Customer Reviews

To the Brink (The Bodyguards, Book 3)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ms. Gerard's third effort for "The Bodyguard" series is a stellar example of this writer's talent. This time around the reader is swept away to exotic locations, adrenaline pumping read that will entertain from page one.

Darcy Prescott is in a lot of trouble and once she realizes it she contacts the one man she knows she can trust, her ex-husband Ethan Garrett. She hopes she is wrong but soon is kidnapped and Ethan is her only hope. Time starts to run short and when she narrowly escapes a rape she can only pray that Ethan has come to help her. After all she has never gotten over her love for the soldier and man she once called husband. Hopefully he has not forgotten her.

Ethan Garrett gets Darcy's phone message and moves heaven and earth with a little help from his friends and family. His heart will not beat right until he sees the only woman he has ever loved. He has always been fearful of Darcy's job and the chances she takes working for the State Department. It looks like her luck has finally run short. He will go to the Philippines and pull her out of danger and failure is not an option. But, what will happen after. Will they part ways or will they get a second chance at love?

This has been my favorite out of the series to date. Ethan is a total alpha male and very good at what he does. Through the use of flashbacks we are treated the to past Ethan and Darcy share. This is done from each characters point of view so the reader is treated to the "full story" and this is a very satisfying way to get this past information. Ms. Gerard is a very talented author and I look forward to the next in this series.

Information can be deadly! When her US Embassy coworker dies in a mysterious hit-and-run accident, Darcy Prescott knows the envelope she received from the deceased colleague must be involved. Terrified and alone in the Philippines, Darcy instinctively reaches out to the one person sure to help, her ex-husband Ethan Garrett.

Although haunted by his failed marriage, former Special Forces soldier Ethan has moved on with his life...or so he thought. Upon hearing Darcy's panicky phone message, he is ready to drop everything and help her. When he finally discovers that Darcy has been kidnapped, Ethan assembles a small team to go to her aid.

With the help of his two brothers and a friend, all former soldiers, can Ethan rescue Darcy? Even if they do the impossible and pull her out of the jungle alive, will Darcy be safe? Obviously, she's in the middle of something big! Finally, what does all this mean for Darcy and Ethan's broken union? The connection is still there, but is that enough?

The third book in The Bodyguards series, To the Brink is the best one yet, and I can't recommend it enough! With pulse-pounding action and sizzling romance, it is so much more than the previous books. I loved the story's edgy realism. It is one of the more believable military themed romantic thrillers I have read in quite some time. The use of flashbacks to show the evolution of the couple's relationship was brilliant. You get a fully developed relationship without interfering with the suspenseful action.

Darcy and Ethan are strong, likable characters. I was hoping they would have the strength to handle the complex problems in their marriage as well as Darcy's current predicament. Immediately drawn into the tale, I was unable to put the book down. To the Brink left me begging for more from The Bodyguards. I can't wait for the next installment!

Cheryl

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

When Ethan Garrett first saw Darcy Prescott, he knew she was the one. But their marriage wasn't able to survive his job as a Special Forces officer. Now five years later, his ex-wife has left a message on his answering machine - a cry for help - and Ethan will move heaven and earth, and lay his own life and career on the line, to save her.

Ethan pulls together a team, two of which are his siblings, and organizes a clandestine rescue mission to save Darcy. But can he save his heart when he realizes that he still loves her?

The action doesn't stop with the rescue, however, because once they're back in the U.S., they must watch their backs until they discover who was behind Darcy's abduction and why.

The action is edgy and realistic and the characters are believable and sympathetic. The sexual tension between Ethan and Darcy arcs across each page like electricity. From the jungles of the Philippines to the streets of Washington, D.C., these two push their bodies and emotions to the brink to make justice prevail.

In the third book of her Bodyguards series, Cindy Gerard delivers a one-two punch of action, suspense and romance that will keep you turning the pages til the very end.

she is just a complete moron if you ask me. Darcy and Ethan are a married couple who survive a violent attack because he defends them and kills the guy. Both of them are understandably upset over this. Their supposedly great love unravels rather quickly in the face of this bump in the road. There are work related stresses on the relationship too. Of course the heroine's solution to their unresolved feelings is to file for divorce. For some insane reason she thinks this will cause the hero to chase after her and tell her all the things she wants to hear. In my world when you file for divorce and your ex chases you it's called stalking. I'm thinking if you're wanting to be chased you might try something more inviting than divorce. He of course doesn't catch the hint. What do we expect of guys today? No means no or does it?

Then several years after the divorce of course they both still want each other so much (that's why they've been wasting some of their best years together because they're so hot for each other). I'm sorry but there are just too many great fish in the sea for me to buy into this favorite romance theme. A guy like Ethan wouldn't be on the market long.

The heroine gets in hot water, apparently it's her job. So 5 yrs later she suddenly calls her ex to ask for help. She's kidnapped by terrorists and he and his special ops buddies track her down and save her. He gets hurt and they hang out together as they solve the mystery of who's trying to kill the heroine. Then she ditches him again and this time he chases her home and apologizes for not chasing after her before cause it's all his fault. The end. Really felt like the heroine cared alot more for herself than the hero.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I don't know how to recommend this. I really liked part, but I really disliked part.

WHAT I LIKED:
The action part of the story. Well done, some neat ideas. I felt like I was there. More than half the book was this action and suspense. I also enjoyed the secondary story about Amy and Garrett. They meet in this book, and their story is told in the sequel: "Into The Dark."

I DID NOT LIKE THE FLASHBACK METHOD:
The author kept switching back and forth between current day and 8 years earlier when the couple first met. This was done in a cliffhanger style. I felt like each story was repeatedly interrupted. After several of these annoying flashbacks, I went through the entire book and read all of the flashback scenes first which made one complete story (68 pages). Then I went back and read all the current day scenes. Below is a summary of the flashbacks during the first 50 pages (but flashbacks continue until page 227).
FB = flashback, C = current day, POV = point-of-view.

C: she is kidnapped
FB: Ethan attends a party and sees Darcy for the first time (his POV).
C: She is forced to walk through the jungle with her captors.
FB: Darcy attends the same party and sees Ethan for the first time (her POV).
C: The captors line up to rape Darcy, but something delays it happening.
FB: Ethan and Darcy talk to each other at the party.
C: Ethan is walking through the jungle trying to find Darcy.
FB: Ethan and Darcy leave the party together.

Note: Another reviewer LIKED this flashback method. So, how to predict if you will like it? Have you felt like the following? I have never liked flashbacks, but I'm ok with limited use (maybe once or twice in a book). I'm also ok with two different current day stories being told back and forth as long as each scene is completed, i.e. no dangling cliffhangers.

OTHER THINGS I DID NOT LIKE:

She does two STUPID things. She has evidence that will hurt the bad guy. The bad guy arranged for her to be kidnapped and killed. Ethan rescues her. She won't tell Ethan anything about who the bad guy is or why he wants her dead. Instead she plans to run away from Ethan to be on her own. Her reason is she doesn't want to put Ethan at risk. (What? He's like the best bodyguard in the world. She thinks SHE can handle killers? She's already proven that she can't.) Besides, she already put him at risk by her own stupid earlier behavior. She called Ethan because she feared for her safety and then she went out walking ALONE on the street at midnight - when she believed someone else had been killed for the same evidence. A suggestion: have them kidnap her out of her hotel room - chloroform her and sneak her out. It's not that hard to figure out a way to kidnap her without making HER do something stupid.

The relationship was ok, but could have been more interesting. She sees him kill a mugger. Ethan sees a look of fear in Darcy's eyes and starts acting differently. Then she divorces him because he won't talk about his feelings about killing. Later she knows she loves him, so she wants to leave him to keep him safe from the bad guys. Could have been better.

There are some sex scenes which are standard for the genre. Some were told and not shown. They were fine and showed love, but don't read for that reason. Read for the action and suspense.

STORY BRIEF:
Darcy gets a divorce after a short marriage because Ethan is not emotionally open with her. Five years later Darcy is working for the US consulate in the Philippines. Ethan is still in the military - Special Forces. Darcy's coworker Amanda accidentally receives evidence about a bad guy. She gives it to Darcy. Amanda is killed. Darcy is afraid and leaves a message for Ethan. She then goes to the post office to mail the evidence to the US. She is kidnapped on the way back to her hotel. She is taken into the jungle by a group of terrorists. Ethan and three others plan a mission to find and rescue Darcy.

DATA:
Story length: 337 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 10. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 10. Setting: current day Philippines, Peru, Israel, Alaska, Florida, and Washington DC. Copyright: 2006. Genre: romantic suspense.

Ethan Garrett meets Darcy Prescott at a gathering of the U.S. embassy in Peru where they fall wildly in love with each other and decide after very short time to get married. Although the marriage starts very promising, the relationship can't endure Ethan's work related change in behavior - he becomes more and more introvert and having seen a lot as a Special Force operator, he asks Darcy to leave her position at the different U.S. embassies by applying for a position back in the States. Darcy refuses because she worked very hard for her career and can't accept that Ethan has become so narrow-minded. This issue has become a very serious bone of contention between the couple, however without serious consequences yet. Then the worst happens: Ethan has joined Darcy on her assignment in Israel. She is attacked by a man, Ethan steps in, saves her but kills the attacker. This incident is for many reasons the death blow for the marriage.

However, eight years later, Darcy is again on an assignment, this time in the Philippines, where a dubious murder occurred in the U.S. embassy. Darcy knows that only Ethan, meanwhile her ex-husband, can help her. She calls him and leaves a voice message on this phone. He reacts to her distress call but is too late - before he arrives in the Philippines, Darcy was abducted.

A classical Gerard book: fast-paced and action loaded. Irresistible male hero and a heroine who could meet him on equal terms. Inspired sex scenes that are related to the plot. Reunion with old friends from previous books and a rewarding happy end.

Why the mixed feelings? Firstly, I didn't like the flashbacks. There were just too many of them and they ripped the flow of the story apart rather than supporting it. Secondly, the reason why Darcy literally ran away from Ethan was so shallow that I couldn't relate at all. She claimed that he withdrew into himself but besides asking him what's bothering him she didn't do anything else but walk away from him. Finally, I thought the end of the book was rushed and blunt.

In any case, if you have read the previous sequels you might not lose this one.

Cindy Gerard is hands-down the best military romance writer out there. She brings an edge of realism to her stories that put her ahead of most other writers in the genre.

Just before Darcy is kidnapped in the Philippines, she leaves a desperate phone message for her ex-husband, Ethan. This is a second chance at love story at its best.

Ethan is a dream - flawed and real and a man - not some idealised woman's version of a man. Darcy is great - strong without turning into the stereotypical She-Ra that is so common in this genre these days. Their reunion story is moving, and the parts of the book in the past are as powerful as those in the present. Gerard handled this so well. I wanted to read more about them!

In addition to this we get to see characters who star in past and future books. In particular we meet Amy - who is also kidnapped in the Philippines. Her growing connection with Dallas is as powerful as the main relationship.

This is a book I have read more than once.

Gerard's Bodyguard Series:

To the Edge

To the Limit

To the Brink

Over the Line

Under the Wire

Into the Dark

FYI: You don't have to read the first two books in series before reading this one. I actually read them so long ago, I don't even remember what happened in them.

"To the Brink" is the perfect title for this book. It's also the perfect description for Gerard's awesome work in writing it. She left nothing out, and in no way went light on any aspect of the romance or the suspense and action.

The romance:
When Ethan and Darcy fall in love, it is a beautiful and sweet story that makes you instantly want happiness for them both. As you watch Ethan's war trauma slowly unravel their first marriage to each other, you feel their pain and devastation as they both realize that it can't be saved. While apart, neither ever remarried. Neither could get over their love for one another. When they meet again, both are aware that the feelings are still very much alive. The question is whether there can be any hope for a future together. Darcy fears Ethan is still a slave to his emotional demons.

The Suspense and Action:
After 5 years of living apart, when Darcy's life is threatened she doesn't have to think twice about who to call for help. She knows Ethan will come for her. She knows he will tear the jungle apart to find her and save her from the terrorists who kidnapped her.

Within a day of receiving Darcy's message, Ethan and his personal team of former special ops and marines are on their way to save her. Ethan, his brothers Nolan and Dallas, and his best friend Manny made the trip without a pause. Although they have all been out of the service for a few years, they put their training back to work to save Darcy. Both the Filipino army and a radical terrorist group stand in their way. For Darcy's sake, Ethan will risk all. In loyalty to Ethan, the other three men won't hesitate to join in.

Great love scenes, tons of emotion, powerful action scenes and endless suspense kept me locked to this book. I couldn't put it down.

Want to read the whole series?

To the Edge (The Bodyguards, Book 1)
To the Limit (The Bodyguards, Book 2)
(To the Brink is third in the series)
Over the Line (The Bodyguards, Book 4)
Under the Wire (The Bodyguards, Book 5)
Into the Dark (The Bodyguards, Book 6)

Love Romantic Suspense Novels? Try Roxanne St.Clare's "Bullet Catchers" Series. Here is the link to the first book in the series:

Kill Me Twice (The Bullet Catchers, Book 1)

St.Clare also wrote a terrific stand-alone book:

Killer Curves

Darcy Prescott US Consulate Worker in Manila is the ex-wife of Ethan Garrett. Ethan is a former special services member who comes home one night to find that Darcy has left him a panicked message to call her. When he can't reach her and her coworker is killed he gathers up his brothers and best friend and they launch a rescue attempt.

The story intertwines chapters back to how Darcy and Ethan met, married and divorced.

Darcy has been kidnapped and is in the jungles of the Philippines. The first half of the story details how she stays alive, and how Ethan et al, are able to rescue her. Once she is back in the states it seems that she is still in danger. Ethan and she head to Washington DC to retrieve a package she mailed to herself moments before she was kidnapped. This package was given to her the day before she is killed and Darcy mailed it moments before she is kidnapped. What is on the tape in the package contains information that will take down more than one individual.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the suspense and I also recognized the set up for the next book in the series with Dallas.

Ethan and Darcy while they have unusual occupations you can believe how they were brought together and how they would stay connected.

I loved this book; probably even more than I loved the previous bodyguard books. I enjoy reading the combination of intrigue - both sexual and mysterious. This book keeps you reading for more to see what will happen next.