Author: Suzanne Brockmann

Review: Some Kind of Hero by Suzanne Brockmann

Posted July 13, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Some Kind of Hero by Suzanne BrockmannReviewer: Rowena
Some Kind of Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters Series #17
Also in this series: Into the Storm
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: July 11th 2017
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 448
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Navy men don’t come tougher than Lieutenant Peter Greene. Every day he whips hotshot SEAL wannabes into elite fighters. So why can’t he handle one fifteen-year-old girl? His ex’s death left him a single dad overnight, and very unprepared. Though he can’t relate to an angsty teen, he can at least keep Maddie safe—until the day she disappears. Though Pete’s lacking in fatherly intuition, his instinct for detecting danger is razor sharp. Maddie’s in trouble. Now he needs the Troubleshooters team at his back, along with an unconventional ally.

Romance writer Shayla Whitman never expected to be drawn into a real-world thriller—or to meet a hero who makes her pulse pound. Action on the page is one thing. Actually living it is another story. Shay’s not as bold as her heroines, but she’s a mother. She sees the panic in her new neighbor’s usually fearless blue eyes—and knows there’s no greater terror for a parent than having a child at risk. It’s an ordeal Shay won’t let Pete face alone. She’s no highly trained operative, but she’s smart, resourceful, and knows what makes teenagers tick.

Still, working alongside Pete has its own perils—like letting the heat between them rise out of control. Intimate emotions could mean dangerous, even deadly, consequences for their mission. No matter what, they must be on top of their game, and playing for keeps . . . or else Pete’s daughter may be gone for good.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Troubleshooters book by Suzanne Brockmann so I was pretty excited to jump back into this world. I was hoping to catch up with all of the previous couples and there are quite a few of them around in Some Kind of Hero but to be honest, I miss the guys from the beginning of the series.

I miss Sam Starrett and Johnny Nilsson, though I don’t miss Nilsson’s wife Meg. I also miss Wildcard and Cosmo and just…those guys. They’ve all moved on from the Navy but for me, they were the guys that I loved so much that I kept coming back for more. I like the new guys fine but they just don’t compare to the older guys. My guys.

Anyway, on with the review…

Some Kind of Hero follows Lietenant Peter Greene and Shayla Whitman. Peter’s daughter has gone missing and Shayla gets roped into helping him by being at the right place when Peter needed a helping hand. Peter’s daughter Maddie gets herself wrapped up in some bad business and because she has no relationship with her Navy SEAL father, she doesn’t turn to him for help. She decides that she can handle taking on a drug lord all by her teenage self. sigh Too many times I wanted to punch Maddie in the throat for being so stupid.

Anyway, so Peter and Shayla are trying to track Maddie down because she’s missing and they’re piecing together what happened throughout the book with the help of Peter’s SEAL buddies Izzy Zanella, Mark Jenkins and a whole bunch of newbies that are all named John. It really takes a village to raise a child or in this case, find a missing child and the more I read, the more I got frustrated with a bunch of things.

  • Maddie. When the only person you have left in the world is your father, someone who has bent over backward trying to fix your broken relationship and is a Navy freaking SEAL, you turn to him for help when you’re framed for stealing money from a drug lord. You don’t lie and make things so much worse by running away and putting those that are trying to help you in danger by not being upfront about everything. I was also not cool with the way that she kept throwing her underage self at Dingo who was trying so hard to do the right thing by keeping his distance at the same time that he was trying to help protect her from the bad guys. Maddie annoyed the shit out of me at every turn in this book. I never quite warmed up to her and that sucked.
  • Shayla’s internal dialogue she had with Harry. It’s one thing to talk to yourself in your head or to even have conversations with your made up character in your head but the amount of times that Shayla shushed Harry out loud made me roll my eyes all over the damn place. I wanted to shake Shayla and tell her to stop acting like fucking weirdo, especially cause I thought she was too old to be acting the way that she was.
  • The earthquake. As someone who grew up in Southern California and is used to the earthquakes that we have down here, the whole earthquake scene just didn’t feel authentic to me. Peter did entirely too much and the earth shook for too long and I was reading that scene like, nope…that wouldn’t happen, there’s not enough time for all of this to happen. We’ve never had an earthquake that long and sure it’s all explained away but nope, I didn’t buy it.

There are more things that I was frustrated with but those were the main ones. I wasn’t a big fan of the romance between Peter and Shayla because they were too old to act the way they were acting. The whole “OMG, does he like me? I’m so stupid. Why did I say that?” Ugh, seriously? You guys aren’t 16 and in high school, so stop acting like you are. You’re a freaking Navy SEAL, Peter…open your mouth and tell Shayla how you feel about her. Same with Shayla. She wrote romance novels for a living for crying out loud. If you can write steamy love scenes and dialogue featuring a whole lot of “I love you’s” than you should be able to tell the man that you love how you feel and stop dodging what was really going on between you two.

I will say that even though there were things that annoyed me, I still enjoyed being in the Troubleshooters world again. It was good to see Izzy and Eden again and to hear about Lopez and Jenk and everybody else that was brought up in this book. Izzy is my favorite hero of the newer generation of SEALs so I loved, loved, loved seeing him again. I love his personality and he hasn’t changed a bit since his book. He’s still freaking awesome.

Overall, the romance kind of fell flat for me and the heroine got on my nerves with her inner dialogue crap and the earthquake didn’t feel right to me at all but I loved seeing the SEAL team come together and be there for one of their own. I loved how they juggled their jobs on the base with being there for Peter and helping out any way that they can. I loved hearing the Navy slang again and even though this isn’t my favorite book in the series, it’s still good.

Grade: 3 out of 5


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Retro Review: Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann

Posted April 26, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 17 Comments

Retro Review: Over the Edge by Suzanne BrockmannReviewer: Rowena
Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters #3
Also in this series: All Through the Night
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: September 27th 2005
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 395
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

"Suzanne Brockmann has taken romantic suspense by storm with her action-packed thrillers. Now she has written the most gripping novel of her career-an unforgettable story of an explosive hostage situation in which two people are caught between the call of duty and the lure of destiny."Her passion is flying. As one of the best helicopter pilots in the naval reserves, Lieutenant Teri Howe is strong, dedicated, and highly skilled-until a past mistake surfaces, jeopardizing everything she's worked for. Rock steady Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok has made a career of tackling difficult challenges. So it's no surprise when he comes to Teri's aid, knowing that his personal code of honor-and perhaps his heart-will be at risk. But when a jet carrying an American senator's daughter is hijacked, Stan's unflinching determination and Teri's steadfast courage are put to the ultimate test. The rescue mission will be daring and dangerous. But somewhere between peril and resolution, the line between friends and lovers begins to blur, pushing both their lives "over the edge." . . .

*****As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.

This review was originally posted on May 27, 2009.

This is my May read for Nath’s Re-read Challenge. It’s my absolute favorite book in the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann. I picked it for this month’s read because it’s been a long time since I’ve done a reread of this one. Too long, in fact.

This book is about Stan Wolchonok, the Senior Chief of the Navy SEALs Team 16 and helicopter pilot, Teri Howe. This is an early Troubleshooters story where there was still that secondary historical military story going on and in this story we get Annabet and Hershel’s story. Though that wasn’t my favorite of the historical military secondary stories, I didn’t think it was that bad. Her whole connection to Stan seemed kind of forced to me but other than that, this book was damn near perfect for me…even after all these many years since I’ve read this story for the first time.

This book showcased everything I love about this Navy Seal team. The comraderie between each of the different men on this team plays out so nicely and I can’t help but love them all. The way that they trust each other and work well with each other never ceases to make my heart go pitter patter in my chest. I just love me some strong, sexy men and there is a great many of them on this team alone.

This is the story where the story of Sam and Alyssa takes off, this is where your emotions where these two are concerned gets trampled on and your heart gets ripped out of your chest but you won’t be able to help cheer these two on. It was so nice to see these two before they get married. To see these two fight their attraction, face their attraction and battle their attraction is my very favorite thing about this entire series. It’s their love that kept me captivated with each and every book in this series.

Suzanne Brockmann does a fantabulous job of writing different storylines in one book and just making it work. Reading about Max and Gina, Sam and Alyssa, Annabet and Hershel didn’t take away from my love of Stan and Teri. I thought Suz did a marvelous job balancing each of these storylines to make a well rounded story and she excelled at keeping me at the edge of my seat. My heart was backed up in my throat and reading this book this time around shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was for me because I read this book already, more than once and yet still I was shocked, I was joyful and I was entertained.

Stan was a fabulous hero and when he got up on that stage and sang his heart out to You Make Me Feel Like a Woman, I laughed because only Stan could get up there and have the balls to sing that frickin’ song. Teri was a great heroine, the way that she bulldozed her way into making Stan accept their attraction and the singleminded way she went after him had me cheering her on throughout this entire story. It was nice to revisit these characters again because we don’t see too much of them in the series now, I miss these guys and I loved this story all the more after finishing it this weekend. It was a good book then and a great book now. I love this frickin book and if you haven’t read this book yet, or even started this series? What are you waiting for? This book is the shit and you should be reading it!

The best quote EVER is in this book, from my lover of all lovers, Sam f*cking Starrett:

He looked up, directly at Stan. “Will you please f*^&*%^ go and f**^&% get me a real f**%^&* World Airlines 747, Senior Chief? Right f**^&%* now?”

sigh You just gotta love Sam.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5.

four-half-stars


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Review: Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann

Posted September 15, 2015 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Into the Storm by Suzanne BrockmannReviewer: Rowena
Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters #10
Also in this series: All Through the Night, Over the Edge

Publication Date: August 15th 2006
Genres: Suspense
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four-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

In a remote, frozen corner of New Hampshire, a Navy SEAL team and the elite security experts of Troubleshooters Incorporated are going head-to-head as fierce but friendly rivals in a raid-and-rescue training exercise. Despite the frigid winter temperatures, tension smolders between SEAL Petty Officer Mark Jenkins and former cop turned Troubleshooter Lindsey Fontaine after an impulsive night of passion goes awry. And then suddenly Tracy Shapiro, the Troubleshooters' new receptionist, vanishes while playing the role of hostage during a mock rescue operation.

Teaming up with the FBI to launch a manhunt in the treacherous wilderness, Jenk and Lindsey must put aside their feelings as a record snowstorm approaches, dramatically reducing any hope of finding Tracy alive. The trail is colder than the biting New England climate until a lucky break leads to a horrifying discovery - a brutally murdered young woman wearing the jacket Tracy wore when she disappeared. Suddenly there is a chilling certainty that Tracy has fallen prey to a serial killer - one who knows the backwoods terrain and who doesn't play by the rules of engagement.

In a race against time, a raging blizzard, and a cunning opponent, Jenk and Lindsey are put to the ultimate test. Risking everything, they must finally come together in a desperate attempt to save Tracy - and each other.

Mark Jenkins and Lindsey Fontaine. I remember this book fondly but what’s weird is that I remember mostly that I loved the heck out of Izzy Zanella in this book. Ha! Poor Jenkins.

Anyway, SEAL Team Sixteen and the Troubleshooters Inc. folks are going head to head in a mock training exercise. Competition is fierce and both sides want to win but when their fake hostage Tracy Shapiro goes missing, their friendly competitive training operation gets thrown to the wayside because…shit gets real.

Jenkins and Lindsey are battling wits and feelings after an unexpected night together but Lindsey is adamant about shutting that shit down. She wants nothing to do with a relationship and what should have been a whole lot of sexual tension, was actually bogged down with too much shit that I wanted to beat out of Lindsey.

This wasn’t my favorite book in the Troubleshooters series but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. There’s a whole bunch of Troubleshooters goodness in the form of seeing everyone from the team (old and new) and I really liked seeing what everyone was up to.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I still felt like Jenks was jipped because it was Izzy that stole the story for me. Completely stole Jenk’s thunder. I was much more interested in what he was up to and even though I know who he ends up with, I still low key wanted him to hook up with Tracy.

Lindsey bickered her way through this story and at first, Jenk just kind took it with his tail between his legs and it drove me crazy because I wanted him to be more like Sam and Wildcard and freaking fight her back but I never felt like that was Jenk’s style, which is probably why he’s not one of my favorite Troubleshooters series. Lindsey got on my nerves a lot but in the end, I believed in her feelings for Jenk and I was glad that they got their shit together long enough to own up to their feelings for each other. Jenk came a long way in this book and I liked him a lot better in the end.

My favorite part of this book was seeing everyone again. The older characters meeting up with the new characters and all banding together to fight the bad guys. I want more of this. I miss these guys. Still, solid book for me.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Ballantine. You can purchase it here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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Review: All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann.

Posted February 8, 2008 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann.Reviewer: Rowena
All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann
Series: Troubleshooters #12
Also in this series: Over the Edge

Publication Date: October 30th 2007
Pages: 352
Add It: Goodreads
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

It’s Christmastime in Boston, and this year the silver bells will be wedding bells as FBI agent Jules Cassidy ties the knot with the man of his dreams, Hollywood heartthrob Robin Chadwick.

The pair plan a quiet, intimate ceremony, to be witnessed by family and close friends from the FBI, SEAL Team Sixteen, and Troubleshooters, Incorporated, including Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke. But the holiday season brings more to the happy couple than they expect.

A waterfall coming through their kitchen ceiling, a bat colony in the attic, old family tensions . . . even an international incident can’t dampen their spirits. But add to that a parade of unexpected guests, including a reporter looking for a scoop, an ex-lover hell-bent on causing trouble, and a dangerous stalker, and suddenly the wedding is poised to unravel in chaos.

But nothing will stop Jules and Robin from getting their happy ending, because along with a guest list featuring the most elite counterterrorism force in the world, they have their own secret weapon–true love.

From the Hardcover edition.

I haven’t read a Troubleshooters book since Into the Storm and that was quite a while ago but dude, I loved this book just as much as I loved Into the Storm, maybe more. I mean, in this book it’s Jules and Robin’s story. I mean, their happy ending I guess you can say since their story is told through a few books, just like Sam and Alyssa’s story.

Suz Brockmann shines once again in this story and it really says something because I’m not all about the gay lovin’, I’m cool with it but it’s just not my choice of reading material but I didn’t even blink while reading this book, Suz did that good a job. I was wrapped up once again in the world that Suz has created of hot Navy SEALs, FBI folks and famous celebrities. There’s a bunch of stuff that go on in this story, there’s more terrorists that these guys are killing and there’s more bad guys that they have to eliminate and I just love all of it to pieces.

Jules and Robin’s story was great, I loved the unwavering faith that Jules had in Robin…there was nothing that anyone could tell him about Robin that would shake his faith in the man that he loves, Jules was faithful and strong right alongside Robin and Robin loved Jules with everything that he had and it was just so effing cute to see. Their journey throughout the books got them to where they were in this book and it was not an easy ride for them…Robin did his best to mess things up for them but he got it right in the end and that’s really all that matters. They were so lucky to have each other and reading about their journey was just fantastic. They came along way and they deserved every bit of happiness that they found in this book.

GO JULES AND ROBIN!

I wish Adam would just fall in a hole and never be found again but hey, why am I sensing that he’s gonna get his own book?

Curiouser and curiouser….

Sam and Alyssa played a big part in this story and I was so glad for it because it sucked that throughout the other stories where Jules and Robin’s story was told, it sucked that we didn’t see more of Sam and Alyssa in it since they’re so close with Jules. Jules needed them so much in the other books but we didn’t see much of them all together and being a family unit. With Sam and Alyssa on different missions for Troubleshooters Inc, it was good to finally see them be there and handle things for Jules. I loved seeing how far Sam has come with the whole gay thing. When we first met Sam, he was the biggest homophobe ever and he’s just not that person anymore. It was cute to see him so protective of Jules where Robin was concerned and it was good to see that he was still being a big a word to everyone because seriously, nobody can do ass like Sam can. =)

And holy wow, there must be something in the water out there because everyone is pregnant! That’s such good news. I loved seeing everyone come back in this book. There was Max, Gina, their daughter, Cosmo, Jane and their son, Joan Muldoon and just EVERYONE…I loved that they were in the story but they didn’t crowd the story or take away from Jules and Robin’s story. They enhanced it merely with their presence and I thought it was just a great, fast paced and delightfully entertaining reads that I’ve read all month.

It was great to see everyone in action again and even if they weren’t in this story, they were mentioned and we got to see what everyone is up to. I loved when all of the wives came out to support Robin when Jules was overseas. I loved seeing Sam and Alyssa jump to defend Jules and I loved seeing Robin win them over and then Sam winning Robin over. It was all so effing cute!

The other thing that I absolutely loved about this book was the secondary love story between Will Schroeder and Dolphina. Awwwww, they were just too cute. I loved his whole, love at first sight business and then I loved when he told her that she was “the one” and she wanted to hear it again and I loved his relationship with his niece, Maggie and I just loved everything about this little love story, it was too cute not to mention in this review…

…overall this book was great, a great addition to an already great series and I am anxiously awaiting Izzy Zanella’s book, FOR real!

Get this book and keep the party going with the Troubleshooters and the FBI folks, you won’t regret it!

five-stars


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