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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed the mystery, historical elements, and the details about artifact smuggling. The character interactions and threats of sexual violence showed the change in fiction from 2007 to 2023.
I have very mixed feelings about this book but the thing is, it's a romance mystery with an archaeologist protagonist, so it's also basically candy for me. ??? WELP.
I really liked:
-The Archaeology! So obviously authentic.
-Erica, the protag, who is ethical to the point of risking Everything.
-The fact that both she and her love interest, Lee, are very competent people with good intentions.
-The fact that somehow Grant pulls off the three or four plots she'd been juggling from the start and ties them up more or less neatly? HOW.
I disliked:
-The fact that the whole romantic plot is to do with Erica and Lee lusting after and loving one another while being incapable or unwilling to trust each other. There was a HUGE chunk of the book that was just Erica and Lee thinking, back and forth, almost echoing, that they wanted to trust the other but they couldn't because they hadn't been trusted in return. AUGH. Would have been utterly unbearable if they hadn't been as bad as each other.
-The degree 0f sexual manipulation and coercion? Like, if not in reality, then in...themes? Intent? Erica and Lee obviously Want Each Other but they also try to convince themselves that they're doing it to acquire information.
-The over the top rape threat backstory? Combined with the above it's just a little Convoluted and kinda nasty.
I really disliked:
-Look, it sets it up that the Indian Reservation is a force for good and the Senator who came from that reservation is also Principled, but then kinda turns that around? In the end [SPOILERS!!!] the Native American Senator is neither actually Native American nor is he Principled. It doesn't feel like a FLAT portrayal (the webs of lies and motivations are much more complicated) but it's uncomfortable.
-Did we really have to with Mexican Drug Lords. DID WE REALLY.
And yet watch me read the next one. Ample Shrug.
I really liked:
-The Archaeology! So obviously authentic.
-Erica, the protag, who is ethical to the point of risking Everything.
-The fact that both she and her love interest, Lee, are very competent people with good intentions.
-The fact that somehow Grant pulls off the three or four plots she'd been juggling from the start and ties them up more or less neatly? HOW.
I disliked:
-The fact that the whole romantic plot is to do with Erica and Lee lusting after and loving one another while being incapable or unwilling to trust each other. There was a HUGE chunk of the book that was just Erica and Lee thinking, back and forth, almost echoing, that they wanted to trust the other but they couldn't because they hadn't been trusted in return. AUGH. Would have been utterly unbearable if they hadn't been as bad as each other.
-The degree 0f sexual manipulation and coercion? Like, if not in reality, then in...themes? Intent? Erica and Lee obviously Want Each Other but they also try to convince themselves that they're doing it to acquire information.
-The over the top rape threat backstory? Combined with the above it's just a little Convoluted and kinda nasty.
I really disliked:
-Look, it sets it up that the Indian Reservation is a force for good and the Senator who came from that reservation is also Principled, but then kinda turns that around? In the end [SPOILERS!!!] the Native American Senator is neither actually Native American nor is he Principled. It doesn't feel like a FLAT portrayal (the webs of lies and motivations are much more complicated) but it's uncomfortable.
-Did we really have to with Mexican Drug Lords. DID WE REALLY.
And yet watch me read the next one. Ample Shrug.
Very entertaining read and well done suspense. I deducted one star because I felt like there was a LOT going on at once and while it all ended up being connected at the end, it was confusing to keep track of. That said, it was smart and exciting, so major kudos to Rachel Grant for crafting this.
This is sort of enemies-to-lovers in the sense that the Erica and Lee start off butting heads, but they clearly find each other attractive from the start, so not really "enemies" in that sense. I do like the build up and the action. I've read 3 books in this series at the time of this review and I've noticed the MCs starting off as rivals/butting heads but finding each other attractive right away seems to be the author's MO, as is a bit of instalove. Not necessarily my cup of tea usually, but I appreciate the well crafted mystery/thriller plotlines, so I can live with it in this case.
This is sort of enemies-to-lovers in the sense that the Erica and Lee start off butting heads, but they clearly find each other attractive from the start, so not really "enemies" in that sense. I do like the build up and the action. I've read 3 books in this series at the time of this review and I've noticed the MCs starting off as rivals/butting heads but finding each other attractive right away seems to be the author's MO, as is a bit of instalove. Not necessarily my cup of tea usually, but I appreciate the well crafted mystery/thriller plotlines, so I can live with it in this case.
I liked the premise a lot but it desperately needed some more editing. And I didn't like the characters.
This might have been too complicated for my stressed out brain.
Present day - She works for Talon Co which is an engineering company, but she works as an archeologist for some cell tower project? And then she gets the Thermocon project which she needs to determine if the building was built when the military owned the tribal lands or before when it was tribal lands? Anyway, she wants this project so she can interact with the tribal leader Sam who she thinks is the person who bought the stolen artifacts. She thinks the casino is going to unveil their new Aztec exhibit with her stolen artifacts. She finds old articles and patents which happen to also mention a missing persons case. She finds bones at the building and needs to determine if they are tribal bones or a homicide.
Then we have Lee. Lee is the step-son of a senator who is going to annouce his candidacy for President. Lee receives notice that someone at his dad's company is smuggling Iraqi artifacts. He thinks it's Erica and Ed because Erica is broke with a reputation for selling artifacts and Ed is in a position at the company to pull that off?
The treasure hunter shows up at the company bidding for a new project. He keeps warning Erica not to tell anyone. Erica is almost killed and her office and apartment are destroyed. Then the big casino unveiling happens and the aztec artifacts aren't there. Erica breaks onto the treasure hunter's ship and finds a ton of money. So the treasure hunter was actually getting money from someone at the company in Iraq. Apparently the USG lost 12 billion dollars in cash in Iraq? So he would get the cash at the bottom of the ocean and use it to buy drugs for the cartel? I am unclear how the cartel fits into this plot. Erica is able to connect the treasure hunter to a top guy at the cartel so she's in danger. She gets kidnapped by the treasure hunter and cartel guy. They get killed.
But she still doesn't know who wanted to trade Aztec for Iraqi artifacts. She gets the DNA test for the bones and realizes that the president candidate and the bones are related and that they aren't tribal? Oh and that the president candidate is the one to licked the envelope and must be the one stealing Iraqi artifacts. Did we ever find out what happened to the aztec artifacts? We find out that Ed was the one to killed the president candidate's mom and ran the drug/money laundering operation. The president candidate can't have anyone know that he was not actually born in the USA. He tries to kill Erica. He gets arrested.
Phew. I think I got the gist but there were some confusing parts.
This might have been too complicated for my stressed out brain.
Spoiler
Okay so Erica's mom stole her identity and racked up a bunch of debt. Erica is broke so she took a job from a person with a reputation for being a treasure hunter. What did she think he was doing again?? When she's on board the ship, she realizes they are stealing aztec artifacts. She finds a letter that says mystery person will buy the aztec artifacts in exchange for stolen Iraqi artifacts that the treasure hunter can sell. She takes the envelope and at some point takes pictures of the artifacts? Where did she hide the pictures? Does she ever say? She jumps off the boat and tries to hide the artifacts. She gets captured and tortured. Eventually she gets let go. Her reputation is ruined just because she worked with the treasure hunter, I think?Present day - She works for Talon Co which is an engineering company, but she works as an archeologist for some cell tower project? And then she gets the Thermocon project which she needs to determine if the building was built when the military owned the tribal lands or before when it was tribal lands? Anyway, she wants this project so she can interact with the tribal leader Sam who she thinks is the person who bought the stolen artifacts. She thinks the casino is going to unveil their new Aztec exhibit with her stolen artifacts. She finds old articles and patents which happen to also mention a missing persons case. She finds bones at the building and needs to determine if they are tribal bones or a homicide.
Then we have Lee. Lee is the step-son of a senator who is going to annouce his candidacy for President. Lee receives notice that someone at his dad's company is smuggling Iraqi artifacts. He thinks it's Erica and Ed because Erica is broke with a reputation for selling artifacts and Ed is in a position at the company to pull that off?
The treasure hunter shows up at the company bidding for a new project. He keeps warning Erica not to tell anyone. Erica is almost killed and her office and apartment are destroyed. Then the big casino unveiling happens and the aztec artifacts aren't there. Erica breaks onto the treasure hunter's ship and finds a ton of money. So the treasure hunter was actually getting money from someone at the company in Iraq. Apparently the USG lost 12 billion dollars in cash in Iraq? So he would get the cash at the bottom of the ocean and use it to buy drugs for the cartel? I am unclear how the cartel fits into this plot. Erica is able to connect the treasure hunter to a top guy at the cartel so she's in danger. She gets kidnapped by the treasure hunter and cartel guy. They get killed.
But she still doesn't know who wanted to trade Aztec for Iraqi artifacts. She gets the DNA test for the bones and realizes that the president candidate and the bones are related and that they aren't tribal? Oh and that the president candidate is the one to licked the envelope and must be the one stealing Iraqi artifacts. Did we ever find out what happened to the aztec artifacts? We find out that Ed was the one to killed the president candidate's mom and ran the drug/money laundering operation. The president candidate can't have anyone know that he was not actually born in the USA. He tries to kill Erica. He gets arrested.
Phew. I think I got the gist but there were some confusing parts.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Giving up at 27%. The plot line is too convoluted and the MCs not interesting enough.
Meh
Meh
Choices, lies and redemption
I loved, loved Erica and Lee’s exciting suspenseful romance with a side of secrets and betrayal. I fell directly into this story on the first page and only looked up after the last word. It was unputdownable. All of the unexpected plot twists made for a suspenseful mystery trying to guess what was going to happen next for the MCs and who were the bad guys. This story has a wonderful balance between the suspense, the intrigue, the mystery, and the swoony romance. All are crucial to the ebb and flow of the story. Erica trained as an underwater archeologist but a terrible choice and an evil man last year destroyed her career and feeling of safety. She is now using her other degree and working at Talon & Drake while trying to rebuild her life, find redemption, and exact revenge on the man who destroyed her old life. Lee is under cover as an intern at Talon & Drake looking for the person selling ancient artifacts through the company. Erica is his supervisor at the company and also a suspect. There is instant connection and attraction between the two but knowing they each have a hidden agenda and concealed pasts, they are both treading lightly. Nevertheless, their chemistry sizzled off the page and it pulled them together no matter how hard they tried to resist. The book has a little bit of everything just like you would expect from this genre - sweet moments, strong friendships, spicy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, dangerous moments, mystery, uber protective men, secrets, plot twists, painful pasts, evil actors, and love. The story included engaging dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and a captivating storyline. I cannot wait to read more in this series.
I loved, loved Erica and Lee’s exciting suspenseful romance with a side of secrets and betrayal. I fell directly into this story on the first page and only looked up after the last word. It was unputdownable. All of the unexpected plot twists made for a suspenseful mystery trying to guess what was going to happen next for the MCs and who were the bad guys. This story has a wonderful balance between the suspense, the intrigue, the mystery, and the swoony romance. All are crucial to the ebb and flow of the story. Erica trained as an underwater archeologist but a terrible choice and an evil man last year destroyed her career and feeling of safety. She is now using her other degree and working at Talon & Drake while trying to rebuild her life, find redemption, and exact revenge on the man who destroyed her old life. Lee is under cover as an intern at Talon & Drake looking for the person selling ancient artifacts through the company. Erica is his supervisor at the company and also a suspect. There is instant connection and attraction between the two but knowing they each have a hidden agenda and concealed pasts, they are both treading lightly. Nevertheless, their chemistry sizzled off the page and it pulled them together no matter how hard they tried to resist. The book has a little bit of everything just like you would expect from this genre - sweet moments, strong friendships, spicy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, dangerous moments, mystery, uber protective men, secrets, plot twists, painful pasts, evil actors, and love. The story included engaging dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and a captivating storyline. I cannot wait to read more in this series.
Didn't grab me
Well written and not annoying but for some reason could not finish this book. Maybe I will come back and finish
Well written and not annoying but for some reason could not finish this book. Maybe I will come back and finish
High octane read, but the MCs were so bad to each other, which made it not very enjoyable...