This book was decent. The first half dragged quite a bit and I kept putting it down for 2 or 3 days. It picked up during the second half and I finished it in about an hour. If you're looking for a nice middle of the road read and you're not too picky, it should suit. The plot made sense even if it wasn't one of my favorite types (more on that below). The romance element was nicely done. Especially in the second half of the book. Still, it had a few problems that may matter more to me than to others.

SPOILERS BELOW


First the bad guys, the Swarm. Hokey name and worse than that we are never told what kind of a terrorist group this is. Is it Al Quaeda? Home grown terrorists? Russian mafia? Canandian School Teachers? :-) I don't like it when things are vague. Second they called the hero, David, back to the military after he had been out 2 years because he was the only one who could protect this girl. Once you're out of the military, you're out. They've got plenty of other guys in Delta Force who I hope are just as good. Or should I be scared for the safety of everyone they're tasked with aiding/protecting? Third, I found it a bit ludicrous that a Colonel in the US Army felt it would be okay to kill a civilian who wouldn't help out the military. And he's a good guy? I'm kind of scared of that idea too. Fourth I had a problem with the heroine's idea that the military would use her code breaking for evil. I would have thought she'd think, 'If it's unbreakable think of all the US soldiers whose lives could be saved.' Fifth, I'm kind of tired of plots where the guy has to save the girl so she can save the world. Not everyone is the princess who, though born in a mud hut, is destined to save the world and become a goddess/queen. Sixth the book was overly wordy. A lot more telling than showing. Seventh how good of an operator is he if he is followed and doesn't even know it? If he's so good they had to call him back, shouldn't he have realized Owen was watching the whole time? If you're going to write an alpha hero, make him be good at what he does. Eighth he didn't seem very manly to me. By that I mean I was very aware that I was reading about a man written by a woman.

All that being said, I will probably try the next in the series. ( )

A military romance/suspense novel, which I believe was the first written by Jim Butcher's wife. A military man, who left the special forces after the torture and death of his wife, is called back into action to protect a super brainy cryptographer who can break a code to where nuclear missals are hidden. I thought the story had its ups and downs. The characters were likable enough although the plot was pretty predictable. Basically the brawn and the brain on the run from one dimensional terrorist bad guys.

I don't want to say it was a bad story/romance novel, it wasn't. It just wasn't entirely my cup of tea. However, I have little patience for reading something I'm not enjoying and I will usually give up. Since I did finish the book I think that says something. ( )

I finished this, but it really didn't work for me. I didn't much like either of the main characters, and the plot wasn't particularly original. Noelle especially bothered me. First she was determined never to work for the military because someone might use her work to hurt other people. Her strong feelings about this were due to some experience her scientist parents had that was never fully explained. I thought this showed an excessive faith in her own ability to predict all the possible applications of her research and a failure to understand that not working for the military couldn't prevent negative repercussions. Then David showed her some pictures of what the Swarm did and she decided they were demons and killing them was not only OK, but pretty much mandatory. Talk about moral whiplash. It felt like she didn't actually have morals of her own, she just went from doing what her parents said was right to doing what David said was right. Considering that her ideals were her defining characteristic and that she was willing to die for her beliefs it seemed like she should have thought them through a lot more. ( )

David Wolfe left Delta Force two years ago after the violent death of his wife, Mary. One day he's approached by his superior, who tells him that he's being called back in to protect a female scientist who is being targeted by the Russian terrorist group, The Swarm. David's guilt over not having been able to save his wife is incentive enough for him to accept the mission and get his revenge on the people who killed his wife.

Noelle Blanche is one of six of the most intelligent cryptologists in the world. When she turns down a government grant in exchange for her services of deciphering a secret code that is believed to show the locations of nuclear warheads that went missing during the Cold War, she soon finds herself in the middle of a deadly chase to capture her. The Swarm and the US government both want to get their hands on her. She's nearly captured in her own home, when David shows up whisks her away to his boss. When it's made clear to her that her knowledge is far to dangerous to end up in the wrong hands, she's told that she will be terminated. David already feels some sort of connection with her and won't allow an innocent to be harmed, no matter what. Another attempt on her life makes it clear that there's a leak so they make a run for it. And so the cat and mouse game begins.

David is the tortured hero who is wracked with guilt over his wife's death, and the fact that his line of work brought danger to their doorstep. He spends a good majority of the story fighting his attraction to Noelle. Noelle, on the other hand is a geek with little romantic experience. I admired her tenacity and her strength in dealing with her situation, but also for how she slowly worked her way under his skin. She showed more courage than I would have ever given her credit for.

We get a few glimpses of the bad guy told from his POV, and he's one sick SOB. There's one grisly moment when we find out exactly what happened to Mary, David's wife, and it was not pretty. In fact, the chapter should have come with a warning. Needless to say, it made me reach for the Kleenex.

This was a nail-biter, with lots of sweet romantic moments. The showdown was a bit anti-climatic, so that's why it gets four stars instead of five. ( )

Book one story is about Delta Force operative David Wolfe who is protecting a cryptologist Noelle Blanche who doesn't understand the danger she is in and refuses to help the government break a code that could kill millions of people. Good story, fast moving. ( )