Hot Zone

Great Read!

From the beginning of the book there is action. I couldn't put it down and before I knew it, I had finished the whole book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Alex

Go to fourth result and put spaces between things...

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

highly recommend

Awesome!

Great one the run romance

Really enjoyed this one. Nonstop action from start to finish.

Action packed read!

If you like "on the run" romance, be sure to check this one out! Second in a series but can be read as a standalone book.

Great!

I thought this book was great although it seemed a little long at times. I plan to read more by this author.

Hot Zone is another exciting edition to a fantastical series centered on a team of sexy and daring Pararescuemen!

Hugh Franco lives life on the edge as a PJ (Pararescue Jumper), running from his past and saving lives to make up for the ones that he lost so long ago. When an earthquake sends Hugh and his team to the Bahamas, he is the first one crawling through the rubble. Trapped underneath feet of debris Hugh finds Amelia Bailey and is instantly drawn to her bravery and cool head, earning his respect and starting a fire in his blood even before he can tell what she looks like. Once free from the fallen building Hugh can¿t seem to let Amelia and her young nephew go but before they can explore their attraction further they are swept up into an abhorrent scheme of kidnapping and human smuggling. Can Hugh extract Amelia and her nephew from the evil clutches they find themselves in before the kidnappers realizes that they¿re on to them? And if he can, will their new attraction survive past the devastation they¿ve found on the ravaged island?

Catherine Mann weaves heated romance with nail biting suspense in the second installment in her captivating and intense Elite Force series. If you¿ve read Cover Me then you will remember the daring Hugh Franco from the PJ team in Alaska, but if you haven¿t then that is okay because the author has set Hot Zone up perfectly to read as a standalone.

Hugh is a tortured soul, living through the loss of his wife and child he is easily relatable to any reader and his story tugs on your heartstrings. Having nothing left to lose he feels that it is his job to take on the most dangerous assignments and spare his team mates. Brave, honorable, self-sacrificing, sexy as all get-out with a soft spot for children¿Hugh Franco is a dream boat.
His story was well written and paired with the feisty Amelia they gave each other balance in all the right places. Together they sizzled and the story intrigued.

I didn¿t find Hot Zone wasn't as fast-paced and riveting as the first novel, Cover Me, but it definitely made my must-read list of 2011 and the series in general is on my must-read series list so I am eagerly anticipating the next novel, Under Fire (May 2012) which features Liam McCabe, Rachel Flores and Disco, who we see a bit of here in Hot Zone.

Another Exciting Elite Force Story

Catherine Mann delivers another thrilling elite force story in Hot Zone.

Pararescueman Master Sergeant Hugh Franco has dedicated his live to serving and saving others. No risk is to great for him to tackle. But nothing touches his heart that is until he saves Amelia Bailey and her precious nephew for a devastating earthquake. Something about this woman captures him like nothing has in years.

Amelia Bailey travels to the Bahamas with her brother and his wife to help facilitate their international adoption. Her occupation as a lawyer should be an added tool to move the process along. None of them planned on an earthquake throwing the country into turmoil.
After she and baby Joshua are rescued their real trouble begins. Seems there are smugglers that are dealing in children just like her nephew and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Amelia and Hugh are thrust into the middle of a dangerous situation and must relay on their wits and each other to survive. In the middle of running for their lives they discover an attraction that they can not ignore. Will they be able to outwit the danger and grasp a love that neither has knows?

Hot Zone pulls you right into the peril of the earthquake from page one. You can feel the terror of the unknown and how it affects everyone. Amelia and Hugh struggle with their past but it doesn¿t keep them from realizes what they have found is worth keeping. Catherine Mann is on my must read list. Looking forward to more exciting books in this series.

Good Second Book In Series

This is a great second story in tue series. I fell for Hugh as his past was told in the first book, and was looking forward to his story.

Hot Zone

I enjoyed this book it was different then other romance novels. It has suspense, action, sense of humor and love. It was a page turner also. I recommend it.

Incredible Suspense!

My Review:
What an incredible, action-packed, emotional book. OMG, I absolutely adored this book featuring another of Catherine Mann¿s incredibly sexy and courageous Air Force PJ, Hugh Franco.

This book is about Amelia, a lawyer who is in the Bahamas helping her brother and sister in law with their adoption when an earthquake strikes. Amelia is with baby Joshua when the earthquake flattens their hotel and after 2 days, they are finally found and rescued by Hugh. Amazingly, this is just the start of their life-threatening and life-changing adventure together. This book definitely keeps you at the edge of your seat, but not only in the adventure and action of it all. The romance is absolutely fantastic too.

Hugh lost his wife and 4 yo daughter in a plane crash 5 years ago. Since then, he has thrown himself body and soul into his work as a Pararescue Jumper. He is not comfortable around kids anymore because they remind him of all that he lost when that plane crashed. As a result, being around baby Joshua is bringing up all sorts of emotions that he has worked really hard to not deal with. Honestly, he never wants to fall in love again¿it hurts too much.

Agreeing with that philosophy is Amelia. She had a horrible divorce and a pain-riddled relationship with her father that has left her more than a little leery about getting attached too. But there is a connection between Hugh and Amelia that is undeniable. Luckily fate steps in to push them together so that they have a chance to realize that and each other and to make their connection.

In addition to the wonderful romance and adventure happening between Amelia and Hugh, there are a couple of other side-stories that are just as riveting in this book. There is Amelia¿s brother, Aiden and his wife Lisabeth, who are dealing with the stresses of their missing baby, Joshua. Aiden is also dealing with lots of doubts about his becoming a father because his own father was such scum. Aiden doesn¿t want to do anything to hurt another child the way that his father hurt him. Both Aiden and Lisabeth are medical pros so they are also working triage on the island, which adds stress. There is a ton of things pulling at this couple, but their story was really interesting. I don¿t tend to like getting distracted by side-stories, but this one totally worked and I enjoyed it within this book.

There is also a new romance blooming between Liam, Hugh¿s commander, and a rescue dog handler, Rachel. That story line wasn¿t completed, so I am hoping that there is a book to come featuring those two. As friends, there could be a real romance blooming which would be fun to read esp. with Liam¿s history with women.

Overall, this was an amazing book. It had action. It had adventure. It had life-threatening situations. It had a riveting story line. It had a fabulous romance. It had a super-sexy military hero and one super-strong heroine. It had characters that I fell in love with. It truly did have it all and it was all tied up in wonderful writing. It was definitely a fantastic book!

Fantastic Read

Strong characters that never falter in their determination to serve ¿that others may live¿ make Hot Zone an adrenaline-pumping journey through hellish experiences and emotional upheavals.

Amelia Bailey, a tough, no-holds-barred county prosecutor, entombed under a collapsed hotel, tamps down hysteria and claustrophobia. By wiggling her arm through a small hole, she can touch thirteen-month-old Joshua, her adopted nephew whom she had told her brother and sister-in-law she would take care of. She vows to do whatever it takes to keep him alive until help arrives. The ensuing dangers that Amelia meets and overcomes are hair-raising, yet read as if they are late-breaking news.

Master Sergeant Hugh Franco, a pararescueman, truly does serve ¿that others may live¿. He has found no other reason to live since the death of his wife and daughter. He seems to work at the most dangerous assigns as if they are getting him one day closer to joining them.

When his involvement with Amelia and Joshua doesn¿t end when he rescues them from the rubble, Hugh has a personal battle to fight. He balks again and again at the long-dormant emotions coming alive and making him vulnerable, making him care, maybe even love. He is somewhat of a Superman at rescues, but afraid of caring emotions.

The earthquake demolished city, the looting and crimes, the human trafficking, the jungle dangers, and human depravity keep the reader in a breath-holding mode much of the time. Amelia, so out of her depth and dependent on Hugh, creates an anxiety that keeps the reader turning pages to see how in the world they escape the many perils.

The secondary characters like three-time divorced Major Liam McCabe and the rescue dog handler Rachel Flores should have a book all their own. They are a unique couple that deals with the horrors of their jobs in ways that give the reader insight into two complex personalities that have a special connection.

Other characters that struggle with personal problems are Amelia¿s brother Dr. Aiden Bailey and his nurse wife Lizabeth. They help save as many as they can in the make-shift hospital, as they look for and inquire about Amelia and Joshua in their down time from doing surgeries. But the family issue they much come to terms with threatens to derail their marriage.

Of course, the antagonists, especially the Guardian and crew are a despicable lot that ramps up the action to the max. How their twisted minds justify human trafficking is abhorrent.

The sex scenes to ¿decompress¿ and the sex scenes with love create a wrinkle in time. They help block out the horrors and terrors of that has happened. These scenes also enhance connections that help get the characters on the road back to normalcy and to a life with hope for happy-ever-afters.

Catherine Mann¿s powerful writing style sweeps the reader into pulse-pounding dangers, gripping suspense, and spine-tingling passion. Moreover, she creates super heroes that send the heart racing. The women she creates have their share of flaws but are strong, intelligent, passionate and worthy of love. Hot Zone assails the senses, offers up an-off-beat sort of humor, and stirs emotions from the very depths of one¿s being¿a transporting read.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Read!

I'm pretty sure I squealed and danced a jig when I was approved to read Hot Zone for a review. I mean really, Cover Me was put directly on my re-readable shelf when I finished it, and I've been slowly making my way through the Wingmen Warriors series as well. Catherine has such a way with romance, such a strong grasp of the military, and knows how to explain new terms, processes, and 'stuff' without bogging the reader down with details. I have loved every book I've read of hers, and Hot Zone easily continues that streak.

Let's start with the basics ¿ this time our pararescuemen are on an island in the Bahamas, looking for survivors after a devastating earthquake. The book really drags you into that world of chaos and destruction, of danger and confusion. You've got a woman trapped under a collapsed hotel, doing everything she can to keep her nephew safe; a pararescuman risking his life to save her; an officer determined to keep his team alive; a search and rescue dog handler with attitude to spare; and a married couple doing what they can to help while wondering if their family is still alive.

And so begins a tale of not just one romance, but three¿

Reading three separate romances at once added such a wonderful depth to this book. You get a peek into six lives, a look at how couples meet, come together, and stay together. It isn't just about Hugh and Amelia, the main couple in the book. There's this whole past-present-future vibe going on ¿ the long-married couple, the two that fall in love along the way, and the newly introduced, who barely make it through a kiss before the story ends. It's beautiful, really, to see these people interact, both as couples and with other people around them ¿ with family and friends and fellow soldiers. Each couple has their quirks, their way of dealing with each other and the stresses around them that made them so real in my head. I never got bored with the storylines, nor did I get confused as to which couple was which. Catherine kept the writing clear and the characterizations solid.

The plot of the book was heart-wrenching. I cried for Hugh on more than one occasion, especially with the musical references Catherine brings to the story. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling something important, but you'll want to keep the tissues handy. Hot Zone also forces you to think about the bad side of doing good¿ if that makes sense (it will once you read). At times, you just can't decide whether to cheer or boo at certain characters. The story is strong, the romance is hot, the fear is tangible, and the pacing is wonderful ¿ exactly what you need in a book like this and perfect for a cold winter night read.

As with Cover Me, this book has found a permanent home on my re-readable shelf. Hugh and Amelia really wormed their way right into my heart with their charm and witty banter. The love scenes helped a bit as well. Hopefully we'll get to see more of the 'future' couple in upcoming books. I'd love to see that story play out. But for now go buy Hot Zone ¿ read it, love it, read it again. It's totally worth it!

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