RECLAIMING REBECCA (Whiskey and Roses 1) by Cassie Colton-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 20, 2026

Rebecca Rhodes disappeared without a trace—but just before she vanished, she made two desperate calls: one to Serenity Securities and one to the only man she trusts to come for her.

Julio never believed in fate until he met Rebecca. When she disappeared, he vowed to burn the world down before letting the love of his life vanish forever.

Held captive and fighting to survive, Rebecca endures the pain, the fear, and the darkness by focusing on those she’s vowed to protect. But survival changes a person. And even after the nightmare ends, the scars remain.

Now, Julio must prove she can trust him with her life and her heart.
Because reclaiming Rebecca isn’t just about bringing her home, it’s about giving her a reason to stay.

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REVIEW: RECLAIMING REBECCA is the first instalment in Cassie Colton’s contemporary, adult WHISKEY AND ROSES dark, military, romantic suspense series set in the author’s SPECIAL FORCES: OPERATION ALPHA-SERENITY SECURITIES: TEAM HAWKE series, a part of the multi-authored series featuring characters initially introduced by Susan Stoker. This is FBI Agent Julio Hernandez and CIA Agent Rebecca Rhodes’ story line.

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

Told from several third person perspectives, and several intersecting pathways, RECLAIMING REBECCA focuses on the search and rescue of CIA Agent Rebecca Rhodes. Rebecca Rhodes’ latest assignment imploded, and our heroine found herself the prize possession of an international human trafficking ring. Enduring emotional, physical and sexual abuse, Rebecca refused to give up, helping the other women and children whenever she could, never giving up hope that the man whom she loved would be her knight in shining armor. Fast forward one year, Julio Hernandez and the team at Serenity Securities go in undercover as potential buyers, wherein Julio will bring home the woman he loved but a woman who is struggling to move on from the past. Days, weeks and months will pass as Julio watches Rebecca fall deeper into the abyss, an abyss from which Rebecca may never recover.

The world building is graphic and dark as we are up close and personal with the murder and madness of a world few know anything about.Rebecca Rhodes is determined to protect the women and young girls she considers her responsibility, but the deeper Rebecca falls, she is unable to protect herself.

The relationship between Rebecca and Julio begins as one of the forbidden as government agents working for different factions of powerful law enforcement. Trying to keep their relationship a secret, Julio must reveal the truth when the woman he loves becomes a victim of an international human trafficking ring. The $ex scenes are limited.

There is a large ensemble cast of determined, desperate and charismatic secondary and supporting characters many of whom were introduced and had leading roles in the author’s SERENITY MOUNTAIN series.

RECLAIMING REBECCA is a story of betrayal and vengeance, madness and murder, desperation and survival, healing and love. The character driven premise is dark, gritty and dramatic; the romance struggles in the face of healing and recovery; the characters are dynamic yet broken but fighting to heal.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy