Customer Reviews

Silent Truth (B.A.D.: Bureau of American Defense)

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

 

 

I've been following the BAD Agency series for a while now, and I'll tell you that ever since Whispered Lies, I hated Hunter Wesley Thornton-Payne III. Hunter was a rotten rat.

But I'll be the first to stand up and say that Kenyon and Love have proven that even a rotten rat can be a hero. Hunter is the BEST BAD BOY IN THE SERIES SO FAR! And perhaps because he is so damaged, his story is the most poignant I've ever read in a Romantic Suspense.

I guess it's true that "the darker the character, the more powerful the redemption." This story had me from the first page, and didn't let go until The End.

In between those pages there's one brilliant, heart-stopping plot, one steamy, to-die-for hero, one awesome girl-next-door heroine, and I could not put it down. One of the best things about series like this is getting to know the team. I love every member of the BAD team and learning more about them with each story. There's no way to describe these villains without giving spoilers, and I won't do that, but I will say that whoever came up with these villains has one twisted mind. The assasin in this story is complex, deeply-developed and brilliantly drawn.

In particular, I like that there's a bigger threat--not just one situation per book, but a threat to the whole world that we can see coming and which gets more complex and twisted with each book. I love where this series is going, and that says something, because in a series like this, the suspense plot usually leaves me thinking, "meh--that's been done before"....but not this one. I usually see the end of a particular book a mile away. But not this ending. I did not see this one coming. They had me to the last moment of the book's climax. I can't find any holes in this story. More than any other in the series so far, this story made me laugh on one page and cry on the next, and hold my breath and then smile, and then sit up and go "OMG! OH NO!!!!!" right after that.

Kenyon and Love do not cheat the reader. They do not pull punches. The story gets better with every page you turn, and they don't fall back on the expected. No cliches in sight.

SILENT TRUTH is a masterpiece of a suspense and a masterpiece of a love story all in one. I don't know which BAD agent's story is next in line, and I don't know how the authors will top this book, but I really hope they'll be able to do it, because this is one helluva good read.

If you like thrillers or suspense, BUY THIS BOOK. If you like a fantastic love story, BUY THIS BOOK! If you like to see characters hurt and heal and grow and change and become something more than you thought they could be--than THEY thought they could be, BUY THIS BOOK! You will not be disappointed.

The BAD Agency series just keeps getting better. Not only are Kenyon and Love a winning combination in putting this series together, but SILENT TRUTH's Hunter and Abby are a great duo with strong and sympathetic motivations. I found myself rooting for Hunter right out of the gate, and felt his pain as his motivation became clear. I also enjoyed Abby. Her motivations were believable and she definitely avoided that fatal "too stupid to live" category that a lot of female characters fall into in this genre.

Surprisingly, I also really connected with a repeating secondary character, Linette, aka "the BAD agency mole" inside the Fratelli organization. Well, maybe that's not too surprising since Kenyon and Love have done such a good job with her story. I was flipping pages as fast as I could read to see what was going to ultimately happen to the Hunter, Abby, AND Linette. Just putting my two cents worth in here, but I really hope Linnete gets her own book eventually.

This series has progressed well, and has really found its footing with the further development of the Fratelli, the evil mastermind organization who wants to rule the world. Where the Fratelli were still a little shadowy in PHANTOM IN THE NIGHT and began to take on more substance and clearer motivations in WHISPERED LIES, they have really come into their own as a complex villainous organization in SILENT TRUTH. I found myself hating Fra Vespia, a sure sign that this writing team has got the story well in hand.

Bottom line: SILENT TRUTH is proof that Kenyon and Love are hitting their stride well in this series. SILENT TRUTH has built my enthusiasm for this series overall and I don't plan to miss any future installments.

Bureau of American Defense operative Hunter Thornton-Payne has been a dedicated warrior since he joined the black ops squad. However he also has a personal vendetta, which the karabiner he carries with him always reminds him of. For four years ever since his newly married friend Eliot died on a mission off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, he has hunted the killer; at the same time he avoids Eliot's wife Cynthia and their son, unborn when he died.

Hunter attends a women's shelter in Chicago as apparently a terrorist group to include Eliot's killer plans to be there also. At the gala is investigative reporter Abbie Blanton who Hunter knew during his affluent social days. When her mother becomes critically ill following a visit to the women's center, Abbie investigates. However, neither she nor Hunter expected to run into each other and to be on the run from some bad dudes.

The latest BAD thriller (see Whispered Lies and Phantom in the Night) is a high octane romantic suspense starring two people who after each went rogue unites to elude danger. The story line is razor thin and takes abrupt leaps, but is fun to follow as Hunter fears love even before his best friend died, which accentuated his belief that operatives don't marry, but Abbie has him crazy with desire even with danger engulfing them.

Harriet Klausner

This is one of my fav new series--I find it a little more consistent than even the great Dark-Hunter series Kenyon does on her own. My complaints are very small and minor in the overall excellence of the story. Characters well done and reasonable--kind of hard to find in many series books today. Setting excellent and I especially liked how no matter how much we as Americans insist there is no class system--one still remains very much in place. The notion that one's cover could be blown over a small detail such as the handling of an invitation at the door of an exclusive party was smart and correct. I especially enjoyed the sad acknowledgment that big money does not always buy the big, HAPPY life. The villians are intriguing and not predictible too. So what's my issue? Simply the tempo was a little slow. At least twice I was tempted to put down the book before page 100. Based on past author experience I didn't and it was worth it--but those who want the faster, action packed books may need extra encouragement to hang in there. However, the authors and series will remain an auto-buy for me.

I love SK's books but this is the second book I bought which she co-authored that left me feeling cheated. I had the most difficult time getting through this book. I found the characters unbelievable. Hunter went from a major "love" skeptic to a "love" fool. No earth shattering occurrence was given for it. Why?? The sexual encounter(s) was/were flat, nothing to write home about. I kept skipping pages with the various repetitions of shooting and killing and waiting for the love scene that would blow me out of the water, to justify the change in Hunter...It never came. I have decided I will not buy any more books that are co-authored, unless I really like both authors.

Hunter Wesley Thornton-Payne III is used to his colleagues at the Bureau of American Defense not particularly wanting to work with him and that's just the way he likes it. After his best friend's death four years ago, Hunter is just biding his time - and convincing his boss he's not going to go rogue - while he waits to catch the assassin responsible for Eliot's death. In the meantime, Hunter is stuck at a charity fundraiser, waiting for BAD's contact in the sadistic terrorist group, the Fratelli de il Sovrano, to pass off important information to him. When his current mission collides with his personal vendetta, Hunter sees the opportunity to wreak vengeance on the one who murdered Eliot. There's just one problem...

Reporter Abbie Blanton is on a mission of her own. Ten days ago, her mother contracted a mysterious illness that is swiftly killing her. The only way to save her is for Abbie to get information from a high-profile heiress at her family's fundraiser. But then the heiress is shot as Abbie talks to her and Abbie finds herself thrust into a world like one she's never before known.

Hunter and Abbie soon find themselves in a race against time to disrupt the Fratelli's newest plot, find the assassin on their trail, and save Abbie's mother. With danger around every corner, the last thing either of them needs is the distraction of desire. But when passion and love enter the mix, both will have to face the scariest thing of all: opening their hearts to one another.

Prepare yourself for a pulse-pounding thrill ride of a story with this exciting, sensual installment to the fantastic BAD Agency series. Ever since he was first introduced in the series, I have been waiting for Hunter's story. Silent Truth did not disappoint. Hunter is gorgeous, brilliant, and has a past that makes him put up a cool exterior to all he meets. His fellow agents think he's a jerk, but in Silent Truth, the real Hunter shines through. Hunter needed a woman who was strong enough to break down the walls around his heart, and Abbie was just that woman. She's had her own fair share of heartbreak and betrayal and she doesn't let it stop her from trusting Hunter. The two of them work well as a couple in every way, making me fall headfirst in love with their romance.

Silent Truth is the eighth story (fourth full-length book) in the BAD Agency series. Hunter and Abbie's romance stands on its own, but to fully understand the extent of the Fratelli subplot, I recommend reading the previous two books (Phantom in the Night and Whispered Lies) first, as the Fratelli storyline began with Phantom in the Night and has continued on from there.

Separately, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love are two of my favorite authors. When they write as a pair? Pure magic. Silent Truth is romantic suspense at its best and I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to see what this dynamic duo comes up with next and I am eagerly awaiting the next BAD Agency book.

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Great read for a nice day at the beach. Read it in less thank 3 hours, was great summertime reading.

This book is really great! You have to read Whispered Lies if you have not already.
Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love really write well together. This store line between Abbie and Hunter is so great!
All Sherrilyn Kenyon's BAD Agency Novels are great.
I can not put them down..They are romantic,intense and over all really good.

Wow! Well written, mysterious, romantic and sexy. I don't usually read these types of books but have enjoyed the BAD Agency ones.

I had a difficult time getting into this novel, very unusually for SK works. I'll have to attribute it to either her co-author or to the fact that SK has her hands in way too many pies (various series with different "universes") at this time. Overall the book delivered, but I was still a tad disappointed. Buying any future books in the series will depend on how much I need a new book when they come out.