Nikki’s review of Extreme Danger by Shannon McKenna
Contemporary, erotic romantic suspense released by Brava 1 Feb 08

This book was listed as “The McCloud Brothers, Book 5” when it was sent to me. It’s plainly in the same series but the hero isn’t a McCloud Brother. He’s the ex-fed friend of the family and he’s definitely worthy.

Becca has had a really hard life and the last couple of days have just topped it all off. She just can’t take any more. She’s been accused of being boring by her ex-fiancé and she’s decided to be more adventurous. Starting with a skinny-dip in a neighbor’s pool. She gets more adventure than she bargained for.

Nick is tormented by past mistakes. He’s hit bottom and only lives to make right what he can. He gets his chance, finally, to bring down the evil mob boss who stole his friend’s daughter and killed his friend. He doesn’t even have a hope of finding the girl alive but he might gain news that will give her mother closure. Nick is beyond moody. His cold shoulder treatment would have sent me running. But Becca draws him back to her, time and again, with her sweetness. He can’t stay away from her and she can’t bring herself to toss him out. He’s not good for her and she knows it. but with her, he starts to change.

I didn’t actually like this book as much as the last one. There were way more sex scenes than were supported by the relationship development. I know this won’t be a problem for a lot of you but I found myself hoping they would hurry up a time or two.

My opinion could also be partly because the plot in Extreme wasn’t quite as strong as the last book. It was good but not great. Nick is jumping through hoops to get to Mr. Bad Guy because he’s so hard to trace. It is said that there weren’t even decent pictures of him, but later they have been watching his townhouse. Huh? They know where he has a place and are keeping it under surveillance? And they see someone who goes there because they are watching the place but they never see the Boss guy or his goons go in or out? Or a certain someone else whose very existence is later questioned (vague to avoid a spoiler)?

Still, the book is enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who likes McKenna’s books and to people who are looking for hot romantic suspense and don’t mind a few light plot holes. There are cool spy gadgets and edge-of-your-seat just-in-time rescues. Nick and Becca go through a lot and I believed their HEA.

Grade: C+

From the back cover:

Nobody’s home at the millionaire’s estate on remote Frakes Island. And nobody seems to be watching. Becca Cantrell dives in for an illicit midnight skinnydip–and gets hauled out by a towering, hard-muscled guy with burning dark eyes. He seems to be in charge. Good. The man is the embodiment of her most intense fantasies. And she’s up for risky thrills…

Nick Ward can’t tell her that he’s spying on a vicious Russian crime boss. Becca could be his worst enemy: an assassin sent to kill him, a call girl sent to distract him, or the worst scenario of all–a clueless innocent. Anyway he looks at it, she’s trouble: beautiful, bare, dripping-wet trouble. The kind he can’t resist.

She’s not scared. After one taste of his hot mouth, Becca soon discovers just how fearless she can be. She’ll need it, too–because things are about to explode on Frakes Island, launching Becca and Nick into danger they could never have imagined–and a passion that could destroy them both.

Read an excerpt.