Embedded (Stonewall Trilogy 2) by JL Drake-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK:Release Date November 18, 2025

Nicole Winter has many facets—a war correspondent, a protector, a mother in all but blood.

But those are just titles.

Nicole’s relentless drive for the truth was forged in war zones and honed by years of experience. Her instincts catch the shifts others overlook, and what whispers now is clear— the Cartel is gathering strength, and war is coming. Once, she would have chased the story, but for the first time, she is in a position more dangerous than she has ever faced.

A secret.
A bond.
A betrayal.

Paul is recovering from his wounds, but the scars no one can see cut deepest. He can’t forgive Nicole for putting his son in the spotlight, yet the child he never claimed is bound to her. She’s a risk he can’t afford, yet the only one who can protect his future.

Fueled by vengeance and ambition, Bruno Perez’s recklessness gives Nicole the chance to do the unthinkable and return to the viper’s pit, even if it costs her life.

As the team closes in and loyalties fracture, the green light unleashes the unimaginable. Blood is shed in the most unlikely places, and no one is beyond the line of fire.

••••••

REVIEW:EMBEDDED is the second instalment in JL Drake’s contemporary, adult STONEWALL romantic, military suspense trilogy set in the author’s WORLD OF MAYHEM focusing on war correspondent Nicole Winter, and Stonewall Agent Paul. EMBEDDED should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book one EXTRACTION. If you have not read book one, there may be spoilers in my review

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

Told from three first person perspectives (Paul, Nicole and Bruno) EMBEDDED follows in the aftermath of the rescue of Nicole Winter, and Chase, a small child she rescued from the Mexican Cartel.Having eluded the Cartel, with the help of the agents from the dark Ops group known as Stonewall, Nicole will come face to face with a man she thought was dead but upon their return to the US, and a debrief by the man in charge, Nicole is forced to reveal her own secrets, secrets that will see our heroine poised on the precipice of returning to the scene of the crime. Paul is a man with secrets of his own, secrets of which very few people are aware, and in this, Nicole struggles to trust the man with whom she will fall in love but against Paul’s objections, Nicole is sent back to the Cartel in an effort to retrieve information she left behind.

The world building is detailed, complex yet slow as the agents at Stonewall, as well as our story lie heroine find themselves journeying towards danger as the Mexican Cartel is determined destroyed them all.

The relationship between Paul and Nicole continues to be contentious as Nicole struggles to trust a man she does not know, a man whose secrets are dangerous and dark. As Nicole battles between head and heart, the truth may be something she is unable to believe. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including many crossing over from the Broken, Blackstone and Blackwater series, as well as several members of the Mexican Cartel.

EMBEDDED is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, power and control, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is detailed, complex and dramatic; the romance is edgy; the characters are desperate and dynamic. EMBEDDED end on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Click HERE  for Sandy’s review of book one EXTRACTION

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

J.L. Drake is a bestselling author with multiple series published in several different countries. The Broken Trilogy is her best seller, and her next series, Quiet Mafia, has the same kind of homey feel sprinkled with some yummy darkness.

She was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to southern California. Though she loves the weather in Cali, she would sell her left kidney for a good rainstorm. Jodi’s love of the seasons back home in Canada definitely put in an appearance in her books.

When she’s not writing, you can often find her sitting somewhere along the coast of Huntington Beach, reading, or at home curled up on a couch with her two children and husband, binge watching Marvel movies.

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