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ALPHA Squadron #1

Catch Me if You Can

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Ex-FBI sniper Shane Quincy is just trying to survive one day to the next since his wife’s death two years ago—a death he blames himself for. The last thing he needs is to have the daughter of America’s most infamous mob boss move into the apartment across the hall.

Rachel Valentine is on the run from the only “family” she’s ever known. When Shane Quincy saves her life, she has no choice but to tell him who she’s running from, even though she knows it’ll make him the mob’s next target.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2011

150 people are currently reading
754 people want to read

About the author

Liliana Hart

162 books3,281 followers
Liliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts).

Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex.

Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.

Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.

Enjoy the Adventures!

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5 stars
393 (39%)
4 stars
343 (34%)
3 stars
193 (19%)
2 stars
42 (4%)
1 star
17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
432 reviews7 followers
March 26, 2012
Super exciting beginning, lots of action throughout. I really liked the give and take between Shane and Rachel - there was no real struggle for power between them - they worked well romantically and as a couple on the run. I liked the bit of humor than ran through the book without being overdone as well.

The confrontation between Rachel and her uncle happening requiring Shane to face a situation similar to the one he was haunted by was predictable, which is fine with me. But I felt the author could have heightened the tension which would have made the end a bit more exciting. I hope this author continues to write romantic suspense especially if she brings in some of the minor characters from this one - I'd like to hear more about Wildcat, for example
Profile Image for Rhonda.
451 reviews
May 14, 2014
Catch and hold on for the ride!!

Rachel and Shane have a fired up start and the action never stops! Their seemingly hopeless romance starts with heated looks and emotions. The need to hide from her mob family because of a list is the issue at first! The explosive emotions come when betrayal comes from close range. I feel that this exciting book could be a series showing how the others in this book come to deal with their own feelings about love and emotions that are damaged possibly beyond repair.
2,814 reviews8 followers
January 6, 2016
A very enjoyable book! I love strong female characters, and Rachel Valentine certainly fit that description. Shane was a complex hero and the perfect match for Rachel. I loved the supporting characters as well (Jones!! awww) and am excited to read more about them in future books. There was also a great twist that I didn't see coming!
Profile Image for Serena.
254 reviews5 followers
October 17, 2011
Really really loved this book!! Has a great beginning, middle and end! I am so glad I picked it up!
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,459 reviews27 followers
March 1, 2021
DNF'ed at 56%

Did I read the same book everyone else read??? Well, the part that I did read. I feel like I read something different because my review is not going to be anywhere as near as flattering as other people's.

This one was presented to me as a well written Action/Suspense Romance. It has high ratings and for the love of me, I cannot figure out why! What I got was a 'meh'ly written thing with a less than desirable leading lady. She may look pretty, but that girl needs to be smacked a few times to help her learn some manners. Poor Shane has terrible taste in women.

The author pretty much tosses you into the middle of an action sequence to get you hooked, but the whole time I was annoyed with Rachel's behavior and what I perceived as subpar writing over all (the editing left a lot to be desired too). I confess, maybe my writing bar was set a little high coming off of some of the other books I've been working on. But when I can take this novel and put it beside a Love Inspired and the Love Inspired reigns supreme writing-wise...not good. You know? A good editor can go a lllooonnngggg way in helping your book.

This book also falls into some of those terrible clichés. The super hot guy who is driven to protect the super hot woman cause her body is just so hot, even though she's a rude piece of work he should have abandoned when she showed zero gratitude for being saved from burning to death. Dude should have offered to put her back.

Then there's the insta-love cliches going round (especially on Shane's part cause, again, she's just sssoooo hot)...just stop please.

I don't know. I don't understand the ratings this book has been getting. I didn;t enjoy what I read of this book. So much so, I decided to ditch it, which is something I generally don't like doing.
423 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2019
Amazing book!

This was a great story, but I wouldn't expect any less from this author. This book kept my adrenaline pumping from beginning to end and I just wish I could bystanders little more from this amazing characters. This author has an amazing plot and character building, even secondary characters make an impression on you. Suspense, heat, emotions and drama was on point and I'm actually dad to see it come to an end.
Profile Image for Kristen.
50 reviews
October 23, 2017
DNF

How did this book receive such high ratings??

Little to no relationship building but yet they love each other. 🤔 okkkkkk

The action scenes were well written but I couldn't follow the hot cold interactions with the characters.
1,564 reviews3 followers
Read
August 24, 2019
I got to 35% before I NSFed this one. It was improbable at best and I found both the main characters annoying as all get out.
Profile Image for Chanel.
1,833 reviews
September 4, 2019
This is a fast pace book loaded with action. Shane and Rachel made a good couple. Surprised by the twist. 3.75 Rating
914 reviews11 followers
January 20, 2020
Awesome

I just finished reading this book and it was awesome from beginning to end! I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Sammye.
4,079 reviews25 followers
December 13, 2021
This is a very entertaining book. Lots of romance, action and suspense. I really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for April.
283 reviews
May 17, 2025
2.5 stars. It would be a good vacation read option if you enjoy action, adventure romance.
Profile Image for Eric Townsend.
188 reviews19 followers
January 2, 2016
This is also the first 5-frodo rating I’m giving in 2016, and I am as surprised as I am excited that this was the book that received it. Catch Me if You Can is no ordinary romance, however, as it is more thriller than a happy-go-lucky romp. Without further ado, let’s get into the review!

First, the characters! The MCs, Shane and Rachel, are hauntingly beautiful. Shane is an ex-FBI agent and carries a burden that causes nightmares every time he closes his eyes. His character has more depth than I would have expected, with an old-school charm and personality that hearkens of a cowboy in a Western. He constantly calls Rachel “Sugar” (much to her chagrin), is just as prone to open a door for someone as fire a well-placed bullet, and is both a “man’s man” as a ladies man, which is a combo that’s pretty hard to pull off.

Rachel is a feisty, stubborn woman, but is as caring and sweet as they come to the people important to her (of which there are sadly few). Her backstory doesn’t seem as far-fetched as many I’ve seen in similar thriller plots. She even has just the right mix of badass and realistic fear as someone who hasn’t seen combat and bloodshed before. Rachel is a fighter, but not made of stone, and will try her best but admits to her flaws and limitations. She was a joy to experience.

Then there is the romance! Not only did I love going on a journey with the MCs and the rest of the cast, but the romance developed at the perfect pace between Shane and Rachel. “Love” wasn’t thrown around until it made sense, lust was there early but didn’t get acted on until a decent ways into the book, and there were even repercussions for it! The steamy bits were well done, and didn’t interrupt the flow of the plot which I was thrilled by. THIS is how romance should be written. Thanks Hart!

As much as I enjoyed the romance in Catch Me if You Can, it was the thriller/action aspects that had me on tenterhooks. From fires, to shootouts, car chases to bombs, and even hostage situations and rescues, this book has it ALL. Every sequence was written with the perfect amount of detail, at some points describing the guns involved, at other times focusing on the plot elements and character interactions. Nothing disrupted the swift flow of the plot. It was just a blast.

I could go on and on about Catch Me if You Can, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice it to say that this book is well worth checking out, even if it isn’t your typical genre. I really want to read more of Hart’s work in the future, but for now this book will tide me over. Finally, you know a book has been a great read when the biggest issue I had was Rachel’s cutesy last name of Valentine, which was likely a shoutout to the massacre given that the book is about mob bosses. Wonderful.
Profile Image for Ln Winchester.
70 reviews5 followers
December 13, 2015
Can't recommend. I'm so tired of this character combination.

Take one unpleasant, extremely rude and ungrateful woman, whose sole virtue is being (of course) incredibly beautiful.

Add one hot, sexy, tall ripped man with a haunting military background and a great need to protect. Then stir in terrible taste in women.

Fling these two together in a fire and bake til very overdone.

I just couldn't stand it. A man risks his life to save you and you snap at him for calling you "sugar"? While the fire is burning and you could both die?

If I was trying to save this little beast and she snapped "I'm not your sugar!" I would have told her, "You're right! See ya!" and saved myself. Let her figure it out.

A few minutes later, the man who rescued her offers his hand to introduce himself and she "looks at it as if it's poisonous." She says, "I suppose I should thank you for saying my life." Yes, I suppose you should! And stop being such an ungrateful turd too!

She's totally awful, I don't care why, and he's a total schmuck for being so entranced by her amazing beauty that he wants desperately to save and protect her despite her utterly vile personality.

Authors, please stop. Women can be tough, angry, even damaged, and still behave like decent human beings. They don't all have to be heart-stoppingly beautiful. They can behave like rational adults and not little brats.

Men can be strong without being totally gorgeous and buff and they can be attracted to women for reasons other than their hair, eyes and bodies. They can find bad behavior repellant, even if the woman is gorgeous.

Please, authors, fight the stereotypes and give us people we can like and admire, characters that may be flawed but still try hard to be good human beings. Women don't have to be either weak or harpies. Men don't have to be mighty protectors who only value women for their looks.

We, your readers, deserve better.

Can't recommend. DNF.
212 reviews12 followers
January 4, 2013
Nice read. Not as romantic as some Hart’s other stories until a little later. Probably because the characters are always on the run.

I am very tired of the dream device when one of the characters wakes up from a nightmare related to the past. At least in this one there was no yelling or shouting someone’s name. However, there is another commonly used device where the character is delirious due to being shot. In this part, the character does yell out the name.

I didn’t fully understand Rachel’s reactions to how Shane was assigned as a sniper to one of the cases related to her father in the past. When the truth comes out, she’s angry that Shane would have carried out the order if needed. I didn’t think she needed to be that upset when her dad was a villain at the time, not one of the good guys. So it was perfectly right that this situation took place where a sniper was assigned to the case regardless of who it was. And the explanation she gave for her feelings made Shane look like the bad guy.

Rachel’s character is very strong which I loved, however, she claims that Shane doesn’t have feelings while he was a sniper when the way she sometimes handles some of the news regarding death and the rest of the mob business makes her appear a little too strong making it seem like SHE doesn’t’ care. Kind of contradictory.

Shane was a likeable character. After his wife’s death he didn’t go and sleep with everyone or become a drunk to cover the pain like a lot of the authors make their heroes do in romances. Instead, he started running late at night.

I loved Jone’s character, one of Shane’s really close friends, and the other ones that show up to help him. I hope they are given stories as well.
Profile Image for Stacey.
968 reviews12 followers
September 14, 2014
Shane a man of mystery and a past that he blames himself due to someone he loved dearly .. then in walks Rachel Valentine a woman who's father was a mob boss but decides to protect due to the fact someone tried to kill her in her sleep .. reason well she has something they want and want to insure she never hands it over to the good guys and the fact that the one trying to kill her is someone who is close to .. and sparks fly between Shane and Rachel .. but how will it work one works for the government the other is a daughter of a crime mob boss who went missing as to why and if he is alive due to the fact the MOB is involved to find out if Rachel survives or if she dies or if she can get the package her father sent her before he went mysteriously missing and how will Shane and Rachel tear each others defenses .. to find out buy , read and review and read more by Liliana Hart and read on ..
Profile Image for Claire Simmonds.
414 reviews4 followers
March 31, 2014
never dissapointed i love all of liliana's books havnt found one yet i didnt this one is another great read i like the alpha men she writes about who dosnt want a man to be all dominant and look after you and treat you like a queen , shane quincy is just that man ex sniper/fbi he done it all when his wife died 2 years prev he blamed him self he left the fbi an started his own security company after a nightmare he goes for a run when he gets back his neighbours flat is in fire after rushing in to save her the he finds her chained to the bed his sexy neighbour is a mob dughter and her uncle wants her dead so shane helps her , love it youve got gun , sexy men , mob hits what more can u want lol
326 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2015
I quite like the J.J. Graves series and so looked at other books by Liliana Hart.

This reads like a poor, bad harlequin novel. Short, insta-love and insta-soul mate.

I never liked the characters (mob daughter of the biggest crime family in Chicago but who is completely innocent and loves her family despite what they were involved in), struggled with the plot (death, mayhem, assassins always more stupid than their target), and the resolution was lame (H acted in sniper role bringing back memories of when he last did that and his previous wife died).

If it wasn't for the fact that I actually paid for this book I wouldn't have even finished it. Certainly not going to be looking out for others in the series.
Profile Image for Kim.
475 reviews12 followers
December 15, 2015
I just happened to see this one on sale and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did, this was a great read.

I loved Shane and Rachel. Their story was fast paced and a real page turner. It was paced perfectly really, not so fast it felt rushed but fast enough that I could barely put it down because I needed to know what happened next.

I also really loved the rest of Shane's crew. I totally didn't see that twist coming either, poor Jones. I would love to read more about these guys, especially Jones. This is listed as a series and I hope to see more books in it. This one is a standalone but it certainly left me wanting to read more about these guys, so hopefully there will be more.

Profile Image for Stephanie.
822 reviews38 followers
April 3, 2013
This story makes me remember why I love romantic suspense. What a sweet find. I got this story along with 8 others for 99 cents as part of a bundle. I only bought it for one of the books, because I'd read the author before. Man what a little gem this has turned out to be.

I will be looking for more by this author. I only hope she has plans to write more books containing the other characters from this book.

Well done Ms. Hart, well done.
Profile Image for Sandra.
249 reviews
April 4, 2013
For the start of the new series the alpha squadron, the suspense gets you from the start. Shane & Rachel do have chemistry and sparks between, yet its the suspense that gets you to travel with them in their run for their life. One thing is certain, the next books in the series do promise to be even better. I persnally hope they will get to be as good or even better than Cade, Silk and Satin, and the rest.
Profile Image for Terisa.
818 reviews6 followers
April 9, 2013
OMG! I loved this book. I had never read anything by Liliana Hart but I can tell you that I will read more without a doubt. I love it when books catch me off guard and throw me something that I never saw coming. This one did just that but I won't tell when or who. You'll have to read it yourself. I really liked the characters and hope that some of her books have some of the other heroes in them that came to Shane and Rachel's aid.
Profile Image for Kathy Rice.
214 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2014
Wow what a book!
Hot sexy ex FBI agent and a mobster's daughter! The electricity zinging between the two from the very first moment Shane pulls Rachel from her burning apartment. He saves her life, she puts his in danger. Shots fired, stolen cars and high speed chases. Scanky no tell motel.. Nasty shoulder wound and raging fever, stuck in a safe house for days... Emotions run amuck. Hot steamy sex and betrayal. Can Shane save Rachel from her mobster uncle or get himself killed in the process?
Profile Image for Joy Whiteside.
4,757 reviews108 followers
March 1, 2014
I loved this book. Liliana Hart has written a very enjoyable book, that I could not put down until it was finished.

It moved along at an amazing pace from beginning to end, has characters that you cannot help but fall in love with and an incredible story that will keep you interested from beginning to end and leave you wanting more.

Liliana Hart is an amazing author, and everyone should experience her books.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
103 reviews38 followers
June 25, 2013
This book was okay. A quick read that moved quickly to the ending. Characters seemed to be thought out well but I still felt like some major parts were missing or just glossed over. Even though this is a series of books you don't need to read any of the others to know what is going on. I might eventually check out others in this series but not in the immediate future.
Profile Image for Susan.
28 reviews12 followers
April 9, 2014
Not one of my favorite Liliana Hart books. I had a hard time getting in to this one, picking it up and putting it down a couple of times before I finally forced myself to finish it. It didn't really feel like her other books and the use of both character's full names the entire way through was a little daunting. Good plot though once you get into it.
Profile Image for Carien.
776 reviews3 followers
July 25, 2016
Different in some ways to Ms Hart's writing in that it is far less steamy and yet, the suspense and danger which is always laced through her work is telltale.
Two strong and damaged characters who both need saving but refuse to admit that they need help, make for an interesting read.
It is filled with drama and suspense till the end.
Profile Image for Dísir.
1,719 reviews185 followers
March 23, 2017
I thought the book started out exciting, but by the time I got halfway through, it felt as though I was reading about stock characters in a parody instead of a romantic suspense novel. The writing felt forced and the characters' reactions unnatural and the guys talked way too much about their feelings for me to believe it.
Profile Image for Kimberly Walter.
1,638 reviews15 followers
March 18, 2013
I really loved this one, it was action packed,sad and heartbreaking and with HOT sizzling passion. I can't wait for the rest of the guys to get their own stories, Wildcat aka Jones,Jax, Cutter,Dixon,Merlin,and Doc. Especially poor Jones.
Profile Image for Teresa.
779 reviews13 followers
August 31, 2013
Another fun book. I wonder if this could be a series. Rachel Valentine is an exceptionally strong woman in the midst of her whole life coming apart. Shane and Rachel coming together was great to read develop. A believable story, just enough detail not to bore me, and steamy at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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