A cult is threatening hero Mitch Everlock (who is a high school teacher and an agent for the Trail Hikers---a shadow law enforcement agency) and some of his students who are in a LGBT club in Silver Valley, Pennsylvania. It's up to Mitch and an undercover police officer, heroine Nika Pasczenko (who is disguised as a student) to stop them.

This was an entertaining, compelling, and suspense-filled read and it is the first book I've read by this author. It is part of the "Silver Valley P.D." series so some storylines wrapped up in this book and some are still open to continue in other books in this series. I liked Nika, she was a strong heroine and she did a great job pretending to be a young high school student to get close to some of the kids. (Nika was 29 but looked much younger and was able to pull off looking like a student.) I really liked one of the students (Rachel) that Nika befriended whose mother was captivated by the cult and it's leader. Mitch was a good hero. He was also an ex-marine. Nika and Mitch had great chemistry but they had to keep putting their feelings on hold until they caught the culprit/bad guys. The cult was creepy, especially the leader.

This was a lively and exciting read! ( )

Very good book. Continuing the story from the previous two books (though it can be read as a stand alone), the True Believers cult has gotten a foothold in Silver Valley. Someone is making threats against former Marine and chemistry teacher Mitch Everlock. He is also the academic adviser for the school's Rainbow group, and is worried that his students are in danger. After taking his concerns to the police, they send an undercover cop to investigate. Nika is assigned to the case and tasked with posing as a high schooler to discover who is making the threats.

Sparks flew between Nika and Mitch from the very beginning. There was immediate attraction, but there was also some antagonism. Nika is a trained police officer and doesn't appreciate a civilian butting in on her case. Mitch is more than a chemistry teacher - he's also a former Special Forces Marine, as well as being a member of a shadow law enforcement agency. His protectiveness goes bone deep and it is difficult for him to put aside.

I loved seeing the relationship develop between them. The attraction between them roared to the surface several times, but both would stop it before it went too far. There were several obstacles to overcome. First was the case they are working on. With Nika pretending to be a high school student, starting a relationship would be a bad idea and they both knew it. Her cover could be blown if they were seen together, plus it could become even more of a distraction than it already was. Nika also needed to get past her broken relationship, caused by a man who couldn't handle her job. She fears that Mitch would be the same. Mitch has to realize that he can't be responsible for the whole world and also admit to himself that he's in love with her. I really enjoyed seeing them get closer and learn to trust one another. I really liked his big moment at the end.

The suspense of the story was really good. Nika's investigation started easy, with trying to figure out who was leaving the threatening messages. We get a glimpse of the perp and discover his motivation. A rock thrown through the classroom window almost injures them, then one through her windshield nearly kills Nika. I loved seeing Nika make friends with Rachel, and how Rachel became a link to the cult for the investigation. There was a really tense scene with the two girls and the cult members that really had me on the edge of my seat. The final confrontation had a surprise twist that I didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to the next book. ( )