I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
To the Brink
by
Cindy Gerard
romantic suspense in Paperback edition that was published by St. Martin Paperbacks on December 27, 2005 and has 352 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Deadly Promises, Show No Mercy, Take No Prisoners, Whisper No Lies, Feel the Heat, Risk No Secrets, With No Remorse, Last Man Standing, To the Edge, To the Limit, Over the Line, Under the Wire, Killing Time, The Way Home, Running Blind, Taking Fire
Third in The Bodyguards romantic suspense series with the couple focus on Ethan and his ex-wife, Darcy Prescott.
My Take
It’s sweet and romantic, although I think Gerard was too rough with the whole gotta protect my woman schtick. Then again, she did finally cause it to make sense. Just wish she’d pulled that out from the start instead of finally inserting it toward the end.
Gerard uses flashbacks and the present-day as she smoothly switches back and forth between Darcy and Ethan’s point-of-view, and she does do well in conveying how horrifying psychologically a soldier’s tasks are. I know I tend to think of soldiers as being at war, that the killing is at a distance. But that’s not true, and Gerard certainly brings that home. I think soldiers need a big raise…and an instant pension. Congress could give up theirs.
It’s yet another reminder that communication — both ways — is so very important in a relationship. Think you’re sparing your other half..? No, that’s not how it works; it only makes it worse. If they had talked, maybe they could have averted the disaster of Tel Aviv.
There’s a bit of strategy required as the men infiltrate the jungle and track Darcy down as well as a slight bit of investigation involved in the second half. Why Darcy feels the need to hide what she suspects, I’ll never know. Hasn’t she ever read a book? The bad guys always go after anyone she might have been close to. And it’s not like Ethan is helpless. Then there’s that trip to D.C. Without backup. Duhhhh.
An interesting peek behind the scenes, so to speak, of what happens in an embassy. I did enjoy Ethan’s full steam ahead seduction at the Peruvian dinner party.
At that pivotal point from which the story takes off, I don’t understand why Darcy didn’t try to find an escort, someone to take a walk with her. I definitely don’t understand why she never took some kind of self-defense training.
Who knew? A female character who actually likes parties and dressing up? Makes a nice change from the many in which the female protagonist prefers her leathers/jeans and getting down and dirty.
I must confess to a bit of nostalgia when Gerard is telling Ethan and Darcy’s story in Peru; it brought back memories of a trip to Arequipa, Cusco and the surrounding area. The people were amazing and the food was incredible.
No. I think Darcy and Ethan were both unrealistic when they got married so quickly. They never talked…ahem…about their expectations of themselves or each other. And then there is the game Darcy was playing. Stupid. Don’t play games in a relationship. Well, unless it’s consensual.
It’s funny, but I had recalled this story as being full of action, and it’s not. Not really. Sure there’s a lot of tension and drama, battle, escape, and yet more battle, but it’s primarily a story of love. Hmmm, guess that’s why they call it romantic suspense…duh…
Gerard is tricky, the way she slips in a foretaste of what’s coming up next…
The Story
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Darcy Prescott knows that if she needs him, her ex will be there. That’ll he come for her. That he’ll rescue her from this nightmare into which she’s fallen.
The Characters
Darcy Prescott loves her life as a diplomat, changing stations every few years. Doing good, helping people. Lucky for her, she’s smart. Sandy Jankowski has known Darcy forever; they’re best friends, and she’s known Ethan since he first met Darcy. Della is Darcy’s sister; her parents are working class and have worked hard to ensure that their kids have it better.
Ethan Garrett is one of three brothers and a sister who makes up E.D.E.N. Securities, Inc., the security agency their father, Wes Garrett, founded. Ethan is addicted to cherry LifeSavers and has been operating on auto pilot the past five years since his divorce. Susan is their mom.
Nolan Garrett, a former U.S. Airborne Ranger, is the youngest brother and a dab hand with helicopters with lots of contacts in the Philippines — his father-in-law, Darin Kincaid, finances the trip and loans out his jet; Dallas is the middle brother, a former Marine and former Force Recon, making sure to add some “boom to his bang-bang”; and, Manolo Ortega — he was best man — is a brother in spirit and a Boston P.D. detective in his current civilian life. All three men will join Ethan in his rescue attempt.
Amanda Stover is the ambassador’s ditzy secretary, smart enough to know when she’s in too deep. Charles Gatlin, billionaire, is the American ambassador to the Philippines. Al Hayden is the American ambassador to Peru and an old family friend. Santillan Legaspi is the ambassador’s connection in the Philippine government. Hugh Morgan is the U.S. secretary of state.
Rudy Mar is the night clerk at the Orchid hotel on Zamboanga.
Abu Sayyaf is a splinter group from an extremist Islamic terrorist group under the command of Chieftain Kaddafy Janjilani. Their main source of income is from ransoms. Ben Max Reyes Ayala, a.k.a., Rahimulla Sabur, feels an obligation to Darcy for her help. Amy Walker, an American teacher, is another captive who’s been their prisoner for too long. Evelyn Walker is Amy’s mother, and she’s in a nuthouse; her grandfather is Edward Michael Walker with an address in the Philippines. And with a very bad reputation in medical research.
Jillian, Nolan’s wife, is two months away from giving birth, and Mac and Eve are building their house.
The Cover and Title
The cover is shades of purple with the lightest and brightest focusing on the woman fleeing in front of the helicopter, neatly framed between a woman and a man in profile at the front of the cover.
The title encompasses so much: the end of their marriage, their brushes with death, and the hunt for the audio tape, for it’s all To the Brink of death in some form.
