Take No Prisoners (Black Ops, Inc., #2) by Cindy Gerard

Mass Market Paperback, 363 Pages - Published November 1st 2008 by Pocket - ISBN-13: 9781416566748

Take No Prisoners

(Black Ops, Inc., #2)

by Cindy Gerard

New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard’s red-hot new romantic suspense series features the irresistible men of Black Ops, Inc., a special team of heroes with a taste for living on the edge…

A dangerous attraction…
Abbie Hughes no longer trusts men, but despite her cool indifference, her long legs and showgirl face still draw plenty of attention. Between working as a blackjack dealer, going to school, and keeping an eye on her younger brother, Cory, there’s no time for romantic adventures–until the night a sexy, mysterious stranger places a wager at her table.

Spurred by revenge…
Sam Lang left Black Ops, Inc. when tragedy struck his family. Although he’s determined to retire his M-16 rifle to lead a quiet life on his ranch, a vengeful quest will send him on a manhunt for the ruthless multimillionaire who murdered his sister.

…reveals a savage threat they can’t ignore.
Though Sam suspects Abbie is in on a lucrative gem-smuggling deal her brother made with the enemy, their attraction is undeniable. Now Cory is missing, and together they search the wild Honduras backcountry to find him. With danger on their trail, they must trust each other completely or face certain death alone…

**Review: Falling for the woman you’re investigating can really weigh on you.

Sam Lang left Black Ops, Inc. when the unthinkable happened. Sam was getting too close to Fredrick Nader and his operation. He was determined to stop the cold, maniacal SOB. But Nader got to him first. Planting a bomb in Sam’s sister’s car, blowing up her and her husband, leaving their daughter behind, was Nader’s warning to Sam: Cease and desist, or more will follow.

Sam is now running his father’s ranch outside Las Vegas, taking care of his niece and his parents, determined that he won‘t be the cause of another heartache. But his team receives a hot tip: Cody Hughes is one of Nader’s mules. If they can find Cody, they just might be able to bring Nader down once and for all. When Cody can’t be found in Vegas, Sam seeks out Cody’s sister, Abbie. She‘s a student and a dealer at a casino‘s blackjack table. She must be involved with Nader: the house, the new car, the new furniture, the big diamond pendant… As a student and a dealer, she couldn’t possible afford all of this.

When Abbie meets Sam at her blackjack table, her friend Crystal’s words float through her mind. Having been burned by a now ex-husband, she doesn’t trust men, but there’s something about Sam that has her wanting to take a chance. After a week of Sam’s courting, and a fantastic time in the bedroom, she wakes up to Sam and his team, going through Cody’s boxes in her garage. Stung once again by a man, Abbie is confronted by Sam. Give over Fredrick Nader. But Abbie has no idea what they’re talking about. And when Cody goes missing, fright comes to the forefront. And after the message she receives, Abbie’s determined to fly to Honduras to save her brother, who ended up in way over his head. With or without Sam’s help.

And for Sam, Lord help him, he’s falling for a woman he shouldn’t want.

** Excellent second book in the series! The author brings out emotions in her readers like no one’s business. You can feel Abbie’s hope, the hurt from the betrayal, her determination to get Cody out of the fix he was in.

The emotional war Sam ends up in brings out the Kleenex. He wants to protect what’s left of his family. But taking Nader down, plus payback for his sister and brother-in-law, is overpowering, and he’ll stop at nothing until Nader is caught or dead. Preferably dead. But Abbie’s getting under his skin. He doesn’t want to believe that she not involved in any of this, but as they traipse the Honduras backcountry, not only does he come to believe her, but he’s falling for her. But after his betrayal, how can he convince her to love him? Watching it unfold, is the sweetest thing ever. He finally does earn her trust, and it’s absolutely wonderful to see it all come together. Can’t wait to grab Whisper No Lies, Bk # 3, from my TBR pile.

Rating:

Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard (“Black Ops Inc.” series Book #1)

Mass Market Paperback: 359 pages - Publisher: Pocket; 1st Pocket Star Books Pbk. Ed edition (September 23, 2008 ) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 1416566724 - ISBN-13: 978-1416566724

 

Show No Mercy

by Cindy Gerard

“Black Ops Inc” series Book #1

The sexy heroes of Black Ops, Inc., a covert private secutiry team, sizzle in New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard’s electrifying new romantic suspense, series.

THE SULTRY HEAT…

Only two things can compel journalist Jenna McMillan back to Buenos Aires after terrorists held her captive there just months before: a rare interview with a shadowy billionaire and the memory of the dark and dangerous man who saved her…

HIDES THE DEADLIEST THREATS…

Bad guys, bombs, and bullets are Gabriel Jones’s way of life. But he’ll never forget the brash redhead he rescued not so long ago … or the passionate kiss they shared before he sent her packing.

…AND EXPOSES THE DEEPEST DESIRES.

Now, forced together by a bombing at the National Congress, Jenna and Gabe confront the urgent longings that simmer between them. But this surprise meeting is no coincidence. A ruthless enemy stalks them with deadly precision. The question is … if they make it out alive, will Gabe turn his back on Jenna … again?

Review: Incredible military-style action with mystery and a touch of romance… what more can a girl ask for?

The prologue opens with rundown of a military operation that happened in the past. You get an idea of what the group is about, what the characters are like, especially Gabe. As a soldier, you do what needs to be done, but you very rarely hear them when they grieve. And in that prologue, you feel Gabe’s pain.

Journalist Jenna McMillan is on her parents ranch, recouperating after an ordeal nine months earlier while on assignment in Buenos Aires. She had been taken, tortured… She hasn’t told anyone, not her parents, not her colleagues, not her parents, of what happened then, and she’s having a hard time dealing with it as it is. But while she’s trying to put it behind her, the memory of her rescuer, Gabriel Jones, keeps everything fresh, for even though they met briefly, they’d shared such a passionate kiss, that his memory won’t leave her alone. Her parents are worried about her; her boss wants her on another assignment – back in Buenos Aires. Can she do it? Can she find the courage she believes she lost nine months before? She can, she will, to prove that she can, and to see Gabe one more time.

Gabe couldn’t understand why billionaire Emilio Maxim hired “Black Ops, Inc.” when he had his own security detail. But they’d be requested, and why turned down the money. What he wasn’t counting on was seeing Jenna back in Buenos Aires, on the steps of the National Congress. The car that crashed into the building is wired to blow, and his only thought was getting to Jenna. Seems Jenna had managed, in that brief contact, to get under his skin. Trouble was, he didn’t want her there. His heart died when the woman he loved had been murdered a few years before by Erich Adler, right in front of him. He doesn’t deserve Jenna, and she can do better than him. He can’t give her what he wants, even if he aches to.

But there’s something going on. “BOI” had been requested specifically for this detail, specifically asked that Gabe be there. Jenna had been specifically requested to do this interview with Maxim, at the National Congress. The question is, why? And who? Maxim was being blackmailed and had no choice, but will they believe him when he tells them who it really is that wants them?

**Damn near UNPUTDOWNABLE! Military-style action from start to finish: everywhere you turn, someone or something is being shot at or blown up, and Gabe and Jenna are constanly running. And all while they’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on, Jenna is falling more in love with a man determined to send her packing once again. Gabe is feeling emotions he doesn’t want to be feeling, emotions he thought he killed and buried when Angelina died a few years before, and it’s scaring the daylights out of him.

I really liked Gabe. His inner battles, his struggles with himself, showed the kind of man he really was, even when most didn’t see below the surface.

Jenna … no matter how scared she was, she fought back. Watching her trying to figure out how to get under Gabe’s skin and stay there was a joy, even when he still turned her away.

I loved watching them argue and push each other. I have to admit, constant “lovey-dovey, so terribly sweet on each other” characters, make me sick. This, the banter, the pushing, pitting hero and heroine face-to-face… oh, I like that! LOL! I do have to admit, though, for all the tension and static between them, I found that the love scenes could have been hotter, maybe a little more intense and erotic. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but they could have been HOT.

Some of the cute parts in the book made me sigh and tear up. In the middle of a gun fight and bombs, Gabe still manages to save Nugget, Jenna’s stuffed puppy. And just when she thought she’d lost Nugget for good, Gabe returns him. I thought it was the cutest thing. Another point I liked… usually, an ending for a book like this stops when the guy returns or chases the girl, confesses he loves her, proposes, yadda, yadda, yadda, happily-ever-after. This one, the ending went further, showing snippets of their life together. Now that… That is what I call a perfect ending. Do I recommend the book? You bet I do!

Rating: