Customer Reviews

Whispered Lies (B.A.D.: Bureau of American Defense)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Bureau of American Defense has just received a lead on the world's most dangerous organization. The Fratelli de il Sovrano is a maniacal terrorist group and B.A.D. has seen all too well the destruction they can unleash. B.A.D. agent Carlos Delgado is determined to see the Fratelli brought down, and it's clear that the agency's only hope of doing so is to capture a mysterious informant known only as Mirage. When Mirage provides information that enables Carlos and his team to rescue a diplomat's daughter from being turned over to the Fratelli, B.A.D. tracks Mirage down and sends Carlos to get the elusive informant. But Mirage isn't at all what Carlos expects.

After several attempts on her life, Gabrielle Saxe went on the run, and has lived off the radar for a decade. Now, she uses her phenomenal computer skills to send anonymous tips on criminals to various intelligence agencies around the world. Gabrielle's world is turned upside down once again with the arrival of a sexy agent she doesn't know if she can trust. Gabrielle has every reason to be wary of Carlos, and he of her. Despite this, the pair can't help but be drawn together as they team up to stop the Fratelli's latest plot. But can newfound love hope to survive in the face of the danger the Fratelli presents, not to mention the lovers' own respective pasts catching up to them?

Passion, danger, and romance pack one heck of a punch in the latest, thrilling installment of the BAD Agency series. Whispered Lies is a sexy adrenaline rush of a tale that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Carlos is, quite simply, the perfect hero (without ever being cardboard perfect). He's sexy, caring, protective, and has a past that has left him with scars on his heart and an uncertain future. I absolutely adored Gabrielle. She's utterly brilliant and, though not a trained agent, nevertheless steps up to do all she can to save the lives of innocents. She has a strength of character I admire and it made her the perfect match for Carlos.

Though the seventh book in the series (third full-length novel), the authors provide enough information that Whispered Lies can stand on its own. However, fans of the previous B.A.D. book, Phantom in the Night, will know that the Fratelli storyline began in that story.

Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love, each phenomenal writers in their own right, are an extraordinary writing team, as Whispered Lies shows. I absolutely loved Whispered Lies the first, second, and (as I re-read yet again) third time around. It's everything a romantic suspense should be and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next B.A.D. tale. Joyfully Recommended!


Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

It's a bit slow in the beginning. I kept flipping ahead wondering when the action was going to start. There were moments, like the attempted kidnapping, but the whole part of her being captured and quetioned drove me nuts! I think Kenyon and Love have a good plot idea with interesting characters...just the book needed to be weeded (edit) a bit.

Carlos Delgado has secrets from a his past that he is in a constant state of worry that they will catch up with him. Gabrielle Saxe has been hiding for 10 years from a killer. Apparently a lot of people want a piece of innnocent Gabrielle. Both have a hard time trusting people because they have been let down severely in the past. For the most part it makes an interesting read.

Carlos Delgado is used to living on the edge. As a member of the covert government agency BAD, Bureau for American Defense, he frequently is involved in risky missions. His latest mission starts with a tip about a kidnapping... and leads him straight to Mirage, an anonymous tipster sought by every intelligence agency in the world. Little does Carlos expect Mirage to be a woman! Mirage, also known as Gabrielle Saxe, has a hidden agenda, one that could jeopardize everything Carlos has fought for. Will Gabrielle and Carlos stand a chance at a happily-ever-after once their hidden pasts are revealed?

I'm a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters, but wasn't as enthusiastic about this particular series. Part of my trepidation came from the name of the covert agency as BAD just sounded, well, bad to me. But oh wow, did Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love ever prove me wrong! WHISPERED LIES is a fast paced adventure that I just couldn't put down!

It was the characters that really made WHISPERED LIES work for me. Gabrielle and Carlos both have been hurt in the past but neither one has given up. Instead, they are both survivors, fighting every day to succeed and conquer those forces that have hurt them. While some of the situations they encounter might be a bit over-the-top, it is the strength of the character development that made it all believable in the context of the overall world.

WHISPERED LIES is a fascinating romantic suspense tale! Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love do a phenomenal job at crafting a story that is both intense and romantic. Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Even though this particular series keeps popping up on PNR genre lists and amazon.com PNR listmania fun, this is not what I would call a PNR. My only explanation I can come up with would be because the big name at the top of the book...pause for effect... Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the masters of that genre. So, now that we cleared that up, I have stepped out of my usual genre and dabbled in a bit of romance. PJ Fact #69 sugar and spice romance and chick lit kind of bores me. This one wasn't that bad though, luckily Kenyon has the flavor that gives this particular romance a little more spice than the usual cut and dry romance that is peddled by authors such as Roberts and *gasp* Sparks. There was a bit of violence that kept me interested, and the male protagonist was hotter than hot...but Gabrielle the heroine just left me feeling, well like I should join a feminist movement or something. Which is my usual reaction to romance heroines.

REVIEW: The series focuses on an acronym agency called BAD (Bureau of American Defense) and the BAD boys and girls that protect the US government from SUPER VILLAINS and TERRORIST, kinda like GI JOE. Agent Carlos Delgado, is a smoking hot Latino macho man and former cartel family member and the star of our novel. He is placed as lead on a mission to rescue a kidnapped teenager from the dastardly terrorist movement that call themselves the Fratelli. The BAD agents are flying blind, going on the word of a cyber criminal/informant, code name MIRAGE, and Carlos is not to happy about this. Mirage knows too much to not be a criminal, so after the teen is rescued, Carlos makes it his mission to apprehend Mirage and pump the informant for all that they know.

Unfortunately for Carlos, Mirage happens to be shy, recluse Gabrielle Saxe, descendant of French royalty and daughter of French political big wig, oh and he thinks she's pretty hot too, so pumping her for knowledge turns out to be rather difficult. Things turn even more difficult when Gabrielle talks Joe (BADs leader) into letting her infiltrate the school where the teens are disappearing from, in exchange for her freedom. Carlos must accompany her...and try as he might he just can't resist Gabrielle's lure.

Well written and the plot flowed nicely, this novel kept me entertained, but in the end left me lacking. There were a few plot holes that I thought were rather ridiculous, that fans of Tom Clancy and other Spy greats might turn their nose up to. But it is what it is, and the BAD agents are more on the lines of Vin Diesel and not Harrison Ford. And if I'm reading a sex scene I would so rather picture Vin instead of Harrison...no offense Mr. Ford, you look good for your age, but... Speaking of the sex scenes, for the length of the novel, the hot level could have gone up a bit. Carlos and Gabrielle were just...well cut and dry. Which brings me back to the basis of this review. A good, typical romance story, with a bit of action and espionage thrown into the mix to liven things up.

Which leads me in another direction, why are romance heroines always these wilting flower, quaking virgin chicks? This is the whole reason my taste lead me toward the Urban Fantasy persuasion and PNR genres. Every now and again I would read a romance where the heroine was kick buttesque...but as soon as the bad boy swept in she turned to a wilting puddle of jello...and to boot revealed herself as a virgin that was saving herself for Mr. Perfect. Cue Mr. Perfect...who steps in knocks the chick on the head and spits, "Mine."

I will probably read another BAD novel, like I said entertaining...and I can't wait for a kick butt chick to pop up.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Fans of Nora Roberts, you will probably like this one. This is also adult fiction, rated R.

I enjoyed this sequel to Phantom in the Night. It moved at a good pace and the characters were solidly written. The story was complex but not difficult to follow. Can't wait for the third book in the series!

I have been a Sherrilyn Kenyon fan for years. I enjoyed this book but I didn't think it ranked up there with her Acheron series or her other B.A.D. books. It was still a good story and well worth reading. If you are a fan, don't miss it.

At first I was a little hesitant about the ability of two writers to create one smooth writing voice. No problem at all in this series. Although we may think that every possible combination of wounded warrior, devoted female and scummy villians have been already written about--this book kept me surprised, interested to the very end and eager for the next book. Great location--tremendous plotting right out of today's headlines--and the levels of conflict that each character must resolve was reasonable and fascinating. First class new series from an "old" pro
and--maybe--her prodigy!

Though somewhat formulaic (hero falls for girl he's protecting), this book had a good plot and enough action to keep you interested. It was complex enough that I didn't have it figured out halfway through the book and that kept me reading. The romance between the two main characters was actually the book's weakness. However, with it's strong plot, this may be the best book in the BAD series so far.

By the way, the country in South America is Colombia, not Columbia. I'm not sure why that bothered me so much but every time I reached that misspelling it was jarring. It probably wouldn't have bothered me as much if the country hadn't been mentioned so frequently. I can't believe something as simple as that made it past two authors and the book's editors.

I hated this book. I thought that the heroine was annoying, and by the end I hoped she would die just so I wouldn't have to read her whining anymore. I couldn't see how she could be the mysterious and brilliant "MIRAGE" when she seems to cry at EVERYTHING, and babble instantly when questioned. The sex scenes were BORING. There was a complete lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine. The romance was very forced. I just couldn't buy the hero ever going for a girl like the heroine, let alone taking a huge risk to be with her. A good writer should make the whole superagent/ supervillian setup exciting and a guilty pleasure. This book was just stupid.

Sherilyn Kenyon is one of the best. The book and story are very good. Enjoyable.