Secret Squirrel by Giulia Lagomarsino

Title: Secret Squirrel

Series: an OPS Protector Romance Book 11

Author: Giulia Lagomarsino

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Protector Romance

Release Date: July 24, 2023

Cover Design: T.E. Black Designs

Photographer: Wander Aguiar

Cover Model: Christoph

I took this job knowing the dangers that awaited me.

It was only a matter of time before I got myself into some serious shit.
But none of it was as deadly as the woman I now found myself engaged to.
She wasn’t my choice. But it was marry her or forfeit my life.
She didn’t want me either.
But to get in deeper with The Syndicate, I needed to be on her father’s good side.
The rules were clear.
I marry her or die.
And his parting words to me made it clear there was no screwing this up.
Her life was now tied to mine.
This wasn’t the way I thought I would see myself getting married, but if I wanted to live to see this job through, I had no choice.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My review:

Secret Squirrel is part of the Owens Protective Services (OPS) series and is book eleven. Unfortunately, this is a series that must be read in order to understand the connection between the characters and intrigue. Every book in the series just keeps getting better and I cannot seem to get enough of the OPS team. I really like how the reading order of the series rotates between the different OPS teams, giving us a chance to meet them all.  This is Asher, who is part of “The Young Squad” team, and Jade’s story and as with all Ms. Lagomarsino’s books, you can expect the unexpected. It is a heartbreaking story that leaves us with a cliffhanger of all cliffhangers!

I highly recommend this series to anyone who wants a book with witty banter, eccentric characters, and intrigue.


I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“I have a proposition for you, though I’m not sure you’re smart enough to take it. We like to keep our business contracts within our circle. Going outside is usually messy, but we’re willing to do it when someone fucks up. O’Toole fucked up big time. No one is very willing to do business right now, but I could grease the wheels and make sure they only do business with you. If you’re a smart man, you’ll accept my help. If you’re not, you’re going to find yourself out of business very quickly.”

And dead at the bottom of a river. That was implied.

“And if I accept? What are your demands?”

His lips quirked up. “I wouldn’t call it a demand. More like a stipulation. I need to know the men I’m working with are just as aware of the risks involved and willing to risk what’s necessary to make this a successful business venture. However, since you’re new to our organization, I require something more…personal.”

My insides clenched as he spoke. Whatever he wanted, it wasn’t going to be good. But if I didn’t go along, I wouldn’t be around much longer.

“And what’s that?” I asked smoothly.

He snapped his fingers, not bothering to look behind him at the guards. I heard a scream as the woman was dragged out of her chair and hauled over to Buchanan’s side. She kicked at the guard, desperately trying to escape his grasp, but he was too strong for her efforts to be fruitful. She stilled, but her breaths huffed out as she stared at Buchanan with anger in her eyes.

“This is my daughter, Jade.” His eyes glittered with mirth as I stared at him. I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but now I was even more confused than before. 

I nodded at the daughter, who only sneered at me. My eyes narrowed, but inside, I was dying with laughter. I’d seen that look before from some of the women at OPS. Seeing her reminded me of my life before I agreed to this crazy mission.

“Jade has disgraced her family, and she has paid for it, but now she’s not a good choice for any of the men I would have considered for her.”

“And why’s that?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why is she not suitable for them?”

“Because she’s tarnished.”

Whatever the fuck that meant. “And?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not liking my tone of voice. Well, I didn’t care for any of this conversation.

“If you want to prove yourself to me and have my help, you will marry her.”

I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.

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