Yes, she lives! I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I finally got my turn for Force of Nature at the library. Woot! Love me some Suz. Can I just say, am I alone in this? I SOOO miss Team 16. In their Team 16 SEAL context on their Team 16 missions. There. I said it. Not that I don't like the Troubleshooters and the FBI stories, and I know that she has to keep writing fresh stories, but still...Anyway, here's what I liked. Loved Ric. OK, I hated that he was going to do the porn star/psycho client right there in the office, when all he really wanted was to do Annie, but, aside from that one faux pas, I really liked him. He's a little more beta than her usual heroes, I think, but still with all the protective instincts. As with all Brockmann heroes, we really get to see inside his thoughts and feelings. I always enjoy that about her writing. (Yes, he cries, but not for the reasons you might think).
I loved Annie. She's kickass, yet still vulnerable. Sweet, but still strong. And I love that she didn't let Ric get away with anything he shouldn't have. I loved Ric and Annie's love story. It was laced with loads of humor, and rich with friends to lovers history. Sweet, sassy, and sexy.
Now the tough part. Jules. Because Jules gets his HEA in this book. A rough and rocky road to it. And, although it was well written, it was also a bit more unbelievable in a way. Robin's character just didn't do it for me for some reason. And Jules' vulnerability, while in other books has come off as loveable, here came off as a bit inappropriate. He was the team leader here, and just completely seemed to fall apart for much of the book. It was a shame, because their love story should have been all-encompassing; instead I felt a bit cheated for much of the story.
As for the underlying terror/crime plot - I was disappointed. It didn't seem to live up to Brockmann's usual standards. Junior was caracaturish (I know he was supposed to be that way, but it was still distracting), and it seemed thrown together as a device simply to carry the two romances. In other Brockmann books, the terror/crime plot line has always had a life of its own, and I really missed that here.
All in all, I did really enjoy it. It was great to read another Brockmann book. I've missed them. I do hope, though, that she gets back to writing what she does best - SEAL books in war zones.
Oh yeah I want more Team 16. Kenny. Man, I miss Wildcard. Cosmo. Stan. Where's Stan been? And I could always go for more Sam ;)
ReplyDeleteI loved Annie - she was fabulous. Ric, well, I didn't go for him after the whole stripper in the office thing, but having loved Annie for years, being such good friends, well, he grew on me. FON was good, just missing a little something, I think. But can't wait for the next adventure.
SEAL books in war zones. Yes! I miss that too.
ReplyDeleteAnother point on which we agree - I did like Force Of Nature, but agree that its pace was...if not "off", then at least outside her normal rhythm.
Where we disagree - I appreciated Jule's loss of control more than you did I think. While I like Brockmann's military precision/control in her characters, I thought the 'breakdown' of Jule's control was right on. He was truly shattered.
Welcome back Chick!
I can't wait for Izzy's story....sigh. Love him.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Lori!
ReplyDeleteI want SEALs!
The last one of her FBI books that I read and really enjoyed was...arg...racking the brain...I can't remember the title. It was about the airline hostage rescue. The FBI negotiator and the female hostage in the plane fell in love.
Gimme the SEALs over her FBI characters any day.
Going to go get coffee now. Maybe I'll be in a better mood.
Joan from Sarah's group
Mollie,
ReplyDeleteME TOO! I can't wait to read Izzy's story and I totally agree with you, Lori...I miss the Team 16 action we read about in the first books of this series, I want more Team 16, though I miss reading about Sam being a SEAL...*sigh*
Are you talking about Breaking Point, Joan? I enjoyed that book...a lot, but it's still no Team 16! =)