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.



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Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


This one's hard to rate. I really liked it, but I was a bit disappointed with a couple of aspects.



First of all, the good:



*Oh, my. Was Quinn delicious or what? Yes he was. I adored him. He was a sweetie, and I loved how he had been so in love with Regan since he was a young boy. He grew up to be a major hottie, alright.



*The concept was very cool. I liked the idea of the SDF, who does things outside of the law to help protect their country. I loved the whole aspect of them being gearheads and using their car know-how to do their job. How they had shady pasts, and they use those to their advantage.



*I was not into cars until I saw Gone in 60 Seconds. For some reason, that activated my appreciation for hot rods. And then there was Vin Diesel and that luscious GTO in XXX. Enough said! I don't want to drive them, but yes, I can see the appeal of a guy who drives them very well. I really liked the car stunts parts!



*The romance aspects were a double-edged sword for me. I really liked that we get two romances in one. I will talk about the negatives a little later. As far as positives, both couples were likeable with great chemistry, and I rooted for their happy ending.



*Pretty good (as in really nasty) villain. Boy, was he a piece of work. I liked Christian, who is deep cover, and he is in a very scary little situation, but handles it with calm and grace. His story should be interesting.



What I was underwhelmed about:



*I didn't like the climax. I thought it was anti-climactic. Some pivotal moments seem to take place off-screen. I thought that there was a good build-up to a really high octane finish, and that didn't come to fruition. I could understand Regan's actions, but it felt a little ditzy in how it came across. I would have liked her to show a little more finesse in saving her man than she did.



*I felt the rapid progression of the romances to be kind of unbelieveable. I could buy that Regan and Quinn had enough history for things to more fairly quickly, but Nikki and Kid, not so much. Also what are the statistical probabilities that two sisters will meet the loves of their life, hook up, have fantastic sex, all in the same night? Pretty unlikely.



*I would have liked to see more action. Yes, I am an action movie junkie. I think there was the potential to have a fantastic book that read like the Fast and the Furious-type movies, but it didn't quite hit my satiety center here.



*I think the details of the SDF agency could be more fleshed out. As it was, there were tantalizing bits here, but it was like getting one of those tiny spoons-full of really good ice cream and not being able to get more in the end! I guesss I have to keep reading to find out more about the SDF and the men who work there.



So, I guess that's why I couldn't give this four stars. I liked it a lot, but I wanted it to be more. Having said that, I am looking forward to continuing this series. I adore Kid, and I cannot wait to read his book. And Christian has that 'I am a bad man, or at least pretending to be a bad man' thing about him that is calling my name.



Overall rating: 3.75/5.0 stars.









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