Book Review: Out of Time by Monica McCarty

Out of Time (The Lost Platoon #3)

by Monica McCarty 

Release Date: December 31, 2018

Source: Publisher

Goodreads

A team of Navy SEALs goes on a mission and disappears without a trace--they are the Lost Platoon. 

With his men scattered to all corners of the globe after a disastrous secret op in Russia, Lieutenant Commander Scott Taylor is trying to find out who was responsible for leaking the information that killed half his platoon. Were it not for Natalie Andersson, the woman he had been secretly dating in the Pentagon who had warned him of the danger, he knows they would all be dead. Scott is devastated when he hears that the woman he loved and hoped to marry has been killed for helping him--until he learns that Natalie was the spy who betrayed them. But when his search to clear his name brings him face-to-face with a very-much-alive Natalie, Scott realizes that justice and vengeance might not be as clear-cut as he thought.

Natalie Andersson, or, as she was born, Natalya Petrova, has put the memories of her early childhood in Russia behind her. She never dreamed that she would be at the center of an elaborate "sleeper" espionage program. Even when she learns the truth, she refuses to spy for the country of her birth, until the Russians threaten the lives of the only family she has ever known. But Natalie is the worst spy in the history of spying, falling for her target. When her attempt at misdirection leads to irreversible consequences, she is forced to run for her life, with her lover hot on her tail.

I have been devouring this series as soon as each book comes out and after the way the last book ended, I was definitely excited to finally have Scott's story!

After their unit was double crossed and only a few men survived, these Navy SEALs are forced to relocate across the globe and hide until the mole is uncovered. Scott feels responsible for his team's ambush, especially since his girlfriend in the Pentagon might have had something to do with it. Natalie was adopted from Russia when she was young and learns she was part of a program of Russian sleeper spies. And it's now her time to be awakened. Natalie tries to do as much as she can to hide and help Scott's men, but when Scott tracks her down, she has to convince him she's on his side and all of her feelings for him were always true. 

Going into this one, I was couldn't wait to follow Scott and his search for answers regarding Natalie. Was she really a spy and the reason so many of his men died? What would Scott do when he finally caught up with Natalie? I loved having both of their perspectives so we could see how broken up Natalie felt over the situation and how conflicted Scott felt over if he should believe her or not. Their romance was pretty angsty, which I loved!

While this was Scott and Natalie's story, we also got a side plot of Scott's sister's romance with her ex-husband. I enjoyed following their story too as they tried to help Scott uncover what happened with Natalie and his team. I do wish there was a little more suspense in this one than what we got, but it was definitely more focused on the relationship than heart-pumping action. 

If you haven't picked up The Lost Platoon series, I definitely recommend that you do! They have great romance, great characters, and a serious mystery behind who betrayed the team and what will happen to the SEALs all across the globe.