Shay Bassett, a trained nurse, works at a small community center in a not-so-nice neighborhood of Cleveland. The underfunded and understaffed center has a suicide hotline, provides vaccines, counseling and activities for teens both in and out of gangs, and Shay does her part to get them medical care or jobs however she can. Shay will give testimony at a congressional hearing at Case Western Reserve University the next week and hopes her speech will result in legislation to get more money for her "kids." But she doesn't know that FBI cell-phone surveillance has uncovered a connection between one of her teens and known terrorists, putting the committee and her life in danger.

Unbeknownst to Shay, her father, Don Bassett, who works in the CIA, has asked Major Vince Deluca to protect his daughter. Deluca, a member of a top-secret Dark Ops team, owes much to Don, who pulled him from gang activity and helped him get his life together 17 years ago. And 17 years ago, Vince had an unbridled attraction to Shay, but never acted on it out of deference to Don, although Shay interpreted his reaction differently. Protecting Shay could prove dangerous, both physically and emotionally, as the two must stick close together for her safety and for him to help discover the roots of the plot.

Catherine Mann has written a poignant romantic suspense tale in HOTSHOT, the follow up to DEFENDER, the first installment in her Dark Ops series. Where DEFENDER possessed more of a military focus, HOTSHOT explores gang activity in Cleveland, but it is representative of what happens in any poor, urban neighborhood. While I can't speak to the authenticity of the dialogue and slang used throughout the text, it appears to ring true, giving the reader a feel for the type of environment in which the story takes place. Mann gives her characters strong personalities and enough backstory for the reader to care what happens to them. Danger, betrayal and passion fill the pages of HOTSHOT and the plot zips forward with just a few snags. Mann includes a subplot of Shay's father's romance that works well as it might impact the heretofore uncommunicative relationship between father and daughter. I look forward to seeing which member of the Dark Ops team we will meet in RENEGADE, the next book in this series.