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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tons of Action and Surprises-- A Little Disappointing Overall, July 23, 2008
This review is from: Into the Fire (Troubleshooters, Book 13) (Hardcover)
Suzanne Brockmann is definitely one of the best romance writers out there. Her dialogue is snappy, her plots truly suspenseful and her characters expertly drawn. Plus, her books are very witty and laugh-out-loud funny in places. So there's no denying that on a fundamental level, ITF is a very good book that's worth reading. It's engaging, fast-paced, and full of surprises. Like Into the Storm, Into the Fire is dark in tone. As it opens, Vinh and Hannah are both suffering and in great emotional pain. Seeing them come together and heal is very gratifying. In fact, the theme of healing runs throughout the book, especially as it pertains to Dave, Sophia, and Decker. The flip-side of all this healing is that there's also a fair amount of suffering in the book, not much of it rectified by the end of the novel. Izzy's subplot, certainly, is just beginning and destined to follow the lead of Sam/Alyssa and Max/Gina and take many books (and thus, many years) to resolve. And maybe that sense of having to wait is what made this book a trifle disappointing for me. I don't want to give too much away, but the Dave/Sophia/Decker triangle took a turn in this book that I suspected might occur after reading Into the Storm. Yet despite predicting what Brockmann was up to (a classic bait-and-switch whereby the couple you think is a given is not a given at all) I felt somewhat betrayed as a reader who has been waiting for the slow-moving Sophia/Decker arc to culminate in these two really hashing things out and loving each other. And Izzy's new romance is intriguing (although I would say that some readers might be put off by the age difference), but I couldn't help but flash back to all the books that Sam/Alyssa had to suffer through before they had their happy ending. I guess for some readers and Brockmann fans, it's all about that delicious anticipation of sticking by your faves as you wait for that magical book when they FINALLY get together. As for me, I couldn't help but feel just a little bit put-out and tired of the constant waiting, only to then have the rug pulled out beneath me (and again, to be fair, this may simply be a personal reaction borne out of my frustration over where Brockmann appears to be going in the Sophia/Decker/Dave thing). New characters are introduced in this novel (I predict the female doctor is destined to hook up with a key male character who's likely about to lose the girl) and a few former main characters have cameos, which makes the book a fun read. Would I recommend ITF? Yes. Am I feeling just a tad bitter about how it all played out, though? YES. Grade: B
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64 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The action continues, July 24, 2008
This review is from: Into the Fire (Troubleshooters, Book 13) (Hardcover)
I have accepted that the Brockmann who gave us such classics as "Over the Edge" and "Out of Control" is gone, and this trend continues in her latest Troubleshooters book. Once again it's non-stop action, lots of injuries, and thinly drawn romance. It was, however, a very riveting book. This review contains spoilers. I've never been a fan of the "secretly in love with this guy but lets him marry her best friend, and wow, he's been in love with her too" story-line, so Hannah and Murphy interested me less than the secondary characters. For me those characters stole the book. Decker, Dave, Sophia, Nash, and Tess finally get a little more screen time. But let me break it to you - Sophia does not end up with Decker. Maybe Brockmann was going to go there several books ago, but she's not going there now. Which is very disappointing. There is an explanation as to why Nash has always been such a secretive mess, and it satisfied me. Now on to Izzy Zanella. I fell in love with Izzy in "Into the Storm", because the guy is such a freak and has such great one-liners. Kind of like the Wildcard of old. (Not the Wildcard of his own book.) But then Brockmann decided to pair him with a just-turned 18 year old who is pregnant with another man's child. Did I mention that Eden is Gillman's sister, Gillman, who hates Izzy? Oh, and Eden has the requisite awful childhood baggage, too. In one of Brockmann's favorite plot devices, they have a marriage of convenience which ends about as well as Sam's and Mary Lou's did. This storyline is not concluded in this book, since we are supposed to care about these star-crossed loves and follow their saga to the next few books. Not for me. Not gonna happen. These two squick me out, for starters. She's 18, he's 29. They saw each other, got attracted, and that was the extent of their great connection. I don't WANT them together, I don't want to read about them so much as brushing elbows. I don't know if she thinks they are the next Gina and Max, but wow, they so are not. Eden is spunky and fiery, sure, but she's 18. And much as I love Izzy, he is not Max. I hate that she took Izzy there, just hate it. It's gross. It wouldn't work. I'm sure in the next Troubleshooters book - or the one after that - since she loves to drag these things out - Izzy will be at the Ladybug Lounge, moping around, still wearing his wedding ring, waiting for his teeny-bopper wife to grow up. Then she'll get kidnapped by terrorists and they will rush in to save her, where they will argue while bullets fly around their heads, then hook up against a wall and decide they're in love. See, to me, this isn't romance. There's no build-up, no explaining WHY this person, just 1) Attraction 2) Hook up 3) Marriage and HEA. And in this case, I agree with Lopez; it's wrong and it won't work. So why did Gina and Max work, but not Izzy and Eden? It's not just the age, although just-past 17 is TOO young, for me, but the situation. Max didn't take responsibility for Gina right after meeting her, he didn't marry her instantly and expect it to work. He tried to push her away, and while it got annoying, it made sense. But mostly I got a sense of the inside of their heads, and why they felt the way they did. With Izzy and Eden, I saw no reason why they liked each other beyond physical attraction. None at all. And it all happened SO fast. It was an entertaining book, it kept my interest, but Brockmann is no longer an auto-buy for me. I loved seeing glimpses of my old favorites, and hope that she gives Lopez his own book. But I really miss the romance.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
SO depressing., July 30, 2008
This review is from: Into the Fire (Troubleshooters, Book 13) (Hardcover)
I couldn't decide how to rate this book because for about 390 pages it was SO depressing and boring and messed up I was ready to give it 1 star, but then on about page 392 the action/suspense suddenly appears! The rhythm picked up and the characters came together in one storyline. It still wasn't great, but was better than the 1st 390 pages. So I'm giving it 2 stars for pages 392 on. I have loved Brockmann's SEALs books and troubleshooters books, but this one just didn't compare. It was depressing reading about everyone's misery, messed-up-in-the-head failures, grief that went on and on and on. I was bored with the psycho-analysis by the new character, the shrink (who I think was the dullest character in the book - no personality and a teaser about her and Decker, which was a total turn-off). She could have easily been a ghost character - like Kevin Costner in The Big Chill - where she is not really seen or heard from, but mentioned by the others. Where was the action and suspense for the 1st 3/4 of the book? It was boring. I got tired of reading about the messed up relationships. It was a soap opera. Who's in love with whom, but can't act on it, because someone else has the same feelings or the object of their affections loves someone else, etc., etc. etc. There were happy endings for a couple of couples, but the others were left in misery. I prefer to read romances that are pleasing to read, not that bring me down. The first part of the book was very confusing to me. It jumped around from storyline to storyline and different times. When all the characters came together near the end it was better, but there were so many characters up front and center I had a hard time keeping them straight - who was a SEAL, who was an agent, who worked for Troubleshooters, who was friends with whom, who knew whom, etc. (and I had read all the previous books). Like I said, the 2 stars are for the action and resolution for a couple of the characters at the end. It kept me reading to the end. It was the previous 390 or so pages that was a mess. Another reviewer wondered who actually wrote this book and I did wonder that it was so unlike Brockmann's other stellar books. Even Jules Cassidy seemed like he had a different 'voice'. He was flat and just there, which I thought was unusual for his character. But, there were SO many other characters floating about, maybe there wasn't room for his character to really show up in this one. Unfortunately, because of the soap opera tendencies of this book, I am hooked in to finding out what will happen with Izzy & Eden, Decker, Sophia & Dave. Though, I have lost interest in Decker. I used to want to read his and Sophia's story, but no longer. It has been dragged out too long and he has lost me. I would only recommend this book to keep up with Izzy, as his story will surely continue. He's an interesting character who hopefully won't be dragged along for several books like Decker.
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