One Minute to Midnight (2016), a romantic suspense novel by Nico Rosso, follows a former Navy SEAL and soldier in disguise who fall in love during an undercover mission. The second book in the Black Ops: Automatik series, of which each book features different characters. Popular with romance readers, the book received award nominations. Rosso writes both post-apocalyptic romance and romantic suspense novels, and Black Ops: Automatik is his second series. Rosso wrote One Minute to Midnight because he is fascinated by the world of undercover agents and secret operations. The protagonist is Ben Jackson. A former Navy SEAL, he fits seamlessly into the world of undercover justice. He works for the private security company, Automatik, and he is best known for his stealth and calm demeanor under pressure. He doesn’t have any secrets and all he cares about is bringing down the bad guys. A single man without a family, he feels he doesn’t have anything left to lose, and so, he gives every mission his full attention. Mary Kuri, who also works for Automatik, used to serve as a sniper in the Special Forces. She is known for her attention to detail, risk awareness, and precision. Although she hasn’t met Ben before, she’s heard of him and respects his reputation with the company. She knows that Ben is one of the best in his field. One day, Ben and Mary are assigned their first job together. The job is in Morris Flats, which is supposedly the center of a lucrative and dangerous gunrunning ring. Ben and Mary must infiltrate the ring and take out the key players before anyone gets hurt; they don’t have much time to complete the mission. Morris Flats is a town of contrasts. On one side, there is a rich area with privilege, status, and ambition. On the other side, there is a downtrodden and impoverished community. The people who run the town abuse the others; most poor residents know that there is never any justice for crimes committed against them. To infiltrate this town, Ben and Mary must use every skill they have learned in the military. They go undercover. Ben poses as a traveling salesman. He pretends to sell therapeutic magnetic bands for athletes and people with muscle pain. These bands go on their feet and send small, soothing impulses through their muscles—at least, that is what Ben claims. The bands are trackers; he will offer them to as many people as he can so he can watch their movements. Mary poses as a young woman working for a wealthy property developer. She is in town on his behalf seeking land for a commercial business development. Attractive and bubbly, all the local officials want to meet with her. This is great for the mission because she will get access to the powerful people who control the town. While Mary is working on the town leaders under the pretense of seeking planning permission, Ben heads for law enforcement. He believes the police are involved in the gunrunning ring, or they at least turn a blind eye to what’s happening around them. Finding that the police play in a local basketball league, he hangs around there to befriend some of the cops. Ben and Mary must find a way to communicate undercover without drawing suspicion from outsiders. Staying at the same hotel, they pretend to meet each other for the first time in the hotel bar. No one pays any attention to the new people flirting with each other, and so they can meet at the hotel each night in secret. The problem is, they aren’t pretending—they’re falling for one another. As professionals, Ben and Mary try to pretend that they are not in love. Ben doesn’t want his feelings to jeopardize the mission; Mary is afraid to trust men, though she doesn’t reveal why. She has heard that Ben is a major flirt, and she doesn’t want her heart broken. However, they can only deny their feelings for so long, and soon their passion threatens to cloud their judgment. Ben and Mary suspect that the townspeople might be onto them, and it’s only a matter of time before their cover gets blown. They must dismantle the gunrunning ring before the town leaders make them disappear. They request backup from Automatik, but they know they don’t have time to wait for extra help. If they don’t bring down the ringleaders, no one will. They focus on one apartment building from which they suspect the ringleaders operate. Ben and Mary use their stealth, sniper skills, and calm tempers to invade the building, but the ringleaders catch them. Soon, there is a shootout between Ben and Mary and the townsfolk. Backup arrives just in time. The Automatik team saves Ben and Mary, bringing down the gunrunning ring. Ben and Mary promise to continue their relationship.

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