Sandy M’s review of Protector (Dark Ops, Book 4) by Catherine Mann
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 6 Mar 12

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these military-themed books from Catherine Mann. I’ve not read many so far, but I intend to remedy that as soon as I can. I’ve had that much fun with them.

While I do like this book, I have to say it’s not as intriguing nor as gut wrenching as the prior one I read, Hot Zone, from her Elite Force series. That book sucked me in from the beginning and never let go. This story begins in the same way – tense, in-your-face events – but then it slows down quite a bit. And then even when I thought it was going to pick up again and take off, it doesn’t. What saves it is the characters.

After being captured and tortured, Captain Chuck Tanaka feels he’s lost his edge. His superior, however, thinks he should get back on the horse in a new mission, one where Chuck and his technology expertise is needed. Taking on the role of a blackjack dealer on a mob boss’ cruise ship, Chuck is assigned to make contact with the man’s daughter to discover information about a terrorist plot.

JoLynn Taylor has made a life for herself, far away from her father. As a child when witnessing the death of her beloved uncle – and not being believed when she went to her father about it – JoLynn now wants nothing to do with man he’s become. But when he suffers a heart attack and asks for her, she can’t ignore his request. Thing is, nothing has really changed. He still pushes her away, demands she return home. This time, though, JoLynn is determined to stick around. Especially after she meets the new, sexy blackjack dealer.

I do like Chuck and JoLynn. They’re vintage Catherine Mann characters, strong and intelligent, sensual and sexy, they get the job done. Chuck tries his best to keep distance between them when he interacts with JoLynn, but the attraction is just too strong. He walks away as often as he can, which only proves to JoLynn she’s not worthy of love. But she also can’t help herself when she’s around Chuck, so why the heck shouldn’t she enjoy a fling with a handsome man?

Innocuous events take place that make Chuck think someone is after JoLynn, and when his suspicions are confirmed as they enjoy a day port side, they end up on the run with only Chuck’s training to keep them a step or two ahead of the bad guys. When their safe house is breached, this is when I thought things would really pick up in the story. They escape through a second-floor window, blend in with the Italian crowd, and I expected a harrowing chase. They flee, thinking they will be chased, but Chuck takes them to a friend’s cottage where he recuperated after his release from the hospital the year before.

While I was looking for action at this point, I have to tell you that the time Chuck and JoLynn spend at this Italian cottage is some of the best scenes in the book. They truly get to know one another, let their feelings go where they will, and enjoy some hot and sizzling sex. Both of them, however, feel it’s more than just sex. But they keep those feelings to themselves. JoLynn learns that Chuck has lied to her from the start, even though it’s his job that’s brought him to her doorstep and he has no choice. It’s now his job to keep her safe. He’s had no contact with his team since the safe house, but he’s hoping team members can put it all together and figure out where they’re hiding out.

We also get a nice side romance with Chuck’s CO, Colonel Rex Scanlon, and the ship’s singer, Livia. This is where reading an entire series from the start helps. These characters have apparently appeared in previous books, and I do feel I missed a little by not reading those books. There’s history between them – not a huge amount, but enough that I think I’d have a better feel for their present circumstances and romance. Scanlon feels a relationship won’t work between them because of their age difference – he’s 44 and she’s 29. No problem for me! She’s the one who walked away earlier because she didn’t want to compete with his dead wife. So there’s something there that would have helped if I’d read them before, but I still enjoyed them.

So even though this story lacks some of the action that I’ve read in other of this author’s works, it’s still a good read with interesting and savvy characters. I was able to figure out the bad guy before it’s revealed, so I’m surprised JoLynn didn’t. Although I know her heart is involved and she wouldn’t look that direction. But Chuck is there to rescue her, and he does a damn fine job.

Grade: B

Summary:

TRUST, LOVE …AND LIES.

After barely surviving enemy torture, Captain Chuck Tanaka doesn’t trust himself to do more than ride a desk—but new orders leave him no choice.  Assigned to the investigation of a mob boss whose luxury cruise ship is reportedly a hub for terrorist activity, Tanaka goes undercover.  His target: JoLynn Taylor, the mob boss’s daughter.

As a child, JoLynn saw her beloved uncle murdered.  Since then, she’s stayed far away from her father’s crooked empire.  But when he falls ill, she returns, hoping to mend the gap between them.  Instead, she finds herself on the run, one step ahead of unknown enemies. The only thing keeping her alive is the man she knows as Charles Tomas, the only man she’s ever been able to trust.

Unfortunately, he’s also the man determined to destroy her family…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

A huge thanks to Catherine Mann for spending the day with us recently to chat about how important memories are to us. And thanks to those of you who shared yours with us.

And now to our winners, who will receive a copy of Catherine’s latest in her Elite Force series, Hot Zone.

#9 – Kristy

and

#11 – Maureen

Congratulations, ladies! Please send your snail mail addresses to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and your books will be on their way to you!

You’re really in for a treat now. This first chapter of Hot Zone pulls you right in, places you in the middle of the devastation after an earthquake tumbles the Bahamas every which way. You meet Hugh and Amelia under the worst of circumstances, when you see the best of them, what makes them the people they are today.

Catherine Mann has given readers characters who are, foremost, honorable, so very likeable but also flawed, and who make you emotionally invest in them from the start. I don’t think you’ll be able to walk away from this excerpt without wanting more of Hugh and Amelia, without wanting to know what happens to them and where they go from here.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Summary:

Days full of danger…
For Pararescueman Master Sergeant Hugh Franco, it’s all about saving other people’s lives. Then he moves on. But when he pulls beautiful Amelia Bailey and her adopted nephew from the rubble of a catastrophic earthquake, he finds himself entangled in their lives in ways he could never have imagined…

And desire-filled nights…
Amelia’s trip to the Bahamas to help with an international adoption has been no vacation, but the hardest part is yet to come. As Amelia and Hugh are pulled unawares into a deadly smuggling scheme, simmering beneath their growing need to protect each other is a compelling attraction they’re both determined to deny…

Get ready…

Chapter One

The world had caved in on Amelia Bailey. Literally.

Aftershocks from the earthquake still rumbled the gritty earth under her cheek, jarring her out of her hazy micro nap. Dust and rocks showered around her. Her skin, her eyes, everything itched and ached after hours—she’d lost track of how many – beneath the rubble.

The quake had to have hit at least seven on the Richter Scale. Although when you ended up with a building on top of you, somehow a Richter scale didn’t seem all that pertinent.

She squeezed her lids closed. Inhaling. Exhaling. Inhaling, she drew in slow, even breaths of the dank air filled with dirt. Was this what it was like to be buried alive? She pushed back the panic as forcefully as she’d clawed out a tiny cavern for herself.

This wasn’t how she’d envisioned her trip to the Bahamas when she’d offered to help her brother and sister-in-law with the legalities of international adoption.

Muffled sounds penetrated, of jackhammers and tractors. Life scurried above her, not that anybody seemed to have heard her shouts. She’d screamed her throat raw until she could only manage a hoarse croak now.

Time fused in her pitch black cubby, the air thick with sand. Or disintegrated concrete. She didn’t want to think what else. She remembered the first tremor, the dawning realization that her third floor hotel room in the seaside Bahamas resort was slowly giving way beneath her feet. But after that?

Her mind blanked.

How long had she been entombed? Forever, it seemed, but probably more along the lines of half a day while she drifted in and out of consciousness. She wriggled her fingers and toes to keep the circulation moving after so long immobile. Every inch of her body screamed in agony from scrapes and bruises and probably worse, but she couldn’t move enough to check. Still, she welcomed the pain that reassured her she was alive.

Her body was intact.

Forget trying to sit up. Her head throbbed from having tried that. The ceiling was maybe six inches above where she lay flat on her belly. Again, she willed back hysteria. The fog of claustrophobia hovered, waiting to swallow her whole.

More dust sifted around her. The sound of the jackhammers rattled her teeth. They seemed closer, louder with even a hint of a voice. Was that a dog barking?

Hope hurt after so many disappointments. Even if her ears heard right, there had to be so many people in need of rescuing after the earthquake. All those efforts could easily be for someone else a few feet away. They might not find her for hours. Days.

Ever.

But she couldn’t give up. She had to keep fighting. If not for herself, then for the little life beside her, her precious new nephew. She threaded her arm through the tiny hole between them to rub his back, even though he’d long ago given up crying, sinking into a frighteningly long nap. His shoulders rose and fell evenly, thank God, but for how much longer?

Her fingers wrapped tighter around a rock and she banged steadily against the oppressive wall overhead. Again and again. If only she knew Morse code. Her arm numbed. Needle-like pain prickled down her skin. She gritted her teeth and continued. Didn’t the people up there have special listening gear?

Dim shouts echoed, like a celebration. Someone had been found. Someone else. Her eyes burned with tears that she was too dehydrated to form. Desperation clawed up her throat. What if the rescue party moved on now? Far from her deeply buried spot?

Time ticked away. Precious seconds. Her left hand gripped the rock tighter, her right hand around the tiny wrist of the child beside her. Joshua’s pulse fluttered weakly against her thumb.

Desperation thundered in her ears. She pounded the rock harder overhead. God, she didn’t want to die. There’d been times after her divorce when the betrayal hurt so much she’d thought her chance at finally having a family was over, but she’d never thrown in the towel. Damn him. She wasn’t a quitter.

Except why wasn’t her hand cooperating anymore? The opaque air grew thicker with despair. Her arm grew leaden. Her shoulder shrieked in agony, pushing a gasping moan from between her cracked lips. Pounding became taps… She frowned. Realizing…

Her hand wasn’t moving anymore. It slid uselessly back onto the rubble strewn floor. Even if her will to live was kicking ass, her body waved the white flag of surrender.

**

Master Sergeant Hugh Franco had given up caring if he lived or died five years ago. These days, the Air Force pararescueman motto was the only thing that kept his soul planted on this side of mortality.

That others may live.

Since he didn’t have anything to live for here on earth, he volunteered for the assignments no sane person would touch. And even if they would, his buds had people who would miss them. Why cause them pain?

Which was what brought him to his current snow-ball’s-chance-in-hell mission.

Hugh commando crawled through the narrow tunnel in the earthquake rubble. His helmet lamp sliced a thin blade through the dusty dark. His headset echoed with chatter from above – familiar voices looking after him and unfamiliar personnel working other missions scattered throughout the chaos. One of the search and rescue dogs above ground had barked his head off the second he’d sniffed this fissure in the jumbled jigsaw of broken concrete.

Now, Hugh burrowed deeper on the say so of a German Shepherd named Zorro. Ground crew attempts at drilling a hole for a search camera had come up with zip. But that Zorro was one mighty insistent pup so Hugh was all in.

He half listened to the talking in one ear, with the other tuned in for signs of life in the devastation. Years of training honed an internal filter that blocked out communication not meant for him.

“You okay down there Franco?”

He tapped the talk button on his safety harness and replied, “Still moving. Seems stable enough.”

“So says the guy who parachuted into a minefield on an Afghani mountainside.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Somebody had needed to go in and rescue that Green Beret who’d gotten his legs blown off. “I’m good for now and I’m sure I heard some tapping ahead of me. Tough to tell, but maybe another twenty feet or so.”

He felt a slight tug, then loosening to the line attached to his safety harness as his team leader played out more cord.

“Roger that, Franco. Slow and steady man, slow and steady.”

Just then he heard the tapping again. “Wait one, Major.”

Hugh stopped and cocked his free ear. Tapping for sure. He swept his light forward, pushing around a corner and saw a widening cavern that held promise inside the whole hellish pancake collapse. He inched ahead, aiming the light on his helmet into the void.

The slim beam swept a trapped individual. Belly to the ground, the person sprawled with only a few inches free above. The lower half of the body was blocked. But the torso was visible, covered in so much dust and grime he couldn’t tell at first if he saw a male or female. Wide eyes stared back at him with disbelief, followed by wary hope. Then the person dropped a rock and pointed toward him.

Definitely a woman’s hand.

Trembling, she reached, her French manicure chipped, nails torn back and bloody. A gold band on her thumb had bent into an oval. He clasped her hand quickly to check the thumb for warmth and a pulse.

And found it. Circulation still intact.

Then he checked her wrist, heart rate elevated but strong.

She gripped his hand with surprising strength. “If I’m hallucinating,” she said, her raspy voice barely more than a whisper, “please don’t tell me.”

“Ma’am, you’re not imagining anything. I’m here to help you.”

He let her keep holding on as it seemed to bring her comfort—and calm—while he swept the light over what he could see of her to assess medically. Tangled hair. A streak of blood across her head. But no gaping wounds.

He thumbed his mic. “Have found a live female. Trapped, but lucid. More data after I evaluate.”

“Roger that,” McCabe’s voice crackled through.

Hugh inched closer, wedging the light into the crevice in hopes of seeing more of his patient. “Ma’am, crews are working hard to get you out of here, but they need to stabilize the structure before removing more debris. Do you understand me?”

“I hear you.” She nodded, then winced as her cheek slid along the gritty ground. “My name is Amelia Bailey. I’m not alone.”

More souls in danger. “How many?”

“One more. A baby.”

His gut gripped. He forced words past his throat clogging from more than particulates in the air. “McCabe, add a second soul to that. A baby with the female, Amelia Bailey. Am switching to hot mic so you can listen in.”

He flipped the mic to constant feed, which would use more battery but time was of the essence now. He didn’t want to waste valuable seconds repeating info. “Ma’am, how old is the baby?”

“Thirteen months. A boy,” she spoke faster and faster, her voice coming out in scratchy croaks. “I can’t see him because it’s so dark, but I can feel his pulse. He’s still alive, but oh God, please get us out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am. Now, I’m going to slip my hand over your back to see if I can reach him.”

He had his doubts. There wasn’t a sound from the child, no whimpering, none of those huffing little breaths children made when they slept or had cried themselves out. Still, he had to go through the motions. Inching closer until he stretched alongside her, he tunneled his arm over her shoulders. Her back rose and fell shallowly, as if she tried to give him more space when millimeters counted. His fingers snagged on her torn shirt, something silky and too insubstantial a barrier between her and tons of concrete.

Pushing further, he met resistance, stopped short. Damn it. He grappled past the jutting stone, lower down her back until he brushed the top of her—

She gasped.

He looked up fast, nearly nose to nose now. His hand stilled on her buttock. She stared back, the light from his helmet sweeping over her sooty face. Her eyes stared back, a splash of color in the middle of murky desperation.

Blue. Her eyes were glistened pure blue, and what a strange thought to have in the middle of hell. But he couldn’t help but notice they were the same color as cornflowers he’d seen carpeting a field once during a mission in the U.K.

Hell, cornflowers were just weeds. He stretched deeper, along the curve of her butt, bringing his face nearer to hers. She bit her lip.

“Sorry,” he clipped out.

Wincing, she shrugged. “It was a reflex. Modesty’s pretty silly right now. Keep going.”

Wriggling, he shifted for a better path beyond the maze of jagged edges, protruding glass, spikes…

“Damn it.” He rolled away, stifling the urge to say a helluva lot worse. “I can’t reach past you.”

Her fingers crawled to grip his sleeve. “I’m just so glad you’re here, that everyone knows we are here. Joshua’s heart is still beating. He’s with us and we haven’t been down here long enough for him to get dehydrated, less than a day. There’s hope, right?”

Less than a day? Nearly forty-eight hours had passed since the earthquake occurred, and while he’d participated in against all odds rescues before, he had a sick sense that the child was already dead. But alerting the woman to her own confusion over the time wouldn’t help and could actually freak her out.

“Sure, Amelia. There’s always hope.”

Or so the platitude went.

“I’m going to hang out here with you while they do their work upstairs.” He unstrapped the pack around his waist and pointed his headlight toward the supplies. “Now I’m gonna pull out some tricks to make you more comfortable while we wait.”

“Happen to have an ice cold Diet Coke? Although I’ll settle for water, no lemon necessary.”

He laughed softly. Not many would be able to joke right now, much less stay calm. “I’m sorry, but until I know more about your physical status, I can’t risk letting you eat or drink.” He tugged out a bag of saline, the needle, antiseptic swabs, grunting as a rock bit into his side. “But I am going to start an IV, just some fluids to hydrate you.”

“You said you’re here to help me,” she said, wincing at a fresh burst of noise from the jackhammers, “but who are you?”

“I’m with the U.S. Air Force.” Dust and pebbles showered down. “I’m a pararescueman—you may have heard it called parajumper or PJ—but regardless it includes a crap-ton of medic training. I need to ask some questions so I know what else to put in your IV. Where exactly did the debris land on you?”

She puffed dust from her mouth, blinking fast. “There’s a frickin’ building on top of me.”

“Let me be more specific. Are your legs pinned?” He tore the corner of a sealed alcohol pad with his teeth, spitting the foil edge free. “I couldn’t reach that far to assess.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you were checking on Joshua.”

“I’m a good multi-tasker.”

“My foot is wedged, but I can still wriggle my toes.”

He looked up sharply. If she was hemorrhaging internally, fluids could make her bleed out faster, but without hydration…

The balancing act often came down to going with his gut. “Just your foot?”

“Yes. Why? Do you think I’m delusional?” Her breath hitched with early signs of hysteria. “I’m not having phantom sensations. I can feel grit against my ankle. There’s some blood in my shoe, not a lot. It’s sticky, but not fresh. I’m feeling things.”

“I hear you. I believe you.” Without question, her mind would do whatever was needed to survive. But he’d felt enough of her body to know she was blocked, rather than pressed into the space. “I’m going to put an IV in now.”

“Why was it so important about my foot?”

He scrubbed the top of her hand with alcohol pads, sanitizing as best he could. “When parts of the body are crushed, we need to be… uh… careful in freeing you.”

“Crush syndrome.” Her throat moved with a long slow swallow. “I’ve heard of that. People die from it after they get free. I saw it on a rerun of that TV show about a crabby drug addict doctor.”

“We just need to be careful.” In a crush situation, tissue died, breaking down and when the pressure was released, toxins flooded the body, overloading the kidneys. And for just that remote possibility, he hadn’t included potassium in her IV.

Panic flooded her glittering blue eyes. “Are you planning to cut off my foot?” Her arm twitched, harder, faster until she flailed. “Are you going to put something else in that IV? Something to knock me out?”

He covered her fingers with his before she dislodged the port in her hand. “There’s nothing in there but fluid. I’m being honest with you now, but if you panic, I’m going to have to start feeding you a line of bullshit to calm you down. Now you said you wanted the unvarnished truth—”

“I do. Okay. I’m breathing. Calming down. Give me the IV.”

He patted her wrist a final time. “I already did.”

Blinking fast, she looked at the tape along her hand. A smile pushed through the grime on her face. “You’re good. I was so busy trying not to freak out I didn’t even notice.”

“Not bad for my first time.”

“Your first time?”

“I’m kidding.” And working to distract her again from the rattle overhead, the fear that at any second the whole damn place could collapse onto them.

She laughed weakly, then stronger. “Thank you.”

“It’s just an IV.”

“For the laugh. I was afraid I would never get to do that again.” Her fingers relaxed slowly, tension seeping from them as surely as fluid dripped out of the bag. “The second they uncover us, you’ll make Joshua top priority. Forget about me until he’s taken care of.”

“We’re going to get you both out of here. I swear it.”

“Easy for you to claim that. If I die, it’s not like I can call you a liar.”

A dead woman and child. He resisted the urge to tear through the rocks with his bare hands and to hell with waiting on the crews above. He stowed his gear, twisting to avoid that damn stone stabbing his side.

“Hey,” Amelia whispered. “That was supposed to be a joke from me this time.”

“Right, got it.” Admiration for her grit kicked through his own personal fog threatening to swallow him whole. “You’re a tough one. I think you’re going to be fine.”

“I’m a county prosecutor. I chew up criminals for a living.”

“Atta girl.” He settled onto his back, watching the hypnotic drip, drip. His fingers rested on her wrist to monitor her pulse.

“Girl?” She sniffed. “I prefer to be called a woman or a lady, thank you very much.”

“Where I come from, it’s wise not to be nitpicky with the person who’s saving your ass.”

“Score one for you.” She scraped a torn fingernail through the dust on the ground. Her sigh stirred the dust around that shaky line. “I’m good now. So you should go before this building collapses on top of you and keeps you from doing your job for other people.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to be.” He ignored a call from McCabe through his headset that pretty much echoed the woman’s words. “The second they give the go ahead, I’m hauling you out of here, Amelia Bailey.”

“And Joshua. I want you to promise you’ll take care of him first.”

“I will do what I can for him,” he answered evasively.

Her wide eyes studied him for seven drips of the IV before she cleared her throat. “You don’t think he’s alive, do you? I can feel his pulse.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m not imagining it, damn it.” Her hand flipped and she grabbed his arm, her ragged nails digging deep with urgency. “I can feel his pulse in his wrist. He’s a little chilly, but he’s not cold. Just because he’s not screaming his head off doesn’t mean he’s dead. And sometimes, he moves. Only a little, but I feel it.” Her words tumbled over each other faster and faster until she dissolved into a coughing fit.

Ah, to hell with it. He unhooked his canteen. “Wet your mouth. Just don’t gulp, okay? Or they’ll kick my butt up there.”

He brought the jug to her lips and she sipped, her restraint Herculean when she must want to drain it dry. Sighing, she sagged again, her eyes closing as she hmmmed, her breathing evening out. He freaked. She needed to stay awake, alert.

Alive.

“Tell me about your son Joshua.” He recapped the canteen without wasting a swallow on himself.

Her lashes fluttered open again. “Joshua’s my nephew. I came with my brother and his wife to help them with the paperwork for their adoption. They don’t want any legal loopholes. What happens to Joshua if they’re…?”

She bit her lip.

His brain raced as he swept the light along the rubble, searching for some signs of others. Although there hadn’t been a helluva lot of survivors in the vicinity. All the same, he made sure they heard upstairs, by speaking straight into his mic as he asked her, “Where were your brother and sister-in-law when the earthquake hit?”

“They were in the street, outside the hotel. They left to buy lunch. They waited until Joshua was asleep so he wouldn’t miss them.” Her voice hitched. “I promised I would take care of him.”

“And you have.” He pinned her with his eyes, with his determination, the swath of light staying steady on her face. “Keep the faith. Hold steady and picture your family in one of the camps for survivors right now going nuts trying to find you.”

“I’ve read stories about how babies do better because they have more fat stores and they don’t tense up or get claustrophobic.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “He’s just napping, you know.”

The force of her need pummeled him harder than the spray of rocks from the jack hammered ceiling. The world closed in to just this woman and a kid he couldn’t see. Too clearly he could envision his wife and his daughter, trapped in the wreckage of a crashed plane. Marissa would have held out hope for Tilly right to the end too, fighting for her until her nails and spirit were ragged.

Shit.

The vise on his brain clamped harder, the roar in his ears louder, threatening his focus. “I’m changing your IV bag now, so don’t wig out if you feel a little tug.”

She clenched her fist. “You must get pretty jaded in this line of work.”

“I’ve got a good success rate.” He didn’t walk away from tough odds. Every mission was do or die for him.

“About my foot,” she started hesitantly, “am I imagining that it’s okay? Be honest. I won’t panic. I need to be prepared.”

“The mind does what it needs to in order to survive. That’s what you need to focus on. Surviving.”

Not that any amount of determination had mattered in the end for Marissa or Tilly. They’d died in that plane crash, their broken bodies returned to him to bury along with his will to live. A trembling started deep inside him. His teeth chattered. He dug his fingers into the ground to anchor himself into the present. Amelia Bailey would not die on his watch, damn it.

But the trembling increased inside him. Harder. Deeper. Until he realized… The shaking wasn’t inside, but outside.

The ground shuddered with another earthquake.

Sandy M’s review of Hot Zone (Elite Force, Book 2) by Catherine Mann
Contemporary Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Dec 11

With only two of her books read so far, Catherine Mann has now become a favorite author for me. Hot Zone is action packed, full of steamy and sizzling loving, heart-breaking and life-affirming emotion, and a mystery with some twists and turns you don’t expect. Hugh Franco is my perfect hero, the kind of man I enjoy reading about, one to fall in love with before I’m too many pages into the story.

An earthquake in the Bahamas has trapped Amelia Bailey under the rubble of the hotel she and her brother and sister-in-law are staying in. They’d gone to grab lunch for all of them while Amelia stayed with newly adopted Joshua, her nephew. He’s trapped right alongside her, but the boy is a strong little tyke. He’s hanging in there with her, she can feel him breathe and move now and again. But help has to come soon or neither of them may survive the hell they’ve been tossed into.

Hoarse after hours – or is it days? – of yelling for rescuers, Amelia’s relief is palpable when Master Sergeant Hugh Franco, a pararescueman, tunnels his way into the rubble to assess any damage and get her out of danger. He’s a lifeline she hangs onto with everything in her. Admiring Amelia’s spirit and toughness, the control with which she harnesses her fear, Hugh is taken with the spunky woman, a first for him in the five years since tragedy struck his happiness in the blink of an eye. His past weighs heavily on him, turning him into a man who runs headlong into the most dangerous missions his team is assigned, all with the hope that someday he’ll be with his family again.

The initial scenes of this book are riveting. It’s just Hugh and Amelia, covered in dirt and grime, talking, laughing where possible, and holding tight when aftershocks strike, waiting endless hours for the light of day. You’d think with such restrictions on a lengthy scene it would become boring, but Catherine Mann knows her stuff and keeps you glued to the pages, hoping, just as those characters are, that all turns out okay. You learn so much about each of them as they talk and cling to one another.

You also hope once Amelia is freed and Hugh escorts her and Joshua above ground that life will calm down and let them acclimate to a new look their lives. Not so. Just when you and they are complacent, the action bolts into high gear once again, this time Amelia and Joshua are kidnapped from their makeshift hospital. Right after she and Hugh enjoyed some adrenaline-based sex. In a broom closet. In the hospital. And they’re not prepared for the connection that’s further cemented between them.

After a crazy ride through the forest with their kidnappers, Hugh takes matters into his own hands, knowing only Joshua would survive if he allowed them to reach their destination where the Guardian, a self-proclaimed savior of orphans after such natural disasters, is waiting for them. Escaping isn’t easy, but Hugh and Amelia make their way toward civilization, hoping to find her brother and his wife alive. Before they make it that far, however, they exchange one danger for another, realizing too late they’re smack-dab in the middle of a viper’s nest. Hugh once again relies on his elite training to find a way out, but can one man alone pull off a needed miracle?

This book never slows down. Even those love scenes are raw and intense and full of fire. It’s only later that Hugh and Amelia take their time to learn one another inside out, taking their time to make love, despite danger still lurking about. I just adore Hugh. He’s strong while tender and generous at the same time. Though he’s afraid to love again, he makes peace with his past to do just that. Amelia is also a strong character. As much as she’d like to panic at everything thrown at her time after time, she keeps her fear and stress under control and does what’s needed to keep Joshua safe.

We also meet Liam and Rachel, who are featured in the next book, Under Fire, and I’m already anxious to read their story to see what’s in store for them, given the fact they’ve also met under stressful circumstances, just like Hugh and Amelia. I don’t know how many books are planned in this series, but I hope there’s a few more to come. I will never tire of these pararescuemen.

Heroes from any branch of the military have always been a favorite of mine to read, and I’m glad I’ve finally read Catherine Mann. Edge-of-your-seat page turning with stories that enthrall you until the last word is read is perfectly done. Heroes who steal your heart with a look and a touch and heroines who are independent and intelligent make picking up these books worthwhile.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Days full of danger…
For Pararescueman Master Sergeant Hugh Franco, it’s all about saving other people’s lives. Then he moves on. But when he pulls beautiful Amelia Bailey and her adopted nephew from the rubble of a catastrophic earthquake, he finds himself entangled in their lives in ways he could never have imagined…

And desire-filled nights…
Amelia’s trip to the Bahamas to help with an international adoption has been no vacation, but the hardest part is yet to come. As Amelia and Hugh are pulled unawares into a deadly smuggling scheme, simmering beneath their growing need to protect each other is a compelling attraction they’re both determined to deny…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

This just in…

Sourcebooks has some great deals for you this month!

~ Cover Me by Catherine Mann will be $0.99: October 4 through October 17

~ Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds will be $2.99: October 3 through October 9

~ Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson will be FREE: October 3 through October 9

~ They are also available at Barnes & Noble and Sourcebooks.

~ Watch those dates, it’s not all month long! So hurry!

Consider yourself flashed.

Sandy M’s review of Cover Me (Elite Force Series, Book 1) by Catherine Mann
Romantic Suspense published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Jul 11

This is my first Catherine Mann book, and, wow, what a way to start. She’s taken the wilds of Alaska and made them beautiful and horrific at the same time. She’s written two very strong-willed characters who know they can’t tame those wilds but wouldn’t give them up for anything but an undying love. She’s come up with a storyline that’s different from anything else out there, at least that I’ve read. I enjoyed every action-packed moment of Cover Me.

Wade is a pararescueman whose rigorous training takes him a step above a Navy SEAL. He’s on his last training mission when a call comes in for his team to locate and extract lost climbers in the Aleutian Islands. Parachuting through a blizzard, Wade comes face to face with Sunny, the last to be found. Or so he thinks. The more he gets to know this close-mouthed, independent woman, the more he has a feeling something just isn’t right. Now just to find out what that is.

But Sunny has her reasons for being evasive when this handsome military man asks his questions. She’s just handed off a couple who chose to leave their isolated village, a place where folks live off nature and all it has to offer and who can never return once they’ve experienced the rest of civilization. Sunny and her family have lived there for years and she’s happy as can be with the way her life has turned out, all due to her determination and hard work. But that world is about to come crashing down, and thank God Wade is by her side.

When it’s discovered that someone has been manipulating the village and its citizens for years, all for ill-gotten and bone-chilling gains, disbelief wars with a need to keep those she cares about safe, so instead of staying with Wade while the military and law enforcement investigate, Sunny is determined to return home to warn everyone of the danger in their midst. Wade refuses to leave her side, whether she wants him with her or not and despite the fact the woman can take care of herself – in most situations. She and her townspeople have never been up against someone as evil as this villain, who knows just how to get people to do his bidding to further his own selfish needs. I love how he’s eventually taken down, a surprise to him as well, in more ways than one.

The attraction between Wade and Sunny starts early but slowly. They’re drawn to one another because in one sense they’re so much alike, knowing how to survive against the elements, while everything else in their lives are so different from the other. Even so, they complement one another quite well. Sunny has to learn to trust, especially after the awful discoveries in her backyard. I like that Wade doesn’t give up on her, keeps working to build that trust. When they finally do come together, their loving is intense but sweet, and I like that we didn’t have to wait for three-quarters of the book for that to happen. Sometimes sexual tension is taken a little too far, but Ms. Mann does it perfectly here.

The action is done very well, keeping your heart pumping till all is said and done. We meet a number of Wade’s brothers-in-arms. Their teasing and joking within the team is fun, giving us a closer look at those we’ll meet again later. So I’m definitely looking forward to more books in this series.

Grade: B+

Summary:

It should have been a simple mission… Pararescueman Wade Rocha parachutes from the back of a helicopter into a blizzard to save a climber stranded on an Aleutian Island, but Sunny Foster insists she can take care of herself just fine…

But when it comes to passion, nothing is ever simple… With the snowstorm kicking into overdrive, Sunny and Wade hunker down ina  cave and barely resist the urge to keep each other warm… until they discover the frozen remains of a horrific crime…

Unable to trust the shady local police, Sunny and Wade investigate, while their irresistible passion for each other gets them more and more dangerously entangled…

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Limecello’s review of Bossman’s Baby Scandal by Catherine Mann
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 12 Jan 10

This is a new Silhouette Desire series titled “Kings of the Boardroom.” Yes, and yes. I generally check out Catherine Mann’s books – so I was definitely intrigued by the new series, and the book blurb. The title is misleading, as the hero isn’t the boss, or even a boss, and he definitely isn’t the heroine’s boss. Which, I admit, I liked more than if it had been so. Bossman’s Baby Scandal was a very enjoyable book.

Lauren Presley is a fantastic heroine because she’s smart, capable, likable, successful, and normal. She owns her own business, lives her own life, but everything seems to be crashing down around her. Lauren’s mother is a rather large burden, and her business is failing. I liked that Lauren didn’t hole up and snivel, nor did she go running to someone – especially a man – for help. Luckily, help finds her. Something else I appreciated was that Lauren, while independent, didn’t feel the need to assert herself so much as to detrimentally affect her life. She’s very practical.

Jason Reagert is a darling, and… for the sake of continuing alliteration, also a doofus. He actually cares for Lauren, and wants a relationship with her – but doesn’t himself know it yet. This makes his actions more forgivable, as Jason couches his concern and desire to help Lauren in terms of protecting his career. Jason’s ultimate concern seems to be for his job, but he’s using it as a crutch. The fact that he’s doing so, but doesn’t realize it, made me like him much more – otherwise he would have been a heartless jerk. But Jason has so much more depth than that.

I was intrigued by the secondary characters in this book – especially Jason’s coworkers. I’m wondering if they’ll be featured in the subsequent books in this series. Both Jason and Lauren also had family drama, but it helped bring them together. Additionally, I liked that Jason didn’t reconcile with his parents by the end of Bossman’s Baby Scandal. While there is a happy ending, and a lot of forward progress, the fact that not everything is picture perfect gives the story a realistic quality, and saves it from being too pat or saccharine.

I was utterly satisfied by the conclusion of this book. For once, I felt that the hero and heroine met almost exactly in the middle. Neither Jason nor Lauren gives up too much. They both make changes and adapt, and are willing to sacrifice for the other. Even if it’s not necessary, the thoughts and sentiments are crucial. I also thought it was important that Lauren and Jason didn’t demand changes from the other person. For example, Jason never demanded Lauren completely change herself or give up her life to be with him. In fact, he wanted her to continue doing what she loved – he just wanted to make it easier for her. The fact that both are willing to change and compromise on their separate lives to build one together is a fantastic focal point.

The epilogue was very cute, and I felt that it brought everything full circle- but in a fun and quirky way. I’ve also just found out that Emilie Rose wrote the next book in this miniseries, and as Ms. Rose is one of my favorite harlequin authors, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy category romances, and those who like Ms. Mann’s books.

And this is relatively irrelevant, but I’d just like to share how very excited and pleased I am that Ms. Mann’s website is updated. Kudos and gold star!

Grade: B+

Nothing had stopped Jason Reagert from making his own millions. And now that he was securely ensconced at Maddox Communications, he was determined to become an even bigger success. Then startling news broke and Jason—along with everyone else—discovered he had gotten heiress Lauren Presley pregnant. He couldn’t afford even a whiff of scandal, so he proposed to his lover of one night. Surely she’d agree to a lifetime of convenience, if only for the baby’s sake.

Read an excerpt here.

Lynne Connolly‘s review of Millionaire In Command by Catherine Mann
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 13 Oct 09

This is obviously part of a series, but I haven’t read the others. I don’t think it’s necessary, apart from a revisit to what must be one of the earlier stories. I don’t think Mann overwhelmed the story with that part, and their fate actually provided a nice contrast with the one I was reading. 

Phoebe has been left with the baby, literally. Her friend Bianca had a one-night stand with Kyle Landis, which had resulted in the baby. She hadn’t bothered to tell Kyle, so when Phoebe arrives on his doorstep, claiming she wanted to marry him so she could have a claim on the baby, he’s hit with a double whammy.

The plot is just daft, but it held together long enough for me to enjoy the story. Mann is an accomplished writer, and she creates likeable, believable characters. While I did have some reservations, I did enjoy the book.

But if I’d been picking a book on its cove, it wouldn’t have been this one. Pure cheese. I never take that into account when setting a grade, though, any more than I do the title, because both of them are out of the author’s control.

It’s a tad misleading, because Kyle isn’t a career air force man, and he has left the forces behind to take over part of the family business. I liked Kyle, he never abused the heroine, as so many of the “alpha”’s do (in inverted commas because however alpha a man is, he shouldn’t deliberately hurt a woman) and he was fair minded, did his best to do what was right.

Phoebe was a little more problematic for me, because she wants someone else’s baby and is willing to do anything to have it. She could have left the baby with her loving father and his family, and been reasonably confident that they would win custody of the child in any court battle, so marriage was all for her.

Spoiler – I also hated the end, because I wanted more for Phoebe gives everything up to become the baby machine and a support for her hubby. I want more for my heroines, I want them to have it all.

So this one gets a C+

Grade: C+

Summary:

Mr. October: Kyle Landis, Air Force commander, millionaire.daddy?

Motto: Family first, last, always.

Marriage?: Not until now!

He’d worked the most dangerous missions, but nothing had prepared Kyle Landis for the surprise of becoming a dad. When Phoebe Slater suddenly announced the child she was caring for was his baby, he had no reason to doubt her. And since a Landis did not sway in his duty, marriage was the only course of action. But once “I do” was said, would Phoebe be up for enlisting as his wife – in every way Kyle had been imagining?

Read an excerpt here (scroll down).

February may be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn’t mean the Harlequin Digital Team has any shortage of exciting news to share with TGTBTU readers!  What does the team have in store for the cold winter nights?  Well how about a special coupon code for TGTBTU readers, several e-book bundles and series announcements, welcoming new authors into the fold, and a chance to escape to sunny Mexico?  Wow!  Read on to get the inside scoop…

Series Spotlight on…Harlequin Romance!
Warm your heart with the ultimate feel-good Harlequin Romance tales, our Series Spotlight for the month of February! Whether in an exotic setting or somewhere a little closer to home, you can’t miss the best in romantic fiction. To celebrate, all six books out this month belong to the special Diamond Brides miniseries – which is also available as a convenient eBook Bundle!

Plus, and a special for the Good, Bad, and Unread readers out there, we have an exclusive coupon to get 10% off Harlequin Romance books this month! Just use the coupon code SPOTLIGHTROMANCE at www.ebooks.eharlequin.com at checkout to save.

We’re romancing the iPhone…again
As part of our Anniversary celebration, we’ve partnered with Stanza, an eBook reading application, to make our 16 free titles available on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can find out more from http://www.lexcycle.com/content/60th_anniversary_harlequin on how to enjoy these eBooks wherever you go.

And don’t forget that the free ebooks are also available at www.HarlequinCelebrates.com!

Longing for Moonlight in Mexico?
If you just can’t keep a secret, then sand-covered beaches might in your future with this sweepstakes.. The more people you tell about Moonlight in Mexico, the closer you are to your own sun-filled adventure. Visit www.eHarlequin.com/moonlightinmexico and fill out an entry. Then, pull out your address book and invite as many friends to enter as you can. Why? For every friend that enters, you earn a point and the better your chances are of winning. So, dust off your contact list and start saving up for a brand-new bikini, you could be savoring some much-needed time in the sun.

Buzz Books for February
Released this month exclusively in eBook format, we’ve got the Forged in Steele Bundle by USA Today bestselling author Brenda Jackson. You can enjoy her complete Forged of Steele series in one convenient download. As a little something extra, we’ve included the free bonus novella Never Too Late that introduces all the Steeles!

Harlequin heats up the New York Times bestseller list with two big titles this month – Susan Wiggs hit #1 with Fireside (MIRA) and Linda Lael Miller is sitting at #2 with her latest Western romance for HQN Books, Montana Creeds: Logan! Montana Creeds: Logan is also available as a special enriched ebook with bonus photos of the three Creed brothers. The next other Creeds – Dylan and Tyler — get their own books (and enhanced ebooks) in March and April, too.

A few more titles getting the buzz this month:
- The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp (HQN Book), the latest in her Matchmakers series of Regency romances
- A new installment of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River miniseries: Second Chance Pass (MIRA)
- Get hooked on sexy historicals with Charlotte Featherstone’s Spice title Addicted and Jade Lee’s The Concubine, a historical Harlequin Blaze set in Imperial China
- Harlequin Presents launches the first of an eight book miniseries International Billionaires, part of a deal with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for rugby-related romances, with The Prince’s Waitress Wife by Sarah Morgan
- Caridad Pineiro adds a new story to her vampire miniseries The Calling! This time, it’s a Silhouette Nocturne Bite Honor Calls

Welcome another to the Harlequin Family!
Congratulations go out to Lucy King, who sold her first book to Mills & Boon Modern Heat! Her book won the Feel the Heat writing contest held though our blog, I Heart Presents. Lucy joins the ranks of fellow contest winner Lynn Raye Harris, who sold her first book to Harlequin after winning the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction Contest last year.

From Harlequin, with Love
You didn’t think we’d do a February update without mentioning Valentine’s Day, did you?! As a little gift to our readers in honor of the most romantic day of year AND our 60th anniversary, we’ll be offering a FREE eBook A Valentine For Harlequin’s Anniversary at our eBook Store (www.ebooks.eharlequin.com), containing authors’ and readers’ cherished Harlequin memories and a short story An Evening to Remember by Catherine Mann.

If audibooks are your thing, we also have a FREE download of Stranded! by Lori Foster on Audible.com, too.

And be sure to pop by eHarlequin.com for more special offers over the Valentine’s Day weekend!

Happy Reading!

Jody likes military romance! A reader and blogger (check out Scottish Scribbles) with an intimate familiarity with the armed forces, Jody shares with us what she looks for in a military romance.

I was a Coast Guard wife the first ten years of my marriage from 1973- 1983: duty stations included Milwaukee (Icebreaker), Port Angeles, Washington(Air Station) , San Diego(School), New York City (District Office), Yorktown, Va (OCS), Detroit (Icebreaking Buoy tender), and Seattle (District Office). Many people don’t realize the US Coast Guard is part of the military, the bastard child you know exists but you don’t acknowledge. Katrina and the heroism of the Coasties in saving so many lives made the American people realize that there are heroes at home as well as overseas.

In those ten years, I lived in post housing on a Air National Guard Base in Michigan with 600 families of all branches of the military. I have also lived in Army housing in Washington State, so I have been around a lot of military families. I also did my senior thesis in college (2003) on the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1947 that allowed women to become permanent members of the Armed services.

When I am looking for a military romance, I like to find stories about all the services, not just SEALs. The military mission can be the story or they could just have military service members as the main characters. I look for the author to get the jargon (all the acronyms), the uniforms (not covers), the weapons, the ranks/jobs correct and their missions correct for that branch of the service (they all have different missions).

You might be interested to know the following romance authors are former veterans: Elizabeth Ashtree (Army), Lori Avocato (Air Force), Rogenna Brewer (Navy), Candace Irvin (Navy), Cindy Dees (Air Force), Joanne Ferguson (Army), Dolores Fossen (Air Force), Jen Holling (Air Force), Cathy Maxwell (Naval Intelligence), Pam McCutcheon (Air Force), Barbara Phinney (Canadian Army), Carol Umberger (Air Force), Lindsay McKenna (Navy) and Merline Lovelace (Air Force).

Here are some favorites…

Lindsay McKenna (Navy Vet)

She writes mostly category romance, but no one has as many military books as she. I think her earlier work is much better, and she can’t get over the fact that Navy Women haven’t been called WAVES since 1973.

• RED TAIL (part of Travis trilogy #1)–Coast Guard, and one of only two romances with Coast Guard h/h.

MY favorite books are the WOMEN OF VALOR SERIES, in which three women graduate from Annapolis and are all trying to become Navy pilots.

• NO QUARTER GIVEN–#1 (and my favorite)
• THE GAUNTLET–#2
• UNDER FIRE–#3

Cindy Dees (Air Force VET)

I especially enjoyed these because she has kick ass heroines.

• TARGET
• THE MEDUSA PROJECT
• MEDUSA RISING
• MEDUSA GAME
• MEDUSA PROPHECY
• THE MEDUSA AFFAIR
• MEDUSA SEDUCTION

Merline Lovelace (Air Force Colonel retired)

TO PROTECT AND DEFEND SERIES — The only series where the author was able to incorporate a character from each of the uniformed military services: Army, Navy, Marines, Air force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service,and NOAA. The head of the special project that all are part of is run by an Navy Commander, nary a SEAL in sight but still good reading

• A QUESTION OF INTENT–#1 (Army/Public Health Service)
• FULL THROTTLE–#2(Air Force/NOAA)
• THE RIGHT STUFF–#3(COAST GUARD/MARINE CORPS)

Catherine Mann (Air Force Wife)

Single titles:

• CODE OF HONOR (Air Force hero/ Spec Ops secondary character)
• BLAZE OF GLORY (Air Force/Spec Ops)
• ON TARGET (Air Force — this one especially good because the h/h are already married and shows the trouble military families can face)

WINGMAN’S WARRIORS series of categories. There about 14 books in the series but here are my favorites:

• ANYTHING, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
• UNDER SIEGE
• TAKING COVER
• NO SURRENDER
• STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT

Vickie Hinze (Military Wife)

Single titles:

• ACTS OF HONOR
• ALL DUE RESPECT
• DUPLICITY
• SHADES OF GREY
• HER PERFECT LIFE (Heroine is captured in Iraq, lives thru hell and when she comes there is more hell–great read!!!)
• BODY DOUBLE (Spec Ops)

Ingrid Weaver

Writes Eagle Squadron/ ARMY/ DELTA FORCE

• EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
• SEVEN DAYS TO FOREVER
• AIM FOR THE HEART

Patricia Potter

• BROKEN HONOR (ARMY, historical)