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
Taking Fire
by
Cindy Gerard
romantic suspense in Paperback edition that was published by Pocket Books on February 23, 2016 and has 384 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
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, To the Brink, Over the Line, Under the Wire, Killing Time, The Way Home, Running Blind
Fourth in the One-Eyed Jacks romantic suspense spin-off from Gerard’s Black Ops Inc. series with this series revolving around the few men left of a betrayed unit. The couple focus is on Bobby “Boom-Boom” Taggart and Talia Levine.
If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the One-Eyed Jacks books on my website.
My Take
I had a hard time remembering that this was one of Cindy Gerard’s tales. It was so hokey. It simply didn’t read like one of her romantic suspenses.
Gerard did keep the suspense up as to what Talia is up to, although I wasn’t buying her insta-love routine. The stupid thing is that I am buying Bobby falling in love this fast. Go figure.
It certainly is scary going along with Bobby on his meet with al-Attar. But it gets scarier when Bobby gets to Oman and is blown up, hunted by terrorists, and on a race against time. Hokey reappears with the she-done-him-wrong trope.
What I did enjoy about Taking Fire is how supportive Taggart’s friends are. As Talia notes, they simply show up without even knowing the details. I love how efficient they are in all things, lol.
It’s the usual fireworks about the betrayal in Afghanistan. One heightened by the betrayal Talia has perpetuated for the past five years. One that is sweetened by how much she wants Bobby in her and Meir’s life now. Read it to keep up-to-date on the series’ progress.
The Story
Six years ago, tough-as-nails military contractor Bobby Taggart met the woman of his dreams in war-torn Kabul—a sexy, whip-smart war correspondent who approached him at a local bar, took him to bed, made him fall in love…and then mysteriously disappeared.
In her wake, the terrorist leader he’d been mining for valuable intel was assassinated—then Bobby discovered his phone had been bugged. And he’s pretty damn sure he’s been played for a fool…
The Characters
Talia Levine is with Mossad, her cover is as a war correspondent. Six years later, she’s in Oman with her son, Meir. Jonathan is his bodyguard. Saul is her aide in Oman. Professors at Georgetown University, Uri and Miriam Levine are Talia’s parents.
Bobby “Boom-Boom” Taggart had been Special Ops, now he works for the Fargis Group as a mercenary. The men in his former unit, the only ones still alive are Jamie Cooper (Running Blind, 3) and Mike “Primetime” Brown (Killing Time, 1).
The Fargis Group is…
…a mercenary group Bobby is with in Afghanistan. P.J. Granger is a friend of Bobby’s. Wes Bridgedale is a combat veteran and leader. Hutchinson.
International Threat Analysis and Prevention (ITAP) is…
…an elite covert branch of the Department of Defense. Nate Black is the leader of Blacks Ops, Inc. and ITAP. Rhonda Cooper is Jamie’s wife and a member of the ITAP team, specializing in intelligence gathering and organization. Brett Carlyle will play wheel man; Enrique Santos; Mike Brown; Stephanie Green who’s married to Joe (Last Man Standing, BOIS 7); and, Gabe Jones (Show No Mercy, BOIS 1) will help out in Oman. The rest of Black Ops Inc. and ITAP include Johnny Reed (Whisper No Lies, BOIS 3), Rafe Mendoza (Feel the Heat 4, BOIS 4), Josh Waldrop, Wyatt Savage (Risk No Secrets, BOIS 5), Luke Colter (With No Remorse, BOIS 6), Eva Brown (Mike’s wife), and the retired Sam Lang (Take No Prisoners, BOIS 2).
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman is…
…where Bobby is sent to assess security at the U.S. Embassy. Ted Jensen is the principal security attaché and an old friend of Bobby’s. Sanju is a taxi driver. Lauren is an older hooker who has tried to advise Peggy.
Mohammed al-Attar is a vicious Hamas terrorist who prefers targeting children; he’s being hunted by Fargis… and by Mossad for the massacre of a number of innocent Israelis. Ghulam is one of his top lieutenants. The hotheaded Hakeem al-Attar is his very radical son; Amir was Mohammed’s brother, oozing with false religious zealotry. Rami Yahya is the sixteen-year-old babysitter who resents that fact. Ehab was the friend who talked Rami into joining up. Typical teens who can’t see the forest for the trees.
Mideast Blades, owned by Qasim Nagi (on a terrorist watch list), provides site security for various companies including Ultramar PLC.
Damascus, Syria
Betros Olikara is a spy who has been passing information to a CIA handler.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a storm brewing in the sky as a black-clad Bobby looks off to the left, holding one big rifle, a foot propped on a stone, his back against a pillar with a town with two domed buildings in the background. The title and author’s name are in an embossed metallic green with the title at the bottom and the author’s name just above center — her last name is in black against a green metallic band.
The title is what it’s all about for these men, Taking Fire.
