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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A fast-paced book full of characters set in a national park! Accidental pregnancy, kidnappings, military operations, long-term friendships, betrayals and amends.
Hot suspenseful nail biting romance
Hold onto your hat for Xavier and Audrey stormy ride - you’ll love it. After the prequel I was thinking Xavier was kind of a jerk and I was dying to get my hands on this book to see how the conflict between he and Audrey was resolved. The story did not disappoint. The story grabbed me by throat from the very first word and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last one. This hot suspenseful romance keeps you enthralled and is filled with smart funny and wildly appealing characters and an edge of your seat story. The adventure of Xavier and Audrey will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, gasping, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering. Xavier is a former SEAL who now trains SEALs and is currently conducting a training exercise in a national park. Audrey is the ONP archeologist to the Park. Despite an imminent storm, when the cameras on a recently looted historic burial site go out, she immediately goes to the Park fearing the worst. This choice throws Audrey and Xavier together again. Audrey and Xavier had a sizzling and life changing one night stand that 6 weeks later ended in betrayal (detailed in Before the Storm but also explained in this story). There are no happy feelings when they find themselves stranded in the park, in the middle of a winter storm, running from evil bad guys. Once they at least partly grasp the situation they are in, the intrigue, danger, excitement and romance surge into roller coaster pacing. The book has a little bit of everything just like you would expect from romantic suspense - sweet moments, strong friendships, sexy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, dangerous moments, mystery, uber protective men, secrets, painful pasts, evil actors, and so much love. The story included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. I love when romantic suspense keeps me guessing the motives of the bad guys. This author is the queen of this genre.
Hold onto your hat for Xavier and Audrey stormy ride - you’ll love it. After the prequel I was thinking Xavier was kind of a jerk and I was dying to get my hands on this book to see how the conflict between he and Audrey was resolved. The story did not disappoint. The story grabbed me by throat from the very first word and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last one. This hot suspenseful romance keeps you enthralled and is filled with smart funny and wildly appealing characters and an edge of your seat story. The adventure of Xavier and Audrey will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, gasping, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering. Xavier is a former SEAL who now trains SEALs and is currently conducting a training exercise in a national park. Audrey is the ONP archeologist to the Park. Despite an imminent storm, when the cameras on a recently looted historic burial site go out, she immediately goes to the Park fearing the worst. This choice throws Audrey and Xavier together again. Audrey and Xavier had a sizzling and life changing one night stand that 6 weeks later ended in betrayal (detailed in Before the Storm but also explained in this story). There are no happy feelings when they find themselves stranded in the park, in the middle of a winter storm, running from evil bad guys. Once they at least partly grasp the situation they are in, the intrigue, danger, excitement and romance surge into roller coaster pacing. The book has a little bit of everything just like you would expect from romantic suspense - sweet moments, strong friendships, sexy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, dangerous moments, mystery, uber protective men, secrets, painful pasts, evil actors, and so much love. The story included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. I love when romantic suspense keeps me guessing the motives of the bad guys. This author is the queen of this genre.
I’m worried I’ve been a little bit harsh with my rating of this book because honestly, I really loved reading it. For me, the vast majority of this book was a 5 star read: it was absolutely thrilling. I love Rachel Grant’s novels - I think she’s very talented at writing her very specific kind of romantic suspense - and she is absolutely in her element when writing a fast-paced story set over a short, narrow time period, featuring a romance with some kind of pre-established connection. I realise that’s a very specific set of criteria, but looking back over her other books, most of my favourites have been the ones where the couple have already met or been a couple at some point in the past.
For me, this book - particularly the first 70% or so - was a perfect example of Rachel Grant’s skill and writing. The execution of the tropes and the very complicated plot was spot on. Her writing is so readable and she really knows how to keep a reader’s attention. In the first half of this book, not a moment is wasted: Grant uses every moment of the story to ratchet up the tension. It was so exciting I almost felt breathless reading it. There were no dull spots, no slow moments: there was always something happening to progress the story, whether it was the intricate suspense plotline or Audrey and Xavier’s second chance romance.
To start with the suspense plotline, this aspect of the book was very thrilling. I’m not entirely sure I understood everything that was going on! But most of it was incredibly satisfying and exciting. I was on the edge for most of my time reading it and I had no idea where any of it was going or how it could possibly resolve, and parts of it were genuinely scary. It was just very well-done and I thought the inclusion of certain characters like George really made it for me. I loved how that all worked.
The romance was good, too. Grant is very talented at fitting the romance in, even when it seems like there can’t possibly be time for it. It really worked. She managed to pack in some really sweet moments and some really sexy ones, too, and the dynamic between them is just really fun. Grant mixes a few tropes here - and some of them won’t be for everyone - but I for one loved the choices and how it all played out. I was really rooting for them and I felt very satisfied with their happy ending.
However, I did feel like the last few chapters weren’t quite of the same quality; it lost some of its urgency towards the end and I felt like the ending meandered a little bit. There was a lot of filler that, personally, I didn’t find that interesting, before it began to get exciting again. It just felt a little bit protracted and dragged out.
But overall, this was a very, very, very good book. It was thrilling to read, and it was such a good blend of romance and suspense. Neither superceded the other: it was perfectly balanced, and I think that balance can be so delicate in a book like this, but Grant really pulled it off. I do wish the ending had been a little bit tighter, but it barely took any shine off it - this was a real thrill of a book and I had a great time reading it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes: Second chance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity.
Warnings:
Other:No condoms, heroine is already pregnant, no discussion of STI status. , unplanned pregnancy, mentions of divorce, mentions of infidelity / cheating..
For me, this book - particularly the first 70% or so - was a perfect example of Rachel Grant’s skill and writing. The execution of the tropes and the very complicated plot was spot on. Her writing is so readable and she really knows how to keep a reader’s attention. In the first half of this book, not a moment is wasted: Grant uses every moment of the story to ratchet up the tension. It was so exciting I almost felt breathless reading it. There were no dull spots, no slow moments: there was always something happening to progress the story, whether it was the intricate suspense plotline or Audrey and Xavier’s second chance romance.
To start with the suspense plotline, this aspect of the book was very thrilling. I’m not entirely sure I understood everything that was going on! But most of it was incredibly satisfying and exciting. I was on the edge for most of my time reading it and I had no idea where any of it was going or how it could possibly resolve, and parts of it were genuinely scary. It was just very well-done and I thought the inclusion of certain characters like George really made it for me. I loved how that all worked.
The romance was good, too. Grant is very talented at fitting the romance in, even when it seems like there can’t possibly be time for it. It really worked. She managed to pack in some really sweet moments and some really sexy ones, too, and the dynamic between them is just really fun. Grant mixes a few tropes here - and some of them won’t be for everyone - but I for one loved the choices and how it all played out. I was really rooting for them and I felt very satisfied with their happy ending.
However, I did feel like the last few chapters weren’t quite of the same quality; it lost some of its urgency towards the end and I felt like the ending meandered a little bit. There was a lot of filler that, personally, I didn’t find that interesting, before it began to get exciting again. It just felt a little bit protracted and dragged out.
But overall, this was a very, very, very good book. It was thrilling to read, and it was such a good blend of romance and suspense. Neither superceded the other: it was perfectly balanced, and I think that balance can be so delicate in a book like this, but Grant really pulled it off. I do wish the ending had been a little bit tighter, but it barely took any shine off it - this was a real thrill of a book and I had a great time reading it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes: Second chance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity.
Warnings:
Spoiler
Violence, gun violence, violence towards a pregnant woman, torture, blood, death, murder, decapitation, mentions of terrorism, mentions of chemical warfare / chemical attacks, concussion, head injuries, grooming of a child, death of a child (off-page but described on-page), strangulation, childbirth (non-descriptive).Other:
Spoiler
On-page sex, unprotected sex
Enjoyed listening to this story, but I could have done w/o the sex scenes, which seemed out of place to me. This is my first time with this author, and I did see the word “steamy” in some of the summaries, so maybe it’s the norm.
tense
fast-paced
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this story!! The suspense was great, and Xavier and Audrey's love story was adorable. I loved how this story was written!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced