Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Double Danger by Dee Davis

This is solid romantic suspense from one of my favorite authors.
Double Danger (An A-Tac Novel)
by Dee Davis

• File Size: 530 KB Print
• Length: 359 pages
  
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 044658293X
• Publisher: Forever (December 18, 2012)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group

Genre: Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description Publication Date: December 18, 2012 Ignoring his instincts once cost Simon a vital op-and the life of his best friend, Ryan. Now as escalating, violent attacks hit A-Tac, another person he loves is in danger. Homeland Security agent Jillian Montgomery's investigation has suddenly brought her back into Simon's life, and unless they can learn to trust each other, their dangerous mission will fail. After her husband Ryan's death, Jillian dedicates herself to saving others. She can't afford to be tempted by Simon, even though his every touch reignites the desire they once shared. But in the last desperate minutes before disaster strikes, their second chance at love might be the most lethal trap of all . . .

Review:
Simon is glad to be part of the A-Tac undercover team. He was once a Seal until a leg injury sidelined him. While a Seal he led a mission that resulted in the death of his best friend, Ryan. His guilt and his long time attraction to Ryan’s wife, J.J., has kept him away from her.

Now J.J., as Jillian, shows up as a Homeland Security agent assigned to the A-Tac team to investigate several terrorist suspected attacks. J.J. had fallen in love with Simon back in college but Simon turned away because she was Ryan’s girlfriend. J.J. married Ryan, more as a second choice, only to discover that Ryan had anger control issues. J.J. suffered through an abusive marriage because she had no where else to turn, especially when Simon refused to take her last resort call.  But Ryan died and J.J. reformed herself as Jillian, a strong, self reliant security agent who wouldn’t have to rely on any man.

The chemistry and draw between Simon and Jillian still burns high but he tries to resist out of guilt for the death of Ryan and she resists out of fear of rejection and fear of another violent relationship.  The attacks keep throwing them together in dangerous situations until they finally break down and face their past and fears. Meanwhile the team is feeling like they are one step behind a bomber and a target that they have to figure out before they are too late.

I do enjoy the action and intensity of Dee Davis’ romantic suspense novels. There is always a lot of background activity to add to the romantic conflict and ultimate romantic passion. The writing is well paced. I have to say I felt there was a bit of repetition on this one as it took half of the book before Simon and Jillian finally talked about their past. Still, I enjoyed the whole story.

Although this is a part of a series, it could be read alone. However I enjoy knowing the stories of some of the other team members.  If you like action-packed romantic suspense this is a book you would enjoy and an author you can rely on to deliver!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon's reaction to a stolen kiss:

And yet, truth be told, he wasn't actually sorry he'd done it. She tasted just exactly the way he'd remembered. Her lifts soft and pliant. And if things were different.... Page 119.

Jillian's decision:

So maybe she was being foolish to try to keep him at arm's length. Maybe it was time to let go of the past and grab on to the future. That is if they had one. Page 271.

I received this title, for an honest review, from Forever division of Grand Central Station, Hachette.

This is set in New York for my Where Are You Reading Challenge.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy.

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open US and Canada.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on January 4, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on January 5, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Winner of Dee Davis Book Choice

CONGRATULATIONS 
TO WINNER OF

 Giveaway Choice from two Dee Davis books

Nise please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form to confirm the win and let me know which of these two books you would like me to send to you.  Please reply within 72 hours! 

Thank you to all who entered.

Book Review: Deadly Dance by Dee Davis Plus A Giveaway

Dee Davis delivers her usual punch of adrenaline and passion!

Deadly Dance
by Dee Davis

• File Size: 545 KB
• Print Length: 392 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: B0072Q50UA
• Publisher: Forever; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004QZ9P9M

Genre: Romantic Suspense (Book 5 in the A-Tac Series)

My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

 Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2012

As the intelligence officer for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Hannah Marshall is used to working behind the scenes. But when a brutal murder hits too close to home, Hannah finds herself in the middle of the action, falling in love while racing to outwit a sadistic mastermind.

A KILLER CLOSES IN

After the death of her A-Tac partner, Hannah doubts everything she thought she knew about love and loyalty. When handsome Harrison Blake joins the team, she's reluctant to trust him - or to act on her intense attraction to him. Then Hannah receives a podcast of a gruesome murder, and the only person who can help her find the killer is Harrison.

Harrison has spent years trying to hunt down the cunning monster who killed his sister. Now investigating with Hannah, he faces a shocking possibility - his sister's murderer has resurfaced. As the danger escalates, Hannah and Harrison grow closer, the desire simmering between them ignites. And when Hannah disappears, Harrison has only one chance to save the woman he loves.

Review:
Hannah is a member of the elite crime team, A-Tac, who work as college professors as their cover. Hannah has experienced betrayal and lose as a child and as a member of the team. Even as a young girl she learned to hold herself apart to protect herself. She doesn’t trust easily and doesn’t plan on ever opening up to love.

Harrison is a newer member of the team, adding his computer, technical expertise, FBI and private security experience. Through the years he has never stopped hunting the serial killer who tortured and murdered his twin sister. He feels that he failed her and he questions his ability to risk loving and protecting.

When Hannah’s teaching assistant is sent an email of a brutal murder, everyone, but especially, Harrison’s, emotions are set on edge. Is there a copy cat of the dreaded serial killer? Or could the enemy Consortium be targeting the team?  As the team works together to piece out the clues before another death occurs, Hannah and Harrison are drawn closer and their relationship shifts from friendship to passion to more. Will either be able to move beyond the pain of their past to look to a future together?

I really liked how there were different clues of sight or sound in each video hint of the crimes for the team to locate the victims. I think Ms. Davis does a wonderful job of providing fast paced, high adrenaline in her stories.  She also has flawed characters who have to show courage to risk loving. I did love the section where Hannah pulls out of her safe hiding place in response to Harrison’s voice.

The one thing I felt was weak in this story is the likely exposure of their cover as college professors. It might work for the campus and students to think that several of their professors were helping the FBI because one of their assistants was somehow connected to the killings. But it seemed to me that the Consortium would be able to spot all of the members of the A-Tac team as they kept gathering in public places, like Hannah’s house. I also felt that the love making was a little heavier than need be in this book - but that is just me. Other romance readers will love the extra heat and passion.

This might not be my favorite of Dee Davis reads but it is still satisfying with strong characters, lots of excitement, and a compelling romance. If you love adrenaline and passion you must try a Dee Davis title!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hannah’s thoughts on the death of a team member as the result of the betrayal of another:

Betrayal was the worst human offense because it came at such a high price. Trust broken, possibly forever.  Location 246

Harrison’s response to their growing relationship:

“...but I know that walking away isn’t an option. At least not for me.” Their gazes met and held, her heart constricting at the raw emotion reflected in his eyes. Location 1897

Thank you to Forever Romance, Hachette Books for providing this book through NetGalley.

The story was set in Sunderland, New York for my Where Are You Reading Challenge.

Check out my other reviews in this series: Desperate Deeds and Dangerous Desires
I have these two of the prior books available in my book boxes:

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for Winner's choice of Dangerous Desires or Desperate Deeds:
1. If you have read Dee Davis before, tell me your favorite of her books. I think mine is still Just Breath although After Twilight and Dark of Night are tight in the race. If you haven't read her, take a look at her titles and tell me which you think you would like to read.  This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower on any media (GFC, Twitter @MSEREADS, Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/ReviewsByMarthasBookshelf , Goodreads or Linky - links on right sidebar) or tell me if you are already a follower.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Two total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on June 29, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
The WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on June 30. 
Winner will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Review - Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

This book has lots of action, underlying secrets, betrayal and sexy romance.

Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Forever (August 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446542024
• ISBN-13: 978-0446542029

Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Product Description
As the demolitions expert for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Tyler Hanson has two great loves: literature and explosives. She lives by the motto "Duty First" and doesn't have time for personal attachments . . . until a steamy one-night stand turns into a professional partnership.

BURNED BY BETRAYAL
When Tyler meets Owen Wakefield, a handsome British operative, she seduces him with no intention of ever seeing him again. But then the sexy Brit is brought into A-Tac, and despite Tyler's efforts to keep her distance, she finds herself falling for him. Trusting him.

Owen seems too good to be true - and he is. He's hiding his true motives and identity, and no matter how he feels about Tyler, he can't keep her secrets. One of A-Tac's members has turned traitor and helped terrorists to hijack a shipment of nuclear weapons. As witnesses start dying and evidence starts disappearing, Owen and Tyler must race to find the mole - and prevent a final, cataclysmic act of destruction.

Review:
This is book 3 of the A-Tac series. I had not read book 1 but I read and reviewed book 2, Dangerous Desires. A common thread to each story  is the threat of a traitor on the team.

This story starts out with Tyler in depression over a failed mission where two young soldiers were killed but she survived. The circumstances put her involvement as suspect especially with the recent string of sabotaged missions involving the A-Tac team.

Tyler decides to assuage her misery with the handsome Brit who was supposed to receive the stolen detonators. Tyler is pretty much a loner. She concentrates on her bombs and missions with A-Tac.  She was once in love but she was abandoned.  Now she doesn’t waste time and energy on romance, but a one night stand seems like a good idea ... at the time.

Owen is sexy and suave, like James Bond. He has a few hidden secrets though.  The biggest secret is that he has been recruited to spy on the A-Tac team, particularly on Tyler who is the primary suspect for the thefts.  The more he is around her the less he suspects her but the clues still point to her involvement and his superior, who has it in for A-Tac, is set on exposing the team.

Tyler and Owen follow a trail of dead people as each time they go to interview a witness or a lead they find another person murdered. Along the way they are dodging bullets as there are several attempts made on Tyler’s life. There are a few red herring suspects which keeps the reader’s interest in wanting to learn who the traitor is.

The hardest part of this plot for me was the hunt and the “down to the wire” attempts to prevent detonation of the nuclear weapon. This book reminded me of one of the not so believable episodes of the TV series 24; a series I really like. Even though you might wonder if  all of that could really happen in 24 hours (and you wonder why Jack is a one man hero), there is a lot of enjoyable excitement in the action.

The romance is sexy and sweet in its own way as the characters grow from lust to love.  Isn’t that what we love about romance? Watching the characters overcome the obstacles as they journey from aloneness, to reluctance, to “maybe this is it” and finally arriving at “lets stick together till our dotage.” Of course, that assumes that Tyler will get over feeling betrayed when she learns that Owen’s real role in helping the team has been as a spy.

I always enjoy Dee Davis’ characters and their interaction as well as the intriguing plots. This is  a solid, entertaining read.

xxx

Thank you to Hachette and Anna for providing the book to read and review. Be sure to check out the author interview and the giveaway!

Giveaway - Five Copies Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

Enter to win a book with intrigue, suspense, danger, and romance!

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. For your main entry make a comment on one of these four items. Make sure you leave your e-mail address!
a) Answer the Question the Author posed at Q11 of the Interview.
b) Check out the Five Fun Facts and tell me something you found interesting. OR
c) You can visit the author's website and tell me something you found there.
d) Tell me what other Dee Davis book you have read.

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

4. For TWO extra entries comment on the review post.

5. For another TWO extra entries comment on the author interview.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

(Seven total entries possible.) MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL! Five winners!

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on September 10, 2010. The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.

Blog Tour INTERVIEW with Dee Davis, Author of Desperate Deeds

Please help me welcome author Dee Davis to the interview mic!  Then read my review and enter the giveaway for Desperate Deeds

Martha:
1Q.  I am very thrilled to get to ask you some questions! I have been a fan since 2001 when I read Just Breathe which is still on my shelves. (See the feature post for proof of my collection.)  I see that you have some time travels that I need to get and some women’s fiction. What inspired you to write the different genres you write? Do you have plans to write in any other genres? 

Dee Davis: Well first off, thanks for loving Just Breathe – it’s one of my favorites, too!   I actually fell in love with Time Travels when reading a book by Leslie LaFoy and then later reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.   But all three of my time travels (Everything In Its Time, The Promise, and Wild Highland Rose) are at heart, romantic suspense, just with the added twist of a hero or heroine out of time.   The women’s fiction books are in essence romantic comedies, and were books I wrote in an effort to stretch my writing abilities.  A new challenge as it were.  A Match Made on Madison is an homage to Austen’s Emma and also to my love of Manhattan.   Set-Up in SoHo is a sequel to Match.  At the moment, I’m enjoying concentrating on the A-Tac series.   There will be three more A-Tac books coming in 2011 and 2012.

Martha: That sounds good to me - except if we have to wait that long to discover the identity of the traitor!

2Q.  Is there a big transition in your writing style from one genre to another?

Dee Davis:  Definitely a change with the romantic comedies, particularly because they’re written in first person rather than third.  But I do think there are commonalities in all my books.  My voice is still present in each style, just expressed a bit differently.   There’s less room for comedy in romantic suspense, but I do think (as in Just Breathe) it can become a part of the story.  Shakespeare was famous for using comedic bits to break up the suspense/tragedy in some of his plays.  I’m certainly no Shakespeare, but the principle holds true.

Martha: Yes. I think that is one thing that caught me with those stand alone books: the humor as a plus with the intrigue and romance.

3Q. I love series and I like to ask this question:  When you do a series do you have each book plotted out before you start the first one or do the subsequent books flow from the first book?

Dee Davis:  I like to think of plotting as a road map.  I know where I’m starting and where I want to end and maybe a few stops along the way.  But the rest of the journey is in the discovery.  So I have some idea of each book.  But not a complete synopsis.  That’s done just as I begin each book.  And there’s always room for a detour or two.   In my Last Chance series, the third book was meant to go to a different hero, but as I wrote Nigel Ferris, I began to realize that his needed to be the third story (Exposure).  So changes do happen!  So the answer I guess is a bit of both.  Some planning and some flowing J.

Martha: That was another exciting trilogy.
4Q.  What most inspires your plots?

Dee Davis:  Ideas come from anywhere.  In the beginning it can be a character—like Tyler in Desperate Deeds.  She came to me almost fully formed and demanded her fifteen minutes of fame.  Sometimes it’s an incident from my life.  When we lived in Vienna we traveled a lot by train.  I had a six month old when we first arrived and I live in fear of the gap between the bottom of the train steps and the platform, certain that I was going to fall and hurt my child.  From that came the premise of Just Breathe.  What if a woman fell from a train onto a dead man?  Occasionally, as with The Promise, it’s all about location.  I spent my summers growing up just outside Creede, Colorado.  My dad was a fly fisherman.  And over those years I grew to love the mining town and its history and wanted to feature it (fictitiously) in a book.  The Promise was born.   With the A-Tac series the central premise came from my love for academia (I adored college and always thought it would be cool to be a professor) and my love for international intrigue.  The CIA wasn’t as interested in me as I was in them, unfortunately, so I live my dreams through A-Tac.  But, the good part is, that it’s a lot less dangerous that way.

Martha:  Yes - having the adventures through books is much less dangerous!
5Q.  Can you summarize Desperate Deeds in one sentence?

Dee Davis: Two people finding love in the midst of trying to stop a nuclear detonation.

Martha:  Good job summarizing!
6Q.  In Desperate Deeds is there anything that your heroine would never be caught dead doing or saying?

Dee Davis: The word “No.”   Tyler isn’t the kind to give in.   She’s up for almost any challenge.  And she’s determined to see it through.  She’s afraid of commitment.  Or more realistically that no one would be willing to commit to her as she is.  But she’s so determined to follow through that even when she doubts Owen, she hangs in there trying to find the truth.

Martha: I say "Yay for tenacious Tyler"!
7Q.  Is there an ancillary character you had the most fun with during the A-Tac series?

Dee Davis: I’ve always adored Harrison Blake.  He first made his appearance in the Last Chance Books (Endgame, Enigma and Exposure), so I was delighted when he wound up assigned to help Owen with A-Tac in Desperate Deeds.  And if I had to predict, I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of him either.   I also adore Hannah Marshall.   Her changing eyewear and hair color make her quirky and provide contrast to her more serious A-Tac persona as a Sunderland College professor of political science and resident intel expert.

Martha: I too hope to see a story for Hannah and Harrison!
8Q.  Have you had to do any unique research or what was one of the most surprising things you learned in researching for any of your books?

Dee Davis:  I do a lot of research and to be honest most of it is quite interesting.  For Dangerous Desires, I had to learn a lot about Colombia and the Andes area where the book is set.  So there was a lot of history and topography as well as learning about plants and vegetation that inhabit that part of the world.  Perhaps the most interesting area of study came for Chain Reaction when I had to study frog poisons.  Particularly a lethal variety that certain frogs in the South American jungles carry.   (The use of this poison as a biochemical toxin came strictly from my imagination).  Over the years I’ve learned all kinds of things.  From the ATF robots used to defuse a bomb (Enigma) to the correct technique for climbing a sheer cliff in Cyprus (Dark Deceptions).  I have vertigo, so that one was strictly on paper.

Martha: It sounds like you have fun with the research.
9Q.  I was pleased to learn that you mention Mary Stewart books in your first 15 books.  She was the first romance novelist I read after seeing The Moonspinners as a teen. Is there an author who inspired you or helped you along on your writing career?

Dee Davis: Mary Stewart is my most favorite author.  I still believe her descriptive narrative is some of the best ever written.   And her heroines were always intelligent which is something I find very important in the books I read.  The Moon-Spinners is one of my all-time favorite books (along with My Brother Michael!)  I also was influenced by Michael Crichton, Robert Ludlum, Alistair McLean and Madeline L’Engle.  All of those authors, and many, many others helped shape what I believe makes a good book.  And so indirectly they helped me as I developed my craft.  Before starting my first book, I actually read something like 400 romance books over one summer as I attempted to get a handle on the market and on what I particularly liked and disliked in a romance.  And still today, I find bits of other people’s books that inspire me to try harder to make my books the best they can possibly be.  But overall, I’d have to say that it’s my editors who help me grow the most.  Their insight is invaluable. 

Martha: lI am glad that you've had lots of good inspiration and lots of good support.
10Q.  What type of promotion do you do and do you enjoy promoting?

Dee Davis:  Promoting---now there’s the ten million dollar question.   I do promote.  Primarily these days through blogs like yours. (Thank you!).   And social networking like Twitter and Facebook.  Although I also enjoy using those to rediscover old friends and/or just for fun.   I also maintain a website.  I speak at conferences.  And love anything that gives me the chance to interact with readers.  Writing is a solitary endeavor, so it’s always great to be reminded that books don’t just fall into a void.  Talking with readers about characters and books is always a treat.

Martha: I am very pleased to host you (and other authors) and to spread the word about good books!
11Q.  If you could have readers finish a sentence what would it be?

Dee Davis: If I were a romance heroine, my idea of the perfect location for my story would be….....?

Martha: Ohh- good question!
12Q.  Just for fun: Since you like cooking, do you have a favorite meal or recipe that you’d like to tell us about?

Dee Davis: At the moment I’m in love with a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese.  I’m a latecomer to the dish and this one is truly comfort food at its best.  The original recipe called for Gruyere cheese but I adapted it for my family’s tastes.  So:    Melt four tablespoons of butter in a saucepan.  Mix in ¼ cup plus two tablespoons flour.  Stir over med low heat for four minutes until flour begins to brown and smells nutty.   Add three cups of milk (whole –for richer sauce).  Stir constantly for another four minutes. Add salt and white pepper to taste.  Then add one package of shredded Italian mix cheese (I use Kraft) and about a cup of cheddar cheese cut into cubes.   Stir until completely melted.    Meanwhile – cook one lb. of pasta – your choice of shape but you want something the sauce can cling to, (like penne or shells).   Drain.    Add pasta to sauce (or the other way 'round depending on your pan) and toss together.   Pour into a 13 x 9 inch pan.    Then take ¾ cup bread crumbs (I use Japanese Panko) and ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan and mix with three tablespoons melted butter.   Sprinkle this on top of the casserole.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 15 minutes more.   Serve with a salad and crusty bread and Yum!

Martha:  Thank you, Dee, for sharing with us today; thank you for the yummy recipe and thank you for your yummy books! :)