Suzanne Brockmann

“I can’t let you do this because… I love you! Phoebe, Jesus, I really do.” – Ian Dunn

What’s the best thing that can happen to you other than discover an author you want to build a temple for? Why, find out the very same author has also written tons of books that are rumored to be as good as the one you just read, AND that you have a series of theirs in your TR list, of course! I dare say 2014 for me started brilliantly merely by reaching the end of Ian and Phoebe’s story – show more or, well, what some of us like to see as the beginning of their new journey together.

Phoebe Kruger, a young – somewhat naive to the dirtiest ways of the world – lawyer, is supposed to help get Ian Dunn, former Navy SEAL rumored to be a jewel thief, out of prison. A nuclear scientist’s children have been kidnapped, and Ian is the only one capable enough to pull the rescue scenario off. But Ian is not exactly ecstatic to be free, as this goes against his own personal agenda. He needs to do time so that his little brother can be safe from a vile mobster. The last thing he wants is for his long con to be compromised - especially by a woman who drives his hormones and protective instincts crazy.

If you start reading this book and you manage to NOT fall in love with its characters, then something is obviously very wrong with you. I’m not trying to be offensive or anything, I’m just stating facts. For starters, the main couple was every bit the interesting, hilarious, kickass individuals that simply explode into pure epicness when combined together – it’s been so long since I’ve seen a couple like that, and even so, the maximum number is two times at the very best. So you can excuse me for being such a fan girl about both Ian and Phoebe.

Ian is sarcastic, childish when the situation turns stressful, and so deliciously Alpha-disguised-as-scum, it’s a miracle I didn’t hump my screen every time he interacted with Phoebe and put on the charm – oh, wait, that was about once every couple of pages. Whoops!

Any wonder why yours truly fell in love with him – or that Phoebe did the same, for that matter?

Which brings us to… Phoebe! Oh, this woman made me melt inside! One, she wore glasses. I repeat: GLASSES! In an action-filled story, full of car chases, and gunfire, and mobsters, and… you get the gist. And they were of the nerdy kind. What’s not to love about a woman who LOOKS like a nerd and packs a mean variety of sarcastic and witty comebacks? Not to mention the fact her humor was right up my alley, she was no pushover, couldn’t keep her mouth shut – takes “talk during sex” to a whole new level – and wasn’t a walking, delicate stick! Quick on her feet, and quite accepting – though her adjustability level was too high at times to be believable. A woman that was truly born to be by Ian’s side, I kid you not!

The rest of the “cast” was no less impressive. Each one of them with their own story and background, with their ups and downs, their strong points and flaws. All of them funny and quirky, and not at all boring. The story was not always focused on the main couple, which sometimes ends up in disaster, especially when you have so many characters to work with. But Mrs. Brockmann pulled it off like a pro – a result of her careful work in her “fictional crew”. See, when you have a team, a group, full of people that have depth and are very much real, and you make a point of treating them as such, you’re bound to be successful with many little plotlines in your main story.

Speaking of story, and different plotlines, anybody who readsDo or Die should at least agree to this: this book packs some serious action and breathtaking flashbacks. There’s not a single thread that is left alone. Not a stone left unturned. Not a speck of ANY character’s behavior and/or attitude that is not explained via their past, or connected with other past events from the lives of other characters. At first, they’re all spread there in front of your eyes. It’s a good thing Ian and Phoebe had all that sexual tension between them going on, so that it would take our mind off the question marks and prevent confusion. Slowly, gradually, they started drifting closer to each other, until we get a pretty clear image of almost everything that lead Francine to act like a bitch, Ian to keep secrets from everyone, hell, even Berto and his act of atonement made sense!

Before I finish this review, I have one more thing to say. I want to read Mrs. Brockmann’s other books even more now! If they are anything like this one, then I’m in for quite a ride. And I’m definitely hoping Francine, Martell and even Yashi and Deb get their own love stories!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** show less

Something always happens before. Before Skylar knew what being "one of us" meant, before all the bad things happened, there was one day at school that wasn't much like any other.

It's a good day, at first, because Sky meets Calvin. And it's a good day because nobody dies. But aside from that, there's a girl, with some guns and some scary dreams, who is very, very dangerous.

This story stands on its own, though it obviously fills in some cracks in the main Night Sky series. It's a good show more introduction to Sky and I think a very good introduction to Calvin and to the friendship he and Sky will have. (Calvin is African American and disabled. He could have been flat character, there just to fill out a checklist. But Cal and Sky acknowledge his race and his disability and in doing so they acknowledge the racism and ableism he experiences.) Plus, Cal is kind of a nerd and he and Sky have a goofy, happy friendship that's just fun to experience.

(Provided by publisher) show less

I love Jules and Robin, so was looking forward to this, and anxiously pre-ordered it as soon as it was possible to do so. I eagerly downloaded it on the 1st and read it on the train ride into work the next day and found myself... confused? gipped? disappointed?

I happily paid $2 for a short story about Jules and Robin. Instead, I got a hodgepodge of somewhat confusing scenes that alternated between Robin's Shadowland character's life and small glimpses into his real life, and not much of show more Jules at all, frankly.

In the end, I wanted more of everything - more Jules and Robin together, obviously, but also more fleshing out of Joe's life which was actually pretty interesting on its own, and could probably stand a couple books devoted to him.

And then the ending which was a bit out of nowhere (in the text - it was alluded to in the title) and rushed, and given short shrift for such a momentous decision show less

I absolutely loved this one--one of the best since the first book, I thought, which is surprising since absolutely no one from Team Sixteen even shows up in it! (And it was okay, it really was--Jules and Max and Jones more than made up for it...plus, there's a teeny little Alyssa cameo. Sam is apparently there as well, but we don't see him, alas.)

I didn't at all have a problem with the back and forth time shifts on this one, because I thought it worked well for the story. There's certain show more things that we wouldn't have wanted to know earlier than we did, so to me the way it was written made sense. The dual narrators did a good job, and I'm finally getting used to the way they pronounce Max's last name (because it's totally different than the way the earlier narrator used to do it).

Max and Gina's--and Jones and Molly's--stories were totally worth the wait. Just angsty enough, and with action and drama and emotional roller-coastering a-plenty to make me look for excuses to keep listening. Jules was absolutely phenomenal. His line to Max--"Recovering from a gunshot wound is not a vacation. You need to write that, like, on your hand or something." Classic. Just classic. show less