One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Alpha Brotherhood, Book 1
Rating: 3 Stars
Length: 192 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Harlequin Blaze publisher Harlequin via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.





There's having bad taste in men, and then there's Hillary Wright, whose ex-boyfriend is being indicted for fraud and embezzlement. To make matters worse, the federal government suspects she was complicit in his crimes. In an effort to clear her name, she's flying to Chicago to help the CIA identify her ex's shady partners. Then she's going to try to put the whole sordid mess - and relationship - behind her.

The charming, good-looking man seated beside her on the flight to Chicago may be just what she needs to start the process.

Former hacker and computer wunderkind Troy Donavan is scoping out Hillary for his boss, but nothing about the pretty, funny woman says she knew anything about her boyfriend's illegal activities. He's been called to serve in his role as freelance Interpol agent to make sure his instincts are correct, and if necessary, protect her from the people who may not be too happy with her if she fingers them for criminals.

It's a tough job, spending time with a gorgeous, witty, enchanting woman who stirs his blood, but somebody's got to do it.


I'm a fan of Catherine Mann and have enjoyed several of her books, but this debut of her new series was just okay for me. Maybe part of the responsibility for my lack of enthusiasm lies with the Harlequin Desire line. I don't read a lot of them because they tend not to have the sort of depth and complexity I prefer in my books. They're shorter length novels and while they definitely bring the heat, they don't usually bring much else.

That was pretty much the case for me here. I liked the premise of the group of independent Interpol agents and the backstory that connects them. I liked the main characters well enough, too, though again, not a whole lot of depth or complexity went into either one of them. There were some elements of the plot that were fairly far-fetched, and the romance arc had moments that struck me as being overly and unnecessarily dramatic, but overall, there were few truly eye-rolling moments at any point of the story.

There were just as few moments that really impressed or wowed me.

The book is fairly simple, straightforward brain candy, light on substance but with a bit of a sexy bite. There's no doubt Mann is an accomplished author who can write layered characters and well-rounded plots. I just don't think this particular venue is the place for that to happen. It wasn't a bad read at all, and I certainly didn't dislike it, but it never really went beyond being just an okay read for me. In the future I think I'll get my Mann fixes elsewhere.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Elite Force, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher Sourcebooks via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




Staring down the end of his career as a pararescueman, Major Liam McCabe is feeling his years and thinking of retirement. At thirty-eight, his body just can't do what it used to without feeling punishing pain, and he won't put his team at risk should he start to slow because of it. In two weeks he and his elite force will be providing external security at an international summit, then he's done. Though that cold reality isn't exactly a comfort.

Neither are Liam's memories of Rachel Flores, the woman who stole his heart as they worked together on a rescue mission in the Bahamas six months ago, then refused to answer any of his calls when they both returned stateside. Sad thing is, Liam can't really blame Rachel for leaving him hanging.

That's one of the reasons why, when Liam gets in his Jeep after an exhausting training exercise and finds Rachel huddled in the back seat, her arm around one of her dogs and a haunted, hunted terror in her eyes, he's both intensely surprised and unavoidably affected. Until she tells him she's in danger and why, and surprise morphs into a fierce determination to protect her.

If she'd had anyone else to turn to for help, Rachel wouldn't have dragged Liam into the confusing mess she's landed in. It was hard enough keeping away from him for six months. They had forged a connection that had scared the hell out of her when they were in the Bahamas. Now he is her last resort, her only hope, and the only man alive who can make her feel even a little safe with the knowledge she has. If Liam doesn't believe her or can't help her, Rachel is convinced...and terrified...that she'll be killed to keep someone's dark secrets hidden.

There's no way Liam will let that happen...not to Rachel. But a disturbing question torments him and he wonders if he'll have what it takes to stop it.


This third installment in the Elite Force series is my second book by Mann and I have to say, I really enjoy how she writes. Of the ongoing, military-themed romantic suspense series I'm reading, this is definitely one of my favorites. Even though I was a little disappointed that the plot of this one focused more on the military than the rescue-heavy plotline of its predecessor, this is a solid read with great characters who have awesome chemistry.

I fell for the lovelorn Liam in Hot Zone and was happy to see him again in his own story. He's older than the rest of his team, and the impact of a long, high-risk career on his body, as well as the subsequent feelings about reaching the end of his career, were realistically portrayed and sympathetic. He's a well-rounded character with foibles and flaws he wryly acknowledges, and a steely determination that pairs well with his protective streak.

Oh, yeah...and he's hella sexy.

Rachel is also great in her role, but I did like her better in the latter half of the book. She was such a tough chick in the previous book, no nonsense and focused on her job with her Search and Rescue dog. I respected the hell out of her fortitude and loved the chemistry she had with Liam. This book starts out with her in a situation out of her control, and the fear that drives her to Liam for help defines her character long into the book. Though I understood why she was afraid, it didn't appeal to me as much for her character.

The bond between the two of them, though, and the sexual chemistry they have, is rock solid and smoking hot throughout the story. I love how Mann built off what had occurred between them six months ago, and factored in the emotional landscape the two characters found themselves dealing with. They fit together so well and their relationship was such an organic extension of what had come before, I found it completely believable and more realistic than many in the genre.

The external conflict was taut with suspense. It wasn't my favorite element of the book, but it was executed very well throughout most of the book. I wasn't crazy about the climax, where I thought the storyline went off the rails a bit. It just seemed to go a little too far, passing plausible (if disturbing) and treading over the line into unbelievable. The Bad Guy did some things that smacked the face of logic and didn't make a whole lot of sense to me towards the end.

Stronger story elements like the romance arc, the main characters, and the page time with the Elite Force team members combined with the rest of the plot of the book to generate a thorough, layered romantic suspense that I heartily gobbled up. I enjoyed the secondary romance quite a lot, too, though it didn't get quite as much depth and development as I would have liked to completely flesh it out. All told, I was left feeling pleasantly entertained by this third book in Mann's popular series. I hope there's much more to come.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Elite Force, Book 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 352 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher Sourcebooks via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.


Waking up buried under several tons of rubble is not Amelia Bailey's idea of a good time, but she survived the earthquake that leveled the hotel she was staying in, so she can hardly complain. Being able to feel, if not see, her new nephew has also survived is even better. So long as she doesn't think about what's left to endure, or panic about not being found, she'll be okay. Relatively speaking.

Amelia had come to the Bahamas with her brother and sister-in-law to act as their lawyer and help facilitate the international adoption of baby Joshua. Now she's trapped, with no idea if her brother and sister-in-law are still alive, and worried that help won't reach her and the baby before they both succumb to the dust, debris, and weight of the world resting precariously above them.

As an Air Force Pararescuman, Master Sergeant Hugh Franco is used to being on the front lines of rescues and natural disasters. Since the death of his wife and daughter five years ago, he's the first to volunteer for the most dangerous, potentially fatal missions. He doesn't do it solely out of a desire to rescue victims, or just to keep other members of his team safe, in particular those with families. He does it because he doesn't care if he survives. He's just marking time until he gets to see his family again. That's all. Anyone he rescues in the meantime is just gravy.

That's why Hugh is crawling through some of the worst debris he's ever seen after one of the rescue dogs signals a live soul in the rubble. When he finds the trapped individual, sees the wary hope in the eyes of the woman he's found, he quickly sets about stabilizing her until his team can free her. Then she tells him about the baby, stuck just beyond where her body lies under a twist of concrete and steel. A baby he knows could not possibly still be alive.

Getting Amelia free is his only concern, but it's not the only problem. When they are finally pulled from the rubble, they emerge into a world of devastation and chaos. Aftershocks threaten the rescue missions, searchers work frantically to save lives, and armed guards struggle to defend against desperate looters. It's as if Armageddon has been unleashed. Then one lone, tiny wail of furious life echoes across the filthy crowd of men and women and Hugh's soul practically shreds, even as it shifts a little inside him.

Joshua is alive, just as Amelia had tried to tell him. And no matter what, for whatever reason this woman and child still live, Hugh can't help but feel compelled to make sure they continue to do so. But natural disasters of this magnitude do more than highlight the best in humanity...they also bring out the worst. The opportunists, the users, and the vilest criminals take advantage when the whole world is looking away.

His self-appointed task isn't over. Not by a long shot. Amelia and Josh may have survived the earthquake, but it will take every ounce of his strength and training to keep them alive when faced with with a human monster working an evil agenda. One who has no compunction about making them all collateral damage.


It would be impossible to read this story and not be reminded of the earthquake in Haiti, or to think of the number of scenarios that play out during a natural disaster that would so closely resemble the beginning of this book. To imagine with sorrow the number of incidents that don't end nearly as well as it does for Amelia and Joshua. It's a sobering thought, and a powerful way to kick off a book.

This is my first read of Catherine Mann, and if this story is any indication of what's come before, shame on me for the oversight. Action-packed and intense, this military-themed romantic suspense was also uniquely believable and touched on an array of human emotions and human conditions that were realistic, even in such a tragically surreal situation. Despite the larger-than-life heroes, or maybe because of them, getting a gritty view of a horrific rescue mission in less than ideal circumstances was surprisingly moving.

The lead characters, Hugh and Amelia, were fantastic in their roles. Not only did they have excellent chemistry together, each had a backstory and toted around enough baggage to lend their characters depth and dimension. I had no trouble at all understanding exactly where Hugh's frame of mind was at the beginning of the book, and I felt deeply for Amelia's past and the emotional journey she was on during the story.

I liked them, both of them, very much, and because I liked them both so much, it was easy to get swept up in their wild, bumpy ride of survival, endurance, and perseverance.

I'm still sort of up in the air about the ancillary plotlines and shifting character POVs, though. I didn't dislike them, really. I valued seeing the rescue command from Liam's perspective, and getting more information on Amelia's brother's history, as well as seeing how things fell into place with his wife. Those elements did make me feel I'd missed some previous story development and setup, though, and I'm not sure either thread was as fleshed out as needed to give them a true presence and significance in the book as a whole. And Liam's thread felt like it was left awkwardly dangling with no resolution whatsoever.

I also wasn't totally sold on the kidnapping/baby ring. I thought the motivations of the Bad Guy was fascinating, and I felt it was an interesting twist in an already horrible situation, but I wasn't convinced by the execution or the actions of the characters involved. If it had been more thoroughly developed and liberally sprinkled throughout the book, maybe, but as it was, it more divided the book in a way that I didn't find completely satisfying, and the resolution of that thread was a bit abrupt.

Amelia's and Hugh's character and relationship evolution were the high points of the book for me, and frankly, those points were very high. I felt their passion; I felt for their pain. And I just flat-out enjoyed reading about them both. For romantic suspense with a hefty side of action-adventure, this book was a huge success for me, and provided many hours of luscious reading entertainment. I have every intention of continuing this series and reading more of Catherine Mann's books.