit until MacNamara decides to put selected members of his support staff out in the field with his teams to operate drones that will provide more on the spot intel about their surroundings. Jina becomes the only woman placed on a team. Ace's team is one of the best, and Jina is determined not to give up as she faces challenge after challenge in order to become field-ready. Howard enhances the story with a very vivid description of Jina's struggles with parachute jumping. Things become even more difficult as Jina, known as Babe by her team, and Ace, whose real name is Levi, develop an almost insurmountable attraction to one another.
The Woman Left Behind is truly vintage Linda Howard. The struggle the two main characters had in keeping their attraction hidden was only a small part of what made this an engrossing novel. Jina's desire to prove herself felt very real as did her fear of many of the situations in which she was placed. My only complaint about the book was that the ending felt both too short and too long. So much of the underlying story about MacNamara and Congresswoman Joan Kingsley had to be explained and resolved that it took away from the main story, but otherwise this was a terrific book, one of Linda Howard's best in recent years.