Customer Reviews

Freefall: A High Risk Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Terrorism has a profound and lasting effect on Sabrina Swann and Zach Tremayne who return to the small southern island they call home. Sabrina fled Italy after surviving a terrorist bombing at the hotel she managed; Zach is a SEAL involved in a disastrous and deadly mission that left many of his teammates dead. Working construction for his father, Zach and Sabrina run into each other when he is working on her family's tea plantation that she recently inherited. Sabrina has always had a crush on Zach and hopes he doesn't remember the night she threw herself at him before he went of to join the service. Also on their tiny island community lurks a serial killer who is upping his body count, and Sabrina is suddenly on his radar.

I love pretty much everything Ross writes, but this one was just not the knock out I was hoping for. It is so overpopulated. There are so many characters introduced in the first couple chapters that I kept backtracking trying to tell them apart. The chemistry between the lead characters is off the charts - no surprise there - but the ending was so anti-climatic. It was as if Ross was charged with writing a 382 page novel and got to 375 and decided she needed to end it already. What should have been a spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat ending was instead a haiku, Scooby Doo ending where the killer would have gotten away had it not been for that meddlesome SEAL. Just way too abrupt. I also could not understand why Zach was the responsible one in the mission gone awry - it was never really explained. But that won't stop me from checking out her next novel, because even a mediocre Ross novel is pretty well written!

Sabrina Swann is living in Italy when she is involved in a life altering and terrifying event. Seeking a little break from her life she returns to her family tea plantation on the southern island, Swann Island.

Zach Tremayne has left the Navy SEALs and has also come home to Swan Island to recover from a traumatic situation. He is doing construction work for his father's company and he is pleasantly surprised at how Sabrina has grown up.

This is an engaging read and I enjoyed it, however, I didn't love it. There is so much going on in this story and for me it was way too much. First you have the tragic and separate events that bring Zach and Sabrina home. You have the romance between Sabrina and Zach, and then there is one between side characters Nate and Tatiana. Then you have a killer on the loose targeting women. Ms. Ross then sets up what I think is going to be a part of one of the future books with the addition of the reoccurring character, Cait Cavanaugh. There are also about 3 other 'stories' going on that I couldn't mention without spoiling a lot of the story.

The one thing that really lowered the rating on this book was the conclusion to one of the conflicts that is present throughout the story. It is literally discovered, confronted, and solved in 5 pages at the very end of the book. For me it was very anticlimactic and completely ridiculous. The other thing that lowered my rating for me was something that had to do with Tatiana, we never find out what really happened and it's kind of a big deal.

Despite the flaws I enjoyed this book; I am glad I read it and even glad I bought it. She does a fantastic job of setting up the sleepy southern town and making her characters come to life. I am looking forward to the next in the series, Crossfire (September 2008), which is going to feature Cait Cavanaugh and one for my favorite reoccurring characters, Brendan O'Neill, both of whom appeared in Out of the Storm (Stewart Sisters Trilogy) and Blaze.

Cherise Everhard, February 2008

This is a great new novel in the style of SEAL/Spec Ops rescue alpha male mode but that doesn't make it any less good. The male and female lead characters have believeable and unique stories and shared, earned bouts of PTSD. Plus a background of growing up together helps cement the togetherness. The diliemma is there are a LOT of third and fourth level characters that we only briefly get to know before they become fodder for our mad serial killer. That was kinda sad because you get enough information about each victim that you are rooting for them to survive and then you realize they are essentially a plot device. I sadly do not want to know so much about the victims because it makes their demise more poignant. That's a cheap trick and this author is WAAAYY better than that. Still a great story and romance are worth the small detail--just be careful who you grow attached to--they may not stick around.

Freefall by JoAnn Ross starts off a pulse pounding High Risk Trilogy.

Former Navy Seal Zach Tremayne comes home to Swann Island after a mission goes terribly wrong. Doing construction for his father's company is helping work through some of his demons. One of the jobs is at the Swann family home where he shocks newly returned Sabrina Swann.

Sabrina Swann is also recovering from her own recent trauma. She survived a terrorist attack at the European hotel where she worked. Sabrina's return to Swann Island was to help her decide the new direction of her life. She wasn't expecting to literally be scared by Zach Tremayne working on her family home.

There is danger lurking on Swann Island, women are being brutally murdered. This has the residents on edge. When someone targets Sabrina, Zach's protective nature takes over. As the killer spins out of control, Zach and Sabrina fight to stay one step ahead of them. Trying to stay alive and falling for each other has them drawing closer by the day.

Freefall is a riveting tale of suspense and a sexy romance. Zach and Sabrina both have been scared by their past but aren't letting it affect their futures. JoAnn Ross books are captivating and will make you want the next book to get here soon.

Sabrina Swann had just been made general manager of an upscale hotel in Florence, Italy, when the hotel was blown up from under her. Seeking refuge as she recovers, Sabrina returns to her home turf, Swann Island, South Carolina. The local population of the sleep Southern Island has always been small, not including the tourists, so everyone knows everything about everyone. Before Sabrina had fully moved into the Swannsea estate, everyone knew she had returned and what had happened in Italy. The last person she expected to encounter on Swann Island is Zachariah "Zach" Tremayne. Zach had stole Sabrina's heart when she was a teen, gently declined her invitation to give him her most precious gift, and eventually left to become a Navy S.E.A.L. Sabrina had no idea Zach had left the military, but she recognized the pain in his eyes which was so similar to her own. Zach was home to heal as well. Though the former S.E.A.L. still had "warrior" written all over him, he was currently helping his father with the family construction business.

Zach cannot forget the horror he saw in his last battle in the Afghan mountains. Slowly he has been recovering. Flashbacks occur rarely now and Zach is beginning to believe he may live after all. Seeing Sabrina "New York" is a pleasure. He always knew she would go far. He also knew she would bloom, but she now outshines all his expectations. If Sabrina were to offer herself again, he would gratefully accept, as long as there were no permanent strings.

Word spreads quickly about the bodies found. Murder has not happened on Swann Island in about sixteen years, and that one was an accident due to too much drinking. Sheriff Nathaniel "Nate" Spencer has his hands full trying to find what is looking to be the beginning of a serial killer. Even though Nate is a former Marine, with a Silver Star, he still feels that he is under a microscope. Everyone on the island is watching to see if he would be half as good at the job as his father had been. Danger is hunting local prey and with each death Nate finds it more difficult not to crack. All his people, his friends, and his (hopefully someday soon) family could be in the cross hairs of a murderer's rifle scope.

***** As you can tell by the synopsis I wrote, there is A LOT going on here. Sabrina and Zach are the main characters/couple. But Nate and Titania (Sabrina's best friend) have their own moments. This is a stand alone story; however, it looks as though this may be the first in a series upon the island. I hope so, because this story not only sizzles with romance, but explodes with action and intrigue. Be warned there is a scene of a lady "being forced". I know some readers cannot read such, so consider yourself forewarned. Nothing too graphic though, in my opinion. All-in-all, I found this to be a phenomenal read that will keep you engrossed until way past your bed time. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Sabrina Swann has always been a driven woman, but after surviving a terrorist attack, she decides to go back to the only place she has considered home to re-group and decide what she wants to do with her life. However, as soon as Sabrina gets to Swann Island, she comes across her teenage crush, Zach Tremayne, who is one of the last people she wanted to see. After all, who wants to relive their most embarrassing moment - which for Sabrina was throwing herself at Zach and being turned down. But, as it comes to light that Sabrina is not as "recovered" from her awful experience, she finds that she has more in common with Zach than teenage memories.

Zach Tremayne is home after his tour with the Navy SEALs ended after a disastrous mission that ended many lives and forever changed Zach's. So after spending some time living inside a bottle, Zach is working for his father and trying to pull his life together and into normalcy. When he finds Sabrina back in town, there is no reason not to pursue his attraction to her - now that she is legal, that is. But what starts as a fling evolves into friendship and then to something much more intense as Zach and Sabrina face a serial killer that is prowling Swann Island.

Freefall is a romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see who will win the race against time - the killer or Sabrina and Zach. JoAnn Ross wrote another spellbinding novel that takes disturbing glimpses into the mind of a killer while delivering a lava hot romance between Zach and Sabrina and is sure to leave readers eagerly waiting for the next installment in this new series. Zach is as much an Alpha male as you could wish for - as he is a man tempered by his terrible experiences in the battlefield which have made him realize how fleeting life is and how precious love can be. Sabrina is a strong woman with a steely core who never forgets to be smart in the face of patronizing males. When Zach and Sabrina come together, they set the pages on fire and leave you envying Sabrina her luck! One of the most appealing things about Freefall is the strong elements of admiration and appreciation for the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform woven into the plot. Get yourself Freefall for a truly entrancing read that will keep you turning the pages well into the night!

Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

There's a killer loose on Swann Island. It has always been a small-town sort of place where everybody knew everybody else. Until all of the new development started. Now property values have skyrocketed and there are masses of tourists in town, plus at least one serial killer.

Sabrina Swann spent every summer of her young life here with her grandmother, Lucie, who was loved by everyone on the island. Lucie Swann had been alone since her no-good, two-timing husband up & left town in the middle of the night years ago, but still, everyone was surprised when she passed away suddenly.

Sabrina was among those shocked by her grandmother's death. She thought they still had many years together. Her grandmother had been so understanding that she couldn't make it home for a visit this year because she was busy climbing her way to the top of the company in a major hotel chain.

When the hotel is literally blown up around her, she decides to go home to Swann Island to recuperate. She arrives a week earlier than planned and gets a surprise the first morning, waking up to find local bad boy and former SEAL, Zach Tremayne looking in her window. He gets an eye full, but so does she. Seems both have gown up a lot since the last time that met.

When Sabrina's best friend disappears, everyone is helping look for her, but Sabrina gets too close to the action and ends up in cage, alongside her friend. It is up to Zach and his friends to get them out before it is too late.

This is the first in Ms Ross' "High Risk" series. The highest risk is that you'll get hooked from the beginning and not be able to do anything else until you finish this book (the way I did).

It's a great story and there is enough background on all of the characters that you understand how their lives fit together, but getting the info into the story doesn't drag it down, the way it sometimes can.

This book had at least 8-10 POVs not including the main love story. Most of the other POVs had no point other than they were going to be victims of the serial killer, and with two seperate villians both of which were resolved very easily with little suspense was disappointing. That said i will still read the next in the series because I really liked Cait and Quinn in this book and want to see what happens with them.

I loved the characters in this book - even though there are so many of them. They really make the story spring out. The only real complaint is that there are so many of them that it's hard to really connect to anyone except maybe Zach and Sabrina. I really wish they explained more of what happened to Zach and why certain people blamed him for what went down - hopefully that will be explained in the next book. Overall though, the suspense in the story really worked with the atmosphere of the book and she gave such great descriptions that I felt like I was right there in the bayou with them watching everything unfold. I would definitely recommend this just for good easy light reading!

This is my third novel by Joann Ross, and the first in the High Risk Novel series, and although I'm finding her books highly entertaining, I'm finally starting to pick up on her writing style, which in a word is overloaded. Luckily, it doesn't stop me from enjoying her books, it's just that I've learned when to skim on things that just aren't important to the plot. If you've read the Publisher's weekly synopsis of the book description, then clearly whoever the reviewer was also tends to skim since Zach isn't returning from the Iraq war and Sabrina was not a waitress in Italy, but those could be details that are also insignificant.

Zach Tremayne is a career Navy SEAL who has been sent home with PTSD (post tramatic stress disorder) after surviving what was tantamount to a suicide mission in Afghanistan. After spiraling into depression and alcohol, his father, also ex-military who runs a construction company on Swann Island, pulls him out of the abyss and makes him help him with the family business. Sabrina Swan, the prodigal child of the Swann family, is a recent survivor of a terrorist attack on the prestigious hotel in Italy where she was just promoted to general manager. After being dug out of the rubble and attending 30+ funerals, she goes to Swann Island where she's inherited her grandmother's estate for some very needed life evaluation and recovery. When she gets there, she finds Zach repairing the roofing on her estate. The situation couldn't be more awkward for her since the last time she saw him when she was 16, she threw herself at Zach and he very curtly declined. Meanwhile, before Sabrina even returns to Swann Island, dead bodies are popping up one by one, and it looks like the killer is a long standing citizen of the area and the body count is far greater than anyone could imagine.

The relationship building between Zach and Sabrina is done well and I don't think anyone would have an issue with the chemistry between Ms. Ross' characters. The introduction of too many characters is definitely annoying, especially when we're forced to read about their background when they're only in the book for a chapter at best. I also struggled in the beginning where chapters were about 3 pages each and we kept flashing to different people in different scenarios so it doesn't flow in an easy progression and you're not really sure who you should care about. In a nutshell, if you're not paying attention, you might miss something, but half the stuff is missable, except you don't know which half until you're well into the novel. We also have no limit to the amount of distractions in the book, such as a plethora of side stories, and not just one, but two separate threats happening at the same time, in addition to another mountain of red herrings, and I found that I didn't know who the actual killer was until it was revelaed. The ending itself is a little odd and while drama filled, it's slightly anticlimactic. Outside of that, the story was engaging to the point of mesmerizing with all the little hidden secrets. If you've read Shades of Twilight, one of my favorites by Linda Howard, this story is similar with a Dynasty like family with all the secrets and betrayals to go with it. Also, because this is the beginning of a series, many characters are introduced to lay the foundation for the next two books. Even with all that, I finished it in a single sitting and would like to read more about the series.