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heabooknerd's review
3.0
COVER OF DARKNESS was action packed and I loved every second of the suspense story that Kaylea Cross has created. I'm a sucker for books where one character rescues the other from a deadly situation so I loved the setup for Bryn and Dec. We also had a truly creepy villain who believes he's doing the right thing for his people even if it means killing others. And as an added cherry on top of the suspense sundae, the story dives deeper into Luke Hutchinson's past with his ex-wife Emily and I am very intrigued!
While I loved the suspense side of the story, I found the romance to be average and this is the biggest reason behind my rating. I'm not sure I believed how quickly Bryn and Dec fell in love. Bryn's feelings in particular are revealed very quickly and it came across more as her being attached to Dec because he saved her life. I fully believe they would have fallen in love eventually but it all just happened a little too fast under extremely stressful circumstances.
That being said, I loved Bryn and Dec as characters; they're both loyal people who have dedicated their lives to helping others. Bryn struggles after her kidnapping but she never gives up on herself or on the team she's now working with. She might not be trained to handle the dangerous situation she's in but that doesn't stop her from giving it her all every time. Dec is the perfect protective hero who is immediately pulled in by Bryn's vulnerability and his desire to protect her from harm. As they work together, he comes to admire her strength and grit and while he still strives to protect her he also trusts that she can pull her weight.
This series has quickly sucked me in and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Content Warning: On page death of a parent and an animal
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Favorite Quotes:
"It’s just you and me here, Bryn. It’s okay if you let go. I'll hold you together."
While I loved the suspense side of the story, I found the romance to be average and this is the biggest reason behind my rating. I'm not sure I believed how quickly Bryn and Dec fell in love. Bryn's feelings in particular are revealed very quickly and it came across more as her being attached to Dec because he saved her life. I fully believe they would have fallen in love eventually but it all just happened a little too fast under extremely stressful circumstances.
That being said, I loved Bryn and Dec as characters; they're both loyal people who have dedicated their lives to helping others. Bryn struggles after her kidnapping but she never gives up on herself or on the team she's now working with. She might not be trained to handle the dangerous situation she's in but that doesn't stop her from giving it her all every time. Dec is the perfect protective hero who is immediately pulled in by Bryn's vulnerability and his desire to protect her from harm. As they work together, he comes to admire her strength and grit and while he still strives to protect her he also trusts that she can pull her weight.
This series has quickly sucked me in and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Content Warning: On page death of a parent and an animal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
"It’s just you and me here, Bryn. It’s okay if you let go. I'll hold you together."
ccgwalt's review
2.0
TBR Challenge 2011- October category: PNR or Romantic suspense. This book has been on my TBR list for a year.
After a strong debut novel ([b:Out Of Her League|6406914|Out Of Her League (Suspense Series, #1)|Kaylea Cross|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41oND86Ff2L._SL75_.jpg|6595814]), Kaylea Cross drops the ball with her second installment in her Suspense series. The problems with this novel are too many to list. But to name a few:
~ Too much telling, not enough showing. Let the readers connect some of the dots. We don't need to hear every thought of each character, especially when the thoughts get repetitive.
~ While the first part of the suspense plot was strong (kidnapping and rescue), what followed went from bad to ridiculous. The reader is never given a good reason for Bryn being involved, or for why Dec is there, either. (On loan from the SEALs??)
~ The character of Luke is an SOB, and his actions are reckless and unprofessional.
~ They want to use Bryn as bait, but they follow the terrorist around with her in tow. Bait means you sit and wait for the guy to come to you. Doesn't it seem like the terrorist would get a little suspicious if the woman he once kidnapped and is now trying to kill is following him around?
~
Bryn acts TSTL a few times, but truly, I can forgive her. Who wouldn't scream and run when people are trying to kill you? It's the idiots who kept dragging her into dangerous situations that needed to be smacked upside the head.
After a strong debut novel ([b:Out Of Her League|6406914|Out Of Her League (Suspense Series, #1)|Kaylea Cross|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41oND86Ff2L._SL75_.jpg|6595814]), Kaylea Cross drops the ball with her second installment in her Suspense series. The problems with this novel are too many to list. But to name a few:
~ Too much telling, not enough showing. Let the readers connect some of the dots. We don't need to hear every thought of each character, especially when the thoughts get repetitive.
~ While the first part of the suspense plot was strong (kidnapping and rescue), what followed went from bad to ridiculous. The reader is never given a good reason for Bryn being involved, or for why Dec is there, either. (On loan from the SEALs??)
~ The character of Luke is an SOB, and his actions are reckless and unprofessional.
~ They want to use Bryn as bait, but they follow the terrorist around with her in tow. Bait means you sit and wait for the guy to come to you. Doesn't it seem like the terrorist would get a little suspicious if the woman he once kidnapped and is now trying to kill is following him around?
~
Spoiler
Would anyone take a civilian woman along on an undercover op just in case the terrorist hears she's there and it brings him out of hiding? Really? Think about it. They are in the middle of nowhere. How is he going to hear she's along on a covert op to kill him? And, while they bring her along as bait, they try to keep her hidden.Bryn acts TSTL a few times, but truly, I can forgive her. Who wouldn't scream and run when people are trying to kill you? It's the idiots who kept dragging her into dangerous situations that needed to be smacked upside the head.
ymiranda's review
5.0
Very exciting romantic suspense. The book reminded me of Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series.
This was one of the best military/ books I've ever read.
Keeper Shelf!
This was one of the best military/ books I've ever read.
Keeper Shelf!
bananatricky's review
3.0
I find Kaylea Cross books a bit of a crap shoot; some are 90% plot others are 60% sex and you can't tell until about 20% in which it's going to be.
This was 90% plot and would probably have rated higher but for Luke who annoyed me, the fact that several of the guys were considering working for him
Obviously the book isn't new and so there are some jarring references to Osama Bin Laden but otherwise there is a standard terrorist determined to kill the infidels and traitors who side with the Americans. After trying to kill Bryn's father in a bomb at an Embassy dinner, Farhazzi kidnaps Bryn and her father - not sure why because he then ties them up in a cellar without food or water and leaves them to die in typical James Bond villain fashions instead of just shooting them in the head. They are rescued by Navy SEALs and then Farhazzi spends the rest of the book trying to kill Bryn BECAUSE SHE GOT AWAY.
There were several people introduced who I guess will star in future books.
This was 90% plot and would probably have rated higher but for Luke who annoyed me, the fact that several of the guys were considering working for him
Spoiler
after he deliberately sent Bryn to Fahdi's house suspecting that he was a spy really wound me up. I get that he has gone too far down the mission route and that he wants to get back with Emily but he has lost his humanity and for those men to seriously consider working for him again makes me doubt their moral compasses.Obviously the book isn't new and so there are some jarring references to Osama Bin Laden but otherwise there is a standard terrorist determined to kill the infidels and traitors who side with the Americans. After trying to kill Bryn's father in a bomb at an Embassy dinner, Farhazzi kidnaps Bryn and her father - not sure why because he then ties them up in a cellar without food or water and leaves them to die in typical James Bond villain fashions instead of just shooting them in the head. They are rescued by Navy SEALs and then Farhazzi spends the rest of the book trying to kill Bryn BECAUSE SHE GOT AWAY.
There were several people introduced who I guess will star in future books.
clak5686's review
4.0
Bryn McAllister is rescued by Navy SEAL Declan McCabe. Her father is killed. He was Lebanese. They were abducted when she visited him. Her father was supportive of America and democracy. Dec & Bryn are very attracted to each other. Bryn is recruited by CIA operative Luke Hutchinson (Rayne's father from the first book in the series) to help get the man who kidnapped her and killed her father. She agrees to help and Dec agrees to protect her. Luke has been after the villan for years and he's finally getting close. Of course things don't go as planned. Dec is seriously injured. Once he's stable he goes to Bryn. He takes her to his home in Montana while he heals. While their romance has been resolved the bigger story has not.
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