Sunday, February 19, 2017

Review: Out of Control & Into the Night by Suzanne Brockmann

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Title: Out of Control
Series: Troubleshooters
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Read copy: eBook
Published: May 7, 2002
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345455088
ISBN-13: 9780345455086

Savannah von Hopf has no choice. To save her uncle’s life, she goes in search of Ken “WildCard” Karmody, a guy she barely knew in college who is now a military operative. She must convince him to help her deliver a cache of ransom money into the hands of terrorists halfway around the world. What she doesn’t expect is to end up in WildCard’s arms before she can even ask for his help.

WildCard has always had a soft spot for beautiful women. But when he discovers Savannah’s hidden agenda, he is determined to end the affair. But Savannah is bound for Indonesia with or without his protection, and he can’t just walk away. When her plan goes horribly wrong, they are trapped in the forsaken jungle of a hostile country, stalked by a lethal enemy. As time is running out, they scramble to escape, risking their lives to stop a nightmare from spinning even further out of control...

My rating:

This series looks like to be hit-and-miss for me. There are characters and plot lines that are interesting, and sometimes grow to be even more interesting through time, and there are characters that failed to leave a good impression the first time around, and their story suffers because of it.

Ken "WildCard" Karmody is one of those characters for me. We never really "clicked"; he was either a whiny brat because his girlfriend left him and he doesn't want to be alone or an asshole to his friends and/or superiors. But I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt in his story, only for him to be an obnoxious jackass with a one-track mind from the very beginning.
Add to it the rather bland heroine, spice it up with her "secret" to create conflict, and I just couldn't keep reading.



Title: Into the Night
Series: Troubleshooters
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Read copy: eBook
Published: November 14, 2006
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345498682
ISBN-13: 9780345498687

It was supposed to be a “dog and pony show”—an elaborate demonstration of SEAL rescue techniques—to celebrate a presidential visit to a California naval base. Professional, no-nonsense White House staffer Joan DaCosta arrives early to scope out the area. Assigned to be her SEAL liaison is Lt. (jg) Mike Muldoon, a born leader—strong, decisive, tough, and fearless.

Against her better judgment, Joan finds herself drawn to the handsome young officer. Skilled at being “one of the guys” in the mostly male world of politics, she is dismayed when Muldoon breaks through her defenses. While the tension mounts between them, fueling their growing attraction, a far more sinister danger is lurking, as terrorists plot a daring attack against the president. To protect their commander in chief, Joan and Muldoon must not only risk their hearts—but their very lives...

My rating:

Oh, God...Yet another "Team Sixteen" member that I didn't particularly care for (Mike Muldoon came across as not overly bright in Over the Edge, and obnoxious at the same time with his bragging how easy is for him to get laid). In his book he was coupled with an annoying (older) heroine with issues about "dating" younger guys, but actually had no idea what she wanted, except when it was time to throw the young "gigolo" under the bus for her career.

The "romance" was dull and bland, the suspense so diluted it made my teeth hurt, the pacing could've (yet again) been better by throwing out the unnecessary fillers...The only reason I actually read this one through was (I can't believe I'm saying this!) the Sam/Alyssa soap-opera. This so-called saga of their on/off-again romance has been a pain in my butt since the beginning, since it kept intruding on other characters' stories, and whatever happened was entirely their fault (she acting like a bitch that brought out his inner asshole, and once they finally saw reason, he decides to be noble and marries the chick he got pregnant getting trapped in a loveless marriage while still pining away for the icy bitch), but those few words WildCard said to Mike in the beginning of this book clicked a switch or something, and I wanted to see how that side-plot ended.
And because their story is next, and I'm actually (once again, I can't believe I'm saying this!) looking forward to it and hope they work it out without descending into their default personalities (bitch/asshole) when dealing with each other. I'm also looking forward to getting the answer to the question that's been bugging me—are Alyssa and Max actually together (while being in love with other people), or are they just friends-with-benefits, or just friends-without-benefits to keep the people they love at arms' length.

So yes, if it weren't for the whole Sam/Alyssa thing, this one would've been DNFd as well.

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