Review: Hot Zone

Posted December 16, 2011 by Jen in 3.5 stars, Military or Suspense Romance, Rating B Tags: , ,

Hot Zone
Author: Catherine Mann 
Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Elite Forces series #2
ISBN: #978-1402244988
Genre: Military Romance
Format(s): Paperback (316 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
Days full of danger…
For Pararescueman Master Sergeant Hugh Franco, it’s all about saving other people’s lives. Then he moves on. But when he pulls beautiful Amelia Bailey and her adopted nephew from the rubble of a catastrophic earthquake, he finds himself entangled in their lives in ways he could never have imagined…
And desire-filled nights…
Amelia’s trip to the Bahamas to help with an international adoption has been no vacation, but the hardest part is yet to come. As Amelia and Hugh are pulled unawares into a deadly smuggling scheme, simmering beneath their growing need to protect each other is a compelling attraction they’re both determined to deny…
What G & U are talking about:
Hot Zone is the second novel in the new Elite Forces series by Catherine Mann.  Although contemporary is not Gikany and Una’s typical cup of tea, we found Hot Zone to be a wild and enjoyable action-adventure-romance.
This story revolves around Sergeant Hugh Franco, a PJ who takes terrible risks since losing his wife and child in a horrific plane crash.  He lives only for his job and for those that he saves.  However, when he meets Amelia while rescuing her from a collapsed building, he thinks that maybe he could have a second chance at a real life.
We enjoyed the interplay between Amelia and Hugh.  Although she doesn’t think of herself as courageous, Amelia is able to do what is necessary.  She has a very earthly and realistic feel in some aspects.  However, she comes across a little stronger than we expected from the pictures that her job and flashes of her life in Alabama gave.  The contrast was interesting as it shows you can’t truly know yourself until you are truly tested.  We feel the pairing of Hugh and Amelia was a good one; they balance each other and are very respectful of each other.
What truly enthralled us, however, was the plot line.  The story of the earthquake and those who take advantage of the most vulnerable at a time like that sucks you in.  We just wished there was a little more to it.  This seems to be a reoccurring sticking point for us: the romance is good and woven pretty well into the main plot line, which is what really grabs us, but we feel like we want more.  We will say that we enjoy that although the attraction that takes place is overwhelming; the characters still try to take their time.  The romance isn’t necessarily rushed; the sex may be, but not the emotions between them, which saves Hot Zone for us.
In general we are enjoying the Elite Forces series, which is surprising since we, as stated numerous times, are not big contemporary romance fans.  Despite that, we really enjoy this military angle.  In some ways, the storylines and characters feel like we are watching the story play out on the big screen.  We recommend Hot Zone for your guilty pleasure reading.  It’s really like having G.I. Joes to fantasize over (*Una fans herself*).  The next book in this series, Under Fire is due out early next year and we look forward to reading it!
Their Rating:
Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)
 
 
Books in the Series:

3 responses to “Review: Hot Zone”

  1. Jay R

    I was looking the other day and noticed that my book shelf is short on hot military romances. I’m always looking for one that is done well. I will add this to my TBR.