StrictlyNeedtoKnow Format: Paperback

When covert operator Maji Rios returns to her sleepy Long Island refuge after years of being anyone the Army needs her to be, all she wants is a quiet summer. Saving a gorgeous stranger from Russian mobsters on her first night home was not in her plans. Nor was waking up with her the next day, inside the notorious Benedetti family’s estate, already on the clock for her next mission.

One brush with danger can't scare Rose diStephano away from her last weeks with her favorite cousin, Angelo Benedetti. How hard could tagging along to Maji's martial arts camp be? Even if it means pretending that Maji is Angelo's girlfriend, rather than the woman she is falling in love with.

Maji will do whatever she must to complete her mission. Infiltrate enemy territory? Check. Protect civilians from blowback? Check. Keep Rose from getting too close? Ouch.

MB Austin, a mild-mannered civil servant by day, spends her discretionary time writing, training in a mix of martial arts, and working to end violence. She also enjoys cooking, eating, reading, dancing, and laughing as much as possible.

MB's first series, featuring Maji Rios, is inspired by real people, in and out of uniform, who work to make their communities and the world safer for all. And by the people who feed them.

MB lives with her fabulous wife in Seattle, an excellent town for coffee-fueled writers who don't need too much sun. Peek into daily life and upcoming stories at: www.mbaustin.me