Dangerous Connections

by Julie Coulter Bellon

Having just finished a tour of duty in Iraq, Dr. Tyler Winthrop is ready to join his father, Craig, for a little downtime in Paris. But when Craig is kidnapped, Tyler is yanked back into the brutal realm of international terrorism, and his fate quickly becomes entwined with attractive French counterintelligence agent Isabella Floret. Risk escalates and trust dwindles as the pair uncovers ties between Tyler's father and a plot to poison American troops in the Middle East, a scheme masterminded by the diabolical rogue agent Devigny. As lines separating enemy and ally increasingly blur, Devigny's master stroke sends Tyler and Isabella on a pulse-pounding race through Paris while the security of nations hangs in the balance—and dangerous connections are the only aid to be found.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Suspense, Fiction, Romance, Lds, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

After reading every Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Hardy Boys book her elementary school library had, Julie Coulter Bellon knew from a young age she wanted to write books and be a published author someday. That dream came true and she is now the author of thirty romantic suspense novels and two children's books. One nightmare that also came true was that she once tripped up the stairs going on stage to accept a book award and she thinks about that moment more often than she should.

Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She is a former journalist and podcast host of Authors Off the Page. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Hawaii Five-O reruns, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

If you'd like to be the first to hear about Julie's new projects and receive a free book, you can sign up to be part of her VIP Readers Group at juliebellon DOT com

Reviews

[Shanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dangerous Connections is full of suspense and intrigue. Having spent time in France, Julie's knowledge of the locale is apparent throughout the book. Julie's respect for those who sacrifice to serve our country shows in the way she wrote Tyler. It's easy to see that Julie enjoys writing international intrigue.

Read my full review and listen to LDSWBR's podcast with Julie here: http://ldswbr.blogspot.com/2010/04/ld...

[Dail Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick spy novel set in France. Enjoyable!

[Book Geek Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is Julie's best book. I liked the spies and the international intrigue. I liked never quite knowing who you could trust and the various twists and turns. If you like suspense with a healthy dose of romance, you'll like this one.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Julie's books-- like reading an episode of 24!

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice suspenseful mystery with the romance in the background instead of dripping form every page :)

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting, fast paced book. The main female character was like a rock star fighter with brains and beauty. Girl power! :)

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definite fun page turner. I had to reread several passages to keep clear on things - this might have been because I was reading it in the bath at 3 in the morning when I couldn't sleep.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all of Julie Coulter Bellon's books. I really enjoyed this one. Lots of suspense, loved the local and the romance was just right. Well done

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bien.

[Christine Pettigrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually rated this book 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I honestly thought that Isabella and Tyler were going to die in the end. Luckily, Isabella is super tough and was able to divert their deaths until the agencies involved were able to put it all together in time to rescue them. I will admit I was really confused about who was working for the bad people who was undercover. I am really glad that Isabella and Tyler got their happy ending and that Marcus turned out to be okay and on the mend after he was shot in the beginning of the book.

[Lydia Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh! It was so good! I loved how perfect Tyler and Isabella were for each other. There were some moments that were so close to death that made the other character scared for the others life. When Tyler was poisoned it truly showed how much Bella loved him. Their story is one for the books! 😘

[Ranee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good action thriller - some repetitive stuff, like her trying telling him to not help her, her rescuing everyone

[Suze Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so hard to put down! So exhilarating! Felt like I was reading a movie unfold in front of me. Great story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars I found it a little cheesy

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dangerous Connections by Julie Coulter Bellon

Julie is the queen of espionage and is as good as Helen MacInness in this genre, as she was my favorite back then.

Dr. Tyler Winthrop has just finished a tour of duty in Iraq and is meeting his dad in France for some rest and relaxation. When Tyler notices a couple of things of his dad's left unattended in his hotel room, he suspects something is wrong, as his dad never leaves his belongings, especially his watch, behind. He realizes his dad has mysteriously disappears, though he has left a strange note for Tyler to go home to the states, but this just makes him more determined than ever to find him and find out what happened to his bag and laptop while he was helping to deliver a baby onboard his plane. When Tyler happens upon Isabella Floret and her brother, Marcus, working to thwart a terrorist plot to kill thousands of American military, he decides to help bring them down.
When Isabella and Tyler are abducted, they aren't sure of who to trust and are able to elude the terrorists for a time. When they seek help from the American Embassy, Tyler finds a special book his friend in Iraq had given him to read that had been stolen with the rest of his stuff. Tyler finds that Isabella is very strong and quite the fighter and can get out of tough situations and comes to admire her.

When they find out that a popular French spot has been targeted, they will stop at nothing to see these terrorists come to judgment. The action is non-stop amidst the french backdrop of this super suspenseful thriller. Julie, you've outdone yourself!!!!

I received my book from Julie.
Published by: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Date Published: March 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59811-919-0
208pp

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspenseful novel about the French DGSE or a CIA going undercover in Paris to find out about a planned terrorist attack by AL-quida against soldiers fighting in Iraq and citizens of Paris. A returning soldier doctor, Dr. Tyler Winthrop and his father seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time because they become involved in the schemes. Tyler is just coming off his tour in Iraq and is looking forward to a rest in Paris, but when his father goes missing, things start to get exciting. He gets to meet Isabella, the CIA operative who is trying to uncover the terrorist attack, but was discovered and is now being pursued. Tyler is sent with her as backup to safety, but they ignore this instruction and go after the information to stop the attack and find Tyler's father. The water tanks that were poisoned are intercepted before they reach the water supply of the American-Iraqi soldiers and the joint forces of the American embassy, the DGSE and the M16 unite forces to bring down the bad DGSE agent and save a French land mark. The DGSE agent that is working for the Al Quida is discovered and stopped. Tyler and Isabella's time together creates a bond that they are willing to pursue when the ordeal is over.

[Taffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...I hope you like my book. Please lie to me if you don't :)" This is the inscription Julie signed in my book. No pressure!

I'm happy to report, I don't have to lie. Dangerous Connections is a story full of twists and turns, espionage and traitors, and a strong female main character, who can drive in Paris! Impressive! Oh. And romance! Just a little to make it an even better read :)

Tyler and Isabella are thrown together by accident but they work well together and help each other in finding the truth they need.

There were a couple of loose ends for me. One was how Tyler's dad had so little page time. Tyler was in Paris and in trouble because of his dad. Maybe I missed it? But that isn't really a big deal, now is it?

I can't remember the other one so I guess it wasn't a big deal.

Julie's writing is clean and full of description. I felt I was along for the bumpy ride.

Good job, Julie! Can't wait to read more of your books.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I realized halfway through that I had read it before. I read books for escapism, so I don't always worry whether they stick in my head or not. As a matter of fact, I had to look up the book to remember the characters' names. That's not to say it's a bad book. In fact, the writing is decent. It's a moderately believable terrorist plot centered around the Paris area, and the action is pretty well written. I don't know that I completely believe that a now-civilian could help intercept and spoil a terrorist plot, just because he's an ex-soldier/physician. Spying is a different game. The number of times they escaped the bad guys was also a bit unbelievable, but still action packed. So, it was a good few hours of reading, but nothing that will keep me engaged or make me remember it much beyond returning it to the library.

[Darla · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Genre:LDS fiction--suspense/action) It was an okay read and passably entertaining, but I never really felt drawn in. Not sure why. I liked the premise for the story and the terrorist target was well thought out. The author did a great job on her location details (made me actually want to go to France and I have never had that location on my "Some place I would really like to visit" list). I just found myself questioning some of the characters behaviors and events as they occurred. It is entirely possible that I just wasn't in the right mood.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line, had enough action, but like the author who wrote the Saint Squad I could tell this book was written by a female and she added too much... too much of a girls touch. There was a cheesie love story, some strange... I don't know just would have been a lot better if it wouldn't have been filled with such a woman's touch.
The book is about a soldier going to France to meet his dad when all of a sudden he has people after him trying to get him. His dad has disappeared and he ends up helping a France agent to try and stop a terrorist plot.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but ---
Returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq, Dr. Tyler Winthrop stops in Paris to spend time with his father who is there on business. His father doesn't return to the hotel and Tyler starts looking for him. He ends up getting help from a French agent as they dodge bullets and danger.
Now as to the but --- I felt like it was a little too much like Wonder Woman and sidekick. A little over the top.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyler is just wrapping up another tour of duty in Iraq when he stops off in France to meet up with his dad. His dad never shows and Tyler is off on a mission to find out what happened. Along the way, he becomes involved with a French woman (Isabella), who is also on a mission.

Very intense, yet not too long. Sometimes I felt that Tyler was Isabella's little sidekick--one that annoyed her that she just couldn't shake. But it was a clean read, so I will give it that.

[Debbie Cranberryfries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a suspense, drama, thriller with a sprinkling of romance. I liked the two main characters. Dr. Tyler (as I liked to call him) is sweet and endearing. Isabella is a kick-butt girl who can't give up figuring out what's happening. Fun take on mystery thriller. Plus it's set in France so if you enjoy a flavor of overseas experiences you'll like this.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Tyler Winthrop completes his tour of duty in Iraq he is due to meet his father in Paris for some vacation time. When he arrives, he finds that his father has been kidnapped and he is plopped into the middle of an international terrorist plot set in the heart of the City of Lights. Action, and romance, with some religion thrown in.

[Dlora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so realistic and not so well written. It's okay and a pretty good action-filled, spy story, but only the main characters had depth, the bad guys were kind of buffoonish, and the suspense was not working for me. The blurbs say this book is a "heart-stopping thrill ride," and "a fast, roller coaster read." I don't think so.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. I was a little skeptical about the fact that Isabella was pretty much doing an undercover case on her own. The story was a bit unbelievable that she would go in undercover with only her brother backing her up. Other than that I thought it was a good story with a good romance plot.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 2.5
For about the first 1/2 or so, I would have rated this a four.. However, things went downhill from there for me and I would rate the rest of the book a 2. I felt like, for such a professional spy, the main character went off half cocked about 100% of the time. The end did not "move" me.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel has great action. The two main characters--Tyler and Isabella--meet by fate, and fireworks follow. The story is a little unnerving because we know that terrorism is happening all over the world and this setting takes place in France. Throughout the book, I rooted for the "good guys" and held my breath waiting for the cavalry to ride in and rescue them.

[Hilary Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspense novels with a bit of romance are my favorite, and this one kept the suspense going. I liked how the author started with two separate stories and took until the end to connect them together completely. It really was a great story!

[Swhe641200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of Dr. Winthorp is ready to join his father Craig Winthrop in Paris. Craig disappears. Involved with French counterintelligence agent Isablea Floret helps him look for this father. Good Book Good Author