Her Last Line of Defence

by Marie Donovan

Her Last Line Of Defence (Uniformly Hot!, Book 9) (Mills & Boon Blaze) Donovan, Marie

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Fiction, Harlequin

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow, what in the blazes is going on with these 'Blazes'? When did they get so white hot? The last few of these titles that I've read have been pushing the bounds of erotic romance, and this little scorcher was no exception. But I have to admit that I loved this short little read! Not only were the love scenes really, unusually hot, but there was a little story to tell as well, which always helps. I ended up loving the H/H too, which is another plus. And any time you have the hero speaking another language (Cajun French), as he whispers sweet (dirty) nothings to the heroine, I'm sold!

The plot is pretty simple. Congressman's daughter Claire Cook wants to travel to some dangerous, remote South American country in the heart of the Amazon, to help the people there and to honor her late mother who grew up there as a daughter of missionaries. Her Dad is against it, fears it's too dangerous for his sheltered daughter, and insists he'll make trouble for her unless she at least agrees to get some kind of wilderness survival training before going there. Her Dad arranges that Army Green Beret Sgt. Luc Boudreau train her, or he'll mess with his career. (Yeah, her Dad is a bit of a bully) Tall, dark, and sexy Luc is reluctant--he's just gotten back from a mission and would like to spend some time in Louisiana helping out his family, but orders are orders, and he does happen to know a lot about surviving in the jungle, since he had his own harrowing experience in the very same place where the beautiful Claire is headed. Luc figures that after a few days with him and his training methods, Claire will give up on the whole idea and go running back to Daddy. Won't he be in for a surprise when Claire shows him that she can take all that he can dish out!

Well you know how these little romances go. Luc is attracted to Claire (but doesn't want to be); Claire is attracted to Luc (and wants to be); Claire teases and taunts Luc, lots of double entendres fly, and it's not long before all Luc's good intentions (about resisting Claire) are out the window! Not to say that Luc doesn't teach Claire a thing or two about surviving in the wilderness, because he does, but my God I think most of the teaching is of the sexual kind. And how! There is some really hot, explicit (French) dialogue coming out of the Ragin' Cajun's (his nickname) mouth, and he certainly knows how to use said mouth... With a few more taboo words and one additional sexual act, this would have had to be classified as an erotic romance. Whew! Not expecting that from a Harlequin.:)

Anyway, it wasn't all about the sex. The author did take some time for some character development and a bit of a story (always appreciated), and as a reader you'll have to suspend disbelief because you know the characters are going to fall in love within a few days time, but what the heck, I was on board because I enjoyed Claire and Luc so much. They had some snappy, witty dialogue, and seemed to have a lot of fun together--I was rooting for them to make it work. And they talked! Claire actually got Luc to open up about his life (he was a Shakespearean actor in college!) and about his hopes and fears. Of course for some reason (I never knew why) Luc felt he wasn't good enough for Claire, which was kind of a lame excuse on his part, and was reluctant to go on with the relationship. I loved how Claire called him on it, (she was feisty when she had to be), and I loved how she proved how 'mentally tough' she could be (something that Luc was always preaching to her about). There was a sweet little ending too, where Luc presented a gift to Claire that had me tearing up (I'm a sucker for these things), and a nice little epilogue that updated their status as a couple a year later.

If your looking for a hot, and I mean hot little 3 hour escapist read with a couple of really likable characters, you can't go wrong with this one. And who knows, you just might learn a thing or two about how to survive in the wilderness (and learn some wickedly naughty French phrases as well)! 4 1/2 stars.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars – Contemporary Romance

Special Forces Green Beret Sergeant Luc “Ragin’ Cajun” Boudreaux, straight from a long tour of duty in Afghanistan, is selected to teach jungle survival skills to a congressman’s pure city girl daughter Claire Cook, who’s staunchly determined to volunteer at a remote South American village smack dab in the middle of a treacherous jungle.

Of course, while they’re training and trekking through the swamps of the Louisiana bayou, Luc winds up giving innocent, practically virginal Claire sex lessons as well. Surrre, because after all, getting hot and heavy on a rough floor of mud, twigs, and leaves surrounded by all kinds of nasty (and poisonous) creepy crawlies while being in a state of, shall we say, less than fresh, is soooo darn sexy. And of course, Luc croons to her in his native Cajun French dialect during sex, so Claire gets some language lessons for an added bonus! “Chatte” apparently means female cat/kitten, and I’ll let your imagination run wild as to why he uses that particular phrase with her. *grin*

This ‘Blaze’ read really lives up to that moniker because it’s a serious scorcher, even borderline erotic, and alpha Luc loves to use dirty talk, especially those aforementioned naughty Cajun French sayings...deliciously yummy! There’s the whole falling in love after barely a week, and can a hardened, damaged soldier who thinks he’s undeserving of love and a lasting relationship take a chance premise, but for the most part, it works. After all, it may be unrealistic and even a tad silly at times, but it sure is sexy, fun, and blazin’ Cajun chili hot! 4 stars!

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot, What Plot? Just check your disbelief at the door, turn on the fan, and dive into this little scorcher about a jungle survival training that turns into a mad wild monkey sex marathon in the swamp, LOL. Only Luc and Claire could manage to fall "in love" after one week sweating, both in a good and in a bad way, in the swamp...

[Mojca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Claire Cook is determined to visit a small village in the jungle where her mother grew up, so her senator daddy, when he realizes his stubborn daughter would not be deterred, blackmails a Green Beret into training her in survival tactics.

Sergeant First Class Luc Boudreaux whisks his charge off into the swamp to toughen her up – and dissuade from going into what he deems hell (he barely survived the jungle around the village she wants to visit) – but fresh out of an eight-month deployment in the sandbox, he soon realizes survival training isn’t the only thing he’d like to teach Claire.

It started great, the hilarious initial "meet and greet" scene promised a good romp of the book, and when the two were firmly in the swamp I got the urge to whip out my notebook and take some pointers on survival.

Well, I suspected it was too good to be true and my doubts were proven correct. As soon as they started on more primal topics, the story (though there wasn’t much of it to begin with) disappeared completely…And it all went downhill from that. Too much sex, not enough story (and I can’t believe I’m actually saying this).

Call me a prude, but after learning in great detail about all kinds of critters crawling around, being prevented from sitting on wood without something between me and said wood, being warned about bacteria and parasites etc. I wouldn’t be caught dead having sex in the swamp, no matter how hot and gorgeous my trainer was.
I don’t know any members of the Green Berets, but I guess one, knowing all this, and relaying that knowledge to his pupil, would probably think twice before going at it on just a thin sheet between them and the bug-parasite-critter-infested ground, no matter how horny he was…Or convince his pupil to go skinny dipping in the middle of the swamp.
Contradictions, anyone?

Also, the romance part was a bit too swift. I know it’s a Blaze, so the space is limited, but I just didn’t buy the whole falling-in-love thing. You just don’t fall for a guy just because he’s good in the sac. Okay, you fall into the sac with him without further ado. But for deeper feelings to develop there has to be something more, and it just wasn’t there. Or at least, I didn’t see it.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oui oui c'est chaud! All of the reviews posted about this one are true. Very hawt! Buy it now! Wear gloves! The pages sizzle as you turn them.

Thanks Auntee, Shawna and Kathrynn (and anyone else I might have missed) for the recommendation. My hubby rolled his eyes at the cheesiness of his wife purchasing a HQ Blaze - my Gawd how embarrassing for the man! - but it was worth it. ;D

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this--sizzling hot/erotic--Harlequin Blaze book. I've never been too impressed by what seemed like silly character names and plots by the Harlequin series books, but this one I enjoyed. I read this book in a few hours--it's that short, 216 pages. Nice writing, no heavy plots with lots of characters to keep up with. Some humor! Two secondary characters--Olie and Janey--I hope get a story...

Luc was a Green Beret that got assigned to train Claire on jungle survival. I was surprised that he had to use his leave time to train Claire. That was just so wrong. Claire's father was a congressman and pulled strings--threatened military careers--to train his daughter. She needed to sever those parental ties with her dad and felt leaving the continent was her best choice. Claire was young--24. She both said and did some very silly things. The poor girl ALMOST made my "too stupid to live" shelf!

Luc was a loner, except of his team. He lived and breathed the military, except when he went to his home state--Louisiana--to visit family. He was on his way to Louisiana on leave to help his grandparents rebuild after Hurricane Katrina when he was assigned this new mission to train a city girl how to live in the jungle. Since he didn't have a jungle to train her, he snuck her away to a secluded wooded area in North Carolina--away from her father's watchful eye and spies. I enjoyed reading his sexy french-cajun. He was quite the manly-man!

Both characters were fun to read about and follow. Some corny places and thought the end could have used a little more "umph," but I enjoyed this very hot--erotic--book.

4 1/2 Stars

[Nessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

MEH. I HAVE READ BETTER. THIS ONE LACKED THE GLUE THAT KEEPS THE STORY TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY SOME SPICE BETWEEN THE MC'S. SEX ISN'T SPICE. IT'S HOW THE AUTHOR WEAVES IN THE SENSUALITY AND BUILDS THE PASSION THAT COUNTS. OH, AND OF COURSE THE BONDS THAT MAKE A RELATIONSHIP BY SHARING AND COMMITTING.

HERO'S a military man. Yummy. He's also Cajun and he's charming with a swagger in his own way. I didn't disliked or liked him because he just wasn't doing anything for me. He's knowledgeable but most of the time, I didn't feel connected to the point where getting to know him still makes him a stranger to me.

HEROINE was a complete blank canvas. It was pitiful. Her character leaves little to be desired even if she's not a bitch or bad woman. Determined to prove to her daddy that she's not His Princess, she wants to head out to the big bad jungle where her mother, grandmother and great grandmother used to go. In order to thwart her, Daddy decides to hire a soldier (survivalist) to teach her the tricks of survival in the jungle.

OVERALL it was pretty much revolving around pointless lust. I never use this term on a person, but i though the Hero was a corndog. Plot was shallow and so were the characters.

[Female Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOT. Very decent spice in this book.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Anna]

reviewed x2

[ThePerpetualBookJunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely one sexy read! The explicit detailed description of Luc and Claire’s love-making was really intensely arousing. Although I would imagine that it was really uncomfortable having sex in the wilds. Except for the Cajun French that the hero had used most of the time in speaking (couldn’t even pronounce a single syllable! LOL)… I would say that I’ve enjoyed it for the most part.

The storyline was acceptable since this was after all purely fictional, although in a sense it wasn’t quite that realistic because honestly, I’ve never heard of an officer who talked back to a US Senator and would be requested to train a woman in survival skills just to prepare her for a stay in South America, and a senator’s daughter at that. But I guess, nothing is really that impossible anymore, right? I mean, it could probably happen in real life. The characters, on the other hand, were really okay except for Olie. I was disappointed in him on the last part of the story where he had lectured Luc about being dumb for letting go of a rare “gift”. I mean, as secondary characters you would be able to pick up bits and pieces about him and Janey (Claire’s bestfriend who’s in the army) dating for a while and obviously something happened that was not good because Janey seemed to be really pissed off of him. I would assumed that he’s also dumb in letting go of Janey coz as I recall in the story Olie found her real cute, hehehe. Anyways, I liked the senator in the story; he obviously loved Claire so much that he’s approved of Luc as his daughter’s boyfriend.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first romance novel I've ever read, partially as research for a big paper I'm going to be writing soon about Harlequin, the largest Canadian-owned publishing company. Instead of waxing philosophic, I'll just leave a few choice quotes...

• He stood next to her and stared across the parking lot, shoving his hands into the back pocket of his jeans, tightning the thin fabric across his zipper. Not that she noticed things like that.

• He was as hungry as if he’d come out of a six-week training exercise and she was a lavish buffet.

• “I specifically warned you she was too pretty and you were too horny to take her out in the woods alone, but do you listen to me? No, you don’t.”
“It wasn’t like that,” he growled.
“It wasn’t? Olie drummed his fingers. “I get it now—it was her idea, right? maybe she’s one of those party girls who wanted to get laid by a real American fighting man before leaving the country. I can understand that—you were horny, she was slutty—”
Luc was on his feet grabbing Olie by the lapels and giving him a good shake. “Don’t you ever talk about Claire like that!”
Olie stared cooly at him. “So that’s how it is.”

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my type of romance novel. I don't think the Green Beret could be a more stereotype French Cajun cliché if the author has tried. Both leads are paper thin, cliché and boring. Really, really boring. The spoiled, rich daddy's good girl who is rebelling against her powerful politician father who has enough power to request a Green Beret to teach his baby survival techniques plot is weak, cliché and so very, very boring.

So yeah more like 1/2 star.

[Lyndi W.]

Claire was surprised at how much she could smell with her eyes closed.

This is one stupidly insipid character. Luc isn't interesting enough to save this book from Claire. Shame, because it sounded like an interesting story.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick easy read that has the essence of sexual tension from the outset that builds as the story goes on as Luc Bourdreau teaches Claire Cook how to survive in the wilderness.

Just what you expect from the Uniformly Hot series.

[Marran · Rating 2 out of 5]

ah..well..I don't know.... it wasn't good but it wasn't that bad either...it's a typical harlequin when they are a bit scheezy...some harlequin are actually really good..this isn't one of them..

[Ez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! A perfect trashy romance novel. Sorry, but if you're going to gripe over character development & plot don't read a mills & boon blaze series. This was written exactly as it's slogan "pure reading pleasure"

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot and characters were a little weak but it definately turned up the heat...one of the more erotic harlequins i've read.

[Wminbc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was even a re-read!

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book, you. His Cajun accent is so cute, hot and steamy fluff. Loved it.

[Livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising storyline that was very well done.