RS Review: Last Man Standing [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Last Man Standing" the 7th and last book in her Black Ops. series by Cindy Gerard.

Product Description

A deadly mission.A thirst for revenge.One headstrong alpha hero and one daring woman will settle the score. LAST MAN STANDING Special operative Joe Green has gone vigilante. His mission: avenge his Black Ops, Inc., brother’s death during a bloody ambush years ago in Sierra Leone. He refuses to drag the BOI team or his lover, Stephanie Tompkins, into the hunt for the man responsible, so when he finds himself beaten, starving, and alone after being falsely imprisoned for the murder of a Freetown priest, he knows he’s as good as dead. Joe meant to protect Stephanie when he walked out on their relationship, but he can’t stop her now from executing his escape. Breaking him out of prison is the easy part. After Joe’s explosive theory pans out and his cunning enemy emerges as the front runner for a high-level presidential appointment, he and Stephanie must race to derail the traitor’s conspiracy if they are to save their loved ones, the nation, and each other.

About the Author

Cindy Gerard’s New York Times bestselling Black Ops, Inc. series also includes Show No Mercy, Take No Prisoners, winner of the RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense novel, Whisper No Lies, Feel the Heat, Risk No Secrets, and With No Remorse. She is also the author of the bestselling Bodyguards series and thirty contemporary romance novels. She lives in the Midwest with her husband.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (January 31, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451606826
ISBN-13: 978-1451606829

My Review:

Joe is obsessed with finding out who killed his friend Bryan Tompkins (Stephanie's older brother and teammate) fifteen years ago.  He cuts all ties with Stephanie and his teammates to protect them when he finds information that a conspiracy originated in Sierre Leona.

Stephanie works at NSA as drone worker when her friend shows her a picture of a beaten Joe dated a month ago.  She knows she can't just sit around and do nothing so she pulls a few strings to see Joe who is malnourished and in bad shape.  He's broken physically and mentally and not to happy to see Stephanie.

I liked how Joe knows that he broke Stephanie's heart when he broke up with her and feels remorse.  He loves her but he can't let the ones who killed her brother and his friend to live.

Stephanie loves Joe, has always supported and stood by him and always accepted things his way.  Loved the way Stephanie took charge this time and she finds out she's stronger than she thinks she is.

Too bad we didn't see the rest of the team because they were away on a mission and didn't get back until the very end.  Loved the get together at the end and the interactions between the teammates and wives/friends.

This book has a ton of action, suspense, well written characters, incredible storyline and vile villains.

4/5

Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Other books in series:

1.  Show No Mercy
2.  Take No Prisoners
3.  Whisper No Lies
4.  Feel the Heat
5.  Risk No Secrets
6.  With No Remorse

RS Review: With No Remorse [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "With No Remorse" the 6th book in her Black Op. Inc. series by Cindy Gerard.

Product Description

Black Ops, Inc. operative Luke – Doc Holliday – Colter is taking some much needed down-time, making his way across the Peruvian Andes via rail, when banditos attack the moving train in the midnight hours.  It soon becomes apparent that robbery is not their intent but the abduction of super model Valentina, who is traveling incognito while recovering from a public scandal involving her ex-husband, high profile US Senator, Marcus Chamberlin.  Luke whisks Valentina off the train in a daring escape but the two of them become the targets of a relentless manhunt.  Enlisting the aid of Luke's BOI teammates, they soon discover that Val’s intended abduction is linked to a plot put in play by an international gun smuggling alliance.  The BOI team led by Luke, with Val along as a necessary pawn, must race halfway around the world to thwart a ruthless attack that would not only result in a devastating loss of life but destroy a tenuous peace the US and her allies have established in a vastly unstable part of the world. 

About the Author

CINDY GERARD's New York Times bestselling Black Ops, Inc. series also includes SHOW NO MERCY, TAKE NO PRISONERS, winner of the RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense novel, WHISPER NO LIES, and FEEL THE HEAT. She is the author of the bestselling Bodyguards series and thirty contemporary romance novels. She lives in the Midwest with her husband.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451606818
ISBN-13: 978-1451606812 

My Review:

Storyline:  Luke "Doc" Coulter is on a well deserved vacation and still recovering from being gut shot a year ago. He's still questioning his mortality, his abilities and even his reasoning for what he is doing for BOI.  While on his way to Peru on a train he meets his dream girl Valentina a model he has had a crush on since his teen years. Bad guys are after her and he feels very protective of her and slips back into his old self to keep her alive.

Characters: Luke is a sexy, charming, has a sense of humor, protective, strong, caring and has a heart of gold.

Valentina is no slouch either since she has to endear being man-handled, having swollen knees and surviving the freezing cold.  She's adaptable and does what needs to be done to survive.  She's smart and but for moment when she asks her ex to help her after all that Luke has done for her.  Really liked how she interacted with BJ and Crystal.

She was abducted as a young girl by her mother's ex-boyfriend and still deals with the trauma of that situation of being horribly claustrophobic. She's on her own mission of finding some peace and silence from her crazy world. Her high profile marriage ended in divorce after her husband was caught cheating and after she learned of that and other betrayals she just needed to get away from it all.
Joe Green also steps up to the plate and has a bigger role in this book.  He is filled with rage over the death of their team-mate a long time ago.

Romance:  Valentina and Luke are the total are two peas in a pod.  Both feel lonely in the world and I really like their sense of humor.  Their love scenes were pretty hot and at times I needed to drink to cool down.

Killer: The killer really loves their family and makes sure they know nothing of their business.  This person was really scary and willing to do anything to make sure Valentina was brought to them to use as a hostage.

4/5

Thanks Maylene from Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!