Customer Reviews

Hot Target (Troubleshooters, Book 8)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

There has yet to be a Brockmann book that I haven't loved. And this one is no exception - it contains her usual realistic dialogue, fully formed three-dimensional characters, and the perfect balance of a-plot and romance without tipping into the "too technical" abyss that could happen in such stories.

I did love the relationship between Jane and Cosmo. But...I have to say that I was slightly disappointed when Cosmo turned out to be not quite the "dangerous man with a mysterious past" character he had appeared to be in previous stories, but actually a very open-minded, generous-hearted and very understanding man. Don't get me wrong - I think these traits are absolutely necessary in a good hero. I just almost felt that Cosmo was too good to be true. There was no digging beneath the layers of toughness and mystery to find the tender jewel beneath his exterior - he pretty much laid it all on the table up front. And in the end, all of the dark mystery surrounding him was actually based on a bunch of gossip that had just gotten blown out of proportion. The truth of the story was very moving, and it made me fall in love with Cosmo. But I felt the "menace" of his character in past stories was missing in this one.

As for the heroine, Jane, at first I really didn't like her. What she did - using her bodyguards so expoitively to promote her own agenda - was really low. But she did redeem herself once she fully understood how what she had done affected those around her. And I was very touched by her reaction to the tragic events that occurred to others trying to protect her. It seemed to be a very realistic response.

I also loved that Brockmann has brought Jules Cassidy to the forefront as a leading character. I wanted to weep for him as he found himself on the verge of a wonderful relationship only to be thwarted by the hangups of his would-be-partner. Jules is such a wonderful man, and I want nothing more than for him to fall in love and settle down, since this is what he seems to want for himself. I'm hoping that perhaps, in a future novel, he'll meet Robin Chadwick again and Robin will be ready for him.

Which leads me to Robin Chadwick. Now this is a character I do hope Brockmann shows us more of. I felt so sorry for him - it was so obvious to me who and what he is, but that he feels he can't be that person is tragic. I prayed through the whole book that his feelings for Jules would be enough to allow him that freedom, and despite my sadness that things didn't work out the way I'd hoped, his actions seem very, very realistic given his history and his desires for the future.

My problems with this book - the reasons I didn't give it five stars - have been mentioned by others. Several characters where given voice when I didn't really see a need for it. For example, Lawrence Decker made a POV appearance on several occasions, but I'm not really sure why it was necessary. His story wasn't advanced in any way, nor was he integral to the two main romances at hand. Too, Max Baghat showed up in one scene only to fade right back into the woodwork. Sometimes I feel like Brockmann thinks she needs to remind us of her entire cast of characters so we'll remember them when they show up as the primary characters of future stories. A sort of name-dropping habit that really isn't necessary.

Also, I didn't much like the portrayal of the Adam character. He confused me. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hate him or like him. Often he appeared to be a first class sleaze bag who used people shamelessly, only to do something mildly heroic. Instead of viewing these contrasting actions as making him three-dimensional, they seemed more out-of-character. I never understood what Jules had ever seen in the guy, so Jules heartbreak was hard for me to understand. Rather than throw the "lover from the past" into Jules' story, I would have loved more development of his relationship with Robin and how Robin's total denial of his homosexuality caused heartache.

Neither did I much like Patty, Jane's assistant. She was so incredibly naive, and Robin's treatment of her was horrid. I just felt sorry for her, but only in a pathetic way rather than in a sympathetic way.

These complaints aside, I did find myself unable to put the book down. Once again Brockmann has written a story that pulled me so completely into her world that I felt I was hanging out with old friends. And now, sadly, I'm back to waiting the long months until the next Brockmann release...

The first Suzanne Brockmann book I read was "Out of Control", and after that I bought or borrowed nearly every book she's ever written. Reluctantly, then, I give Hot Target three and a half stars, but not for the reasons many other reviews have given.

This is a story of a Hollywood director who is threatened by a fringe hate group because of the content of the movie she's filming. But the bad guys are never really fully described, and the threat never feels personal. (This is in stark contrast to another of her best books, "Over the Edge", where, with Gina's story, you feel the very real threat throughout the whole book.)

There is tension in this book, but it's mainly "please don't do anything dumb" tension as the main characters seem to make stupid decision after stupid decision, whether in their actions or their love decisions.

All of this being said, Suzanne Brockmann still writes a gripping story that I had a hard time putting down. I just hope she focuses more on action, on SEALs, and on her plot development in her next book.

After receiving death threats for her screenplay depicting a decorated gay war hero and his lover, Jane is forced by the studio to have around-the-clock protection from Troubleshooters, Inc., a firm comprised of security experts, Navy SEALS, FBI agents, and the like. At first she's against it, but a burgeoning attraction to by-the-book Cosmo Richter soon has her singing a different tune - especially when someone takes a shot at her. Sharing the spotlight is Jules Cassidy, a charismatic FBI agent (usually banished to the background), who hasn't been in a relationship since his lover, aspiring actor Adam stepped out on him one time too many. Further complicating Jules' life is a growing attraction to Jane's brother, alcoholic heartthrob actor Robin Chadwick. Robin is so deep in the closet that he doesn't understand his feelings toward the captivating Jules, which just sends him further into the bottle.

Make no doubt about it; the book starts out as romance between Jane and Cosmo. But soon the more compelling triangle of Jules-Adam-Robin heats up the story, giving it heart and soul, particularly when Adam is cast as Robin's lover in the movie, much to Jules' chagrin. Brockmann portrays the triangle with such sensitivity and compassion, that the reader is swept away with her character development and their own imagination to the point that you really care about the characters, flaws and all, regardless of their sexual orientation. When it comes to fast-paced SEAL action, no romantic suspense writer surpasses Brockmann.

Ms. Brockmann's last two books don't begin to compare with her earlier works. This was supposed to be Cosmo's book, but the lack of character development and the fluff plot revolving around Cosmo and Jane Chadwick made the book easy to put down. Cosmo, always mysterious in prior books, is just too perfect to be believable and Jane falls back on the old cliche of using her sex appeal to obtain success.

Jules, a favorite character of mine, steals the book, but I fail to believe an intelligent, experienced FBI agent would put up with the behavior of either of his potential love interests, Adam or Robin.

Sad to say, Ms. Brockmann is no longer an automatic buy for me. I'll be happy to wait for the local library to stock her books.

While "Flashpoint" was a very good book, it felt a little heavy due to the situation, especially Sophia's part of the story. So I was slightly hesitant about starting "Hot Target" since I wasn't sure I was in the mood.

I was very pleasantly surprised. "Hot Target" is not a "light" book by any definition but the complete switch from a war-torn, savage country in "Flashpoint" to Hollywood for "Hot Target" made for a welcome change of pace while still maintaining Brockmann's usual combination of suspense, mystery and great pacing.

Brockmann did her usual deft job in pairing up the seemingly different Jane, a Hollywood movie producer who knows how to work the media, and Cosmo, the Navy SEAL who intimidates his tough-as-nails teammates, in a gradual, believable way.

But my favorite part was long-time supporting character Jules Cassidy and his problems with his old lover Adam returning (has Adam really changed?) and an attraction to Robin, Jane's actor brother who is so deep in denial about his sexuality that he's hurting other people, like Jane's naive intern, Patty. Gay characters in romance novels are usually relegated to being the supportive best friend or relative and heaven forbid they touch or kiss someone unless it's a joke, misunderstanding or show of support. Huge kudos to Brockmann for handling gay romantic entanglements with sensitivity and great reality. When Jules refused to be Robin's "experiment" or let Robin get away with the old "I was drunk" excuse, I was simultaneously proud of Jules and very sad that he can't seem to catch a break romantically.

I also loved the real Jack Shelton and the scene between him and his long-time partner, especially since it confirmed to Jules that he shouldn't settle for less than his heart's desire.

Technically I would give this book 4 1/2 stars but Amazon won't allow that. It's better than 4 stars but I don't think it's up to the level of her next book, "Breaking Point," which is definitely a 5 star book.

That said, the Sam & Alyssa short story bonus at the end of the book should get 5 stars all by itself. Brockmann did a wonderful role reversal on the typical "my spouse is half a world away in danger and all I can do is wait" situation. It was also far too timely and poignent with the current situation with our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also nice to see Meg, Joan and Savannah again, albeit briefly. I also loved Sam's phone call at the end to John.

Let me first say that I have read EVERYTHING S. Brockmann has ever written and I'm a huge fan. Let me also say that her last 2-3 books have been rather disappointing. I'm not sure what is happening...

My main criticism here is the shallow/weird romance between Cosmo and Jane. I didn't really find myself getting into either character. I actually felt more interest in Jules and his entanglements. Overall, though, the story lacked any real emotional satisfaction.

Regarding the gay romance theme... I don't mind this being in the book at all. HOwever, there was a little bit of overkill with the whole PFLAG, gay father, etc. Was this really necessary?

As I said in my review of her last book, what is going on? These trouble-shooter books just aren't cutting it. I actually look forward to another SEAL Silhouette book (Tall, Dark, & Dangerous). Brockmann may need a shorter book format in order to keep out all the annoying sidetracks. By the way, for those who never read them, DO IT! You'll LOVE all the TDD series.

Suzanne Brockmann takes a huge risk in creating a story line based around gay relationships. The story is supposed to be about Cosmo, Navy Seal from her well known team 16. Luckily, any of her readers have already gotten a good picture of who Cosmo Richter is. Therefore his character does not need to be as thoroughly developed. Unfortunately, the story seems to focus more on a gay FBI agent named Jules, who readers also already associate. Throughout the story, you read about a man trying to figure out whether he is gay or straight and the struggles he goes through to find his way. The story line quickly shifts from the romance of Cosmo and Jane, to Robin and Jules. Then to top it off, it's not as if that part of the romance even has a happy ending.
I really do enjoy her books. I have come to know the characters and whenever their names are brought up in her other stories, I do not feel the need to have more descriptions of them. I now associate with Jules more, but I do have to say that this particular story was not as suspenseful as her others. Too much focused on the gay situation of the story and not much else to keep the reader interested.
Aside from that, I will continue to read her other books. I give her props for trying to express how important it is to feel accepted in society no matter what your sexual preference is. This book was clearly written for her son, and I think that is great.
I recommend checking this one out from the library though instead of buying it, because some people may not enjoy it as much as others.

Kudos to Brockmann for her sensitivity to Jules, Robin and Adam. Her character development of Jules was terrific. He's a character you'd love to hug and have for a friend.

I was very disappointed in the remainder of the book. Cosmo's character development was way below Brockmann's usual treatment given to her main character(s). I found the entire story line and lack of emotional depth to Cosmo's "dangerous" past unbelievable and, quite frankly, distracting to the story line surrounding Jules.

With over forty books to her credit, Brockmann is "allowed" to have one or two that miss the mark and it seems to me that the last two, Flashpoint, and now, Hot Target, fall into a substandard category. I hope she gets back "on target" with Max and Gina's book!

This book will perhaps not please everyone, but I hope that all Brockmann's fans (and many others, besides) will read it. I admire Suzanne Brockmann for her unapologetic portrayal of a gay man's love life.
For a long time I have looked forward to the story of Cosmo Richter, he has been such an enigmatic character in her other novels, and I did enjoy his story.
But I was more caught up by the story of Jules Cassidy. Jules is a worthy character who has appeared in nearly all of Brockmann's Seal Team Sixteen books. This is the first time he's had his own storyline.
In Hot Target , FBI agent Jules Cassidy deals with a disastrous past love, and an attraction to a man still deep in the closet. Jules struggles to resolve his emotional issues while trying to track down a domestic terrorist that has threatened the life of movie producer J. Mercedes Chadwick (Cosmo's love interest).
My thanks to Suzanne Brockmann, once having introduced the storyline, for not apologizing, qualifying, or ducking the emotional issue.
I hope to see more of Jules in future books.

I have read every book written by Suzanne Brockmann, but this book just does not meet my expectations. I thought this was supposed to be Navy Seal Cosmo's story, but because of the weak plot, Cosmo got lost ... too many characters ... too confusing. Also, hard to believe that Jules, smart FBI agent, would be interested in someone like disgusting Robin. This book's focus is too strong on homosexual relationships thereby overshadowing Cosmo's story. I read Ms. Brockmann's books because I enjoy the powerful romance between an alpha male and a female. I hope her next book is about Navy Seals, action and has a great plot development, which is lacking in Hot Target. I think she needs to get back to writing about the Tall, Dark and Dangerous Navy Seal series that works so well for her.