A chance meeting starts the journey in the "spook" or CIA spy, Darcy St. James and a SEAL Sam "Cougar." I love the irony that the spook doesn't know how to swim and when the attempt to take her out by one of her old contacts "Sergey" puts her in a pool after being stabbed, Sam is there to help her out. I love the easy friendship that evolves even though both of these individuals is focused on keeping their country safe from terrorism. Terrorism is what brings them together in their purpose. Darcy is wanting to keep her retired home in South Dakota a safe haven and comes out of retirement to help one last time to make the U.S.A safe. Agents are being killed, her friends and colleagues, she can't just let that pass besides the bounty on her head and the attempt on her life. Sept. 11 takes the whole U.S. forces by surprise and starts the ball rolling to step up the defensive.Sam feels drawn to Darcy from the start. Her job helps to cut the worry for her understanding his job and dedication. He has a hard time remembering her job puts her in harms way too and his natural instinct is to protect.I loved the continuation of the characters from previous novels, Kelly and Jake, Tom and Jill as well as the introduction into the lives of Sam or "cougar" and his finding of his second half.Fiction like this makes you really think about what sacrifices our U.S. forces give to protect our freedoms and safety without our knowledge.This in one that is hard to put down just because you are so invested in the lives and outcomes of the characters!
I have enjoyed reading Dee Henderson's books, but for some reason I found this book a little harder to get into. It was the same attention-grabbing story line of suspense, murder, mystery, romance, and the like, but I found the story a little more unrealistic and not as well-written as the other books by Henderson. I felt like there were too many very close calls - but nothing bad really happened - and quite often in the heat of things the chapter ended and the story shifted scenes. Some parts I felt like could have been drawn out a bit more at the tense parts, but instead were cut short. Other times I felt like there were conversations or in between scenes of explaining things in detail that I found myself skimming over to get back to the story. However, I still give this book three stars because the story was still suspenseful and definitely had my heart pounding as I waited to hear if they found the bad guys. It was a good book, just not what I usually expect from Henderson.
The 3rd book in the Uncommon Heros series and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the plot of this one, as it revolved around terriorists, CIA missions and the events of 9/11. Plus, it was great to have Cougar as the lead character, with mentions of Bear, Kelly, Wolf and Jill from the prior books. I was a bit disappointed though that nothing was mentioned about Striker and Gracie from book #2. That's very unlike Dee Henderson. Plus, what about the double wedding for them with Wolf and Jill? I didn't think I would enjoy this series as much as I have, but I'm glad to say I have a new interest in military organizations!
—Sara
I enjoyed this one much better than the second in the series for one reason, the plot seemed to go somewhere. (See my review of True Valor for further explanation.) Of course, certain aspects of the plot require the reader to realize that it is Christian romantic suspense, namely the instant connection between Darcy and Sam and the lack of trouble she has getting Sam in as an active participant in CIA affairs.The climax did feel a little disjointed and unclear to me but that's most likely due to the speed with which I read the end of the book. (I was trying to finish it before I had to leave for work.)Once again, I'll say that these books a good, well-written, feel-good fiction. They're not the great American novel (obviously) but sometimes it's good to have something easy to fall back on after trying to muddle through something like War and Peace. ;)I recommend this book and the series to any who enjoy well-written, feel-good fiction.
—Jeni Enjaian
Darcy St. James is a retired CIA agent...until one of her former contacts requests to meet with her. After a failed assassination, Darcy is back at work trying to figure out the truth and catch terrorists. In the midst of all this, she crosses paths with Sam Houston of Seal Team 9 (from previous "Uncommon Heroes" books). As Darcy and Sam work separately with the same agenda they fall in love, but their lives are far from out of danger.This book had plenty of intrigue, suspense and fun-to-read situations. It reminded of an Alias episode :) The characters were loveable and the writing was great.
—Pamela Hubbard
