Hard to Hold (Hold trilogy, #1) by Stephanie Tyler

Published November 24th 2009 by Dell, Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages, ISBN13: 9780440244349

 THE SPECIAL OPS HERO FEARED NOTHING — UNTIL HE MET A WOMAN TOO HOT TO HOLD.…

Lieutenant Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter—and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert.

If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The special ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned as Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart—until danger throws them together again. And nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot…

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading this book, do not read any further. … okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Jake Hansen, Navy SEAL, gets a transmission in the middle of an African jungle while on their way out: a doctor with Doctors Without Borders had been kidnapped and left for dead, not a mile from his current location. Splitting up, his team continues on, one man goes with him.

Finding Dr. Isabelle Markham nearly brought Jake to his knees, although he doesn’t know why. She’d been stripped of her clothes, bound, gagged, and beaten to a pulp. He gets her out of there, and home.

Two months later, Isabelle is still trying to recover. The slightest human contact makes her agitated, and claustrophobia is beginning to set it – something that never once bothered her before.

But getting over it isn’t simple. With the man who did the damage now behind bars, she should be able to move on, but is finding it difficult. She cannot function the way her mother wants her to. She wants to go back to Africa – she needs to. Her mother, a U.S. Senator doesn’t agree with that, neither does her uncle, Admiral James Callahan. So he pulls strings – several – and gets her a position on base, doing consultant work for the Department of Defense, and actually working at the Naval Hospital.

Running into the man that saved her … she knew it was going to cost her. But she also knew that he would be the only one to understand her, how she felt. Question is: Can she get him to open up?

**Not bad.

Okay, so first we have Jake. Alpha to the core, he’s actually more of an a$$#@!&. He’s hard as nails, and is so completely determined to keep people at arm’s length, he comes across as a complete jerk. Jerk – Jake … hunh, 4 letters. But even before he’d made it home, having rescued Isabelle, she somehow, unintentionally, got under his skin.

Isabelle. In the prologue, I came close to actually disliking her. Was she brave? Yes. No matter how bad she was hurt, no matter who had done it to her, she wanted to make sure she didn’t come away from it feeling like a victim. I get that – more than you realize. But, while down, avoiding gunfire, she wants Jake to put his hands on her? WTF??? Okay, yes she’s in shock, yes she’s traumatized… but after what she went through, having trusted a bodyguard her mother hired, that was supposed to guard her, to keep her safe, was the one that kidnapped her, raped her, and all within 24 hours, she wants Jake’s hands on her? That was a bit over the top for me.

I have to admit, I ended up liking Isabelle. She was fighting back, on her terms. She tried to live the way her mother wanted her to, engaged to a man she didn’t love, practicing in a big hospital… she was being smothered, and was determined to get out. Behind her mother’s and Uncle Cal’s backs, she signed up with Doctors Without Borders again, determined to go back, to fight her fears. But her biggest fear was yet to come – she’d been lied to. The bodyguard, Rafe, was supposed to have been caught, was supposed to be behind bars. He wasn’t, and now he’s after Isabelle.

I really liked how Isabelle got to Jake, and vice versa. How she was able to open up to Jake, knowing that he’d understand. How Jake’s defenses crumbled, bit by bit, because of Isabelle. Neither one judged the other.

The action scenes, in and out of the bedroom, were really good, and I liked the suspense. I enjoyed learning about Jake’s brothers, Nick and Chris, and their father-adoptive father, Kenny. I loved the banter between the men, whether joking or arguing. I did find, however, that the ending was rather too abrupt, but no matter. Do I recommend this? Yes. Am I saying to run right out to your local bookstore or library and snag it? Well… you can walk instead of run.

Rating: .5

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:

Street Game (GhostWalkers, #8) by Christine Feehan

Mass Market Paperback - 450 Pages - Published December 29th 2009 by Jove - ISBN-13: 9780515147605

Street Game

(GhostWalkers, #8)

by Christine Feehan

For Mack McKinley and his team of GhostWalker killing machines, urban warfare is an art. But despite a hard-won knowledge of the San Francisco streets, Mack knows from experience that too many things can still go wrong. Danger was just another part of the game—and now he’s come face-to-face with a woman who can play just as tough.

She’s Jaimie, a woman with a sapphire stare so potent it can destroy a man. Years ago she and Mack had a history—volatile, erotic, and electric. Then she vanished. Now she’s walked back into Mack’s life, as a spy with more secrets than are good for her. Against all odds, she’s hooking up with Mack one more time to take on an enemy that could destroy them both, or bring them back together in one hot, no-holds-barred adrenaline rush.

**Review: The past can haunt you.

A GhostWalker team, headed by Mack McKinley, heads to San Francisco after receiving a tip that an arms dealer has a cache hidden and waiting to be shipped. But the address can’t be right: only one loan occupant on the top floor of a three-story warehouse in the building? Tight security, but bypassable. Something’s not right. There’s nothing on the first floor, the second is high-tech, state of the art computers. But, discovering Jaimie, the woman he once had and lost, on the top floor, couldn’t be a coincidence… Could it?

Together since they were kids, the team is happy to see Jaimie again. She left a few years before, when Mack broke her heart. She’s determined to make it on her own. Creating her own software company, she on contract with the government creating high-tech software. But she has her own agenda: she’s hunting Whitney down. She wants to expose him, and those in the government who are backing him, to expose what he’s done, especially the experiments on children. She’s getting close, and they want her eliminated. However, they’ll only accomplish that over Mack’s dead body.

Mack’s ego and pride are what stopped him from going after Jaimie when she left. This time, he has no intention of letting her go. But can he convince Jaimie that he is what she wants him to be? A man who loves her?

**Another incredible book in the series! Strategy and adrenaline-packed action, it’s awesome to watch the play-by-play with all the characters. To see the comradeship between players who‘ve known each other since they were kids.

Mack, the strong, silent type, is a very intense man who will stop at nothing to keep Jaimie safe, and to bring her back with him. He refuses to lose her again.

Jaimie is determined to stop Whitney, to keep her team, especially Mack, safe. No matter how hard she guards her heart, she still loves him, even when he infuriates her.

The mystery continues, and you know the next book will receive top marks, just like this one. Action-packed, strategy-filled, with plenty of psychic energy between them all, you can’t help but love all the characters, and you can’t wait for their own stories. Two thumbs up, Ms. Feehan!!!

Rating:

Hope’s Folly by Linnea Sinclair – “Gabriel’s Ghost” series Book #3

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages - Publisher: Bantam (February 24, 2009) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 0553592181 - ISBN-13: 978-0553592184

 

Hope’s Folly

by Linnea Sinclair

“Gabriel’s Ghost” series Book #3

Admiral Philip Guthrie is in an unprecedented position: on the wrong end of the law, leading a ragtag band of rebels against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or would be if he could get his command ship – the derelict cruiser called Hope’s Folly – functioning. Not much can rattle Philip’s legendary cool – but the woman who helps him foil an assassination attempt on Kirro Station will. She’s the daughter of his best friend and first commander – a man who died while under Philip’s command and whose death is on Philip’s conscience.

Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened man, and newly minted rebel leader, once she learns the truth about her father’s death? Or will her pasion for revenge put not only their hearts but their lives at risk? It’s an impossible mission: A man who feels he can’t love. A woman who believes she’s unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both.

Review: A great read, even if a little predictable.

(Bookaholic’s Review Note: Make sure to read Gabriel’s Ghost and Shades of Dark before reading this one. That’s a must!)

Admiral Philip Guthrie finds himself now aboard Hope’s Folly, what was once part of the Imperial fleet. Converted to a fruit carrier, the ship was sold to the Alliance under a few conditions: that the ship retain its name, and the cat, Captain Folly, is to remain onboard.  Now Philip is in command of the ship, and they are trying desperately to get it in working order to fight against the Imperial fleet. Philip, still recuperating from a shattered hip and leg (Shades of Dark), was attacked before getting onboard. It seems the ‘law’ wants him alive. Philip can well imagine why, but he’ll do whatever it takes not to end up in the enemies’ hands.

Rya Bennton had been an Imperial Assassin before her father had been killed. Seeing what is happening to the Empire, she is now on the other side of the law, wanting revenge. Now aboard the Folly, she wants in on the action to bring the Empire down. Philip asks her, if she was ever in the same room with the man who took her father’s life and handed a gun, would she kill him? She answers she would, without a doubt or hesitation. But when Philip hands her his gun, Rya the Rebel is confused. While Philip didn’t actually kill her father, he puts the responsibility on his own shoulders, and Rya won’t shoot him, for she’s been in love with the man since she was a kid, when her father brought Philip home to meet the family.

After the attack on Kirro Station, Rya has put herself in the position of guarding Admiral Guthrie against any more attacks. It seems that, at every turn, their efforts to get the Folly functioning, something happens to set them back. The more Rya looks into it, the more she’s convinced their have a saboteur on their ship. And now she’s determined, not only to keep the man she loves alive, but to find the person who doesn’t want the ship to fly.

**While I liked the book, I sort of found it predictable. Philip believes himself a man who can’t love, and yet, even though he refuses to, his feelings for Rya grow. A strong man, he’s determined to thwart the enemy. It’s his knowledge and determination, his personality and inner struggles that readers will love.

Rya – I loved her. She’s just as strong and determined as Philip. I liked her ‘action first, think later’ attitude, and how she’ll do whatever is necessary.

What bugged me a little was how predictable the romance part of the story was. Woman is in love with the man – man falls in love with the woman – believes it’s his responsability to protect her and is determined to put her out of harms way. Once, just once, I’d love to read the romance part of any book where the male keeps the female with him, no matter what. For once, I want the man to hold her there without the female having to fight to stay there. Just once, I want the male’s chauvinistic pride and arrogant attitude to either take a backseat or not appear at all in a love story. Will I ever get my wish? *eyeroll* I’ll let you know if and when it happens. But then again, I guess most lead male characters have to have a little alpha male attitude. *shrug*

However, besides my romance rant, I loved the action and mystery in the story. The author writes it all so well that it’s as if you’re aboard the ship, watching it all unfold in front of you. Her descriptions put you in the thick of it. I loved the characters’ inner battles. I loved the tension you feel between characters, primary and secondary. Way to go, Ms. Sinclair! Can’t wait for the next installment in the Gabriel’s Ghost universe.

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:

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (‘The Bourne’ series Book #1)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: February 1, 1984 - 544 Pages - ISBN: 0553260111 - Published By: Bantam

 

The Bourne Identity

by Robert Ludlum

‘The Bourne’ series Book #1

Jason Bourne

He has no past. And he may have no future. His memory is blank. He only knows that he was flushed out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets.

There are few clues. A frame of microfild surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hip. Evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face. Strange things that he says in his delirium – maybe code words. Initial: “J.B.” And a number on the film negative that leads to a Swiss bank account, a fortune of four million dollars, and, at last, a name: Jason Bourne.

But now he is marked for death, caught in a maddening puzzle, racing for survival through the deep layers of his buried past into a bizarre world of murderous conspirators – led by Carlos, the world’s most dangerous assassin. And no one can help Jason Bourne but the woman who once wanted to escape him.

Review: Finished May 2nd, 2006. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!! You can bet that, when and if I run out of book in my TBR pile (yeah, right – like that’ll ever happen!) or if I’m in the mood, I’ll definitely reread this book, probably the whole series. It’s action-packed, filled with twists, turns, plots, theories, conspiracies, and one man trying desperately to figure out who and what he is. Ludlum’s writing style is/was certainly different, but I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. The characters felt soooo real! You could feel Jason’s pain, his confusion, and although you could tell that Jason and Marie love each other, you don’t quite feel the sparks you should, but then again, the book is by no means a romance – far from it! It’s an ‘edge-of-your-seat-page-turner’ and I’d recommend it to anyone who liked/loved the movie!

Rating:

Bad Attitude by Sherrilyn Kenyon (first full-length ‘B.A.D.’ series novel)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: June 2006 - 368 Pages - ISBN: 1416520295 - Published By: Simon & Schuster

 

Bad Attitude

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

first full-length ‘B.A.D.’ series novel

BAD agent Sydney Westbrook must find the perfect sniper for a risky counter-terrorism mission. J.D. Steele, a military sniper whose attitude problem landed him in prison, seems a good candidate. But as they’re dragged into a secret world of freelance killers, Sydney begins to discover the man of honor and passion beneath Steele’s arrogant facade. It’s a man even Steele didn’t know he could be – and a man whose mission will risk the life of the only woman he’s ever loved…

Review: HOT, HOT, HOT! God, there’s no other way to explain Kenyon’s characters, writing style… She’s a great author with an awesome imagination. The characters are colorful, individual personailities with their own sets of priorities and their own sense of right and wrong. Character and location descriptions are so vivid you can close your eyes and picture it perfectly. (What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on Steele, mmmm-hmmmm!) Kenyon knows how to give the book the right amount of power to create an awesome punch, and that woman knows, hands-down, how to write a sex scene that can make you hot under the collar and wish you can just jump right in. Do I recommend this book? HELL, YES!

Rating:

Crazy Kisses by Tara Janzen (‘Steele Street’ series Book #4)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: February 28, 2006 - 384 Pages - ISBN: 0440242614 - Published By: Dell

 

Crazy Kisses

by Tara Janzen

‘Steele Street’ series Book #4

SOLDIER. HERO. LOVER. HE’S SO DANGEROUS, HE’S OFF THE RADAR.

Professional soldier Kid Chronopolous moves in stealth and shadow to take out the world’s deadliest threats. Now, after barely surviving a hair-raising mission in South America, the Special Defense Forces agent comes home to some sorely needed R & R … and finds a bikini bottom that can belong to only one woman.

Nikki McKinney has never forgiven Kid for vanishing from her life after the mind-blowing passion they shared. Now he’s suddenly back on the planet, where she’s rising to the top of the local art scene. But her safe, sheltered world is about to be rocked to its core. Because there’s a bounty on Kid’s head – and his enemies don’t care if they take him dead or alive. With dangerous people gunning for him, Kid’s got Nikki running for cover … and right into his arms. Keeping her safe is his latest mission. Keeping their hands off each other is out of the question.

Review: Finished just before Midnight, January 31st, 2007. We know what’s been happening between Kid and Nikki right from Book #1, and this one is just like the first three, UNPUTDOWNABLE! Totally wicked! Action, right from the get-go and doesn’t let up. Just when you’re given a moment to breathe, something happens to get your pulse racing again – in more ways that one. No matter how many times you read it, the men are still trying to protect the women, figuring that if they aren’t in your life, you’re perfectly safe. Not so! Ever! We know right from the start the issues that Kid has, and it’s understandable. But poor Nikki, she’s never seen that kind of life, never read about it either, so much of what happens is a shock to her – and rightfully so. But no matter what’s thrown at her, no matter how much in shock she is, reality still kicks in, and she figures it out for herself. The more she loves him, the more nothing matters but loving him. Another perfect story about the lives of the ‘Steele Street’ crew.

Rating:

Crazy Wild by Tara Janzen (‘Steele Street’ series Book #3)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: January 31, 2006 - 416 Pages - ISBN: 0440242606 - Published By: Dell

 

Crazy Wild

by Tara Janzen

‘Steele Street’ series Book #3

It’s a long way from the jungles of Colombia to a Colorado library, where Special Forces operative Creed Rivera is staking out one of the world’s most dangerous women. With her prim librarian looks, Cordelia “Cody” Stark doesn’t look like a nuclea arms broker. But nabbing her is Creed’s mission – until a trio of thugs shows up and he’s suddenly forced to play hero…

Armed with secrets that could ignite a global inferno, Cody was already running out of places to hide. And now a hotshot government agent has blown her cover by throwing himself between her and certain death. Trusting the hero who just saved her life is not an option. Resisting him is something else entirely. And when bullets start to fly, a man and a woman running out of time are gearing up for the wildest adventure of their lives…

Review: Finished January 31st, 2007. Just as UNPUTDOWNABLE as the first two! Again, more than enough action to keep you glued, more than enough romance to highten your own senses, and suspense to fill you with anticipation. And the characters … especially the men … (sigh!) I wish they were real! Wouldn’t mind meeting them face to face, that’s for sure!

Rating:

Crazy Cool by Tara Janzen (‘Steele Street’ series Book #2)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: October 25, 2005 - 448 Pages - ISBN: 0553586114

 

Crazy Cool

by Tara Janzen

‘Steele Street’ series Book #2

With two of his operative teammates in deep trouble in Columbia South America and needing immediate rescue, Christian Hawkins is shocked when his superior yanks him from the mission to attend a state-side auction gala. He has no idea who he is to protect and from whom. However he quickly notices that the highest ranked civilian is his personal nightmare, Katya Dekker, daughter of a US senator, his former teenage lover, and the female who watched while he was imprisoned for two years on false charges…

An explosion occurs leading to chaos, but the undercover agent responds instantly and gets Katya out of there, but Ted Garraty, whose testimony convicted Christian thirteen years ago is dead. Evidence points towards Christian avenging what Ted did to him, but this time he refuses to be railroaded into prison again for a crime he did not commit and he has the skills now to prove his innocence. Still, he needs time and Katya’s cooperation to clear himself of a murder rap before running as far away from her as possible. However, to his chagrin, he still wants the woman he believes betrayed him…

The second Crazy romantic suspense thriller (see Crazy Hot) is an exhilirating tale that never slows down from the moment that all hell breaks loose at the auction event. The story line focuses on Christian’s efforts assisted by Katya to prove he is innocent, but in some ways is driven by the unwanted sexual tension between these two. Fans will enjoy this wild ride and look forward to the third teammate’s tale shortly…

Review: Finished January 28th, 2007. UNPUTDOWNABLE! And just as ‘hot’ as the first novel! Again, Janzen grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go! Filled to the gills with action, adventure, romance, and totally wicked muscle cars! Christian’s is my all-time fave: a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T with a high-performance 383 under the hood (my parents own a 1973 Dodge Challenger Rally with a high-performance 383 under the hood!) This is only Book #2 and I can’t get enough! The action glues you to the page, the males smoking-hot, the women cool under stress, their pasts cross just as much as the present, sexy, sensuous scenes make you hot under the collar, and the cars… (Sigh, LOL!) Throughout the book, you’re right there in the middle of it all, and I couldn’t ask for better!

Rating: