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goliathfrog's review
3.0
Valentina is the first heroine in this serious that really gave me TSTL vibes. That’s saying a lot because the majority of these ladies really end up in dangerous situations and have almost no self-preservation. But when she made that phone call I was just like WOW YOU IDIOT. Gerard usually does a pretty good job at making the women not total damsels, but Valentina was flat out stupid here which was a shame because she was otherwise pretty promising. Her judgement was just.... poor.
At this point in the series (after going straight through from the bodyguards on to black ops) I’ve noticed a trend of making 90% of the villains be brown-skinned, sexually deviant, men. Sure, there has been the occasional corrupt US politician behind the scenes, and a couple psycho lady villains. But almost every book has a weird POV of a male villain having some weird/gross deviant sexual encounter and it just seems like a canned scene almost at this point. Do we need a scene in each book showing a male villain assaulting kidnapped or coerced women and children? I tend to think no, especially when they have no bearing on the story. This book wasn’t even about human trafficking or sex slavery like some of the previous stories were, so the inclusion of this particular aspect and scene in the story felt unnecessary. It’s like Gerard likes to use this to hammer home the point of the bad guy being a bad guy, it’s possible for someone to be evil without also being a sexual deviant. This aspect of the stories just makes all the villains seem pretty 2-dimensional to me.
At this point in the series (after going straight through from the bodyguards on to black ops) I’ve noticed a trend of making 90% of the villains be brown-skinned, sexually deviant, men. Sure, there has been the occasional corrupt US politician behind the scenes, and a couple psycho lady villains. But almost every book has a weird POV of a male villain having some weird/gross deviant sexual encounter and it just seems like a canned scene almost at this point. Do we need a scene in each book showing a male villain assaulting kidnapped or coerced women and children? I tend to think no, especially when they have no bearing on the story. This book wasn’t even about human trafficking or sex slavery like some of the previous stories were, so the inclusion of this particular aspect and scene in the story felt unnecessary. It’s like Gerard likes to use this to hammer home the point of the bad guy being a bad guy, it’s possible for someone to be evil without also being a sexual deviant. This aspect of the stories just makes all the villains seem pretty 2-dimensional to me.
nmulder81's review
4.0
Loved loved loved this book! Cindy Gerard most definitely has a new fan in me! I had never read a book of her until this one but this will not be my last. Gerard pulls no punches, this is an action packed thrill ride from the first page to the last! There is no downtime and no breathing room. There is HEAVY BREATHING though, and let me tell you, Cindy will make you sweat.
Luke Colter is a sexy Indiana Jones type, complete with a fedora on his head at all times. He’s all act now and ask questions later. Slitting a mans throat comes natural to him and he doesn’t hesitate. Well, not much anyway. Luke is recovering from a near fatal mission and he’s worried he has lost some of his edge. He feels like a ghost just existing in his body, but not alive. Not truly there. Until he runs into his unattainable boyhood crush, Valentina, on a train. Mercenaries working for the wrong side of the Korean law are intent on hunting her down for reasons unknown. And despite her unwillingness to let Luke in Valentina is starting to fall for him. She is wounded from her extremely public breakup with a Senator and doesn’t want to be hurt again. Tired of being used as a pawn in everyone lives, the stunningly beautiful model has decided to learn to fight for herself and try to get past the memories clouding her current life.
I want Luke Colter to come rescue me from gunmen. WOW. He’s sexy, dangerous and his sense of humor would entertain me forever. There is just something about a man who can protect a woman and make her laugh at the same time. Luke and Val together were explosive. They connected like Luke hadn’t ever had happen before. He confided in her more than anyone in his life and in turn she finally let him in. Valentina had some low self-esteem for an international supermodel. She had a lot of crosses to bear. Both her childhood and her adult lives hadn’t been easy and with paparazzi following, nothing was private. Even though she didn’t think highly of her actions when under pressure, she remained remarkably calm and collected. I hate when the heroine has a meltdown, and none of that was happening in this book. I felt for her.
Cindy Gerard has a great book here. Since I haven’t read the past books in the series I guess I will have to remedy that at some point. I couldn’t put the book down! There is an excellent mix of action, sexiness and black ops in-tell to keep all readers thoroughly entertained. The cast of secondary characters who all must be from past books worked really well together and brought a dynamic to Luke and Val. Very solid writing and excellent pacing.
Luke Colter is a sexy Indiana Jones type, complete with a fedora on his head at all times. He’s all act now and ask questions later. Slitting a mans throat comes natural to him and he doesn’t hesitate. Well, not much anyway. Luke is recovering from a near fatal mission and he’s worried he has lost some of his edge. He feels like a ghost just existing in his body, but not alive. Not truly there. Until he runs into his unattainable boyhood crush, Valentina, on a train. Mercenaries working for the wrong side of the Korean law are intent on hunting her down for reasons unknown. And despite her unwillingness to let Luke in Valentina is starting to fall for him. She is wounded from her extremely public breakup with a Senator and doesn’t want to be hurt again. Tired of being used as a pawn in everyone lives, the stunningly beautiful model has decided to learn to fight for herself and try to get past the memories clouding her current life.
I want Luke Colter to come rescue me from gunmen. WOW. He’s sexy, dangerous and his sense of humor would entertain me forever. There is just something about a man who can protect a woman and make her laugh at the same time. Luke and Val together were explosive. They connected like Luke hadn’t ever had happen before. He confided in her more than anyone in his life and in turn she finally let him in. Valentina had some low self-esteem for an international supermodel. She had a lot of crosses to bear. Both her childhood and her adult lives hadn’t been easy and with paparazzi following, nothing was private. Even though she didn’t think highly of her actions when under pressure, she remained remarkably calm and collected. I hate when the heroine has a meltdown, and none of that was happening in this book. I felt for her.
Cindy Gerard has a great book here. Since I haven’t read the past books in the series I guess I will have to remedy that at some point. I couldn’t put the book down! There is an excellent mix of action, sexiness and black ops in-tell to keep all readers thoroughly entertained. The cast of secondary characters who all must be from past books worked really well together and brought a dynamic to Luke and Val. Very solid writing and excellent pacing.
jess_78's review
5.0
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
The story opens with Luke, wondering, what now? Why is he doing this? Risking his life on missions, for what? He’s struggling to move past a near death injury that happened a year ago, and he’s a self-described ghost. Going through the motions, but not really there. It was a sobering reality of a Luke we hadn’t seen throughout the series. On the outside, he’s our fun loving, poker playing, medic. On the inside, he’s suffering. He feels very adrift, not really sure why he keeps risking it all on missions, but having nothing else to really live for.
Valentina. The famous model known by just her first name, has never had control. She was abducted as a young girl by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and still deals with the trauma of that situation, being horribly claustrophobic. She’s on her own mission in the beginning, one of finding some peace and silence from her crazy world. Her high profile marriage ended in divorce after her husband was caught cheating and after she learned of that and other betrayals, she just needed to get away. Caught in the middle of an ambush, Luke saves her life and then they run for both for their lives from an unknown enemy and our story is off to fast pace start.
We get action from the first page – with the first part of the story giving us Luke and Valentina running from the enemies, and they have no idea who those enemies are and why they want Valentina. Everything was intense from the fighting to the romance, I think I finally took a breath around page 150!
As always, there are great scenes with Luke’s teammates, and a really nice amount of Nate. He’s always the man behind the orders, but to see Nate out there with the team and in action was a great addition. We meet a few new operatives that Nate brings in to be Val’s bodyguards when the final fight was nearing. But things never go as planned and a rescue mission is quickly needed for our heroine and her bodyguards after they're ambushed. The whole team comes together for the final fight and I LOVED so much seeing Crystal and BJ play important roles as teammates in the field, and not get shoved to the side or stuck back at headquarters. We all know they wouldn’t allow Nate or anyone stick them in a corner – but they played pivotal parts in the op and held their own.
There was a nice balance between the action and romance, but for me the book was all about Luke. Finally reading about the guy he truly was instead of the persona he put out there was heartbreaking at times, you just want this guy to find his purpose, and to find his way again. To see him and Val both struggle with commitment, especially Val being very skittish about trusting someone again, when everyone else in her life had let her down, it was satisfying to see their relationship progress throughout the book.
Jesus, this woman messed with his head.
“Thank you, Luke. Thank you – “
He pressed an index finger to her lips, gently cutting her off. “No,” he said, lowering his month to her. “Thank you.”
And then he tugged off her shades, looked her deep in the eyes and kissed her.
How could he not? How could he look into those liquid brown eyes and that valiant little smile and not kiss her one more time? How could he pretend that letting her go was easy, even though he didn’t have a clue why it was suddenly so frickin’ hard?
One of my favorite parts of any Black Ops book is the epilogue. Finding out little personal updates from all our favorite couples as Luke leads a poker game and having that wonderful final scene with our hero and heroine. And with the little teaser to the last book - let the countdown to Joe’s book begin!
Luke and Val’s story is not one to be missed. If you’re a fan of rom/suspense, the Black Ops series is a must read - 4 1/2 star book. There's plenty of action that we've come to expect in this series, smokin’ hot scenes, but the best were the touching, sweet moments between Luke and Val. An excellent couple.
How about a bonus Johnny Reed moment?
“Any questions?” Nate asked the group as he tucked a pistol into an underarm holster, then zipped up his coveralls to hide it.
“Only one.” Reed looked annoyed as hell when Crystal handed him his coveralls. “What’s with this khaki crap? I specifically requested blue to match my eyes. All right, people, ‘fess up. Who dropped the ball on this one?”
The story opens with Luke, wondering, what now? Why is he doing this? Risking his life on missions, for what? He’s struggling to move past a near death injury that happened a year ago, and he’s a self-described ghost. Going through the motions, but not really there. It was a sobering reality of a Luke we hadn’t seen throughout the series. On the outside, he’s our fun loving, poker playing, medic. On the inside, he’s suffering. He feels very adrift, not really sure why he keeps risking it all on missions, but having nothing else to really live for.
Valentina. The famous model known by just her first name, has never had control. She was abducted as a young girl by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and still deals with the trauma of that situation, being horribly claustrophobic. She’s on her own mission in the beginning, one of finding some peace and silence from her crazy world. Her high profile marriage ended in divorce after her husband was caught cheating and after she learned of that and other betrayals, she just needed to get away. Caught in the middle of an ambush, Luke saves her life and then they run for both for their lives from an unknown enemy and our story is off to fast pace start.
We get action from the first page – with the first part of the story giving us Luke and Valentina running from the enemies, and they have no idea who those enemies are and why they want Valentina. Everything was intense from the fighting to the romance, I think I finally took a breath around page 150!
As always, there are great scenes with Luke’s teammates, and a really nice amount of Nate. He’s always the man behind the orders, but to see Nate out there with the team and in action was a great addition. We meet a few new operatives that Nate brings in to be Val’s bodyguards when the final fight was nearing. But things never go as planned and a rescue mission is quickly needed for our heroine and her bodyguards after they're ambushed. The whole team comes together for the final fight and I LOVED so much seeing Crystal and BJ play important roles as teammates in the field, and not get shoved to the side or stuck back at headquarters. We all know they wouldn’t allow Nate or anyone stick them in a corner – but they played pivotal parts in the op and held their own.
There was a nice balance between the action and romance, but for me the book was all about Luke. Finally reading about the guy he truly was instead of the persona he put out there was heartbreaking at times, you just want this guy to find his purpose, and to find his way again. To see him and Val both struggle with commitment, especially Val being very skittish about trusting someone again, when everyone else in her life had let her down, it was satisfying to see their relationship progress throughout the book.
Jesus, this woman messed with his head.
“Thank you, Luke. Thank you – “
He pressed an index finger to her lips, gently cutting her off. “No,” he said, lowering his month to her. “Thank you.”
And then he tugged off her shades, looked her deep in the eyes and kissed her.
How could he not? How could he look into those liquid brown eyes and that valiant little smile and not kiss her one more time? How could he pretend that letting her go was easy, even though he didn’t have a clue why it was suddenly so frickin’ hard?
One of my favorite parts of any Black Ops book is the epilogue. Finding out little personal updates from all our favorite couples as Luke leads a poker game and having that wonderful final scene with our hero and heroine. And with the little teaser to the last book - let the countdown to Joe’s book begin!
Luke and Val’s story is not one to be missed. If you’re a fan of rom/suspense, the Black Ops series is a must read - 4 1/2 star book. There's plenty of action that we've come to expect in this series, smokin’ hot scenes, but the best were the touching, sweet moments between Luke and Val. An excellent couple.
How about a bonus Johnny Reed moment?
“Any questions?” Nate asked the group as he tucked a pistol into an underarm holster, then zipped up his coveralls to hide it.
“Only one.” Reed looked annoyed as hell when Crystal handed him his coveralls. “What’s with this khaki crap? I specifically requested blue to match my eyes. All right, people, ‘fess up. Who dropped the ball on this one?”
elocin_govan's review
5.0
It's a Cindy Gerard book. Do I need to say more other than amazing? This woman definitely knows how to write. Her BOIs are just so believable with good and bad sides as well as her female protagonists. They're tough as nails, those girls. Cindy includes so much detail that I continually wonder where she gets such great intel from! Another great story! Well done.
fv_angela's review
5.0
I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with a Cindy Gerard romantic suspense. I've waited for Luke's story from the beginning of this series and was not disappointed at all. I just love a masculine, heroic, funny, tender man. I'm sad to see that the next book will be the last one in this series. I'll miss the BOI's.
kathydavie's review
4.0
Sixth in the Black Ops, Inc. romantic suspense series revolving around the BOIs. The focus is on Luke Colter and Valentina Chamberlain.
My Take
Ooh, baby, every boy's wet dream, making it with the woman he fantasized about as a teen! For we ladies, hmmm, I do like where Valentina's thoughts are taking her with regard to Luke. A fedora that reminds her of Indiana Jones...I can get down with that!
There is no end to the action in this one! A daring train bail-out, clambering through the mountains, a horse race, hiding out in an impromptu cave...up to the helicopter getaway. And that's just for starters!
Gerard has such great heros. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ya wanna take 'em to bed, but they're also men you could introduce to your parents with pride. They have high morals, tremendous loyalty, and a willingness to do what it takes. Um, and really hot 'bods!
In this story, Luke and Valentina are good for each other. Helping each other past the negatives in their lives.
Loved Reed's desire at the end for a cute little baby like Mariah. But then Crystal's reminder of "three o'clock feedings...smelly diapers...responsibility… Well, let's just say that Johnny realizes he'd rather have another beer, LOL! Then there's Thomas' promotion to wingman!
Oh, boy. This is where Gerard sets the hook for Joe in the next BOIs' adventure, Last Man Standing. I want...and don't want to read this one...I'm scared.
It was kind of weird reading about Sierra Leone, picturing Lungi Airport and Freetown, other places I've been in the country. It is rather perfect for scary action although Sierra Leone and romantic suspense are not a connection I'd've made… The country does have the most incredible beaches. The best I've ever been on with that soft, soft sand and the incredibly warm water. Skinny-dipping at midnight in the ocean has never been so warm...
The Story
It's a train trip back from his two-week leave. One that Luke Colter had spent helping provide medical care up in the mountains of Peru. He may have been reconsidering his life-and-death career choice, especially after events in San Salvador in Risk No Secrets.
All it takes, though, is a threat to innocent people and Luke is back in action, facing a manhunt through the mountains of Peru as he and the girl, no, she's a woman now, of his dreams are on the run from men willing to kill to capture her.
Now. Now, she's bait.
The Characters
Luke Colter, a Montana cowboy and Navy SEAL, is the team medic and he's been wondering if it's time to retire. After what happened in San Salvador, he's been losing his nerve.
Valentina Chamberlain, a highly successful model, is looking for more in her life. A man who isn't hiding who he is. The recent discovery about her husband has her reeling and she's taken off to think about her life, her future. If she has one… Senator Marcus Chamberlain is her about-to-be-ex-husband. Some secrets are just too wrong to hold silent. And makes the head of the House Committee on Armed Services quite vulnerable.
Nathan Black commands Black Ops, Inc., a mercenary organization that works off the books for the U.S. government and is based in Buenos Aires. He and Dr. Juliana Flores have finally(!) gotten married. I like that Gerard has things going on in the background throughout the series...even if I did want to go the wedding! The BOIs involved in this op include Johnny Duane and Crystal "Tink" Reed, Rafe "Choirboy" and BJ Mendoza, Gabe Jones (Jenna is pregnant!), and "Mean" Joe Green, who spends most of his downtime in D.C. with Stephanie Tompkins, Bryan's baby sister.
Ann Tompkins is Bryan's mom and a lawyer at the Department of Justice. She and her husband, Robert, opened their hearts and their home to the surviving members of Bryan's team.
Mike "Primetime" Brown is the pilot the BOIs use in this story; he'll join up at the end of this story. Enrique Santos is a retired Marine; Brett Carlyle is a young-looking Iowa boy with a whole lotta skills from the army; and Josh Waldrop is former Special Forces. These last three are combat veterans and they'll protect Valentina in Sierra Leone.
Just to catch up...
Wyatt "Papa Bear" Savage (CIA) and Sophie Weber are still on their honeymoon, although they do have a six-month-old daughter, Mariah to go with Sophie's adopted daughter, Hope. That is some extended honeymoon! Sam and Abbie Lang have two kids: year-old Thomas and two-year-old Bryan.
Ryang Wong Jeong is scum, an illegal arms dealer in favor with Kim Jong-il, the now-dead leader of North Korea. Ooops. At least he loves his wife, Jin, enough to use and abuse the too-young whores instead of her. What a guy... He and his wife have a three-year-old daughter, Cho. He desperately needs to collect Valentina if his plans are to be fulfilled. He has too much to lose. Well, that's reason enough to hope he doesn't get her!
Minister of Commerce Siaka Bai M'boma of Sierra Leone. Valentina is the celebrity goodwill ambassador. General Augustine Sesay has plans for a coup against the current government in Sierra Leone.
The Cover
The cover is dark. A black background and a black-and-white photo of Luke, long lashes, stubble and all. Just part of one shoulder and a three-quarter profile of half of that. Up close and personal.
The feel behind the title didn't jump out at me, and I think it's all about Val and Luke. Choosing to engage in a relationship With No Remorse.
My Take
Ooh, baby, every boy's wet dream, making it with the woman he fantasized about as a teen! For we ladies, hmmm, I do like where Valentina's thoughts are taking her with regard to Luke. A fedora that reminds her of Indiana Jones...I can get down with that!
There is no end to the action in this one! A daring train bail-out, clambering through the mountains, a horse race, hiding out in an impromptu cave...up to the helicopter getaway. And that's just for starters!
Poor Luke: "...if 99.9 percent of his attention hadn't been fixed on his aching gonads and wondering if he'd ever father children."
I have often wondered why women got stuck with sidesaddles...
Gerard has such great heros. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ya wanna take 'em to bed, but they're also men you could introduce to your parents with pride. They have high morals, tremendous loyalty, and a willingness to do what it takes. Um, and really hot 'bods!
Rafe and Reed are "channeling [their] inner Rambos...
In this story, Luke and Valentina are good for each other. Helping each other past the negatives in their lives.
Loved Reed's desire at the end for a cute little baby like Mariah. But then Crystal's reminder of "three o'clock feedings...smelly diapers...responsibility… Well, let's just say that Johnny realizes he'd rather have another beer, LOL! Then there's Thomas' promotion to wingman!
Oh, boy. This is where Gerard sets the hook for Joe in the next BOIs' adventure, Last Man Standing. I want...and don't want to read this one...I'm scared.
It was kind of weird reading about Sierra Leone, picturing Lungi Airport and Freetown, other places I've been in the country. It is rather perfect for scary action although Sierra Leone and romantic suspense are not a connection I'd've made… The country does have the most incredible beaches. The best I've ever been on with that soft, soft sand and the incredibly warm water. Skinny-dipping at midnight in the ocean has never been so warm...
The Story
It's a train trip back from his two-week leave. One that Luke Colter had spent helping provide medical care up in the mountains of Peru. He may have been reconsidering his life-and-death career choice, especially after events in San Salvador in Risk No Secrets.
All it takes, though, is a threat to innocent people and Luke is back in action, facing a manhunt through the mountains of Peru as he and the girl, no, she's a woman now, of his dreams are on the run from men willing to kill to capture her.
Now. Now, she's bait.
The Characters
Luke Colter, a Montana cowboy and Navy SEAL, is the team medic and he's been wondering if it's time to retire. After what happened in San Salvador, he's been losing his nerve.
Valentina Chamberlain, a highly successful model, is looking for more in her life. A man who isn't hiding who he is. The recent discovery about her husband has her reeling and she's taken off to think about her life, her future. If she has one… Senator Marcus Chamberlain is her about-to-be-ex-husband. Some secrets are just too wrong to hold silent. And makes the head of the House Committee on Armed Services quite vulnerable.
Nathan Black commands Black Ops, Inc., a mercenary organization that works off the books for the U.S. government and is based in Buenos Aires. He and Dr. Juliana Flores have finally(!) gotten married. I like that Gerard has things going on in the background throughout the series...even if I did want to go the wedding! The BOIs involved in this op include Johnny Duane and Crystal "Tink" Reed, Rafe "Choirboy" and BJ Mendoza, Gabe Jones (Jenna is pregnant!), and "Mean" Joe Green, who spends most of his downtime in D.C. with Stephanie Tompkins, Bryan's baby sister.
Ann Tompkins is Bryan's mom and a lawyer at the Department of Justice. She and her husband, Robert, opened their hearts and their home to the surviving members of Bryan's team.
Mike "Primetime" Brown is the pilot the BOIs use in this story; he'll join up at the end of this story. Enrique Santos is a retired Marine; Brett Carlyle is a young-looking Iowa boy with a whole lotta skills from the army; and Josh Waldrop is former Special Forces. These last three are combat veterans and they'll protect Valentina in Sierra Leone.
Just to catch up...
Wyatt "Papa Bear" Savage (CIA) and Sophie Weber are still on their honeymoon, although they do have a six-month-old daughter, Mariah to go with Sophie's adopted daughter, Hope. That is some extended honeymoon! Sam and Abbie Lang have two kids: year-old Thomas and two-year-old Bryan.
Ryang Wong Jeong is scum, an illegal arms dealer in favor with Kim Jong-il, the now-dead leader of North Korea. Ooops. At least he loves his wife, Jin, enough to use and abuse the too-young whores instead of her. What a guy... He and his wife have a three-year-old daughter, Cho. He desperately needs to collect Valentina if his plans are to be fulfilled. He has too much to lose. Well, that's reason enough to hope he doesn't get her!
Minister of Commerce Siaka Bai M'boma of Sierra Leone. Valentina is the celebrity goodwill ambassador. General Augustine Sesay has plans for a coup against the current government in Sierra Leone.
The Cover
The cover is dark. A black background and a black-and-white photo of Luke, long lashes, stubble and all. Just part of one shoulder and a three-quarter profile of half of that. Up close and personal.
The feel behind the title didn't jump out at me, and I think it's all about Val and Luke. Choosing to engage in a relationship With No Remorse.
cjcharding's review against another edition
3.25
3.5/5🌶️, audible plus, part of a series but can be read as a standalone (lots of overlapping characters but not much overlapping plot), romantic suspense, military/black ops, very pro-American military, MMC is a good ol’ boy/cowboy, pretty boy, smooth talking, military medic, FMC is a famous model unknowingly entangled in an international smuggling ring, lots of political intrigue and military operations
Much like the rest of this Black Ops Inc series, this book is filled with military operations, dangerous situations, violence and political intrigue. The men are alpha and the women are pretty badass. This one followed much the same pattern as the rest, but I would say this couple would go on my "They Won’t Last" list. The romance felt lacking in this book. Plus the mystery/suspense part felt overly complicated and convoluted; I never really believed the reasons the FMC was in danger justified how much danger she was in. I think I also did this story a bit of a disservice because I’m watching Jack Ryan with my husband and the plot lines are very similar, but better done in TV format. And wow, so many metaphors and similes, though I did appreciate the male POV used military metaphors, but they occurred so frequently. As a note for the sexy times, there has to be a middle ground between anatomically correct terms (which is how Eden chooses to write) and nubs/buds/shafts. I think I prefer the anatomically correct terms but “parting vulva” and “erect penis” aren’t sexy - or maybe it was just listening to the male narrator say those words in his monotone wasn’t doing it for me.
ymiranda's review
5.0
Wow wee!!! Now that's romantic suspense!
Hot, take-charge hero who's good with his hands/gun, likable heroine, bad guys, far off locales, steamy hot sex.....I so needed that!
Hot, take-charge hero who's good with his hands/gun, likable heroine, bad guys, far off locales, steamy hot sex.....I so needed that!
jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
Luke Colter is traveling through the Peruvian Andes, taking some much needed downtime following his near death injury from the last BOI operation, when the train he's riding on is seized by some seriously armed and bad people. What first looks like a robbery is actually an abduction attempt of the young man sitting near Luke. His instincts taking over, Luke helps him escape but turns out "him" is actually "her," the famous supermodel Valentina Chamberlin traveling incognito and who was the object of his teenage dreams for years.
The action starts right away and never lets up. Luke's very real introspection about his future presents an added layer of conflict as he uses the skills he's questioning to protect Valentina and bring her to safety. Her own issues from her recent divorce dovetailed nicely, timing being ideal for both. While their relationship developed quickly under the circumstances, both were grappling with similar identity crises, helping each other plow through them.
I enjoyed the story, especially as it wasn't clear as to why Valentina was being abducted nor the end game of her pursuer. And, the BOI women are in the spotlight this time and it was great to see them in action. Luke and Valentina were well suited and their relationship enhanced the plot. This series continues to be exciting with interesting locales and challenges.
The action starts right away and never lets up. Luke's very real introspection about his future presents an added layer of conflict as he uses the skills he's questioning to protect Valentina and bring her to safety. Her own issues from her recent divorce dovetailed nicely, timing being ideal for both. While their relationship developed quickly under the circumstances, both were grappling with similar identity crises, helping each other plow through them.
I enjoyed the story, especially as it wasn't clear as to why Valentina was being abducted nor the end game of her pursuer. And, the BOI women are in the spotlight this time and it was great to see them in action. Luke and Valentina were well suited and their relationship enhanced the plot. This series continues to be exciting with interesting locales and challenges.
slc333's review
2.0
Quite ordinary and too predictable. Also the whole story was ridiculously unbelieveable. I know with this type of fiction that you have to suspend disbelief to a certain extent but it was all too ridiculous. That an international arms dealer would try to abduct a supermodel to make her go on an already planned charity mission that would be attended by the media was too stupid. And the way her ex-husband drove the exploding van in the end and the author descibed him as a "patriot" after all was crazy. He had been giving secrets to the arms dealer for years because he was being blackmailed and only stopped because the BOIs caught him and threatened him.