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Call in and join us at One PM eastern time today to talk about Risk No Secrets (Black Ops, Inc.) by Cindy Gerard.
See my review for more details on the book.

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Review - Risk No Secrets by Cindy Gerard

If you like fast paced suspense and romance, you will like this!

Risk No Secrets (Black Ops, Inc.) by Cindy Gerard

• Mass Market Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; 1 edition (May 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439153612
• ISBN-13: 978-1439153611

Author website

Rating: 4.25 of 5

Product Description
A deadly international mission reunites a sexy Black Ops, Inc. hero and his sizzling former love in Cindy Gerard’s seductive new romantic thriller. A RED-HOT ATTRACTION . . .Twelve years of chasing bad guys didn’t erase beautiful Sophie Baylor from Wyatt Savage’s memory. If he had another chance, he’d never let her leave. So when she tracks him down from El Salvador and begs for help, he doesn’t ask questions—he just goes.STARTS WITH A TERRIFYING THREAT . . .Sophie is grateful her daughter survived a kidnapping attempt, but she won’t forgive herself until the girl who was mistakenly abducted is safe. Wyatt is the only man brave enough to take on the mysterious terrorists behind the crime—and the one irresistible man she wishes she had never let go. . . . AND UNLEASHES AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE.Sophie knows Central America’s steamy jungles and sticky politics better than anyone. Yet she refuses to hide in fear. Then she becomes the enemy’s number one target. Wyatt lost her once, and he won’t lose her again—even if he has to fight, kill, or die to save her.

Review:  This fast-paced book has lots of action, tension and love.

Sophie is a dedicated teacher who started a middle school in El Salvador to provide opportunities for poor children who would otherwise never have the chance for this type of education. She is understandably upset when her daughter’s best friend, Lola, is mistakenly kidnaped instead of her own daughter, Hope. When Sophie can’t reach her operative ex-husband, she seeks help from his former best friend, Wyatt.

Wyatt and Hugh had worked together for the government before going their separate ways with private black operations. Twelve years earlier when both men were in Sophie’s Spanish class she was impressed with the quiet, steady and honorable Wyatt. But before Wyatt could make his move, Sophie was swept off her feet and married Hugh.

Wyatt has never stopped comparing other women to beautiful and spirited Sophie.  Now, as he calls in a team to try to locate the missing child and also protect Hope and Sophie, he struggles to decide whether he might have another chance to win  the woman he has always loved.

There is plenty of action as the team takes out gang members and destroys buildings during its search. It's not surprising when the bad guys retaliate and come after Sophie's home. It was only surprising it took so long, although in truth all of this takes place in just a few days.

The leader of the terrorist gang is revealed early and he is a real nasty villain. There is also an unrevealed cohort and the clues lead you to believe he is a respected member of the community. I did have my suspicions who this might be but the ultimate revelation is presented in a shocking circumstance.

The love and sexual relationship between Sophie and Wyatt is very well handled. The love scenes are very sexy without being lewd or offensive. The tension and conflicts kick up a notch when Hugh comes home and walks in on Sophie and Wyatt in the master bedroom.

I thought there was one tiny flaw as another child was rescued who had been held for six months. That was not consistent with the kidnappers wanting the ransom for Lola within three days, but it didn’t have that big of an impact on the story.

The characters are well developed, the action explosive and the writing crisp to suit the fast pace.  I call this an exciting romance read.

xxx

This book was provided through the Pajama Chat Readers Club at Romance in the Backseat.

Mailbox Monday June 21, 2010

This Meme starts with Marcia at The Printed Page


Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received Risk No Secrets (Black Ops, Inc.) by Cindy Gerard.
This was a win from Romance in the Backseat.  Thank you Terry.

Product Description

A deadly international mission reunites a sexy Black Ops, Inc. hero and his sizzling former love in Cindy Gerard’s seductive new romantic thriller. A RED-HOT ATTRACTION . . .Twelve years of chasing bad guys didn’t erase beautiful Sophie Baylor from Wyatt Savage’s memory. If he had another chance, he’d never let her leave. So when she tracks him down from El Salvador and begs for help, he doesn’t ask questions—he just goes.STARTS WITH A TERRIFYING THREAT . . .Sophie is grateful her daughter survived a kidnapping attempt, but she won’t forgive herself until the girl who was mistakenly abducted is safe. Wyatt is the only man brave enough to take on the mysterious terrorists behind the crime—and the one irresistible man she wishes she had never let go. . . . AND UNLEASHES AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE.Sophie knows Central America’s steamy jungles and sticky politics better than anyone. Yet she refuses to hide in fear. Then she becomes the enemy’s number one target. Wyatt lost her once, and he won’t lose her again—even if he has to fight, kill, or die to save her.

I also received The Postmistress by Sarah Blake from The Book Studio. Thank you Book Studio.

What would happen if a postmistress chose not to deliver the mail?

It is 1940. While the war is raging in Europe, President Roosevelt promises he won't send American boys over to fight.

Iris James is the postmistress of Franklin, Massachusetts a small town at the end of Cape Cod. She firmly believes her job is deliver and keep people's secrets, to pass along the news of love and sorrow that letters carry. Faithfully she stamps and sends the letters between people such as the newlyweds Emma and Will Fitch, who has gone to London to help out during the Blitz. But one day she slips a letter into her pocket, and leaves it there.

Meanwhile, seemingly fearless radio gal, Frankie Bard is reporting the Blitz from London, her dispatches trinkling across the Atlantic, imploring listeners to pay attention. Then in the last desperate days of the summer of 1941, she rides the trains out of Germany, reporting on what is happening to the refugees there.

Alternating between an America on the eve of entering into World War II, still safe and snug in its inability to grasp the danger at hand, an a Europe being torn apart by war, the two stories collide in a letter, bringing the war finally home to Franklin.

I also won The Prophecy: Anslem’s Son by Gwyn Lacy at Coffee Time Romance.  Thank you Gwyn and CTR.

It is 558 B.C.E., the Throne of Anslem and its King, Alois, and his son, Prince Lukas  are prophesied to die by the Keeper’s of the Curse, the Oligsarco. The Oligsarco have tormented and tried to destroy the Throne of Anslem for centuries and failed. But each new Prince must face his death and the end of his line before his twenty first birthday. The Oligsarco have not revealed themselves to previous generations although the lineage of Anslem knew of their existence. This time the Oligsarco capture a beautiful slave, Marliele and transform themselves into her voluptuous body in order to get at the Throne of Anslem and Lukas.

 
Through Lukas lust for Marliele, he inadvertently let the Oligsarco in the Castle. The Oligsarco are a humanoid mass of shape-shifting, mucoids that capture his parents and take them to their hidden lair in a cave of bats.

Lukas has to save the King and Queen of Anslem , his parents, and the woman he loves, Marliele, from death in the Oligsarco lair. The only option he may have is to accept the dark proposition of the Oligsarco: Trade his life for the lives of his loved ones. Once the trade is made and Lukas is taken back to the lair of the Oligsarco they will kill him as the prophecy allows. At Lukas death,  the Throne of Anslem will end  and the Prophecy will be fulfilled.

Lukas must use every skill he has learned as warrior and future king to distinguish his friends and loved ones from the shape-shifting Oligsarco. If he makes a mistake the Oligsarco live or he kills a loved one by mistake. The Oligsarco have secrets that when Lukas learns of them could destroy the Throne of Anslem with or without his death. Lukas can also stay off the Curse by siring an heir to the throne, in case of his death.  He must seduce the real Marliele and conceive a child. But a man with a remarkable likeness to the Prince of Anslem brutalized this girl and then she suffered at the hands of the Oligsarco. He needs time to build her trust, but time he does not  have.  The future of the Throne of Anslem rests on Lukas’ shoulders and love and courage have to be stronger than the Curse of the Prophecy.