Comeback

Athena Force #17

by Doranna Durgin

Her intervention in a hostage crisis had made her an instant hero. But Selena Shaw Jones still had nightmares. Now the CIA had approached her for another do-or-die mission -- to locate a terrorist informant and his case officer, who were missing in the same Middle Eastern hot spot. Selena "had" to put aside her self-doubts -- because the missing ex-terrorist had crucial intel about a strike against America... and the case officer in question was her husband, Cole. With the clock ticking and her know-it-all new partner questioning her competence, could Selena track her wily husband and control this runaway mission while facing her deadliest enemy -- herself?

Athena Force: Chosen for their talents. Trained to be the best. Expected to change the world.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Doranna Durgin is an award-winning author (the Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H novel) whose quirky spirit has led to an extensive and eclectic publishing journey across genres, publishers, and publishing lines. Beyond that, she hangs around outside her Southwest mountain home with horse and highly accomplished competition dogs. She doesn't believe in mastering the beast within, but in channeling its power--for good or bad has yet to be decided! She says, “My books are SF/F, mystery, paranormal romance, & romantic suspense. My world is the Southwest, and my dogs are Beagles!”

Doranna’s most recent releases encompass the three books of the Reckoners trilogy--a powerful ghostbuster raised by a spirit, her brilliantly eccentric backup team, a cat who isn't a cat, and a fiercely driven bounty hunter from a different dimension who brings them together when worlds collide.

Reviews

[Anna Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid this book didn't impress me much. (That's saying a lot since I don't judge romance by the same standards I judge other books.) In fact, I found it hard to force myself to finish reading. The book was just too over the top. Everything about the book just was too much and too much of a reach.

Characters: The characters were flat showing no growth and simply were not believable. Selena's character was incredibly unbelievable. The author made her perfect and then it was as if the author realized it so she threw in some PTSD as an afterthought. And the reason for the PTSD? Completely ridiculous! One person against a group of terrorists holding an embassy hostage? Really? If I wanted something like that I would watch "Rambo" or something of that ilk.

Plot: Again, not very believable. Not at all. The plot was something like Bond meets Rambo. It simply didn't resonate with enough reality to make for enjoyable reading. And the end felt tacked on. It was as if the author realized she needed to wrap the book up so she quickly come up with an ending. An ending that was even less believable than what I had read up to that point!

Author's writing style/ability: As compared to other romance writers, I would say the author's style/ability is pretty much the norm. The book was an easy read and I didn't see anything that stood out for either the good or the bad.

All things considered, I'd skip this book. There are better romances out there. I know I picked the book up because of it's military flavor, but the book was just too surreal to deliver.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always a risk to pick up a book that is part of a series without having read the rest. There are references to past experiences that it would have been helpful to read and a sense at the ending that there is more to come that you likely will never read as the book and series are older. It was ok to pass a few hours and certainly had a strong female lead.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extra 1/2 star.

[Charlotte Smith]

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