Reviewer: Holly
Wanna Play by Gail Faulkner
Series: Ghost Unit #3

Publication Date: July 6th 2007
Genres: Fiction, Erotica
Pages: 165
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Series Rating:

Wanna Play Gail Faulkner "Ghost Unit, Book Three"

Even her walk made him swallow. The stroll of a huntress — a little arrogant, a lot dangerous. Damn, he loved danger. He'd never seen menace so perfectly packaged in a woman. Wanting her was intoxicatingly forbidden and totally pagan.

Jas watched the beast try to look harmless as he entered her world. Testosterone-enhanced confidence rolling off him spoke of a deadly animal. He was muscle and guile below the face of a naughty angel. Ohhh baby, Jas wanted to play with that beast. Too bad they wouldn't have time.

It would have been Blaster's pleasure to take care of whatever threatened her, but earning her trust required respecting her right to combat. What drove him crazy was she wouldn't let him be the shield at her back as she did it.

"Reader Advisory: This is an action novel with short instances of violence that may not be for the faint of heart."

This is book three in Gail Faulkner’s Ghost Unit series, published by Ellora’s Cave. I haven’t read the first two, and though I felt like I missed a few things here and there, I still feel it can stand on it’s own.

Jasmina Carson is a movie star in the making with a somewhat shady past. When things start happening on the set of her latest movie (attacks on Jas, gunshots, etc) her director, Barry, calls in Samuel “Blaster” Callaway, an old childhood friend of his to help keep an eye on the situation.

Jas is pretty hardcore and more than capable of taking care of herself, so she resents Blaster’s presence. But as things escalate, and she becomes more and more attracted to him, she realizes she may need some help…but help saving her life from an outside threat, or help saving her heart from Blaster?

I loved the heroine in this novel. Yes, I said I loved her. No, I’m not just saying that. Yes, it really is me. I know, I know, I never like the heroines, but Gail Faulkner did an amazing job of writing an extremely well balanced heroine. She was smart, beautiful and more kick-ass than I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Although Jas has some issues that stem from her childhood and a really bad experience she had in the military, she’s very self-confident. She was a Marine and knows how to handle herself, so she wasn’t one of those heroines who thinks she has to rush right into danger just to prove she’s “as good as any man”. But she was balanced just right, because she also didn’t think she had to prove anything or have a bad case of Penis Envy. It was very refreshing to read about such a wonderful heroine.

I also think the relationship between Jas and Blaster developed at a nice pace. There was no rushing right into a physical relationship or an immediate declaration of love.

The story itself was a bit far fetched, but still worked for me somehow. Perhaps there was just a good balance between the suspense and the romance, or perhaps the heroine made it work for me, or maybe the story was just stronger than I thought. Whatever it was, I enjoyed it.

My biggest issue with this book was…Blaster. Yes, I said it. No, the world has not ended. I know, I know. It’s not every day I have issues with the hero and love the heroine, but that’s just how it worked out.

It’s not that I disliked him, really, it’s just that the rest of the story – including the characters – was pretty fleshed out, but I ended the book with a vague picture of him and that was it. I didn’t get to know him at all. I didn’t doubt his love for the heroine, or his character, but I think I would have liked more of a back story…or something.

I also think it ended rather abruptly. Although the major conflict was resolved, I still felt like there were a few too many loose ends left dangling. I know this is part of a series, but I’m not sure all the thinks left open can be resolved in other books.

There were a few typos and grammatical errors I can’t let go, but not so many I was pulling my hair out.

Oh, one thing I couldn’t get over? Something that just grated on my nerves? The hero called the heroine, “woman”. That was her nickname. That drove me batty. But that’s a personal issue and doesn’t have much to do with the story itself.

Overall it was a good read, with a wonderful heroine and a believable plot. The secondary characters enriched the story and the humor laced throughout added just the right touch. I’d recommend it.

4.5 out of 5 (the .5 for the heroine alone, she was that cool)

You can buy it here.