Reviewed by Anna Lynn
TITLE: Exhale
SERIES: Operation Justice #8
AUTHOR: Reese Knightly
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 190 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2025
BLURB:
Exhale the past lest it suffocates…
Former US Army soldier Owen Gray thought he had life all mapped out with a man of his dreams, but Jordan Thomas had other ideas. After a botched attempt at a pass in their friend’s swimming pool, Jordan put the brakes on anything remotely romantic.
Owen was out of patience. Now, he was going after Jordan with everything he had to offer. He knows some about Jordan’s past, maybe not all the details, but he knows enough. And it doesn’t matter…what he wants is for Jordan to give them a shot.
All set to have a show down, Owen gets some distressing news that throws his life into a tailspin.
Former Phoenix techie Jordan Thomas now works for Pegasus and that presents a whole lot of trouble in the form of one big sexy former soldier. He knows he has been stalling about anything close to romantic with Owen and time is running out. If he doesn’t take the plunge soon, he might lose Owen for good.
And that’s something Jordan can’t live with. Ready to set aside his misgivings, Jordan decides to take the dive but then Owen gets some troubling news. News that comes out of left field. Jordan knows one thing is for certain; he will stay by Owen’s side as the man navigates unchartered waters.
Tension is high and things get dicey, but one thing remains clear…
Mess with one and you mess with them all, Pegasus will do whatever it takes to protect their own.
REVIEW:
This is book 8 of one of the series from Ms. Reese Knightley, Operation Justice Force. It will tell us the back story of Jordan and Owen. They are both Operatives of Pegasus, (although Jordan started out in Phoenix), one of the other units under the purview of the former Secretary of Defense. Together with the other units, like Phoenix, Erebus, including one of the newest groups, Genesis. Some of these elite groups operate way under the radar of law enforcement agencies. They are usually called on where there are no other options left in order to stop criminals doing some of the most heinous crimes.
Jordan was rescued by Seth, Frost and Storm eight years ago off the streets of Oakland and brought to Phoenix. When Jordan finished his numerous education, one of which was Masters in Computer Science, getting his PhD on science and cybersecurity, he started being a member of Phoenix and then Pegasus.
After spending some time at the Nightfall Drifter’s ranch and before going back to his unit, he decided to pass by the family that has he become a part of when he save the daughter who was being kidnapped at the time, and spent a day there. Then he was on his was to Pegasus. Jordan and Owen Gray arrived at the parking lot almost at the same time. When an unkempt man approached Jordan, Owen immediately went on high alert. But apparently it was someone Jordan knew from his past life. And Jordan assured him that he was in no danger with that particular man.
When Ace assigned both Owen and Jordan on one case, it was both a relief and a tense moment at the same time because they have been avoiding each other since an incident in the past when Owen kissed Jordan. But now they have work to do together, and so when Owen received a call that his ex-wife died, it was but natural for Jordan to accompany him.
As they started working together, old and unresolved feelings started to surface again and this time, Jordan cannot let it go because he had realized that he wants to be with Owen. So while trying to find out details regarding the death of Owen’s ex, they have to also navigate how they truly feel towards each other. They started to gather information/details about the accident Owen’s ex-wife was involved in and found out that she has twin sons, and ultimately also found out that they were Owen’s sons as well, ones he didn’t know about.
Delving in the background of the murder, more and more disturbing details are coming out, one of the most pertinent one was that whoever killed Owen’s ex-wife was involved in human trafficking, not just drugs and prostitution as they first thought of. So now it is becoming a race against time before Owen’s sons get killed or sold.
If you are an avid reader of Ms. Knightley’s books and series, you will remember that these guys thrive on operations whether covert or not. It might also be familiar that these men are each other’s families. They would do anything for family. I love the mix of action and romance, always have, and this is the kind of book stories that really gets me hyped. So if you are like me, then give this series a try.
Thank you Ms. Reese Knightley for yet another exciting book, and I am looking forward to more.
RATING: 
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