Line of Fire by Cindy Dees

Line Of Fire by Cindy Dees

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cindy Dees delivers once again for this reader.  I have to say, I was worried initially. I did not like Kimberly at first. She was whiny, critical, and seemed very shallow. She was almost like Carrie Bradshaw in the jungle, but with a deliberate anti-military stance.  I kept reading parts and putting this down for other books and to do other stuff. But since I am a big fan of this author, I wanted to give it a chance. Plus, I definitely liked Tex. 

I would say at about page 75 is when I started liking Kimberly.  I learned more about her, why she is so hard on military men, and why she's determined to work to shut down the special ops units.  When she gets kidnapped with Tex and transported to the Gavarone rain forest, she learns first hand why soldiers like Tex are needed, and worthwhile.

I really liked the survival aspects of this book. Tex proves he definitely knows his stuff as far as being an elite special ops soldier good in the field, keeping them both alive and using what little resources that come their way. The survival elements felt realistic, although I feel that some of the steamy romance seemed less likely, since they weren't able to bath or brush their teeth at first. Maybe I'm too fastidious, but I wouldn't feel sexy if I was dirty, sweaty, hadn't been able to brush my teeth for a couple of days.  But, fortunately, I do know how to suspend my disbelief. And they do pick up ginger root and mint leaves along the way, and find a lovely fountain to bathe in before they actually did the deed.

I will say straight up that I loved Tex. He is all that and a bag of chips.  He's just a bit cocky, just enough to be realistic for a Spec Ops soldier.  But more than that, he is a really genuine, hardworking, resourceful, honorable man who truly believes in protecting others and putting his life on the line for his country and for those who are in need.  He has some vulnerabilities because of a past breakup and his mother leaving when he was a kid, that crop up when he realizes he is starting to fall for Kimberly, who is way 'out of his league.'  I was thinking he was way too good for Kimberly, but she shows that she is a good woman for him, and she embraces who and what he is, and this was shown very credibly in the progression of the novel.

The ending was great, both Kimberly and Tex making gestures that showed how much they loved each other and were committed to spending their lives together.  So I ended up believing in the romance 100%, which is good, since I wasn't feeling Kimberly initially.

As far as the action, it was top-notch. That's one of the reasons I like this author so much. She writes the kinds of books I love, a great mix of action and romance. 

This book was sitting on my shelf a long time, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.  Although it took me awhile, this turned out to be a very enjoyable book.



View all my reviews