Carrie Ward has fought long and hard to build in career in a man's world, first as a military MP and then on as a member of SWAT; now she's a special agent with the California Department of Justice's Special Investigations Group. As the only woman on her team, she tries to make it easy to be seen as one of the guys by being just as tough as they are and downplaying her femininity. It seems to be working until she is wounded in a shootout during which she killed a sixteen-year-old boy. Now everyone is worried about her mental and physical health but Carrie refuses to be seen as weak. It also doesn't help that Carrie's hormones go wild when teammate Jase Tyler enters a room. She doesn't date co-workers but her attraction to him is hard to ignore. Lucky for her it's a one-sided attraction...or at least that's what she keeps telling herself.

Jase Tyler has lusted after Carrie for months. He wants to go much further than the one kiss they unexpectedly shared but Carrie isn't cooperating. It doesn't help that he can't separate the woman he wants to protect and his colleague who insists she can take care of herself, and that he doesn't hesitate to share his reservations about her readiness to take the lead on a serial killer case. Especially one as disturbing as this one... a killer who embalms his victims while they are still alive then removes their eyelids. With a killer who is escalating, Carrie and Jase will have to figure out how to work together before anyone else dies a horrifying death.

SHADES OF TEMPTATION is an intense suspense-filled hunt to stop a gruesome killer. Carrie and Jase are compelling characters; wounded, strong, and trying to figure out how/if they can have a romantic relationship. Ms. DePaul builds quite a bit tension by her powerful depiction of the challenges of being a woman in law-enforcement. Carrie's challenges felt real and will likely be familiar to many woman. I thought the premise was perfect for a romantic suspense novel though I found the balance a little off. The first third of the book seemed to overemphasize the romantic/professional struggle between Jase and Carrie at the expense of the investigation. I did not find the hunt for the killer as riveting as the emotional and intellectual battles between Jase and Carrie.

SHADES OF TEMPTATION is the second book in Ms. DePaul's Special Investigations Group.