This is a book that has stirred up a lot of controversy amongst SB fans (some now former fans) because of the SHOCKING way she has paired up some of the inhabitants of her fictional Troubleshooters world.
Spoilers abound, so if you haven't read it, click away from the page if you don't want to know.
I liked it! This is the 14th in the Troubleshooters series, and I read 1-12 and listened to Into The Fire (#13) on audio. I also listened to DoN on audio. It used the same male narrator (Patrick Lawlor) for the sections from a male POV, and a different female narrator (Renee Raudman) for the rest. At least I think she was different, since I thought her name was Melanie something, but it doesn't say on Audible.
Although Patrick Lawlor's voice isn't exactly ideal (and I didn't like his Sam voice much), he's a great narrator who really got into the story and brought the characters to life. She also did a great job. Although I like having one narrator, the way 2 are used in this audio works for me too.
The story picks up right where we were left at the end of Into The Fire - with a prologue that actually is something that happens at the end (so I was sorta cornfuzzled for a few minutes...). Dave and Sophia - yep, they get their HEA and Decker pairs up with Tracy. That is the sum of the Big Controversy. Readers passionately defending their right to have Decker and Sophia get a HEA, and feeling betrayed by the author for daring to change that outcome in this book.
I read about 2 pages of the diatribe on the AAR boards and decided it was pretty, uh, immature and shrill and not at all lucid or logical - sorry ladies. Maybe you do deserve a different story - read a different author! There were those arguing that it was obvious and fated for Decker and Sophia (even though the total sum of their sexual interaction was a PAID BLOW JOB under extreme war-like circumstances, several years earlier, during which Sophia tried to kill Decker - yeah, that's how I want to meet my true love). There were those saying there was never before any attraction between Tracy and Decker, so how could she manufacture that in this book?
I found it to be another great book in a great series - with action that had me on the edge of my seat - with love stories that I found true-to-life and realistic. After all, Dave has loved Sophia forever, and they spent some quality time together, all of which can lead people to a loving relationship. SB made Dave out to be Superman who had been hiding behind his Clark Kent facade for the other books, and that pissed some readers off. How dare the author write Dave in as an ass-kicking hero in this story!!! That wasn't his character at all, they say! (I was ok with Dave actually being a former ass-kicking superhero who was trying to be dorky and normal.)
There was the continuing story line of Nash and Tess - we learned in the last book that Nash's death was a ruse, but only 4 people knew. And that pissed some readers off - how dare they hide the information from Dave? I dunno, to save his life?
The basic premise was that someone was after them all - mostly Nash - and there was a scramble all over the place to figure out who it was and eliminate him. It's related to Nash's involvement in The Agency, a Black Ops secret governmental agency that may have a rogue employee who's been giving bogus assignments. The story ranged from Boston, where Sophia's father was dying, to San Diego (I think?), where Nash was holed up in Robin and Jules' safe house. It was pretty much non-stop action adventure with some hot stuff to boot, and frankly, it's a pleasure to read, credibility issues notwithstanding. I gotta say, I went into their world and believed every word. Sophia and Dave are a love match, Dave's an ass-kicking hero, Tracy's actually very bright, and Sam is a sensitive guy.
Now - ok, I'll be honest, I feel "invested" in, say, Jamie and Claire of Outlander, and might be shocked if she pulled something with them, like a divorce or an affair. But enough to have 150+ pages of angry posts on a forum, dissing the author and wondering how she dares to do this to her readers? No, I hope not. I would probably just stop reading the series. (I can't even think of another series I feel that "invested" in - maybe Grey's Anatomy...)
So I'm going with a solid 4 star - I Really Liked It - rating. So there!
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