Customer Reviews

Over The Edge

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Saltwater Cowboys are at it again, as they are charged with the rescue of 120 passengers on-board a hi-jacked plane which is forced to land in Kazbekistan. Joining the SEAL team in the covert operation is FBI hostage negotiator Max, agents Jules Cassidy (who merely is window dressing again) and Alyssa Locke, who continues her tortured romance with Lt. Sam Starrett., and Reserve shopper pilot Teri Howe.

This time out, it is crusty Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok who gets the love interest, though he tries numerous times to blow it by setting her up with hunky Lt. Mike Muldoon. Teri Howe is the pursuer, while Stan tries to steer clear of the whole enlisted verses office fraternization rule (which does not apply to reservists). Each step Stan tries to take away from her, she takes two steps forward. It is nice to see the least romantic of the SEALs show his softer side.

This one is fraught with so much tension and a pretty harrowing assault of one of the passengers (as the negotiation team has to sit by and watch and listen in abject horror). Negotiator Max wrestles with his growing feelings for the hostage, who is nearly 20 years his junior, and his inability to save her in time.

One thing I can do without is the WWII junk. I just skip over that stuff. It does not add anything to the story line other than additional pages. I like when they use an alternate font so that skipping is even easier!

I usually do not like serial books, but this particular series manages to make each book stand on their own merits. You really get to like the characters, and they pop up all over the series, but it is not a forced inclusion like some of the other stories I have read. I look forward to each new installment.

I'm glad I saved my first review for this book. I feel impelled to let people know what a wonderful book Suzanne Brockmann has written. As an African-American I'm used to many authors not including people of color, or when they do, not doing a very good job of it. Suzanne Brockmann has not only included characters of many hues and religious backgrounds, but she's concocted an engrossing tale of action and romance with multi-dimensional characters that leave you craving more. I am now a fan and I've just ordered all her books. She has written a book that other authors should take a lesson from. Stan and Teri, Sam and Alyssa, Max and Gina (she has to pursue their story!) would make great individual stories and all together they made one fantastic story. I disagree with some of the readers who didn't like the WWII component - this was also inclusive. Get your history wherever you can. It was a good history lesson. Also, Jules was a character that with a few words gave a look at a good friend, that had nothing to do with his lifestyle, but what friendship is all about. If you like romantic suspense, this will be on your list of favorites.

I have become a huge fan of Suzanne Brockmann's books, and she makes me love her characters. In earlier stories, I had not been enamoured of this particular hero so was not sure how I would react to a whole book about him. No fear, I was hooked from the beginning, and as always, enjoyed the story within the story and WWII background.

However, Suzanne, you have left a lot of us worried about Sam! I am not sure I can wait six months while he struggles in this unhappy marriage...

I went through a phase in junior high school where I'd read romance novels all the time. I must have read at least five hundred. And they were all awful with weak, stupid women and Neanderthal men. Yet I kept reading them because I felt they should more than what they were. I stopped reading those pieces of garbage but I came across excerpts of Suzanne Brockmann's novels last year. So I picked up The Defiant Hero and Over The Edge at the library. I liked the Sam and Alyssa story in The Defiant Hero but it's this book that made me a Suzanne Brockmann fan. This book is what I expected from a romance and what those hundreds of novels lacked.

I enjoyed the multiple plotlines, interaction between all the characters, and the characters themselves. One thing about other romance novels I hated was that each "hero" was the baddest, best, toughest man around. It got laughable after awhile. In this book, although each man is the best and toughest in his own way, they're not in competition with each other. Stan is amazing. He can seemingly do everything yet he doesn't feel the need to be overbearing. And Teri is the one to chase after Stan, which is also a welcome change from other romance novels. Sam and Alyssa's story is bittersweet and addictive. And Gina and Max were a pleasant surprise. I've started buying copies of this novel to give as gifts to friends.

Suzanne Brockmann has a way of making characters come to life and feel like tangible people you come to care about. This book in the Trouble Shooter series is one of my favorites. As is very often the case in a Brockmann book, you can read it out of order in the series and still love every minute of it, or read it in order and just find a deeper connection to familiar characters. Her wit is perfect. Steamy scenes, beautifully done. Her characters have heart!
Terri Howe is one of the most approachable female characters introduced by Brockmann to date. Senior Chief Stan is far from Movie Star gorgeous, but is a character you grow to love in a few short sentences.
Typical of a Brockmann book, she is able to seemlessly weave the story of Terri and Stan admist high action/adventure and danger in K-stan during a terrorist highjack situation. She offers a further unfolding of the story of Sam and Alyssa's explosive relationship as the FBI and the Seal's team must work together to resolve the crisis. Stan's mother experienced the losses of the holocaust and terror of the Nazi's. This story is beautifully told through the eyes of his mother's best friend, Helga - envoy to Isreal.
For most authors, I would recommend simplifying. Too many stories being told at the same time create a hard to follow chaos. That is not true of Suzanne Brockmann. She is able to maintain a flow of storyline that knits all of these different pieces together and simply leaves you feeling like you know these people well.
I've given this book to friends, male and female. They have all come back to me months later with the details of the story still fresh to them. I've never seen that with another author.

I bought this book the day that it came out. I am an avid reader. I started this book at 10:30pm and stayed up until 3:30am in the morning to finish. You know that you have read a really good book when several weeks later you are still thinking about the characters and their stories. I LOVE the 'troubleshooter' series. I enjoyed Heart Throb, and although it will also remain one of my favorites, it still takes a back burner to The Unsung Hero, The Defiant Hero, and Over the Edge.

The SEAL Team 16 Troubleshooters are called on to take down a group of terrorists that have hijacked an airplane and forced it to land in Kazbekistan, which is better known as "the Pit" to Brockmann's readers. Lt. Teri Howe is a rescue pilot and a woman used to being harassed by men. Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok sees the harassment and does not like it. Stan gets permission to have Teri join his SEAL team on a training mission. Stan felt that it would get her away from the man currently harassing her and he would be there to look after her. Stan had no idea that a simple training mission would turn into a real mission, or that his feelings for Teri would become so complicated. Once landing in Kazbekistan the SEAL team began intense drills preparing themselves to overtake the plane with the hijackers. In the meantime, hostage negotiator Max tries desperately to speak to the hijackers, but is only able to speak to a young woman passenger. Gina has put her life on the line to protect the rest of those on the plane and now her only lifeline is the faceless man, Max. And in her usual style, Ms. Brockmann, gives us her story within a story that involves a tragic love story that took place during WWII. This story is told by Helga, a Holocaust survivor, who is currently suffering from Alzheimer's. Ms. Brockmann also brings back a very popular pair, SEAL member Sam Starrett and FBI sharpshooter Alyssa Locke.

My favorite couple is, of course, Sam and Alyssa. Although at the end of Over The Edge I wanted to cry for them both. I am still reeling from what happened to Gina, Sam, and Alyssa. I hated the ugliness that happened to Gina. I could not believe I actually cried for this character and for Max and the others who were there to hear everything the poor young woman went through at the hands of the terrorists. I have hundreds of books from many different authors, but none have touched me like this series. It must be a great thrill to make characters come alive. I actually feel like I know all of them. I hope that Sam and Alyssa find there way back to each other in a future book. I also hope Gina finds happiness after all she has been through. And lets not forget poor Tom and Kelly who are still unmarried. Over the Edge takes you on an emotional roller coaster. I admit that when I got to the last page I, at first, felt cheated. I thought no way could this story be over. Like another reviewer said, I wanted to throw the book across the room. But, several days later, when I was still thinking about the story and its characters, I knew that the storytelling was beyond good. Yes, it was extremely tragic and emotionally draining with very small glimpses of romance and humor, but because of the dark side the reader was pushed into finding the positives of every story. The outcomes to several of the stories could have been far worse than they were. I have never read a book that has left me feeling as drained as this one did. As another reviewer stated, this is not a "get away from reality" book. I would also highly recommend that you read The Unsung Hero and The Defiant Hero before reading Over the Edge. Ms. Brockmann has me hooked and impatiently waiting for her next book in this series. Thank You Ms. Brockmann for the love and passion of the characters that you write about that is so clearly evident on every page.

Brockmann has created a wonderful series about Navy SEALs and mangaged to add little bits of WWII history -- which also has a romantic thread.

I've seen some reviews complaining about the "end" of Sam and Alyssa's story. This is *not* the end! The next book will be about Wildcard, but the book after that will be Sam and Alyssa's story, from what I've been told.

I think what Brockmann is aiming for is a continuing series in the true sense of the word. Each book will stand alone, yet each one builds on the previous ones with characters and situations. Sam and Alyssa's story is a thread in a greater tapestry.

Once Sam and Alyssa's story is "complete" I think there will be another story that will be a continuing thread -- hopefully for Max and Gina. Their story was introduced in Over the Edge and has a lot going against it, their age difference will be the least of their problem.

This is no ordinary romance either. Lots of heavy topics are dealt with; from a hostage situation, to the Danish people protecting their Jews in WWII and a brilliant older woman's realization that her mind is going. I've been enjoying Brockmann's books for years now, and this is no exception.

This is the book that got me totally addicted to all of Brockmann's SEAL team 16 books. If you have not discovered them yet you may want to consider hiring a housekeeper, babysitter, taking leave from your job etc. before reading them because you won't be able to do anything but turn pages for awhile! They are that good. Brockmann's books are in a class by themselves. The only problem is she can't write them fast enough for me! I fell in love with the character of Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok in this story.

Suzanne Brockmann has fast become one of my favorite authors. With this newest installment of her newest Navy Seal Series, Brockmann shows us that we haven't seen nothing yet. Over the Edge, was a fast-paced, intense page turner. The romance between Stan and Terri was great and Brockmann tastefully blended it with the suspense and action that I have come to love. We get to see yet another installment of Sam and Alyssa...one that hints of MUCH more to come. Great book, great series, great author.

I absolutely could not put this book down! What a great book! It was so timely with world events and filled with action. Loved the story with Terri and Stan. However, I was loving the story with Sam and Alyssa just as much! Very good ending for Terri and Stan, but I was so disappointed with the ending for Sam and Alyssa! It hung with me for days! But that's what makes this book 5 instead of 4 stars! You don't always get what you are expecting and I like that in books that I read.