Customer Reviews

Into the Crossfire: A Protectors Novel: Navy SEAL

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been waiting impatiently for LMR's newest book and was a little disappointed. It was a great plot, great couple but she seemed to spend way too much time on background information and not enough on the characters falling in love or even interacting together. They seemed to only speak twice and the love affair wasn't developed. When they first hooked up romantically I looked down and half the book was already read. I like great dialogue that shows a connection between couples and LMR has ALWAYS delivered. I hope that now that she used 3/4 of this book to set up the plot the next two books will focus on the couples interacting together too.

Lisa Marie Rice is one of my favorite steamy romantic suspense writers, but you'd never know it by this book. Closer to 2.5 stars than 3, Into the Crossfire is about as cliche ridden a book as I've seen lately. I realized in the first 7 pages, after reading how breathless former SEAL turned security specialist Sam Reston was each time he saw the 'most beautiful woman in the world', Nicole Pearce, I was in for a real disappointment, but I kept hoping. Pages and pages of hero and heroine with pounding hearts, the loss of coherent conversation, and, well, breathlessness. Never have I read a more overwrought opening chapter for a romantic suspense novel. It was classic old-fashioned bodice ripper stuff, only worse.

Unfortunately, the first third of the book could easily have been shortened by 60 or more pages to create a more tightly written story line - or at least one that had the kind of suspense and action one expects in romantic suspense. All that breathlessness and so little story made for dull reading. There was the typical sex scene where - I'm sure you'll be shocked - they were breathless and neither could speak due to all that chemistry and .......... probably oxygen deprivation from all that breathlessness.

The story finally gets moving, sort of, in the last third of the book. Unfortunately, time is past for developing the kind of thrills a romantic suspense novel should have. Heroine is saved, hero is well, heroic, bad guys are foiled, but chief bad guy goes to England to try again. Predictable. Character and relationship development is pretty much non-existent.

Into the Crossfire read like a book outline heavily padded with melodrama. Suspense was in short supply, kind of like breath. A real disappointment from a usually reliable author.

This book is okay and I will read the rest of the Protectors series but the story is missing something. I have read all of Ms. Rice's books and I always go back to the Midnight series. I thinks what is missing from the other books is the characters have fun, get to know each, then the DANGER EXPLODES!!!!!! Yeah everyone is involved in some dangerous stuff but . . .I can't wait for the Midnight series to continue, I heard the next book is about Jacko.

Security company owner Sam ogles Nicole the owner of the translation company across the hall. Nicole's company is sent an encrypted email warning of a terrorist attack. Bad guys try to hunt down the email and silence Nicole. Sam must save her.

Pros: I love the way Rice writes. Her books are well-paced and involving. This book has a better plot than most and the terrorist sub plot is very interesting. The characters are typical: beautiful heroine with family baggage paired with alpha-male hero from a bad upbringing, with an elite military background, and with an enormous hard-to-control Johnson at the mere thought of the heroine. This hero also has a clear disregard for expensive lingerie. It's a formula, but it works for me because I love the internal dialog Rice applies to her heroes. Her heroines are, um, easy, to put it nicely, and succumb to the intense sexuality of the hero on the first date -- though she's never done anything like that before, of course not. (Hey, they only have 300 pages to get it on, she can't be too coy.) In this book Nicole runs out while Sam is sleeping after the first time and then avoids his calls. This leads to some really good writing as Sam tries to figure out what turned her off and how to get her back.

Cons: It was a really good plot until the TSTL* moment when Nicole delivers herself on a silver platter to the bad guys without leaving any breadcrumbs for Sam to follow. The cop Mark doesn't behave like a trained cop when he goes along with Sam on his rescue mission.

Overall this is a fun read. Again, it follows a formula, but it's one I'll read over and over again because I love this author's voice and there are enough subtle differences in plot and character to trick me into thinking I'm reading a different book. Highly recommended 4 stars.

*TSTL--To Stupid To Live. The moment at which an intelligent heroine loses her brains and does something so incredibly stupid you can't relate to her anymore. (Imagine Michelle Obama bored at a state dinner suddenly starting a food fight to liven things up. Wouldn't happen.) Sometimes used as a plot device to quickly achieve dramatic tension, the heroine does something dumb putting herself in danger so that the hero can save her. A TSTL moment is when it backfires on the author and you say, "Oh, come on," and close the book.

Lisa Marie Rice has a specific formula to most of her books. Her heroes are very alpha males who have had horrible pasts and are usually retired from the Navy or Army. They end up going undercover to take down very evil bad guys who would torture someone's grandmother to get what they wanted. The hero becomes fixated on the heroine so much so that he can't think of anything else and he's sexually frustrated 24/7. He keeps watch over the heroine, who he feels the need to protect and take care of. He always comes to her rescue, feeds her and then takes her back to his place in under a twenty-four hour period for some hot, messy sex that turns the heroine's muscles to mush where she still wants more even though she's now Gumby.

Into the Crossfire, the first book in Lisa's Protectors series, has this strange sense of déjà vu because of this LMR formula. Sam Reston is a former Navy Seal who works undercover, taking down sex traffickers, drug cartel thugs, you name it. Sam "made his living as a soldier leading hard men, and now as a civilian he made his living being tougher than most." Sam is hard and tough all over (another LMR trademark hero) and has no room for any softness in his life. But, that all changes when he spots Nicole Pearce, the most beautiful woman in the world and his "personal wet dream". Everything about Nicole screams class and elegance, the very opposite of what Sam is. Nicole has an office in the same building in downtown San Diego as Sam does, but she keeps her distance from him because she thinks he's shady.

An opportunity arises for Sam to meet Nicole and talk to her. He helps her out of a sticky situation and explains who he is, why he's dresses the way he does and that he's the owner of a security company. Nicole changes her opinion about Sam very quickly and because she's strangely attracted to him, she accepts his dinner invitation.

Nicole has given up so much to come back home and take care of her dying father. She once lived a life of privilege with loving parents who worked at the UN in Geneva. She's now trying to make her fledging translation business a success. She barely has the time or money to go out on dates, but since Sam makes her so aroused, she decides, why not have a nice meal and some romance?

Sam isn't necessarily the type to wine and dine a woman. He has very underused courting skills. But over dinner he and Nicole connect, and then she accepts another invitation. This one is to go back home with him for a night of hot loving. Nicole is overwhelmed by the way her body responds to Sam, so much so that she almost passes out from the intense pleasure of it all. Sam wants to beat his chest and scream his happiness to the sky because Nicole is the one. But first he has to convince her that they should be together forever as well as keep her safe from a group of dangerous terrorists who are headed to New York with radioactive bombs. Nicole is sent these plans by no choice of her own and is then marked for death. It's up to Sam and his two foster brothers to keep her and her father safe and to stop a massive terrorist attack.

Into the Crossfire occurs over a very short time; only a few days. In that time period there's a lot of sex and violence. Sam is a man any woman would wish by her side. He's the dark silent type who is always in control of every situation, no matter how dangerous it may be. But when a slip of a woman, he's so far gone over, enters the picture, his whole world is turned upside down. Nicole seems fragile at first but is very strong and intelligent. She is also loyal and caring, mainly in regards to her father.

The attraction Sam and Nicole have for one another is intense, fast and semi-erotic. I've said this before, but Lisa writes some of the hottest missionary sex I've ever read, although this time she takes it one step further with the way Sam enjoys giving pleasure to Nicole with his mouth. Also, I must note that not once do these two wear any protection. Nicole mentions in passing how she's on the pill, and even though she has just met Sam, who she did think was a thug, she doesn't mind wrapping her legs around his waist and ride him for all he's worth as he tears off her panties in a fit of lust.

The bad guys and so very eviillll... (insert Dr. Evil from Austin Powers here) and I was more concerned with the dynamics of how Nicole and Sam would work things out between them versus the whole, let's destroy the world plot.

Some of the actions and description are borderline silly including the way Sam constantly wants Nicole too the point of near madness. But yet, I wanted more. I can't get enough of Lisa Marie Rice. Her books are like a big gooey chocolate bar that makes you moan as you eat it. Into the Crossfire fed my need for brooding heroes who worship their angel like heroines with respect and hot, sweaty sex. Lisa Marie Rice is my guilty pleasure reading that always has me wanting more.

Katiebabs

STORY BRIEF:
Sam is a former Navy SEAL who owns a security firm. His recent job was being undercover as a smelly, street thug. Two weeks ago Nicole moved into the office across the hall from Sam's office. Each time she saw him he was dressed undercover. She was frightened and avoided him. Nicole forgets her office keys and needs to get inside quickly for an important phone call. Sam offers to pick the lock for her if she will go to dinner with him.

Nicole has a translating business. She moved to San Diego when her father became ill. He is dying from brain cancer and wants to live his remaining days there. Nicole's is working to support her father's medical bills and takes care of him.

The bad guys: a ship containing at least forty Islamic terrorists (with radioactive bombs to be strapped to them) is on its way to New York City. A shipping agent in France accidentally sees them and sends an email message to Nicole hidden within a document he sent for translation. He only had a moment to do it before the terrorists came for him and killed him. A hit man is then hired to destroy her computer files and kill Nicole.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This was a letdown. It started out great. It was like her other books. She has a good recipe. I enjoy her recipe: smart, tough, turned-on alpha guy and a beautiful woman with wonderful qualities. Neat first date and a very hot first night. He's so turned on he needs to be hosed down. But I was really let down when it got to the bad guy plot. Heroine is TSTL (too stupid to live). She has this great smart Navy SEAL protector Sam. Yet she stupidly rushes off to do the killer's bidding (without telling Sam). I was angry. And I was also disappointed that Sam went to a meeting which left her alone. It was out of character for him. He knew the killer was a "professional" who could get into anyplace he wanted. She wasn't safe alone anywhere. It felt like the author couldn't think of something better.

Then the rest of the story about the nuclear terrorists was briefly told and not shown. No details. No feelings of revenge or justice. Also, throughout the story there was too much pondering by Sam and Nicole about their feelings and worries. It felt like the author used pondering as a way to lengthen the book.

I don't mind the author's formulaic books. I just want each one fully developed. This felt like a rush job. It could have used more conversation, relationship development, and character development.

I wanted to see more action with Creepy and Creepier - maybe getting inside their heads showing some fear. I wanted to see Mike and Sam doing more to deal with them. They were a secondary story threatening Nicole.

DATA:
Story length: 304 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 5. Approximate number of sex scene pages: 16. Setting: current day mostly California, France, and New York. Copyright: 2010. Genre: erotic romantic suspense.

Ex-Navy SEAL turned successful businessman Sam Reston has met the one person who can bring him to his knees - Nicole Pearce. The new office for Nicole's translation company is across the hall from Reston Security so Sam gets the pleasure and pain of seeing her daily. Nicole's life is not her own because she's caring for her dying father. She has no time for romance. Even a night of hot sex won't change her mind. Sam sees things differently, though, and just as he's about to show Nicole what's between them, Nicole's life is threatened, bringing a terrorist's plan close to fruition.

A large portion of Into The Crossfire's plotline echoes the catastrophic events of September 11th. The terrorist's actions and thought process is realistically scary. Sam and Nicole are forming a passionate relationship under tumultuous circumstances, unaware of his evil intentions. Sam is strong and tough, and falls hard and fast for Nicole. Nicole is too busy to think of herself, but Sam's magnetism is intense and ultimately, undeniable. Their passion consumes them, and their connection is too strong to ignore. Nicole's father's illness adds another heartbreaking dose of reality to their story, giving Into The Crossfire a dramatic and poignant ending that is as somber as it is joyful.

Lisa Marie Rice has a formula for her stories: dominant, successful man falls hard for demure, sophisticated woman. They have incredible sex that blows them both away and then he saves her from danger. Into the Crossfire mimics previous stories giving readers heart-stopping action, danger, excitement, and a romance with searing passion. I like Lisa Marie Rice's predictable style, her heroes and her heroines, and the eroticism that simmers throughout her stories. She always leaves me wanting more.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book had all the makings of a good story. Way too much background info and not enough dialog. Very repetitive on all Sam's brothers' issues and on Nicole's father and her past life. I had to skim to find dialog, sometimes five pages just to find them talking to each other. Frustrating.

I have read some of Lisa Marie Rice's erotic romances when she was writing for the e-book website Ellora's Cave. My two favorites are Midnight Man (book 1) and Midnight Run (#2). I'm not even sure why I haven't stuck with her over the years but maybe that's a good thing and here is why.

I noticed some reviewers gave Into the Crossfire more like a 2 to 3 star rating, mostly because they are loyal fans of Rice and this particular book did not live up to the standards that they expected. Since I've only read 2 out of the more than dozen romances she has written, I guess you can say I'm cutting the author a little break. My major complaint, however, is exactly what some of the reviewers touched on: Lisa Marie Rice spends WAY too much time on background info in this book. I feel like I read more about the villain and his motivation for setting things in motion rather then the 2 main characters. This made the relationship feel really rushed and a bit under developed. The scenes that we all wait for, ya know, the "intimate" parts seem to only happen twice in the book-- one in the middle and one towards the end. Now, that is not always a bad thing. Some authors are AMAZING at building the sexual tension between characters and once the BIG scene happens, it's so good that you don't even notice that the book is almost at the end. THAT is a truly gifted romance author.

So why am I still giving Into the Crossfire a 4 star rating? Well, it's more like a 3.5, but since my rating system is still a bit barbaric, I figured a 4 will do. Rice did do a decent job at building the tension between her 2 leads, Sam and Nicole. When the "big moment" happens, it definitely didn't disappoint which earned her major brownie points. Did I forget to mention that Sam is an alpha? Wait, did I forget to tell everyone I LOVE alpha males in my romance novels?? Sam Reston is the epitome of hot male dominance. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that he is a former Navy SEAL, so he is used to being in charge and protecting others. Rice is good at creating alphas, so she gets some more brownie points for that.

Despite the pages of back story that I found myself skipping through, I do like the way she introduces Mike and Harry into the book, which are Sam's "adopted" brothers. They both appear to be very different characters with interesting backgrounds that will hopefully make 2 solid follow-ups to Into the Crossfire. Actually, Mike's book, called Nightfire: A Protectors Novel (Marine Force Recon) is due out February 7th. More alpha male goodness on the way, yay!

Mia ----> www.themusescircle.blogspot.com

Quick Note: I just want to add that since Lisa Marie Rice has been around for awhile and some of her books were published in ebook format and later in paperback from ebook publishing sites, you may want to be careful that you aren't buying the same book. What I mean is, some of her older books are being reissued under different titles, different cover art, etc. I believe Into the Crossfire was an old story of hers that got turned into a mass market paperback. So just make sure you check out her website for a complete list of her books. When you go there, you will see that Into the Crossfire actually has a different cover art then what I have.

I loved this book. It was an easy read. It was my first introduction to the Lisa Marie Rice books and now I shall forever consider myself a follower. I fell in love with Sam Reston. What smart woman wouldn't love him.