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agrippinaes's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a very gripping, exciting novel. The plot is very complex and there’s always something happening. The storyline was a bit different to some of Grant’s other novels and the archaeology aspect took much more of a back seat. I didn’t mind this so much - the story took a few twists and turns I hadn’t expected.
I loved the heroine, Morgan. She was a really fun heroine. She was flawed - sometimes she was a bit naive or a bit selfish - but I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. I was very proud of her on several occasions where she stood up for herself. I also liked that she was almost as capable as the hero in terms of being able to look after herself - it made a nice change and for some dramatic moments. Also -
Pax was a good, strong hero. I felt sympathy for him and his issues and I liked seeing him unravel as he fell for Morgan. I also enjoyed that.
The two of them had ridiculous amounts of chemistry. I think the romance was really solid in this book - it had a fair bit of angst but also some sweet moments and some really, really hot ones. I think they made a good couple and I thought the pacing of the story allowed for them to get to know each other better, which is a benefit (I’m not so keen on one aspect of Grant’s novels which is a lot of her books feature couples falling madly in love over the space of like, 3 days.)
However, I thought there were aspects of the ending that weren’t as strong as they could have been.
The other thing was I found the “caveman” aspect of their relationship a little bit overdone. It did lead to some hot moments but I don’t think the actual word “caveman” needed to be used quite as much as it was - it became a bit cringeworthy as it went on.
I also thought her backstory with her father wasn’t quite as interesting as it could have been. I largely thought her father was appalling towards her,
I would recommend it if you want a gripping, exciting suspense novel with a really hot romance.
Content Warnings:
I loved the heroine, Morgan. She was a really fun heroine. She was flawed - sometimes she was a bit naive or a bit selfish - but I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. I was very proud of her on several occasions where she stood up for herself. I also liked that she was almost as capable as the hero in terms of being able to look after herself - it made a nice change and for some dramatic moments. Also -
Spoiler
she came very close to saving herself at the final conclusion of the novel, and I thought that was really great and a nice change for a story of this kind, even though it didn’t go quite the way I wanted.Pax was a good, strong hero. I felt sympathy for him and his issues and I liked seeing him unravel as he fell for Morgan. I also enjoyed that
Spoiler
he stood up for himself when it came to Morgan’s fatherThe two of them had ridiculous amounts of chemistry. I think the romance was really solid in this book - it had a fair bit of angst but also some sweet moments and some really, really hot ones. I think they made a good couple and I thought the pacing of the story allowed for them to get to know each other better, which is a benefit (I’m not so keen on one aspect of Grant’s novels which is a lot of her books feature couples falling madly in love over the space of like, 3 days.)
However, I thought there were aspects of the ending that weren’t as strong as they could have been.
Spoiler
As I said earlier, I really liked that she almost saved herself completely - I just wish the author had committed to this instead of having her chained up again and needing rescuing by the hero. I understand some people might not have seen it as realistic; but you’d already had her almost single-handedly liberating slaves being kept by a warlord after killing the majority of her captors, barefoot with weapons stolen from her captors, so why not push that further? Did she really need to break her ankle at that pivotal moment? It was just a bit disappointing for me.The other thing was I found the “caveman” aspect of their relationship a little bit overdone. It did lead to some hot moments but I don’t think the actual word “caveman” needed to be used quite as much as it was - it became a bit cringeworthy as it went on.
I also thought her backstory with her father wasn’t quite as interesting as it could have been. I largely thought her father was appalling towards her,
Spoiler
and I thought they resolved their lifelong problems way too quickly. I understand he did a lot of it to protect her - but if my dad spoke to me the way he did, I wouldn’t have been so forgiving. It didn’t work for me as a plotline.I would recommend it if you want a gripping, exciting suspense novel with a really hot romance.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Violence, gun violence, mentions of torture, explosives, sexual slavery including children, slavery, kidnap, imprisonment, difficult relationship with parentsSpoiler
The heroine has a difficult relationship with her father. I would say some of his behaviour towards her veers into the emotionally abusive, in my opinion at least. He belittles her a lot and humiliates her in front of other people, and it’s uncomfortable to read.winemakerssister's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting love story between a Green Beret and an anthropologist.
I really enjoyed the details about the location (political, geological, anthropological) and the military. It was intelligently written and suspenseful. And the narrator did a terrific job.
Themes: Djibouti (Horn of Africa), Green Berets, military brat, anthropology, African politics
I really enjoyed the details about the location (political, geological, anthropological) and the military. It was intelligently written and suspenseful. And the narrator did a terrific job.
Themes: Djibouti (Horn of Africa), Green Berets, military brat, anthropology, African politics
monetsmith8's review against another edition
5.0
I never thought I'd love a romance, action, mystery, thriller novel so much! Even though I was a little baffled by some of the technical terms used, I still LOVED this book. I ate it up!
research_department's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Stats: MF contemporary suspense romance, dual third person POV/past tense, open door
I tend to avoid suspense, but I still found this well crafted and engaging. The MCs were mature, complex, and likable. There was insta-lust, but the author gave us enough more than just great chemistry, so that it was fairly believable when they fell in love. I had hoped for more archeology, knowing that Grant was an archeologist, but what we got was interesting. There was lots of geopolitical intrigue and it was well communicated. I have no idea whether the depiction of a military base, special forces, and CIA is realistic, but it felt as if it were. There was even a lovely subplot involving the relationship between FMC and her father. The setting of Djibouti was vivid and critical to the story, even if the perspective was very American. All together, it was gripping and intelligent story that delivered some sizzling chemistry.
I tend to avoid suspense, but I still found this well crafted and engaging. The MCs were mature, complex, and likable. There was insta-lust, but the author gave us enough more than just great chemistry, so that it was fairly believable when they fell in love. I had hoped for more archeology, knowing that Grant was an archeologist, but what we got was interesting. There was lots of geopolitical intrigue and it was well communicated. I have no idea whether the depiction of a military base, special forces, and CIA is realistic, but it felt as if it were. There was even a lovely subplot involving the relationship between FMC and her father. The setting of Djibouti was vivid and critical to the story, even if the perspective was very American. All together, it was gripping and intelligent story that delivered some sizzling chemistry.
elodiethefangirl's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
isitcake's review against another edition
4.0
This was nearly perfect but when Morgan was kidnapped into Somalia by the warlord it made me very uncomfortable and lost some credibility since if this was reality she would have been raped instantly since they were clearly planning to kill her anyway. Otherwise this book had great action and tension, both plot and sexual between Morgan and Pax. Up until that event around ~70% I couldn't put this down. I love all the characters, Rachel Grant does a great job of building up the side characters and I'm happy to see some of them get their own stories.
Dr. Morgan Adler is a paleo-anthropologist working in Djibouti to survey this land that the Chinese want to build a pipeline through for the desalinization plant they're building in the neighboring country. However, she's forced to flee to the US base, Camp Citron, and the local warlord (we think) attaches a bomb to her car but she's saved by Sergeant Pax Blanchard and his teammate Cal, both on Special Forces. At the base she meets CIA operative Savannah James (who has something going on with Cal, it looks like they get a book) and the rest of Ford's team - including his team leader Bastion Ford, Ripley and Espinosa (we barely meet him but looks like he gets a book..).
Morgan has been hired by the Djiboutian government to conduct this survey, but they thought she was a man, not a double-d boob fiesty woman (she used to work at a Hooters-style restaurant) and also the daughter of General Adler. During her survey she's found "Linus" a dinosaur significant enough to rival Lucy. They think the warlord is after the find and the US military helps guard it. There's a lot of political intrigue and competency in this story. The plot ends up being that the warlord was in league with one of the government ministers.. Lemaire? Or it might have been the other one, they both co-own the Chinese plant BUT it's all a fraud. A geologist discovered a huge underwater aquifer at the site where the bones were found. The plan is to pump the water out of the aquifer, pipe it to the plant and turn around and sell it back to the country where it came from. In exchange, the warlord sets a trap to capture Morgan to 1) get the top secret subdermal tracker the CIA puts in her arm and 2) use her as bait for the SEALs to come rescue her in the highly classified Blackhawk helicopter that he has an EMP to disable. Both things the Chinese want to study.
Morgan gets captured in order to save a child (ugh, there's a lot of saving children in these books, like over their own saftey which I can't stand). She's held for 6 days but is never touched (highly unbelievable). She manages to take out some guards, get a radio to tell the US his plan, and she's saved by Pax, Bastion, and Cal who go rogue to save her. It all works out and they manage to free a bunch of sex slaves from human trafficking too.
And of course the tension between Morgan and Pax is amazing. I haven't read a lot of romantic suspense but it seems like this might be a thing that they're in too much danger to give in to their sexual needs so there's just tons of tension and teasing until someone snaps. It's great when he finally gives in after her phone sexting but he accidentally rubs the subdermal tracker in her arm, triggering it, and has to hide in the bathroom. But of course Savannah knows it was him lol. Savannah is such a great character, can't wait for her book.
Morgan has been hired by the Djiboutian government to conduct this survey, but they thought she was a man, not a double-d boob fiesty woman (she used to work at a Hooters-style restaurant) and also the daughter of General Adler. During her survey she's found "Linus" a dinosaur significant enough to rival Lucy. They think the warlord is after the find and the US military helps guard it. There's a lot of political intrigue and competency in this story. The plot ends up being that the warlord was in league with one of the government ministers.. Lemaire? Or it might have been the other one, they both co-own the Chinese plant BUT it's all a fraud. A geologist discovered a huge underwater aquifer at the site where the bones were found. The plan is to pump the water out of the aquifer, pipe it to the plant and turn around and sell it back to the country where it came from. In exchange, the warlord sets a trap to capture Morgan to 1) get the top secret subdermal tracker the CIA puts in her arm and 2) use her as bait for the SEALs to come rescue her in the highly classified Blackhawk helicopter that he has an EMP to disable. Both things the Chinese want to study.
Morgan gets captured in order to save a child (ugh, there's a lot of saving children in these books, like over their own saftey which I can't stand). She's held for 6 days but is never touched (highly unbelievable). She manages to take out some guards, get a radio to tell the US his plan, and she's saved by Pax, Bastion, and Cal who go rogue to save her. It all works out and they manage to free a bunch of sex slaves from human trafficking too.
And of course the tension between Morgan and Pax is amazing. I haven't read a lot of romantic suspense but it seems like this might be a thing that they're in too much danger to give in to their sexual needs so there's just tons of tension and teasing until someone snaps. It's great when he finally gives in after her phone sexting but he accidentally rubs the subdermal tracker in her arm, triggering it, and has to hide in the bathroom. But of course Savannah knows it was him lol. Savannah is such a great character, can't wait for her book.
lukka2008's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
miltone's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
sm_almon's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked this book enough that I think I'll check out the rest of the series, as I enjoyed Morgan's commitment to her field archaeology project, the unusual Djibouti setting (more romances set in rarely-showcased places of the world, please!) and the general aura of competence for the most part for each of Morgan and Pax. However, the repeated boneheaded decisions made by each of Morgan and Pax as they continually fail to keep their hands off each other when it is totally inappropriate for them to fraternize really grated, and having that happen over and over undercut the appearance of their being competent, no-nonsense professionals stationed in a hazardous locale.