Review and Giveaway: Bound to Danger

Bound To Danger (Deadly Ops - Book 2) by Katie Reus

Publication Date: 08/05/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Signet Eclipse
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 0451419227
ISBN-13: 978-0451419224

(Received for an honest review from Signet Eclipse)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Katie Reus on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Deadly Ops

1. Targeted
2. Bound To Danger

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Bound To Danger, courtesy of the author's website (half way down the page)

Synopsis:

At a benefit dinner, community activist Maria Cervantes overhears two men plotting a terrorist attack that could rock Miami to its core. But before she can alert authorities, she’s almost killed in a massive explosion—and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. As the sole survivor of the attack, she is now a person of interest to the NSA—and especially to Agent Cade O’Reilly. Because Maria is the one woman Cade has never been able to forget.
 
Years ago, they were closer than either was willing to admit—until Cade disappeared when Maria needed him most. Now he’s sticking by her, whether she likes it or not. Because the memories locked inside her mind could hold vital clues to the next attack. Because terrorists want her dead—and because he never wants to let her go again.

Thoughts:

Katie Reus brings readers the second book in her romantic suspense, Deadly Ops series, Bound To Danger. A benefit, a humanitarian and terrorist plot to bomb Miami takes the action to new limits in this novel. Living with a former soldier and current Swat team sniper, gives Reus a lot of credibility when it comes writing about this subject. She has her own in-house source and that makes all the difference. The romance is hot, the suspense is riveting. Reus gives readers a face paced, action filled story, that they won't be able to put down for a second!

What I liked:

I have recently been reading more romantic suspense than I have in the past. I find that I like the fast pace, the extreme circumstances and the passionate characters. When I'm reading a book like this I look for several things. Is there a good balance between the romance and the suspense aspects of the book? Do the scenarios depicted seem authentic or contrived? Are the explanations and actions informative enough for the reader to understand? Do the hero and heroine live up to the story line? There really is a lot to writing about this kind of subject and Katie Reus gives reader all that and more in Bound To Danger.

The romantic aspects of the book take a slight backseat to all the suspense, in this particular book, but that's not a bad thing. I think Reus' series is a little lighter on the romance in general given the seriousness of the story lines and that works for me. Readers get to learn a lot about Maria and Cade and their past relationship, through e-mails they sent to each other when Cade was deployed in Afghanistan. I thought that was a great touch for the digital age we live in and it added so much to their back story. The love scenes are hot and spicy which is what one would expect with two very passionate lead characters.

The suspense aspects were written so well that I found myself completely immersed in the world these characters were living in. Is is conceivable that terrorist could bomb Miami? Absolutely! Would the NSA take this seriously? Given 911, I would say so. I thought Reus planned each part the action brilliantly. We live in a different world than we used to whether we want to admit it or not. The action was very realistic. I loved the insight into the leader of the terrorist plot. Reus was able to make him real. She gives the reader a glimpse into his mind and motivations. You can't really sympathize with him, but the reader will definitely understand his actions. Extremely, well done!

When it comes to books about special operations and that sort of thing, there is a certain amount of jargon and wording that most people are not exposed to everyday. One of the little perks that Reus adds to this book is a definition of necessary terms and words at the beginning of each chapter. Who knew that 'wet work' meant a murder involving spilled blood. Sounds like common sense, but not until after you hear the definition. Do you know what a 'soft target' is? You will after you read this book. Very good at letting the reader know what they were dealing with here.

The main characters definitely lived up to the hype here. You have a wealthy philanthropist, in Maria. A woman of compassion and dignity. In Cade you have a man who served his country and remains in it's service despite, PTSD and serious issues with guilt. I thought Reus did a great job with them. Made them believable, passionate and unpredictable. 

What I didn't like:

Most of plot lines were carefully laid out and believable. But there was one thing that was just to coincidental for me. Cade was the lone survivor of an attack in Afghanistan, which left him withe serious survivor guilt. Maria becomes the lone survivor in the terrorist bombing. I suppose that idea fostered some understanding between them, but I don't think it was very likely. 

Bottom Line:

I really like this one. The characters stuck out to me. The romance was there but not overpowering. The suspense was fantastic and there were several little things that made me enjoy it even more, the e-mail flashbacks, the definitions at the beginning of the chapters. It's all in the details. A great addition to the series!

Bound To Danger is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Katie Reus is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has a degree in psychology. She lives near Biloxi, Mississippi, with her husband, who was a Marine scout/sniper and currently works as a police officer and SWAT team sniper.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Bound To Danger by Katie Reus.

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~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, August 28th.

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