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The Defiant Hero. Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooters #2)

by Suzanne Brockmann

4.01 · rating details · 1,920 ratings · 118 reviews

In her bestselling novels of suspense, Suzanne Brockmann dazzles readers with her remarkable cast of rough and tender U.S. Navy SEALs. "The Defiant Hero" is no exception--a thrilling novel of steadfast courage, intimate passions, and the profound risks that are taken in the name of love...

"The United States refuses to negotiate with terrorists."...more

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Published by Headline (first published 2001)

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Jun 08, 2010

Zosia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense, best-romantic-suspense, favourites

Why should you read this book? Because the main relationship is just fantastic.

This second book in the series was written the way the first one should have been. Meaning it was a military romance that actually included military and romance (unlike the women’s fictiony first book that bored me to tears). I only read it out of a sense of obligation after hating the first book, but it was actually a very good read. But there’s one big glaring thing that made me mad (namely an insultingl...moreWhy should you read this book? Because the main relationship is just fantastic.

This second book in the series was written the way the first one should have been. Meaning it was a military romance that actually included military and romance (unlike the women’s fictiony first book that bored me to tears). I only read it out of a sense of obligation after hating the first book, but it was actually a very good read. But there’s one big glaring thing that made me mad (namely an insultingly stupid made up country that sat smack bang on the wrong continent), and I am going to go on a rant in a moment. I also do not enjoy the endless passages devoted to the Second World War. When I pick up a contemporary romance, I want a CONTEMPORARY romance. Too much telling, not enough showing.

I’m going to admit I did some very light skim reading of some parts of this book, because I knew from my experience with book one that the World War Two parts took away from the main story.

Meg’s daughter and grandmother have been kidnapped by terrorists and they demand an exchange from Meg. She must kill or kidnap a man in exchange for her family. What they don’t know is she has a connection - a past relationship of sorts - with a Navy SEAL who she immediately asks for to help. What followed was a brilliant opening sequence of a hostage situation in an embassy, and action and excitement that didn’t let up (at least as far as the main storyline went) until the book was finished.

But, okay. Rant. Kazbekistan. KAZBEKISTAN??!! A made-up Islamic country full of deserts and oil fields, in...EASTERN EUROPE?! Where in lush, green, Catholic and Orthodox Eastern Europe is this mythical ‘Stan’ land? Where in the land of people called things like Sophia, Anna and Tomas is there a country where people have names like Osman Razeen? Perhaps the author meant Central Asia? Or the Middle East? That, on top of some bizarre apparent support of corrupt Vladimir Putin left be with a bitter taste in my mouth.
It’s a pity Brockmann felt the need to do this, as she doesn’t always have made up places as the ‘baddies’, and it somewhat ruined a great story.

I loved the main relationship but for a few little things.
Meg became annoying after a while. It was understandable at first that she pushed John away, but as the drama went on and she kept getting rid of him at gunpoint and pushing him away emotionally it became a bit stupid. A woman with no experience of kidnapping or terrorism has a highly trained, highly decorated Navy SEAL - who she knows is in love with her - at her disposal and not giving up on her, and yet she refuses to let him help her?! Towards the end I just wanted to smack some sense into the woman.

That said, I loved this couple, and I was definitely in love with John pretty early on in the story. He protected Meg and looked out for her and yet he continued to let her make decisions, to keep her freedom in choosing what to do in the terrible situation. What a great hero!

The World War Two flashbacks that have a tendency to take over these books come across as forced and are extremely unnecessary. I love books about that war, but I do not enjoy a war story from decades ago taking up a third of a contemporary military story. It’s boring, and it dilutes the action in the present. In fact, as soon as the great granny story started up in this one, I started skim reading those parts. If I want a Second World War story I’ll go pick up The Bronze Horseman.

I enjoyed the Sam and Alyssa story, but I have a few issues with the huge part they play in this series. Boy does it ever drive me crazy when an author has a favourite couple and features them prominently in every book of their series. I can’t think of a single time where the author’s favourites have been my favourites, and so I get sick of reading about them very quickly. Here it’s Alyssa and Sam, and Alyssa is possibly the coldest, most boring character in the entire series. I don’t hate them as a couple (or potential couple) so much as hate any couple who hijack everyone else’s stories. If they have to go on running the series, Alyssa’s going to have to be a bit nicer in the future, thank you very much!

I am giving this four stars though I didn’t like some aspects of the book. The main story is a five star read. Unlike the incredibly slow and boring main story in the first book, this one is fast-paced and full of emotion. I loved it. On the other hand the secondary story involving the Second World War was a waste of page space, and the made up country was not only silly, but rather insulting for a number of reasons. I quite liked the Sam and Alyssa story, but Alyssa is not a sympathetic character. However I really liked the main story and John and Meg were a very memorable couple whose story I’m sure I will read again. This series isn’t perfect, but it’s fun.
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Dec 15, 2008

Arch rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: tough-heroine, heroes-in-jeans, suzanne-brockmann, sexy-cowboy, fbi-agents, navy-seals, strong-love, good-bad-boys, contemporary-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm giving this book 5 stars, because of the secondary characters: Sam and Alyssa. These two have captured my attention. I loved the tension between these two. Sam had the hots for Alyssa for very long time. She plagued this sexy Texan mind for years and he had to have her. Of course, his method of getting the girl was to go the school boy's route. He would nag at her. Do things to get her upset. Call her names that he knew she didn't like. That was his way of saying, I like you woman! See me - ...more

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Feb 01, 2010

Rossy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: romantic suspense fans

Recommended to Rossy by: series continuation

Shelves: challenge-cont-series-2010, challenge-144-books-2010

This was a really good book, but i have to agree with others that Meg got on my nerves a time or two. Not enough to ruin the book for me, but there were a few times i want it to plain smack her. It seem to me that her decisions were all very stupid, she truly topped the cake when it came to stubborn heroine for sake of being contrary.

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Feb 09, 2010

Gina rated it

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Shelves: listened

I really enjoyed this book by Suzanne Brockmann about the Navy Seal Team 16 and their romances. I gave it 3 stars because it felt like that Brockmann's main plot was weak. I didn't like Meg at all and the relationship with John and dialog felt weak and forced, almost not interesting. In fact, MEG IS TOO STUPID TO LIVE. Sorry, had to get that off my chest. I hate it when female characters are stupid. "Oh gee, I have a big strong Navy Seal to help me but I'm sure I know better how to ha...more

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Dec 03, 2008

Tori rated it

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Shelves: troubleshooters

I started reading this series after numerous rave reviews from friends. I really liked Unsung Hero, and I liked this one as well, just not as much. The romance between Nils and Meg seemed stilted and the intensity of the other romances overshadowed theirs so much that I had a hard time enjoying their story. Nils was great but, Meg verged on TSTL in my mind. The continuing story of Sam and Alyssa was fun to read but the story that made this whole book for me was the story of Eve and Ralph. Partic...more

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Feb 04, 2009

Kath rated it

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I read this one after reading Over the Edge (Book 3)in this series. The stories do stand on their own, but it's much better to read them in sequence as you see characters throughout the series and see their evolution. The characters in this series are vividly drawn and realistic and you can't wait to hear more about them as the series progresses. This series is rather addictive.

I am not a fan of the WWII stories that are interwoven in this series, but I loved the story of Eve and Ral...more

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Sep 22, 2010

Jane Stewart rated it

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Shelves: romantic-suspense

I disliked the characters, and I disliked the author's writing style.

The author has five different stories happening, 3 current day and 2 flashbacks. She frequently is telling one story, then stops at a cliff-hanger point, then goes on to another two stories before coming back to the first story. Notwithstanding the cliff-hangers, she is jumping around within these five stories for the entire book. It was irritating, annoying and offensive. It felt worse than tv commercial interr...more

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May 21, 2010

Alice rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bodice-rippers, good-to-go, personal-library, part-of-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Defiant Hero is mainly the story of Nils and Meg. To say that they had the most 'screen' time would be accurate, but in terms of emotional impact this book belongs to the other two couples: Sam & Alyssa and Eve & Ralph.

Nils & Meg: Thankfully Brockmann established that they had a previous relationship, of sorts. Otherwise they wouldn't have worked. They were under an intense situation the entire time, Meg was clearly out of her mind and Nils cared more than he should have if they ...more

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May 06, 2011

Becky Moe rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

I have to agree with other reviews I've glanced at--for most of the novel, the main female protagonist is just too stupid to be believed. Let's see--your daughter is taken hostage by a terrorist extremist group and they want you to use your connections as a linguist to hold another terrorist hostage at his embassy and then deliver him to them in exchange for your daughter's life. Okay. Now, would you have a better chance of getting your daughter out of that situation alone, or with a team of ...moreI have to agree with other reviews I've glanced at--for most of the novel, the main female protagonist is just too stupid to be believed. Let's see--your daughter is taken hostage by a terrorist extremist group and they want you to use your connections as a linguist to hold another terrorist hostage at his embassy and then deliver him to them in exchange for your daughter's life. Okay. Now, would you have a better chance of getting your daughter out of that situation alone, or with a team of Navy SEALS and FBI behind you? Hmmmmm...wait, I need to think about this...professionals who I already know are good at their job and trustworthy, or just me. Wait...still thinking. No, I'm pretty sure I can do it on my own. Well, I'll use them a little bit, but will essentially be lying to them about almost everything and then STILL do the bulk of it all by myself. Yes, that sounds like a plan.

Um, NO. Does anyone else think this is a bad idea? I pretty much felt like about three-forths of the book was rediculously pointless, due to her extreme stupidity.

This one definitely wasn't of the same caliber of the first in the Troubleshooters series, The Unsung Hero. For this one, I definitely was looking forward to hearing the stories of the secondary characters--Eve and Ralph from World War II era and Sam and Alyssa from present day--more than those of the main characters, Meg and John. Actually, come to think of it, Alyssa was really annoying me as well, with her larger-than-the-average-boulder-sized chips on her shoulder regarding her gender and race. I'm not saying there isn't some truth to what she experienced, but she took it way to far. For someone who wants to be judged on her own merits, she sure is awfully judgemental about Sam/Roger/Houston (at this point, I don't even remember what his real name is. Hopefully I'll have it figured out by his book, which I think is number six). She definitely has a lot of growing to do before she gets my vote as a sympathetic character; at this point I'm thinking Sam can definitely do better. Which leaves me with Eve and Ralph. I loved their story! Definitely a highlight of the book, especially since it wasn't obvious from the start what was going to happen there. It almost made up for the rest of the book. Almost. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series, but this one will never be counted among one of my favorites.(less)

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Nov 06, 2009

Amanda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: action, mystery, romance

This series is amazing, so much in fact that I’m actually reading the books consecutively, though I’m skipping around the timeline they were written in. The series is fun, intriguing, romantic, and easy to lose yourself in. Having said that, I have to admit that so far, “The Defiant Hero” is my least favorite so far

Brockmann follows a basic formula: main storyline, side storyline, side storyline that takes place around the time of WWII. In “The Defiant Hero,” the main storyline is ...moreThis series is amazing, so much in fact that I’m actually reading the books consecutively, though I’m skipping around the timeline they were written in. The series is fun, intriguing, romantic, and easy to lose yourself in. Having said that, I have to admit that so far, “The Defiant Hero” is my least favorite so far

Brockmann follows a basic formula: main storyline, side storyline, side storyline that takes place around the time of WWII. In “The Defiant Hero,” the main storyline is between John Nilsson, a linguistics specialist and member of Team 16 and Meg Moore, whose daughter and grandmother are kidnapped by terrorists. They’ve demanded that she bring them the leader of another terrorist group in exchange for the life of the other two. Desperate to save her family, she attempts to do as she’s directed, but John follows her, determined to help her and keep her safe from the very real possibility of death, especially because he’s been in love with her for several years.

This storyline took a backseat to the side one that actually winds through several novels, the story between Alyssa Lock and Sam Starrett. I’d already read their book, which take places two or three books later, but this back story was still great to read. Even though I like Alyssa’s character, she’s a complete witch in this one, so it was a relief to know what happens later so I didn’t completely hate her.

The WWII storyline was told by Meg’s grandmother Eve to the little girl and one of the terrorists. It was the story of her fifteen year old self having fallen in love with a British tutor several years her senior. This brings me to another point of Brockmann’s writing…she’s not afraid to “go there.” Besides this “underage” storyline, she has another one that also winds through a few of books, as well as an interracial storyline, a gay storyline, and a few other things I don’t often see in the fiction I read. Just a warning…she’s also not afraid to kill characters.

Because I didn’t connect with the characters as much as in the other books, I’m dragging the rating of this one down to a three star, but this in no way takes from the series as a whole.
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May 06, 2010

Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: author-suzanne-brockmann, contemporary-romance, 1-series-i-am-rabid-about

I think a more accurate rating would be 3.5 stars. Although I liked it, I didn't think it was as good as the first one.

The main thing that I didn't like about it was Meg, she really bugged me by doing some irrational things. However, although I don't personally have children I can see that having your child kidnapped by terrorists is not going to make you think very clearly. I also didn't really see the attraction between Meg and Nils, for some reason I just didn't get how they were ...more

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Jan 26, 2011

Erika Badass rated it

· review of another edition

I don't think I can read mulitple Brockman books in a row. Three storylines is too much for my brain to process. I really don't like it, and despite liking the main story, the book is already losing a star because of it! Gah!
Also, I'm sorry but the heroine was Too Stupid to Live. TSTL. The whole book I wanted to strangle her. John was great.

The side story with Alyssa and Sam made the book palpatible.

Eve's back story was interesting, but I wish it was shorter. ...more

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Aug 07, 2011

Lady Allison St. Vincent rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: epub, suzanne-brockmann, suspense, navy-seal

I really, really liked this one! From the beginning, where Meg is informed that her daughter & grandmother have been taken hostage by religious radicals in exchange for one of their enemies that she has access to, it's a race against time to find the best way to get her daughter back alive.

I loved the relationship between Meg & John, especially John's side of it. I really think Meg should've let John handle things long before she did, but I am glad she finally did.

I als...more

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Jun 15, 2008

Shae rated it

· review of another edition

Really good, but holy cripe did it seem like it went on forever. I was more interested in the Eve/Ralph story and the Alyssa/Sam story than Meg and Nils. Meg was another one of those characters that you just want to shake some sense into. Just trust the experts lady!

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Jul 10, 2010

Jenny J rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, romance

A rather action-packed thriller/romance that was alternately delicious and irritating.

The Good: Our Hero, a completely charming Navy SEAL linguist (who speaks Welsh!); the heroine's grandmother, an octogenarian who's quite capable of rescuing herself; a fantastic cast of supporting characters, who I can't wait to get books of their own; a love scene (non-explicit) with implied chocolate sauce and handcuffs.

The Bad: Our Heroine, who is (as another reviewer points out so e...more

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Dec 05, 2010

Darcy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, audio-book

This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites to read, they are full of action and romance, and the relationships are more complex than a safe combination.

John and Meg meet when he and his SEAL team rush into the embassy where Meg worked escaping some terrorists. While they are there they formed an alliance/friendship, one where in most of the world John's secret feelings would never have been known, but Meg was able to bust him with her knowledge of languages like John. They r...more

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Nov 13, 2010

Sara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: military-heroes, romantic-suspense, troubleshooters

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 06, 2010

Sueij rated it

· review of another edition

Ah, these stories are just woven together so well.

This book is Meg and Nils' story, and is a completely believable set of actions made by a desperate mom whose daughter and mother have been kidnapped. And again, the various characters' romances and involvements are seamlessly woven together, as the kidnapped grandmother tells the story of how she met and fell in love with her husband. Meanwhile, in a third well-tied-in story line, Sam and Alyssa's love-hate relationship turns steami...more

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Jan 02, 2011

Jess rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, romantic-suspense

This took me longer than normal to read, but I think that was due to other books I was just more interested in reading getting in the way. I don't think this one was as good as the first book was though. I still enjoyed it, but the constant flashbacks just started getting on my nerves. Also, I found myself more interested in Sam and Alyssa more than John and Meg. Without Sam and Alyssa's story weaved throughout I don't know what kind of rating I would have given the book. Needless to say, I can'...more

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Oct 13, 2009

Lychee rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Pretty much "ditto" of my review from the 1st novel in the series. Although the backstory to events discussed in "Into the Night" and "Gone Too Far" was quite different than I had imagined.

One thing I'm intrigued by is how she writes about somewhat volatile love affairs. The characters are opinionated, passionate, make mistakes, have huge misunderstandings, but eventually give themselves over to love. I know a central trope in romances is overcoming t...more

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Dec 08, 2011

Rjsmommy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: all-s-fair-in-love

This was a good story but John and Meg were only OK. I was much more interested in Sam and Alyssa and Eve and Ralph. Meg did get on my nerves when she continuously chose to ignore JOhn...I guess I could cut her some slack becuase she was worried sick about her daughter but still how could she not see that having JOhn help her would be the better choice. I was also a bit disappointed in John; how many times could this woman betray his trust without her totally losing it...I guess an infinite ...more

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Jun 02, 2011

Gladys (glad4twilight) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: military-romance

I love me a navy SEAL. I loved the different stories in this book they were all so different, Meg and John Nillson whos is a rock and never ever gave up on her even while she had him on top of her car he just hung on. He also drove naked just to prove a point and did everything for her, he is such a hero. The grandmother and her story of being a too young girl in love with a guy that has to go into the army was so sweet and touching and of course Sam and Alyssa Locke and their one night that the...more

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Aug 31, 2010

Melissa rated it

· review of another edition

This book was an ok read but not a great read. I actually enjoyed the sub-stories within the stories more than the main character's story in this book.

I was not very impressed by the main character as I just kept thinking she was making really dumb decisions and the story just seemed to be the same think over and over. They just kept repeating themselves so the story kinda drug on.

The flashback story was enjoyable as was the secondary characters, Sam and Alyssa's st...more

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Jun 20, 2011

Tressa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance

I became bored with Nils and Meg’s past relationship because they rehashed it over and over again. At times, I found Meg childish and stupid. Also, mentioning how awesome the SEALs are in practically every paragraph—I’m exaggerating—is tiresome and tedious. The book became repetitive near the end.

Some of the personality traits, like Nils’ love for salsa music, were dropped in awkwardly into the story. Also, is it necessary to mention Alyssa’s skin color all the time? Doesn’t ...more

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Jan 30, 2012

Rowena rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance, contemporary

It's been a very long time since I last re-read this book. It brought back a lot of memories and reminded me how much some of the characters got on my hot damn nerves. In this book, it was mainly Meg, the heroine that I wanted to push over a cliff.

For those of you guys who haven't read this series (or this book for that matter), the story begins like this. Meg and Nilsson met a few years ago while working. They got to talking, they became friends and because Meg was married at the time...moreIt's been a very long time since I last re-read this book. It brought back a lot of memories and reminded me how much some of the characters got on my hot damn nerves. In this book, it was mainly Meg, the heroine that I wanted to push over a cliff.

For those of you guys who haven't read this series (or this book for that matter), the story begins like this. Meg and Nilsson met a few years ago while working. They got to talking, they became friends and because Meg was married at the time, Nils kept his distance and settled for just being Meg's friend. Fast forward to now, Meg's daughter and grandmother have been kidnapped and in order to get them back, she's got to kidnap Razeem for the bad guys. Meg is deathly afraid for her daughter which is understandable but being afraid for Meg turns her into one big ol' stupid pile of poo.

She won't talk to anyone other than Navy SEAL, John Nilsson and Johnny rushes to her side to help her and what does she do? She lies to him, she makes him look like an ass in front of everyone he works with and his friends. But it's okay because she's sorry and she's so sorry that she keeps right on lying to him over and over again.

*rolls eyes*

John and Meg's romance was never my favorite part of this book and it didn't change with this read. In this read, Sam and Alyssa's romance takes off. Their rocky relationship really starts to heat up here (with chocolate syrup to boot!) and boy did I eat up every last bit. To be honest, the reason I started with this book was because I wanted to remember Sam and Alyssa again. I wanted to understand my addiction to them. Meh, not really, I just wanted to see them again.

Watching Sam and Alyssa duking it out was like coming home after a long, busy business trip. Sam and his smart mouth, Alyssa and her take no bull shit attitude. It was great. But more than those two, what I really enjoyed about this re-read was seeing the boys of Team 16 (the team that I know and love) back together again. It's been so long since I've seen these guys in action together and seeing the easy way they were with each other made me miss them all the more.

I loved seeing Sam and Wildcard tease Nils about his thing with Meg. I adored seeing them joke around with each other because those guys are so different from the guys on the new SEAL team now. With Sam, Wildcard and Nils on the team, they played around a lot but they also took their work seriously. If there was a goatfuck happening on any of their missions, it wasn't because they were careless. It wasn't because they were trying to have phone sex while they should have been looking around for terrorists. No terrorist would have been safe hiding in a closet when these guys were looking for them.

*sigh*

I guess you can see that I really miss these guys. While the main romance storyline between Johnny and Meg didn't grab me this time around, I really did enjoy this re-read. I enjoyed reading Eve's story with Ralph again, I enjoyed seeing Sam and Alyssa coming together and I really enjoyed seeing the other SEALs again. If you haven't read this book then I recommend that you do because despite the TSTL heroine, there's so much more to the book than just her.
You meet a bunch of guys that will melt your heartstrings up and make you sit up and pay attention. The action in this book is intense and just flat out entertaining. Suz Brockmann has a way of making you want to be in on the action in these books and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading this series, it's the bomb!(less)

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Sep 18, 2010

Jessi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance, appealing-characteristic-story, part-of-a-series

Meg Moore is having a really, really bad day. A translator for the European embassy, she's just found out that an extremist Kazbekistan group has kidnapped her daughter and grandmother and they want Meg to kill someone in order to get them back. So she turns to the one many she knows she can trust, Lieutenant, junior grade, John Nilsson. They met three years earlier when the Navy SEALs invaded the embassy where Meg was working. John pretended to be a CIA agent so they could get the other guy out...more

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Apr 15, 2010

Wendy rated it

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Shelves: contemporary-romance, hot-military-characters, romantic-suspense, navy-seals-included, suzanne-brockmann, part-of-a-series, favorites

I just love all of Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters Series! Each one of these men and women are so wonderful it is hard to pick a favorite, but Sam Starrett is one of mine.

This particular book focuses on John Nilson. John is a language specialist for the team and meets a woman (Meg) in a a fictitious foreign country (Kazbekistan) where he is on a mission. They immediately hit it off but she is married and he won't act on his attraction to her. Though there is some interaction lat...more

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Sep 12, 2011

Shelly rated it

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Shelves: audiobook-version, favorites, reviewed, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's been awhile since I've read/listened to this one, and in my memory LT John Nilson, Nils, was a nice guy, but didn't hold up very well in comparison to other Troubleshooters, but after re-listening to it, I can see I was wrong! In this second installment of the Troubleshooter series I have noticed something I had put together yet, and that's in the first several books, minus Terri Howe, I've not liked most of the heroines. Besides Terri, I didn't like any of the heroines until Alyssa. Unf...moreIt's been awhile since I've read/listened to this one, and in my memory LT John Nilson, Nils, was a nice guy, but didn't hold up very well in comparison to other Troubleshooters, but after re-listening to it, I can see I was wrong! In this second installment of the Troubleshooter series I have noticed something I had put together yet, and that's in the first several books, minus Terri Howe, I've not liked most of the heroines. Besides Terri, I didn't like any of the heroines until Alyssa. Unfortunately, I'm still not crazy about Meg Moore, but I don't dislike her.

First, this book is very aptly titled, but it took me a while to see how defiant Nils is, it's sort of a quiet defiant, and a quiet strength he has. He's not overbearing, he's kind and respectful, but he is in no way beta. He will not give up, and nothing can hold him back. It's a rare quality in romance heroes these days, and they tend be overlooked, but Nils is no push-over. He's just very patient. Extremely patient! Like 3 1/2 years patient! This is how long he's held a torch for Meg! I also like that they have a history, and it's not just they meet and fall in love. Actually, this is sort of a long and painful journey to love, even a little depressing, when John breaks down and admits how much he loves Meg, he does it because she's ready to give her life to save her daughter in a no-win situation, and John is begging her to let him and the SEALs help her. She's desperate and half-crazed from worry and lack of sleep, ready to break down herself. No, this is not a fun romp to HEA, but it is a great story nonetheless.

I can certainly understand Meg's dilemma, and her lack of faith in anyone being able to keep her daughter and beloved Grandmother Eve alive, after all the terrorists know an awful lot about her, and she will do anything, including trading her own life for her daughter's, to save Amy and Eve. I don't fault her for that, even though I think if I were in her situation, I would totally cave to John right from the beginning. Especially after witnessing his magic in K-stan 3 1/2 years ago in getting the job done, in a rather creative way. But not having a child of my own, realizing it has been a long time since she's seen John, I can understand her lack of trust. The thing I don't like about Meg is the way she stayed with her cheating and horrible ex Daniel, even after she found out he was cheating on her for the second time, on Christmas Day no less. After a certain point staying together for the sake of the child is way too damaging, and if you kid knows you're staying with the loser because Amy wants her family, in the end all you really teach your child is to put others values and concerns above your own. This is something I can't stand, and I can speak from personal experience on this. Watching your mother (or father, let's not be biased here) stay for something like that is degrading, and for Meg to not only let this go on, but lead John on at the same time, well, it made me like her a little less, and feel she didn't deserve John.

The story within a story that Brockmann is famous for was included in this book as well. Meg's grandmother Eve, who spent WWII in England and fell in love during the very difficult time, I thought was great. Even if it was a little creepy, Eve was 15 when she fell in love with and married Ralph Grayson, but he thought she was 20. Her deception does excuse him in my mind, because before the marriage is consummated, she tells him the truth. He's outraged and leaves for war immediately. But after 5 years, when he returns they are still married and end up together forever. Eve never told anyone she was 20, they all just assumed she was, she was responsible for her little brother, left to her own devices to look out for both of them from a young age, her parents long dead, her step-parents are generous but neglectful in that they want to live their own lives. Eve really is mature, and does a good job of taking care of her illiterate brother, protecting like a fierce den mother from evil teachers who make him feel stupid. Ralph is hired by her step-parents to tutor him, and the glib Englishman has never seen anything like this beautiful American girl, who can blame him for falling in love with her? It's a great story, and includes a really great part on the true story of the "little ships" evacuation of Dunkirk, France. I love some history in my romances!

Usually there is just two love stories in Brockmann's novels, but in this one, and the next 2-3 in the series we get another one that stretches out and breaks your heart, several times before Sam and Alyssa finally find their HEA. They met in The Unsung Hero, and here we get to see them interact a lot more, and this part of their story fits very well with the sort of depressing, desperate theme of this book, as it's very obvious Sam is smitten from the beginning, and leaves himself open and vulnerable to Alyssa, who takes almost every opportunity to stomp on his heart and feelings from the beginning. I think it's done very well, because it could be very easy to hate Alyssa, but she's had a hard life, is the best at what she does in a man's field, and has to have her defenses up at all times to protect herself and reputation against sexual harassment, and hurt. She's a very strong person, but at the same time very weak, and Sam sees this and I think the caveman part of him wants to protect her, she just can't let her guard down enough to relax. Plus she has some serious stereotypes against him, assuming he's a redneck asshole, which is kinda funny because if someone were to throw racial stereotypes at her, she would go off. Yet she hurls them without thinking at Sam. It's very hard to like Alyssa, and if this was all I ever knew of her, I wouldn't like her. But I know the next books will show a different side to her, and I like that we get to see them both grow. Don't give up on her and Sam!

I think this is a little bit of a tough book and for it to be second in the series, especially after Tom's difficulties in book one, it's a lot to handle. But I think the characters are worth it. I wouldn't call this series dark, but it is very intense, and even though I may not like some of the characters as much as others, they are all well-thought out and fully human. I don't feel like I'm reading about two-dimensional characters in a book, they feel like real people who could walk off the page at any time. This is something I really love about this author. I highly encourage this series, but take heed - it's not light reading!
(less)

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Aug 14, 2008

Tina rated it

· review of another edition

The 2nd in The Troubleshooters series.

Meg Moore is accosted in her parking garage. An extremist terrorist group has kidnapped her daughter and grandmother. Their demand? They have a special mission for her because they know that she is able to move without much scrutiny within a particular European Embassy. Meg is terrified. She knows that the US will not negotiate with terrorists. Her daughter and grandmother are as good as dead. In a desperate move, Meg creates her own hosta...moreThe 2nd in The Troubleshooters series.

Meg Moore is accosted in her parking garage. An extremist terrorist group has kidnapped her daughter and grandmother. Their demand? They have a special mission for her because they know that she is able to move without much scrutiny within a particular European Embassy. Meg is terrified. She knows that the US will not negotiate with terrorists. Her daughter and grandmother are as good as dead. In a desperate move, Meg creates her own hostage situation and refuses to speak to anyone but John Nilsson.

John, a language specialist like Meg and a member of the navy SEAL 16 team, shares a past with Meg. He has been in love with her for years, but she was a married woman at the time. Now he, with the help of Tom Paoletti, SEAL team 16 and the FBI, is determined to help her out of the mess she's gotten herself into.

This is the book where I realized that I really liked Brockmann's series and her storytelling style. As is her hallmark, there iss the main action/intrigue oriented story featuring her main H/H John and Meg. There is also a secondary WWII plot told in flashback and there is the long running secondary romance arc of Sam and Alyssa.

The best part of the book, imo, is Sam & Alyssa. This is where the Sam and Alyssa UST really begins to take shape and starts to take off. And truthfully, they really threaten to steal the book from under Meg and John. I read an interview once where Brockmann explains why she crafted the long running arc of Sam and Alyssa the way she did (she originally planned it to go on for at least seven books but her publishers wisely talked her down). She said that in romances, if a couple has a past, you only ever hear about it in conversations or told in a truncated fashion in flashbacks (like Meg and John in this book). She wanted to create a couple where the readers actually lives the course of the romance with the characters. She wanted people to have the experience of the ups down, the time and the separation. IMO, this absolutely works because I became so invested in these characters that I actually couldn't wait to read the next books just to see what was happening with them next. If I wasn't thrilled by the main HH, that is ok because Sam and Alyssa were there and we could follow them next. This obviously wouldn't work if the couple weren't well developed, had a high root-for factor or the writing was bad. But none of that is true. S & A are hot, seriously rootable and the writing for them is great.

The second best part of the book is the WWII story told in flashback. Meg's grandmother Eve lucks out (relatively speaking) with one of the kidnappers who is actually kinda humane. To keep her great-daughter occupied, she begins to tell the story of how she took part in rescuing over 300,000 British troops during the 'miracle of Dunkirk' (a real WWII event) and how she met her first love, one of the soldiers. The story works to humanize her as a person for her kidnapper (who listens raptly, if covertly to the story.

The Meg/John story is, imo, the least effective of the three storylines. Much of their relationship is revealed from the flashbacks where they first met and a brief two week period where they fell in love. But it underlines how unsatisfactory this style is especially juxtaposed with the S&A storyline. Or, it could be that I simply wasn't as interested in them as I was the other two. They didn't engage me as much. Also, I think the trust issues Brockmann thrust into their story seemed a little contrived, considering all the other stuff they were already going through.

On the whole though, this was a great book. The three stories flowed together well. The understated humor and romance angst of S&A was a great counterpoint to the intensity of the other two stories.

Well played. I recommend.(less)

· see review

Mar 21, 2008

Isis FG rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance-suspense, reviewed, favs-reread, info-full, series-troubleshooters, author-suzanne-brockmann, stars-3

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one was book 2 in the Navy SEALS Team 16 series.

And I gotta say, I'm getting really attached to this series. The characters are awesome, as are the storylines and the romances. And I love that even after (or before) characters have their own book, they are big parts of the others. They don't just slink off into the post-book netherworld as happens in some series'.

This one is about SEAL John Nilsson and a woman named Meg Moore. Years before the book occurred, they'd m...more

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About Suzanne Brockmann

Suzanne Brockmann is the author of nearly 50 romance and romantic suspense novels, including her wildly popular 15-books-and-counting Troubleshooters series. She also wrote the popular Tall, Dark & Dangerous series for Silhouette Intimate Moments.

In her free time she likes to sing and do volunteer work. She is a proud member of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gay...more

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