Eric Emerson believed in giving his all in any situation. Once an army officer, he now works as a civilian with the TRADOC after being injured during an undercover SpecOps mission. His life consists of haunting nightmares of losing some good buddies, and returning home to a fiasco of a marriage. His military work had a tendency of taking him overseas leaving his wife, Karen, to take care of some matters on her own, but one thing Eric was never guilty of was being unfaithful to her. He has always been loyal to everyone, but for some reason he can please no one now. Karen is constantly on his back, and his counselor tells him to shape up. When he is summoned to work on another mission, things do not seem as they appear when a cover-up is expected and no one wishes a leak. There is one buddy he can turn to and that is Major Samantha Cassidy. For a long time he held feelings for her that he never released. Sam is not only top-notch but also a team player. As a single mom, with a nine-year-old son, Sam gives her all too any project. When higher authorities wish things to remain quiet, she and Eric put themselves at risk, while unraveling the truth, and discovering feelings that begin to surface.

I love reading a romance written by a man, and Tainted Hero is splendid. It is so well-written that I just got lost in each page. Eric is such a likeable and refreshing character that just reaches out and touches the heart. Sam is a strong leading lady in all her actions. I thought she was a great asset to the story. I could not help but feel the emotions that Eric faced while with Karen. The story itself is engaging in every aspect. I can tell that Michael Davis did thorough research in composing this read. He instills mystery and a touch of romance into this delightful read that makes it a keeper of a hit. This is an absolutely wonderful tale with secrets galore, a bit of deception and a smidgen of romance that keeps the pages turning.

Reviewed by: Linda L.