Scan barcode
scoutmomskf's review
5.0
Excellent book. The action started on the first page and never let up. Julie had been taken hostage to try to force her father to turn over information about Mexican arms dealer Guerrero. Logan and his black ops team were sent tin to rescue her. Julie hadn't seen Logan in ten years, ever since he had left her and broken her heart. Now he swore to protect her from Guerrero. Julie wasn't sure that she wanted Logan back in her life but she did know that she could trust him to keep her safe. What she didn't know was that the team was also using her for bait to draw Guerrero out. She was furious when she found out but was also determined not to be a victim any longer. I really liked the strength of will that she developed during the book. The difference between the Julie of the start of the book and the one at the end was significant. Especially once she found out why he had left her and decided to fight for what she wanted. Logan had left Julie all those years ago because he never felt that he was good enough for her. There were things in his past that he was sure she would never forgive him for. He had also never forgotten her and when he was sent to rescue her he knew he wanted a second chance with her. Logan was caught between a rock and a hard place as he wanted to keep her safe while he found out who all was behind the attacks. He also was still afraid of what she would think of what he had become. I loved the ending and the way they were able to move on with their future. The suspense in this book was also very well done. Each step moved on logically to the next keeping me guessing as to who was really behind some of the events. There were a couple surprises that I didn't see coming. I also liked the supporting characters and how well they were all portrayed. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.
canadianbookaddict's review
4.0
This book is action packed and got me hooked from the very beginning.
I was only going to read a bit but ended up reading the entire book in one night because I just couldn't stop reading it.
I highly recommend this book.
I was only going to read a bit but ended up reading the entire book in one night because I just couldn't stop reading it.
I highly recommend this book.
fi293's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jonetta's review
4.0
The Set Up
Juliana James, estranged daughter of U.S. Senator Aaron James, was abducted by Diego Guerrero, head of a powerful and deadly Mexican drug and gun running cartel. She’s at a location in Mexico and the covert Elite Operations Division (EOD) has been engaged to extract her. Logan Quinn, the team leader for the mission, has a history with Juliana and it was pure coincidence that he was selected for this operation.
The Issues
Logan was involved with Juliana ten years ago when she was 20 and he 22. She hasn’t seen him since he abandoned her and he’s got some pretty big secrets that might turn her away from him forever. And, he’s not being completely honest with her about her role in tracking Guerrero and bringing him down. The Senator has evidence against Guerrero that would destroy him and Juliana plays a part in that and continues to be in danger.
What Works
The action starts from the first sentence as the book opens with Juliana in captivity. It’s almost non-stop excitement as Guerrero is so powerful he has a long reach, wreaking havoc as the team tries to protect Juliana. The romance is still at the forefront even as they hardly have time to breathe before the next threat is on them. The other members of the team (Jasper, Gunner and Sydney) are really interesting characters and the teasers about their backstories hooked me. The climax was pretty tense, exciting and well done.
What Didn’t Work
Because there was so much action and so many secrets, it was difficult for the romance to bloom until near the end. Also, the team was really getting their butts handed to them a lot! It probably was realistic but it made the EOD look a little weak.
Bottom Line
I liked the story, the action, the characters and the concept of the Elite Operations Division. If this book is any indication, their assignments are going to be pretty rough and exciting. Tweak the romance a bit and this series will be at the top of my list for the genre.
Juliana James, estranged daughter of U.S. Senator Aaron James, was abducted by Diego Guerrero, head of a powerful and deadly Mexican drug and gun running cartel. She’s at a location in Mexico and the covert Elite Operations Division (EOD) has been engaged to extract her. Logan Quinn, the team leader for the mission, has a history with Juliana and it was pure coincidence that he was selected for this operation.
The Issues
Logan was involved with Juliana ten years ago when she was 20 and he 22. She hasn’t seen him since he abandoned her and he’s got some pretty big secrets that might turn her away from him forever. And, he’s not being completely honest with her about her role in tracking Guerrero and bringing him down. The Senator has evidence against Guerrero that would destroy him and Juliana plays a part in that and continues to be in danger.
What Works
The action starts from the first sentence as the book opens with Juliana in captivity. It’s almost non-stop excitement as Guerrero is so powerful he has a long reach, wreaking havoc as the team tries to protect Juliana. The romance is still at the forefront even as they hardly have time to breathe before the next threat is on them. The other members of the team (Jasper, Gunner and Sydney) are really interesting characters and the teasers about their backstories hooked me. The climax was pretty tense, exciting and well done.
What Didn’t Work
Because there was so much action and so many secrets, it was difficult for the romance to bloom until near the end. Also, the team was really getting their butts handed to them a lot! It probably was realistic but it made the EOD look a little weak.
Bottom Line
I liked the story, the action, the characters and the concept of the Elite Operations Division. If this book is any indication, their assignments are going to be pretty rough and exciting. Tweak the romance a bit and this series will be at the top of my list for the genre.
scorchingnix's review
5.0
Reviewed at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-nix-review-alpha-one-by-cynthia-eden.html
Really 4.5 Stars
I love Cynthia Eden but I have only read her PNR. When this one went up on NetGalley, I wanted to see if I liked her writing in genres as much. In short, I really did enjoy this book so yes, I would try her suspense again!
Logan is a typical Romance Suspense man. He is a member of a black-ops military team and he has skeletons in his closet. It is one of these skeletons that forced him to leave Juliana all those years ago (although she is the only woman he ever loved) but once he receives word that she has been kidnapped by dangerous enemies of her very corrupt Father, he cannot jump to her aid quick enough. Put these two in a room and sparks do start to fly but can he ever believe that he will be good enough for her? And when all his secrets come out, will it all hit the fan anyway?
I liked Logan. I liked that he was upfront about his desire for her but it frustrated the hell out of me that he couldn’t just voice his concerns about the future of their relationship. Yes, I am aware that these things are not so simple in Romance land, but it doesn’t make it grate on me any less. What I did understand is the reason that he ran away. Wow, what a secret! It made me gasp (as did quite a few other plot twists) and it also made me love him just a little bit more!
Juliana is a strong heroine and I always enjoy that! She had a lot of stuff to deal with but she did it with minimum amount of hysterics. She tried to stay out of the way of Logan, tried to keep him from breaking her heart again but it didn’t quite happen. What I really liked was that she didn’t shy away from anything thrown her way. Logan kisses her? She deals with it head on. Someone shoots at her? She picks up the gun and does what she has to. She feels someone is in danger and she can help? She tries to do that. No, not everything goes the way she plans, she doesn’t get everything right but she doesn’t just sit on her laurels and let the man protect her; she attempts to rectify the situation herself. I wasn’t sure what would happen when the secrets all came out but it was obvious that she would face them in the way she had faced everything else.
This book has a suspense plot and it has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. You never really knew who you could trust as everyone seemed to have something to lie about. Even Logan spent a great proportion of the current and back stories lying through his teeth. It was disconcerting to not be able to trust anyone at all as a reader. Not everything was a shock, some things I saw coming a mile off, but boy I enjoyed trying to figure out who the mole was that was helping the mysterious El Diablo. I did enjoy the few red herrings thrown in along the way; not enough to make me annoyed but enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
Overall this was a sexy, fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed from start to finish. I will be picking up more suspense from Cynthia Eden and I do hope they are all as gripping as this one!
Really 4.5 Stars
I love Cynthia Eden but I have only read her PNR. When this one went up on NetGalley, I wanted to see if I liked her writing in genres as much. In short, I really did enjoy this book so yes, I would try her suspense again!
Logan is a typical Romance Suspense man. He is a member of a black-ops military team and he has skeletons in his closet. It is one of these skeletons that forced him to leave Juliana all those years ago (although she is the only woman he ever loved) but once he receives word that she has been kidnapped by dangerous enemies of her very corrupt Father, he cannot jump to her aid quick enough. Put these two in a room and sparks do start to fly but can he ever believe that he will be good enough for her? And when all his secrets come out, will it all hit the fan anyway?
I liked Logan. I liked that he was upfront about his desire for her but it frustrated the hell out of me that he couldn’t just voice his concerns about the future of their relationship. Yes, I am aware that these things are not so simple in Romance land, but it doesn’t make it grate on me any less. What I did understand is the reason that he ran away. Wow, what a secret! It made me gasp (as did quite a few other plot twists) and it also made me love him just a little bit more!
Juliana is a strong heroine and I always enjoy that! She had a lot of stuff to deal with but she did it with minimum amount of hysterics. She tried to stay out of the way of Logan, tried to keep him from breaking her heart again but it didn’t quite happen. What I really liked was that she didn’t shy away from anything thrown her way. Logan kisses her? She deals with it head on. Someone shoots at her? She picks up the gun and does what she has to. She feels someone is in danger and she can help? She tries to do that. No, not everything goes the way she plans, she doesn’t get everything right but she doesn’t just sit on her laurels and let the man protect her; she attempts to rectify the situation herself. I wasn’t sure what would happen when the secrets all came out but it was obvious that she would face them in the way she had faced everything else.
This book has a suspense plot and it has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. You never really knew who you could trust as everyone seemed to have something to lie about. Even Logan spent a great proportion of the current and back stories lying through his teeth. It was disconcerting to not be able to trust anyone at all as a reader. Not everything was a shock, some things I saw coming a mile off, but boy I enjoyed trying to figure out who the mole was that was helping the mysterious El Diablo. I did enjoy the few red herrings thrown in along the way; not enough to make me annoyed but enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
Overall this was a sexy, fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed from start to finish. I will be picking up more suspense from Cynthia Eden and I do hope they are all as gripping as this one!
More...