Echo: Hold / Dark Signal by Delta James-reviews

ECHO: HOLD
(Men of Echo Ridge 4)
by Delta James
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, military, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 9, 2026

Some missions protect the world. This one protects my family.
I walked away from Rachel Donovan eight years ago, thinking distance would keep her safe.
I was wrong.
Her son just witnessed a Committee execution, and now they’re hunting them both. Protecting them is the mission… but the moment Rachel opens the door, I know it’s more than that.
I’ll hold the line.
I’ll hold Lucas safe.
And this time, I’m not letting her go.

•••

REVIEW:ECHO: HOLD is the fourth instalment in Delta James’s contemporary, adult MEN OF ECHO RIDGE romantic, military suspense series focusing on a group of former Delta Force soldiers. This is Colton Stryker, and single mother Rachel Donovan’s story line. ECHO: HOLD can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order, or have some working knowledge of the story, as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: Having been betrayed while on assignment in Afghanistan, the group of former US Delta Force soldiers, set up a military compound known as Echo Base, Montana where they find themselves searching for the truth all the while, protecting those who need it the most.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Stryker and Rachel) ECHO: HOLD follows in the wake of the threats against Rachel Donovan’s six year old son Lucas, a young boy who witnessed an execution style murder behind a local grocery store. Unaware of the danger, Rachel finds herself facing the man who once broke her heart, the man she struggles to forgive and forget. Colton Stryker has been assigned to protect the woman he has never stopped loving but the ongoing threats by a group known as The Committee, force Stryker to take control, securing Rachel and Lucas at the Echo Base Compound, a compound that is about to become the target of some powerful men.

The world building focuses on the protection and guarding of Rachel and Lucas but approximately eight years earlier Colton Stryker walked out of Rachel Donovan’s life, leaving her to face the wrath of the Mexican Cartel. Fast forward to present day, Colton promises Rachel forever but the threats against Lucas refuse to stop.

The relationship between Rachel and Stryker is one of second chances: a rekindling romance destroyed by one man’s inability to accept his worth but a man who never stopped loving our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include the return of the engaging and determined Men of Echo Ridge: Kan and Willa, Mercer and Delaney, Dylan and Reagan, as well as IT wiz Tommy, communications Sarah, and Afghanistan orphan Khalid. We are introduced to CIA operative Micah Hawthorne.

ECHO: HOLD is a story of power and control, murder and obsession, family and friendships, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is dramatic and dark; the romance is fated and seductive ; the characters are desperate, charismatic and dynamic.

Copy supplied for review

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DARK SIGNAL
(Shadow Strike 1)
by Delta James
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, military, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 16, 2026

I was never supposed to survive the explosion.
One minute I’m alone on the water, collecting data. The next, I’m drowning, saved by a quiet, lethal Navy SEAL who looks at me like he’s been watching me long before the attempt on my life.
Lieutenant Commander Holden Lange is assigned to protect me while base personnel investigate the sabotage. He’s controlled, dangerous, and far too good at reading me. I don’t trust men who make me feel safe. I trusted one once and barely escaped with my life.
But the attacks keep coming. My research is stolen. Someone inside the base wants the data I uncovered, and they’re willing to kill for it.
Trapped in close quarters with a man trained to hunt threats, attraction becomes impossible to ignore. Holden doesn’t push. He waits. Watches. Protects. And every time he touches me, I forget all the reasons I should run.
Because the ocean isn’t the only thing hiding deadly currents.
I came to Tidewater to rebuild my life.
I never meant to fall for the man who dragged me out of the deep.
But love is like the ocean…
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
And impossible to control.

•••••

REVIEW: DARK SIGNAL is the first instalment in Delta James’ contemporary, adult SHADOW STRIKE dark, erotic, military, romance series. This is US Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Holden Lange, and marine biologist Dr. Fallon McKay’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Fallon and Holden) DARK SIGNAL follows in the wake of a number of attempts on the life of our story line heroine. Dr. Fallon McKay’s is researching the tide and erosion along the shores of the Virginia Coast but never expected to find herself facing off against an unknown prey. Hiding from a personal threat back home, Fallon discovers that not only has she been threatened but her research as well. Working alongside with the Joint Expeditionary Base Tidewater and the Navy SEALs, Fallon gains herself an unwanted security detailed, the man with whom Fallon will fall in love. US navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Holden Lange has been quietly ‘stalking’ the woman that calls to his heart but when threats against her life become dangerous and dark, Holden becomes guardian and protector of our story line heroine.

The world building follows the search for the person targeting our story line heroine but all is not as it appears to be. Not only has someone taken aim at Dr. Fallon McKay but her research as well.

The relationship between Fallon and Holden begins as protection when our heroine is target by an unknown assailant. Volunteering as bodyguard, Holden finds himself falling for the woman under his charge. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Holden’s US Navy SEAL team seven: explosives expert Griff Holland, Captain Thatcher Caine, Kowalski, Pike, Esposito and Reynolds, as well as Commander Cynthia Hartwell, Dr. Abernathy, Commander Bradford, and Fallon’s ex Detective Bruce Tanner, and Consultant Daniel Rexford.

DARK SIGNAL is a story of power and control, espionage and secrets, betrayal and vengeance, relationships, friendships, loss and love. The character driven premise is detailed and dramatic but much of the conflict resolution was behind the scenes; the romance is seductive and charismatic; the characters are animated and spirited.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy