Book Review: Damage (Ghost Squad) by Lilith Saintcrow

Damage is the first book in the Ghost Squad series by Lilith Saintcrow. Reeling from trauma and divorce, Cara Halperin takes what should be a simple job with an expensive agency. As a nanny to rich children, she shouldn’t have much to worry about, and her job is just complex enough to keep her from brooding. Unfortunately, the agency’s sent her into a trap. Vincent Desmarais wants to go back into the field, but instead, he’s put on leave. The diagnosis? PTSD. No problem--he can pick up security work on the side to keep himself sharp--that is, if the side work isn’t just as dangerous as the bloody places he’s longing to get back to. When the lights go out, Cara and her young charge have only one option: to trust the new security guy. Vincent finds himself unwilling to abandon them to fate or let them out of his sight. If the trio wants to stay alive, they’ve got to trust each other,  but that may just be what their enemies are counting on.

Damage is a book that surprised me a little. First off- a trigger warning. The trauma that Cara is healing from is a miscarriage which she relives more than once, the divorce is secondary to that. I just wanted to warn readers, because it might be to painful for some readers to handle. I have read Saintcrow before- but not for a few years and not in this subgenre, so it was like reading a new author for me. 

I thought the character development was very well done, and both Cara and Vince have serious issues and trauma that they need to work through. I liked that they were both aware of their own issues, and even when making choices that were not exactly best for their own mental health they understood the why behind both why they were making their choice and that it might not be the healthiest option. I thought the build up of the plot and the action was very well planned, with twists that were in various levels of surprising. I had two issues with the book. While it is technically a romance, since the two main characters end up together, there is no actual interplay between them aside from thoughts they kept to themselves and trying to stay alive. I also thought the ending was a little too easy, it leaves so much room for further mental health damage- even with therapy. If readers enjoy a good suspense novel with complex characters, then this is that, but it did not leave me with the happy glow I get from a romance. I know this is the start of a series, and perhaps these issues will be resolved in later volumes, but I do not think I will be continuing.

Damage is an engaging read with plenty of action.