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:

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:

Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen (‘Steele Street’ series Book #1)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: September 27, 2005 - 416 Pages - ISBN: 0553586106 - Published By: Dell Publishing

 

Crazy Hot

by Tara Janzen

‘Steele Street’ series Book #1

Regan McKinney, a studious paleontologist, isn’t exactly accustomed to a life of high crime. But when a mysterious note from her missing grandfather leads her to a secret surveillance site maintained by a notorious special-ops task force, and headed by a smoldering ex-fighter pilot, even Regan can’t resist the chase.

Review: Finished January 27th, 2007. UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! I’ve already said I try not to use that word often, but for this one, I’ve got no choice!

Filled with action, adventure, suspense, romance, and all the muscle cars I could dream of! Tara Janzen knocked me off my feet! She is the absolute first author that I’ve ever read who got down to the nitty-gritty, from chassis up, and what’s under the hood – right down to the high-performance parts! Never had I read an author who went that far into it, and I loved it! On top of that, she’s a woman – a woman who knows this stuff first hand, and completely knocked my socks off. Talking about high-performance parts (actually naming some really good parts makers) and talking about Horsepower and quarter-mile time was a true work of art. She described the surroundings magically, making you feel like you’re actually there, and the characters have pasts, are compassionate, full of life, and the story line never drags. Right from the first chapter, it catches you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the final sentence in the last chapter. If you’re like me, absolutely adore heat-of-the-moment action, adventure, romance and adore muscle cars, this is one novel – heck, one series ! – I highly, highly recommend!

Rating:

Conspiracy Game by Christine Feehan (‘GhostWalker’ series Book #4)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: October 31, 2006 - 368 Pages - ISBN: 0515142166 - Published By: Berkley Publishing Group

 

Conspiracy Game

by Christine Feehan

‘GhostWalker’ series Book #4

Acclaimed as “sultry and suspenseful,” Christine Feehan’s novels continue to enthrall readers. Now she plunges two lovers into a game where danger and spassion lurk in the darkest shadows of the mind…

Jack Norton is a GhostWalker, a genetically enhanced sniper with a merciless sense of justice, a phantom welcomed by the anonymity of the night. But a mission to rescue his brother in the jungle has left him vulnerable to rebel forces. His only salvation is his power of telepathy. Then he meets Briony, an unusual beauty on a mission of her own. But they share more than the sweltering heat…

Briony shares the GhostWalker powers. Yet she’s different. She doesn’t know what she is, or what she’s capable of. But her enemies do. And Jack and Briony’s flight will take them into frightening conspiracy of mind and body – across the globe and into the heart of darkness, where the shocking truth is something neither of them could have foreseen – or can escape.

Review: I don’t know how Feehan does it, but she does it again! The perfect blend of intensely complex, fascinating and strong characters, excellent military action and sensuous love scenes, no one coulk ask for better … it just doesn’t exist! The descriptions has you seeing everything in your mind’s eye, bringing you right into the trick of it. The action has you holding your breath and gasping for air, and it’s from start to finish without letting up. Now I really can’t wait for Deadly Game, which isn’t out until end of February 2007!

Rating: