Long Road Home in Alpha Heroes & Spitfire Heroines

Dec 23, 2008 Auntee rated it really liked it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, 2009_reads, read-but-no-longer-own

Not a bad little romantic suspense by the author Sharon Long, who many may recognize by her pen name of Maya Banks. This book was very heavy on the suspense though, and not so much on the romance. In fact, things didn't start cooking romantically until about 2/3 of the way into the book. And while the few romantic scenes were tender yet hot, I wouldn't label them 'erotic'. A little explicit but not erotic, and definitely nothing kinky. The hero, Manny, was very loving, forgiving, and protective Not a bad little romantic suspense by the author Sharon Long, who many may recognize by her pen name of Maya Banks. This book was very heavy on the suspense though, and not so much on the romance. In fact, things didn't start cooking romantically until about 2/3 of the way into the book. And while the few romantic scenes were tender yet hot, I wouldn't label them 'erotic'. A little explicit but not erotic, and definitely nothing kinky. The hero, Manny, was very loving, forgiving, and protective of Jules, the heroine. I figured he must have loved her very much because she was a suspected terrorist, and yet he still wanted to protect her and help her. He was one very devoted hero.

I felt bad for Jules. Three years ago she was recruited at a young age by a terrorist organization, blackmailed into joining, and brutalized by one of it's leaders. She had no one to turn to for help, and ended up forced to do things she abhored, and hated herself for it. Till one day her childhood friend Manny came back into her life, and vowed that he would never let her go again. Manny works for the CIA, and thinks he can help Jules out of the predicament she's in. But Jules doesn't know who to trust or what she can believe, and the very man she's trying to protect refuses to leave her side. Jules is told if she pulls off one more job for her organization, she can leave and have the life she's always wanted. Can that possibly be true? Or is it too late to have a future? And what about Manny? Could he possibly still love her after he knows the full extent of what she's done?

There's some nice little surprising plot twists and turns in this one, which suspense fans will love. For me, I could have used a little more romance and background into Jules and Manny's relationship when they were growing up together as neighbors. Apparently 10-yr. old Manny found 2 yr. old Jules abandoned on the streets, and brought her to a neighbor family who he was very close to. They adopted her and raised her, and despite the eight year age difference, Jules and Manny were very close. Supposedly they were close enough that Manny wanted to marry Jules, which came as a shock to Jules (and to me) when Manny told her about it when they reunited. I just didn't get the sense that they were 'in love' before they reconnected--I assumed that Jules loved Manny as a sibling or friend. So a little bit more detail about their early years would have worked for me.

All in all, not a bad read, especially if you like your romantic suspense heavier on the suspense. The hero was wonderful, the heroine brave, the plot was original, there was plenty of action, and there was a little surprise at the end. It entertained me, and kept me turning the pages. 4 stars. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review