ARC Review: Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard

 

(more like 4.5 flaming feathers)

Last Man Standing

(Black Ops, Inc # 7)

by Cindy Gerard

LAST MAN STANDING is the last book in Cindy Gerard’s BOI series. While it’s been an amazing run with this series, I’m still sad to see it end. I devoured these books one after the other, reading a book per night. Once you pick these babies up, you simply can’t stop.

LAST MAN STANDING is no exception. “Mean” Joe Green and Stephanie Tompkins have been characters we’ve seen throughout this series. Their relationship started in FEEL THE HEAT but now in their own book, readers finally get the story that they have been eagerly waiting for.

If you’ve followed this series from the beginning, then you know that Stephanie’s brother, Bryan was killed in Sierra Leone in the first book, SHOW NO MERCY. Fifteen years later, Joe still feels that something wasn’t right about that night. So as he follows his gut and travels to Sierra Leone to find out what really happens, he breaks Stephanie’s heart in the process, leaving her without a good enough explanation as to why he can’t be with her.

However, when Stephanie finds out that Joe is accused of killing a priest in Sierra Leone and awaiting trial for it, she realizes that there is another reason as to why Joe simply walked out of her life.

The Stephanie we knew in the previous books isn’t so much in this one. She has grown as a character and has been toughened by her exposure to the BOIs and their daily routines. Threats to her life no longer scare her. Her only fear is losing Joe. And this is the reason why she buys a ticket to Sierra Leone to rescue him.

On her journey she bands with Suah, a fifteen year old teen who has seen the worst of the war in Sierra Leone. Though she senses that this could end up more deadly than she first anticipated, Stephanie has no choice but to trust the kid. They work together to free Joe before he is transported to a maximum-security prison and get him out of there.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to know that I finished this book in one night. Again. Gerard simply writes the best romantic suspense stories out there. It’s hard not to get sucked in with her easy-to-read writing style and ability to get into her hero’s head.

While this isn’t the most action-packed book of the series, there is still a fair amount of heart-pumping action to get you reading into the wee hours of the night. I just love the fact that Gerard weaves the events from the first book to set up the premise for this one. It showcases her impeccable planning and she really does a fantastic job of closing out the series.

But fear not, Gerard is starting up a new series called One Eyed Jacks. We get a great glimpse of the new hero of the first book, Mike “Primetime” Brown. He’s called Primetime because his face is the kind you’d see on TV – penetrating eyes, killer smile. Yup, the stuff we ladies lust for. I’m sure this new series will have me hooked like the BOIs series have had me. I’m exciting for more all-night reading. Bring it on, Gerard. Bring it on!

*ARC provided by publisher

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Risk No Secrets by Cindy Gerard

 

Risk No Secrets

(Black Ops # 5)

by Cindy Gerard

RISK NO SECRETS is a little different from the rest of the series. This takes on the issue of kidnapping for ransom. Sophie Baylor, a sweet teacher from El Salvador calls Wyatt “Papa Bear” Savage when her daughter’s best friend was taken right before her eyes. Though still fearing for her the little girl’s life, Sophie also feels like a terrible person when she feels relief that it’s not her daughter who was taken. However, there is a chance that whoever this person who took the girl will come back to steal Hope also. Such a scary thought!

But Wyatt is there to prevent this from happening. Papa Bear and Sophie are the perfect match. Both are protective of innocents and their strengths really compliment one another. When Sophie has a meltdown over the situation, Wyatt is there to keep her steady and vice versa.

As usual, the action started right from the get-go and Gerard does a stunning job of pulling on a reader’s heartstrings. Anyone with a heart will fall in love with this book. There’s passion, friendship and love all rolled into one.

But it’s this old friendship between Wyatt and Sophie that makes the romance aspect of this story interesting. Sophie was married to Wyatt’s best friend and unfortunately for Wyatt, he still carries strong feelings for Sophie. When she calls him, those emotions roil through him once again, sparking a long repressed instinct to love.

Though this may not be my favourite of the series, the Black Ops series is still going strong. I can’t wait to get into Doc Holliday’s book!

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Feel the Heat by Cindy Gerard

 

Feel the Heat

(Black Ops, Inc # 4)

by Cindy Gerard

Cindy Gerard continues her stellar Black Ops series with Raphael Mendoza’s book, FEEL THE HEAT. Taking a different but still interesting route this time, the author sets the first part of the book in Washington, D.C. where B.J Chase, an Defense Intelligence officer gets caught up in case where a stolen E-bomb is floating around in the world. This E-bomb has the ability to take down all electronics in half the country permanently. No cars, internet, gas pumps ever again. There is a traitor amidst the NSA where this person sold out their country for some big bucks. Whoever this person is is now targeting Stephanie Tompkins, a familiar character whom we met in previous books. With a hit on her persons, B.J. must help Stephanie cover her six as they call in the BOIs for added assistance.

B.J. and Raphael have had a bit of a rough start. After being compromised in a previous assignment, both are still holding grudges against each other as they are now faced with working with one another. B.J. is a tough as nails chick who knows what she wants and how she wants it. She is a self-made woman who doesn’t need the help of a Latin charmer to run her life. In fact, B.J. is the most standoffish and toughest heroine we’ve seen in this series. So much so that at times, B.J. was kind of a bitch.

But as the story progressed and she fell prey to Raphael’s come-ons, we saw another side of B.J. that made me like and respect her. A wall guards her heart and in this book, Raphael tears down those walls and is the first to really show her that she can be loved. B.J. allows her past to rule her future to the point where she believes that love isn’t in her capacity. Raphael shows her that she is wrong, that loving someone isn’t easy but it’s worth it.

As all this emotional development happens, B.J. and Raphael go to Columbia to Rafe’s Uncle’s home, who has ties to a drug cartel to get much needed information. In order to slip in without raising suspicion, B.J. has the play the part of a dumb blonde. Her new name is ‘Brittany’ and she, um *smacks gum and twirls hair* likes to party! This part was highly entertaining and brought in some really great comic relief in dire times.

Though this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the series in order. Not only would you get a richer experience but you would happy to note the different familiar faces we’ve encountered so far in the series.

Speaking of that, Stephanie, Bry’s younger sister makes up a huge part of this book. And with Stephanie, Mean Joe Green isn’t far behind. Their relationship really blossoms in this book and made me wish that we have Joe’s book sooner! He’s some hot stuff and I wouldn’t mind getting burned by him once or twice.

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard

 

Whisper No Lies

(Black Ops, Inc #3)

by Cindy Gerard

Crystal Debrowski has got it all – the red, pixie hair, the big boobs, the mile-long legs. Many envy her good looks, but it’s those same looks that have made her a target of an Indonesian bastard named Yao Long.

Yao wants Crystal as his slave. His sex slave.

When Yao’s second-in-command, Wong Li tries to proposition Crystal on behalf of Mr. Yao, Crystal gives the two the one-finger salute. It isn’t until her job is in jeopardy and she spends some time behind bars that she realizes that the counterfeiting scam on her shift may be due to Mr. Yao’s actions.

Crystal gets attacked unawares and is taken into the world of prostitution and sex slave rings in Jakarta, miles away from her smooth-talking cowboy, Johnny Duane Reed.

But it doesn’t take Johnny long to figure things out... And then he’s on the hunt for his girl, delving deep into the city of Jakarta to get Crystal back. But what he finds there causes even a worldly man like him to step back in surprise.

WHISPER NO LIES is lighter in tone than the rest of the books. While it does involve the sensitive subject and real-life issue of human trafficking, Johnny and Crystal are jokers all the way through. It seems that the more tense and dangerous the situation, the more wise cracks they make. It works for them, but sometimes I wished they were more serious when my heart was pumping a mile a minute as they faced off dangerous SOBs.

This book hits just as hard as the other ones, however, I did feel like the romance was set on the side for most of the book. Both the hero and heroine struggle with this image they portray and being seen as someone else other than who they really are. Crystal, the girl with the cute strut and big boobs. Johnny, the blonde haired, blue-eyed looker. Their appearances make impressions on others that revolve around sex and sex only.

And for awhile, between Crystal and Johnny, it was just about sex too. Until something happened in the dirty streets of Jakarta. The two fell in love and it was believable. They saw something more in each other than just their appearances and it works well with the storyline.

What I loved was the fact that even when they returned from the adrenaline-filled atmosphere of their last op, their chemistry was still there. And they put effort into their relationship to make it work. Things just didn’t fall into place on its own. They MADE it work.

And to me, that’s better than anything fate could plan for someone.

 

 

Purchase Links:  Amazon

Review: Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard

 

Take No Prisoners

(Black Ops, Inc # 2)

by Cindy Gerard

The hero of TAKE NO PRISONERS is a man of little words. He’s a meticulous one, Sam Lang. And while he was the polar opposite of Johnny Reed, his brother in arms, I found myself loving Sam’s responsible, take-no-shit streak. He was reliable, cunning and badass in a subtle way.

Sam Lang left BOI after his sister and her husband were killed in a car bomb incident - an incident that would not have occurred if Lang hadn’t pursued Nader and his criminal activities. His sister’s death was a warning to Sam to back off or pay the price. And so, with a heavy heart and a truckload of guilt, Sam did.

Abbie Hughes, our heroine is a spit-fire in disguise. Busy with school and a job as a blackjack dealer, Abbie’s life is on the straight arrow. However, her younger brother, Cory lives his life tinkering in places where he shouldn’t be. Cory goes to Honduras to collect his inventory for his “job” but then gets caught up in a huge mess involving two major rival gangs willing to do anything, including kill to get their hands on a national treasure.

Stuck in the middle, Cory is taken hostage while the diamonds are being shipped back to the States to his sister, Abbie for safekeeping. This act brings Abbie into the loop. To get her brother back, Abbie teams up with Sam Lang and they go through hell and back in their journey to rescue Cory.

What can I say? This is another keeper by Gerard. While different than Gabe Jones in the first book, Sam does make my heart go pitter-patter in another way. I liked his slow control, but I also loved it when he and Abbie indulged a little bit and let themselves go.

TAKE NO PRISONERS has one of the best action sequences I’ve read in a long time. Cory’s rescue scene is by far the most action-packed scene I’ve read. It’s sharp, smart and soo adrenaline-pumped, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing it as you read it.

Another thing I loved about this book is that the women of the series are very much involved in the action. They don’t stand by in the trenches and nibble their nails in anticipation and worry. They are right in the heart of all the action and I LOVE that!

Abbie Hughes shows her courage in this book countless times, making her one of my favourite heroines so far. For a woman who doesn’t have any combat experience, she’s a sharp-shooter.

Also introduced in this book is Crystal Debrowski, the heroine of the next book, WHISPER NO LIES. Crystal was a trip and I am looking forward to reading about her blooming relationship with the gay cop cowboy. Actually, I shouldn’t say that. Johnny may shoot me. Or frisk me. In which I much prefer the latter.

Here’s a scene from the book:

Dinner. All Crystal had agreed to was dinner. It begged the obvious question, then: So how had she ended up buck naked and tied to her own bed with flex cuffs?

NOW, I bet you’re curious too!

 

 Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard

 

 

Show No Mercy

(Black Ops, Inc # 1)

by Cindy Gerard

In the first book of Gerard’s Black Ops, Inc series, we see Gabe “Archangel” Jones and Jenna McMillan again. For those of you who follow Gerard’s Bodyguard series, you’ll be happy to note that this book starts off with a fantastic beginning that hooks you right until the end.

SHOW NO MERCY is a show-stopper, the kind of book where once you start, you won’t be able to stop. I made the mistake of trying to sneak a few pages in before bed and ended up staying up the entire night to reach the middle of the book. Despite feeling the fatigue the next day, it was still worth it and I finished this book in less than 24 hours from when it showed up on my doorstep.

Gabe Jones is a major reason for this. Our hero is a tortured one through and through. His experiences with Task Force Mercy and his later decision to follow Nathan Black’s steps into a private security team have made him a hardened man. But it’s his personal experiences that have shadowed his soul. His love, Angelina was brutally tortured and killed by Erich Adler, Gabe’s greatest enemy. Her death still haunts him like a clouded sky and when Jenna walks into his life again, Gabe doesn’t know how to get over this burden that follows him day by day.

Jenna returns to Gabe’s life and brings back this heat that Gabe attributed to the Buenos Aires climate. I respected Jenna a lot. Not only did she show her vulnerability in times when the adrenaline wore off and all was left was fear, but she was also a strong, courageous woman who could run with the big boys. Her sass made her memorable, made her banter with Gabe entertaining. But perhaps the best part of her character was the fact that she knew what she wanted. Gabe held her heart and she fought hard for him. She laid her heart out on the line.

Cindy Gerard will most likely be a new favourite author of mine. I adored her writing style! Her pacing was perfection, pushing the plot forward without having events happen one after the other. There was a lot of action, but there was also a lot of time spent digging into the characters and learning what made them tick. I haven’t read a book that delved deep into the character’s psyche as much as this one did in a long time.

Another notable point is the “guy speak” in this book. I haven’t smiled at idle banter like this since the Black Dagger Brotherhood. These men in the Black Ops are loyal to the bone, honor in every fibre of their being. And you really get the feeling that they’d do everything in their power to protect one another. I loved it!

Favourite Quote:

Sam stared at Gabe and frowned.
“What?” Gabe asked.
“You been accessorizing at Toys R Us?”
Gabe followed Sam’s glance down to his waist. He actually looked embarrassed as he tugged something out from under his belt and tossed it toward Jenna as if it were a hot potato.
She caught it. Knew from the feel of it what it was before she even looked down, disbelieving and unreasonably happy that he’d rescued Nugget.
When she met his eyes he shrugged a shoulder, tough-guy code for “No big deal, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You seemed attached to it,” he said, sounding grumpy.

 

 

 Purchase Links: Amazon