HARD LINE (Cobra Elite #5) by Pamela Clare-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 25, 2020

A woman dragged into danger…

Dr. Samantha Park’s life is shaken when her best friend and research partner dies barely two months into their eight-month stretch at the South Pole. She hasn’t begun to face her loss when men from Cobra International Security arrive to recover sensitive military components from a crashed satellite—and ask her to come with them. As a scientist, she has always been suspicious of the military, and flying across Antarctica in austral winter is more like suicide than a rescue mission. But when she hears what’s at stake, she agrees to help and is forced to put her trust in Thor Isaksen, the tall, broad-shouldered Dane who leads the Cobra team.

The only man who can keep her alive…

Thor served as an elite soldier in Afghanistan and spent two years as part of a Danish spec-ops unit patrolling sea ice in the Arctic. He’s used to the cold and constant darkness. That’s why he’s been tapped to lead this mission. Under orders to do whatever he must to keep a dangerous weapon from falling into enemy hands, he’s prepared for every scenario—except one. Samantha, with her blue eyes and brilliant mind, takes him by surprise. She’s confident in her abilities as a scientist and yet so unsure of herself as a woman. Stuck at the station with his team until the weather clears, he can’t ignore the growing attraction he feels for her even if she’s the last thing he should be doing on the job.

A killer who will destroy them all…

As temperatures drop to one hundred below, the heat between Thor and Samantha flares out of control. But a killer is lurking on station, someone with an agenda that threatens not only the lives of every person there, but also global peace. It will take all of Thor’s skill and strength to stop the murderous traitor—and keep himself and the woman he loves alive.

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REVIEW: HARD LINE is the fifth instalment in Pamela Clare’s contemporary, adult COBRA ELITE romantic suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Cobra International Security. This is former Danish spec-ops solider Thor Isaksen, and astrophysicist Dr. Samantha Park’s story line. HARD LINE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Samantha and Thor) HARD LINE follows in the aftermath of a downed military satellite in the remote regions of Antarctica. Thor Isaksen, and several members of Cobra International Security had been tasked with the recovery of the US satellite before it fell into the hands of a potential enemy. Staying at one of the South Pole science stations, Thor would come face to face with astrophysicist Dr. Samantha Park, the woman with whom Thor would fall in love but all was not well at the research station when a young woman dies under mysterious circumstances, and everyone including Samantha become suspect in her death. As Thor and several members of the Cobra Elite team are quickly deputised as US Marshals, an investigation would reveal a killer was closer than anyone could have imagined. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Samantha and Thor, and the potential fall-out as our couple are targeted and left alone to die in the Antarctica cold.

The relationship between Samantha and Thor begins as a working assignment when Thor discovers Samantha was the victim’s best friend. Working together to retrieve the important parts of the military satellite, Thor and the agents from Cobra Elite would encounter a Russian Team hoping to take back what didn’t belong. As Samantha and Thor’s relationship begins to build, Samantha quickly realizes that their relationship comes with an end date, a date coming all too soon. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and animated secondary and supporting characters including several members of the Antarctica mission: site manager Steve Hardin, astrophysicists Greg Martin, Bai Zahang Wei and Kazem Hamidi, Kristi Chang RN, cook Jason Huger, Lance, and coms manager Charli ; Cobra Elite Team members including co-owner Derek Tower, Malik Jones, and Lev Segal; as well as several Russian agents with questionable pasts.

HARD LINE is a story of betrayal, greed, survival, power and control. The premise is intriguing and imaginative; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are energetic and spirited. HARD LINE is a startling and energetic addition to the Cobra Elite series.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Hard Target
Hard Asset
Hard Justice
Hard Edge

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy