Dark Deceptions is the first entry in a new series by Dee Davis featuring an elite group of secret operatives. I found the romance to be weak, but enjoyed the suspense plot enough to give it a qualified recommendation.

Over nine years ago, Annie Gallagher and Nash Brennon were lovers and partners as covert operatives for the CIA. They snatched time together when they could find it, but made no long-term promises to each other. Their personal and professional relationships were shattered when Annie disappeared at a time when Nash’s life was in danger. Evidence indicated that Annie had betrayed Nash; her disappearance lent credence to that theory.

Nine years later, Nash is a tenured professor at an exclusive private college. However, this is a very unique private institution. Most of the faculty are covert operatives for A-Tac, an elite branch of the CIA. When they’re needed on a mission Nash and the rest of the team (and there are just too many names for me to remember) leave their classes to teaching assistants, and head out into the field. Okay, so they’re not your typical college geeks; they’re gorgeous, brilliant, spies.

The team’s latest assignment comes as a bit of a shock for Nash. High level U.S. officials are targeted for assassination, and the primary suspect is Annie Gallagher.

Annie has spent the last nine years of her life in seclusion in Colorado. She supports her young son – yes, I saw this coming – as a climbing instructor. When her son is kidnapped, she’s forced to come out of hiding. The kidnapper doesn’t want money, he wants Annie to kill a top U.S. official or her son will be killed. While Annie is scoping out her target’s home, she’s spotted by Nash and taken into custody. From that point on, the book moves at a rapid pace as the team works to save the U.S. officials, rescue Annie’s son, and decide what to do with Annie.

As I learned more about Annie and Nash’s original relationship and her eventual disappearance, I had much less sympathy for Nash than for Annie. Nash has spent most of his life focused entirely on his career, with no time for anything other than casual relationships. I could understand why Annie and Nash didn’t trust each other, but found Nash’s eventual capitulation to be a bit rushed.

We’re introduced to a lot of members of A-Tac. I presume this was as a set-up for the rest of the series, but at times, I was confused by all of the different team members, and would have preferred more focus on Annie and Nash.

If you like your romantic suspense heavy on the romance, this is not the book for you, as the focus is definitely more on the suspense plot. In fact, I found the romance to be very weak. However, despite guessing the identity of one of the villains early on, I enjoyed the suspense plot; it kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what would happen next.