Tag Archives: Alaska Force

Special Ops Seduction by Megan Crane – a Review

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Special Ops Seduction by Megan Crane – a Review

 

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Description:
She’s the last woman he ever wanted to see again…

After an official operation turned deadly, Jonas Crow began a new life in Grizzly Harbor with Alaska Force. But when fellow soldier Bethan Wilcox joins the group, she forces him to remember things he actively prefers to forget. That’s unforgivable enough. But now the two of them are forced together on a mission to uncover deadly secrets tied to their complicated past, and with the heat between them at a boil, forgiveness is the least of his worries…

And the only woman he needs.

Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn’t join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas’s foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him. Thrown together in a race against the clock, they have to pretend to be a couple and play nice to throw the enemy off their scent. She knows better than to let their pretend love feel real…especially while time is running out.

Jonas has always been good at saving the world. But it’s Bethan he needs to save this time around—if she doesn’t save him first.

 

 

Review:

Special Ops Seduction by Megan Crane is the 5th book in her wonderful Alaska Force series.  I have read every book in this series, and each book has been equally good, with wonderful couples.  In Special Ops Seduction, we meet our heroine, Bethan, as she is part of the Alaska Force team sent on a mission to rescue a scientist and his sister.

Bethan Wilcox is a former Delta Force soldier, and the first woman to complete Army Ranger training.  Years ago, Bethan saved a soldier’s life, on one of the Delta Force missions.  After she finished her Army Ranger training, she applied and was accepted to become part of the elite Alaska Force Ops team; as Bethan was tough, and equally as good as her fellow male teammates. Her only problem was that Jonas, one of the three original men who started Alaska Force, treats her with distain. 

Jonas Crow, our hero, is a loner, and even his teammates wonder why he is so cold and ungiving to Bethan.  We do learn later, that Jonas was the man Bethan saved in Afghanistan, and he does not like that she is the only one who knows about her saving his life, which he can’t cope with; even though Bethan keeps that secret from his past. I will say early on I was not a fan of Jonas, as he was so nasty with her. 

After the rescue of the scientist and his sister, they place them in a safe house, which in a short time, they are missing.  Isaac pulls the team together to come up with a plan, and it turns out that many of the top generals will be in attendance at Bethan’s sister’s wedding.  Her father is a General, who did not approve of her joining the army. She agrees to bring one of the team undercover as her boyfriend, and is shocked when Jonas offers to go undercover.

What follows is an exciting, intense, intriguing and suspenseful adventure, that had us holding our breaths, and a couple that we rooted hard for.  Spending a week at her family home, with Jonas was a game changer.  Jonas plays the part of her boyfriend, completely different than his normal silent self, and a slow built romance begins; and they became a great team.  It was great to watch Jonas’ heart open up and slowly melt.  At this point I started to like him and also feel sorry for his past; Bethan was the perfect woman for him.  The secondary characters of this series are awesome, as we do get to see all of our previous heroes.  There were a couple of surprises, especially when Bethan recognizes who the real culprit is. 

Special Ops Seduction was very well written by Megan Crane.  The last 1/3 of the books was very exciting and tense as both Jonas and Bethan were in dangerous life-threatening situations, as we raced to the climax.  To say too much more would be spoilers, and ruin it for you.  If you enjoy romance, suspense, action packed excitement, a great couple, then you need to read this series.  Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but to get to know all the wonderful characters, I suggest you start with the first book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane – a Review

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Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane – a Review

 

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Description:
After an explosion that should have killed her, Caradine Scott barely escaped her criminal family by leaving her old identity behind her. These days she runs the Water’s Edge Café in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere, vowing never to let anyone close to her again.

Isaac Gentry is back home after his career in the military, playing the part of an unassuming local in Grizzly Harbor, while also overseeing Alaska Force’s special ops work as the leader and commanding officer he was in the Marines and beyond. He has better things to do than obsess over a woman who claims she hates him, but every glimpse he gets of the vulnerability beneath her prickly exterior is a distraction…and a challenge he can’t ignore.

When Caradine’s demons catch up with her, her café isn’t the only thing that blows up. Her past pushes them together, and closer to a future that’s been waiting for them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.

 

 

 

Review:

Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane is the 4th book in her fantastic Alaska Force series.  I was thrilled to see that the two people we waited for, Caradine and Isaac, were the leads in this book.  ?

Isaac Gentry, a former marine, is the head of Alaska Force, the special ops firm (former military/mercenaries/police) that helps those in need.  Over the previous 3 books, we have seen Isaac’s and Caradine’s attraction to each other, even though she comes across as snarky and distant.  

Caradine Scott, has lived in Grizzly Harbor for 5 years, and runs the local Water’s edge Café in town. She keeps to herself, not allowing anyone to be close to her, with those understanding that she is hiding secrets.  Though she tells Isaac that she hates him, they both act on their lust for each other on occasion, but that is as far as it goes.

When there is an explosion at the café, Caradine ups and runs away, since she suspects the people she has been hiding from have found her.  Isaac is desperate to find her, and help her; and when Isaac is determined to use all of his contacts, he finds her and brings her back to Grizzly Harbor.  The Alaska Force team, and Grizzly Harbor residents show a lot of love to Caradine, which she has a hard time handling.  But her true identity is revealed, with everyone is shocked that she is the daughter of a powerful mafia gangster, who was killed 10 years ago, with Caradine (Julia) having thought to be dead, but she escaped.  Caradine does not want anyone’s help, fearing that they will all get hurt; but Isaac and the team plan to protect her and find who is trying to kill her.

What follows is an exciting, intense, suspenseful, intriguing story, with a romance that we rooted hard for, as well as a few revelations that caused Caradine to protect someone else.  Despite Isaac and his team helping, Caradine puts herself into danger a number of times, in her need to protect others.   There were a couple of surprises, as we raced to the climax to fight the real culprit, with Isaac determined to save Caradine at any cost.  Will Caradine’s stubbornness push her away from Isaac?

I really loved Isaac and Caradine, and prayed they would find a way to be together.  The secondary characters of this series are awesome, as we do get to see our previous heroes.  Delta Force Defender was a great addition to this series, and very well written by Megan Crane.  If you enjoy romance suspense, with lots of action and suspense, you need to read this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sergeant’s Christmas Siege by Megan Crane – Review & Giveaway

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Sergeant’s Christmas Siege by Megan Crane – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
When straight-arrow, by-the-rules Alaskan State Trooper Kate Holiday is sent to investigate a local band of secretive commandos in remote Grizzly Harbor over the holidays, her least favorite time of year, her objective is clear: disband Alaska Force and arrest them. But Kate didn’t count on the diabolical temptation of Templeton Cross. The former Army Ranger exudes charm and has absolutely no respect for the rules of law that govern Kate’s life – too bad he also makes her mouth water and her knees weak.

Templeton has always been good at keeping his game face on and his emotions hidden, especially in combat. But working with Kate brings back memories of losses he prefers to keep locked up tight. As the pressure mounts – and Christmas draws closer – it’s a given that someone’s going to get hurt.

Trouble is, the more time he spends convincing his careful, wary trooper that there’s more to the holidays than her memories, the more he wants to keep her around. Forever.

But forever is the one thing a man like Templeton can’t do. Not even at Christmas.

 

 

Review:

Sergeant’s Christmas Siege by Megan Crane is the 3rd book in her Alaska Force series.  We meet our heroine, Kate Holiday immediately, as she is sitting in a café, waiting for someone from Alaska Force to meet with her. Kate is one of the top Alaskan State Troopers, who has been sent to investigate a local band of former commando soldiers in remote Grizzly Harbor. Kate comes from a rough childhood, having escaped living with a family of cult members.  Kate, as a teenager, was the one who turned her  family in to authorities, breaking up the cult.  She survived to become one the best in her field, but she will be in for a big surprise, especially when she meets one of the Alaska Force members.

Templeton Cross, our hero, is assigned to meet Kate, and they both start off badly.  Templeton tries to explain to Kate that they are not a cult, but hired to help people.  Off course, she does not believe hm, and she has a hard time dealing with his flirting attitude and insists he take her to their headquarters.  When Kate’s plane is blown up, things change, as she now has become the victim. Early on, Kate was very rigid and unwillingly to give Templeton the benefit of the doubt, but when people from her horrid past surface, Kate begins to trust Templeton, not to mention the attraction she is starting to feel.

What follows is an exciting, intense, suspenseful and intriguing story, with a slow burn unlikely romance, but in the end, they did make a great couple.  There were a few surprises, as we race to the exciting edge of your seat climax, and the discovery of who was really behind the attempts on Kate’s life.

About half way through, I really began to like the relationship between Templeton and Kate, but there were doubts to the very end if they would end up together.  Templeton was a great hero, not only his looks, but his personality was awesome, you just couldn’t help fall in love with him.  Alaska Force has a great group of secondary characters, and I really look forward to seeing future stories for them.  Sergeant’s Christmas Siege was an action-packed intriguing story line that kept us in suspense throughout.  Megan Crane did a very good job writing this wonderful suspenseful story.  I suggest to start this series; though each book can be read as a standalone, I recommend to start with the first book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

“You can call me Trooper Holiday,” Kate corrected him.
“I apologize.” Though Templeton Cross did not look apologetic. “We keep it pretty informal around here. It helps remind us we’re not active duty anymore. Trooper Holiday.”
And there was . . . something else in the way he said that. It shivered all the way down the length of her back. Kate sat taller, but the glint in his dark eyes told her he knew why.
When he couldn’t. Of course he couldn’t.
“Let’s get back to this latest incident two nights ago. I’m assuming you know the details.”
“I know the details because I know a thing or two about explosives,” Templeton said, which was agreeing without incriminating himself, as Kate was certain he knew. “And I tend to take a dim view of them being used in the place where I live. Call it a weird preference of mine if you want. So, yeah, I’m aware that some joker blew up a boat. Until your office called us, we figured it was the usual drunk nonsense. Because, let’s face it, out here it usually is.”
“Was it drunk nonsense that knocked your friend Rory on the head and left him tied up for a few hours last spring?”
“My recollection is that he fell.”
“That’s not even a good lie. A man like you can do better. I’m sure of it.”
“First, how can a recollection be a lie? You know what memories are like. So unreliable. And second, what do you mean by a man like me?”
Kate smiled. “This whole performance. Swaggering in late. Lounging around like you don’t have a care in the world. I understand why Alaska Force picked you to be their ambassador. You seem so friendly. So approachable, until a person realizes that it’s all a show. And I saw your face when you walked in the door. Before you started smiling so much. I think that’s probably a whole lot closer to the real Templeton Cross.”
She didn’t know when the tension between them had gotten so thick, but she didn’t do anything to break it. She waited, her gaze steady on his, to see what he would do.
To see who he was.
“I’m pretty sure there’s only one Templeton Cross,” he said after a beat, his voice a deep, amused rumble. “I don’t keep extra ones in a jar by the door.” He tapped a lazy finger on the table between them. Kate figured he was reminding her of his intense physicality, the way men often did. Though she didn’t usually feel it inside her, as if he’d stroked her with that finger. “Life isn’t a Beatles song, you know.”
“I read your military file, and what wasn’t classified made it pretty clear that you’re one of the most dangerous men alive today. And what I have to ask myself is why a man with your background would spend so much time trying to convince me that he’s a tabby cat.”
“A tabby cat? I can tell you with one hundred percent honesty that I have never attempted to act like a tabby cat in my entire life.”
“You’re only making this worse for yourself,” Kate said softly. “You’re making me wonder what you’re trying to hide. And when I start wondering about things, it tends to lead to investigations. And those investigations tend to lead to convictions. Incarcerations. You get where I’m going with this.”
“I can’t say I’m a big fan of cages. Or courtrooms.”
“Then I suggest you help me.”
“I’m nothing if not helpful.” His gaze got significantly more intense when he stopped smiling. “How about this? Alaska Force is being framed.”

 

 

Megan’s publisher, Berkley, is offering a paper copy of SERGEANT’S CHRISTMAS SIEGE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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Sniper’s Pride by Megan Crane – Review & Giveaway

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Sniper’s Pride by Megan Crane – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

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Description:
After Mariah McKenna lands in the hospital with a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction she knows she didn’t cause, she realizes her cheating, vindictive husband would rather have a dead wife than a divorce. Afraid that he will succeed in killing her next time, Mariah goes to Grizzly Harbor to hire one of the Alaska Force special operatives to help her survive long enough to finally live a little.
Griffin Cisneros traded in a comfortable future for boot camp, where he learned the virtue of patience and focus—skills that served him well as a Marine sniper. Few things get to him these days, but something about Mariah’s mix of toughness and vulnerability gets right under his skin. Until it’s clear she’s the one thing in the world that might melt the ice in stoic, reserved Griffin, whether he likes it or not.

If he can just keep her alive…

 

 

Review:

Sniper’s Pride by Megan Crane is the 2nd book in her Alaska Force series.  We meet our heroine, Mariah McKenna immediately, as she just gets out of the hospital, knowing that her husband is trying to kill her.  Mariah wants a divorce, but her husband, who is wealthy and has aspirations to become politically involved, wants nothing to do with a divorce; she knows he wants her dead.

Mariah decides the best thing for her is to leave town, let her lawyer fight for the divorce.  She writes to a firm that helps people in trouble, and when she gets a response to go to Grizzly Harbor, Alaska to meet with the Alaska Force group Mariah leaves for Alaska.

Griffin Cisneros, our hero, is one of the operatives from Alaska Force, and he has been assigned to meet Mariah.  When Griffin sees the beautiful Mariah get off the boat, he becomes determined to sent her back home; since he thinks she is a rich wealthy princess, who wants to be pampered.

Of course, Mariah is nothing like that, even if she is ultra-friendly to everyone, underneath it all, she is very scared for her life.  Griffin treats her coldly, and finds Mariah annoying, as she does things on her own to walk around the town and meet residents.   After a bit, Mariah’s independence and friendly attitude creates problems for Griffin, who is fighting off his attraction to her.  Griffin thinks himself as a machine to do the job he is good at, and not meant for a woman.  

Just when Griffin convinces his leaders that Mariah is probably imagining the threats on her life, things change that will bring Griffin and the Alaska Force team working together to help Mariah against the threats coming against her.  Griffin realizes the error of his ways, and becomes deeply involved in saving Mariah, especially when due to his lack of attention, she is now in danger.

What follows is an exciting, intense suspenseful story, with intrigue and a romance that was a slow burn, but in the end, they did make a great couple.  There were a few surprises, as we race to the exciting edge of your seat climax, and the discovery of who was really behind the attempts on Mariah’s life. I loved watching the members of the Alaska Force step up and together battle the bad guys.   A talented group that I look forward to see more of in future books.  I really liked seeing Everly befriend Mariah, and help her, as well as to find a way to make Griffin open his eyes to his true but hidden feelings for Mariah.

Sniper’s Pride was a wonderful romance suspense story that was written very well by Megan Crane and had a bit of everything.   I look forward to the next book and suggest you give this series a try.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing,” Griffin said in a warning tone that made her heart thump. “I’m not sitting in this lobby for my health. It’s yours we’re concerned about.”
“I appreciate your concern,” she assured him. “Truly.”
“Then appreciate it quietly. Up in your room.”
He sounded furious. But Mariah was so close to him now, and she could see him. And for all his icy fury, he didn’t step back. He didn’t set her away from him. He didn’t do anything but continue to stand there, straight and stiff, his jaw clenched like he was this close to exploding.
Mariah would bet anything that he was.
“You should be careful.” Griffin’s voice had grown even darker. More intense. Which meant only that Mariah could feel it in even more places. “You might not like the response you get.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Mariah drawled.
It was now or never.
She held Griffin’s gaze. Then she reached out, entirely too aware of her own breath, and slid her hands over his chest.
It was like sliding her palms over one of the wood-burning stoves that heated the inn. He was as hard as iron and as hot. She could feel the simmering heat and the power of him through the henley he wore, and it made her shudder, because it proved what she already believed.
He wasn’t cold at all. He burned the same way she did.
She waited for him to order her to step back. But he didn’t.
His face still seemed carved from stone. But if he imagined that was a barrier, he was mistaken. She liked the stone, particularly when she could feel that all those sculpted marble ridges in his abdomen were hot to the touch.
He made her want to curl up against him and purr.
Instead, Mariah did the next best thing. She surged up onto her tiptoes, tilted her face to his, and then pressed her lips against Griffin’s.
And for a moment, it truly was like kissing some kind of statue.
He didn’t move. She would have thought he didn’t breathe, either, but her hands were on his chest. She could feel the faint movement. And better still, the wild pounding of his heart.
So she kissed him again. She kept her mouth on his, like she was teasing him awake. Like something out of a fairy tale.
Once. Again.
And then he broke.
One second he was motionless and still, the most beautiful sculpture of a man she had ever beheld. And the next he was . . . liquid heat.
He angled his head to one side, opening his mouth over hers, and she felt the sound he made—half fury, half need—light her up inside. His hands were on her face, moving her head where he wanted it, and taking control with a swiftness and a certainty that made her toes curl.
And it was better than an explosion. It was deeper. Wilder.
He kissed her like a starving man, but she was just as hungry.
She couldn’t get close enough. She couldn’t taste him enough. She couldn’t get enough.
And when he pulled his mouth from hers, his hands wrapping around her shoulders and holding her away from him, his gaze was the darkest she’d ever seen it.
Furious all over again, but this time without a shred of that deep chill she was used to seeing in him.
“Griffin . . .” she began, through lips that no longer felt entirely like hers.
“You think this is a game.” His face was so close that it was almost like another kind of kiss. “You think— what? If you shatter every boundary I have it will end well? Because it won’t. You have no idea who I am. You have no idea what I’m capable of. The control that I keep over myself isn’t for me, Mariah. It’s for you. It’s for the world in general. You don’t need to see what happens when I’m out of control.”


 

 

Megan’s publisher, Berkley, is offering a paper copy of SNIPER’S PRIDE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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Seal’s Honor by Megan Crane – Review & Giveaway

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Seal’s Honor by Megan Crane – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
The last thing Blue Hendricks needs six months into his uneasy reentry into civilian life is trouble in the form of his old friend’s kid sister, all grown up and smack in the middle of a dangerous murder investigation. But he didn’t become a SEAL to turn his back on the hard stuff, and he can’t bring himself to ignore Everly’s call for help–no matter how much he knows he’s not fit to be around the soft, vibrant woman she’s become. Not after the things he’s done.

Everly Campbell is desperate. When her roommate is murdered and the body vanishes, Everly fears she might be next. With no one to believe her, Everly runs to a remote Alaskan town to find a man she only vaguely remembers and his crew of ex-military brothers who could be her only hope. Blue wants to keep things all business but Everly isn’t a little girl anymore and the commanding former SEAL is more temptation than she can resist.

As the men on Everly’s trail draw closer, Blue will do anything to protect the woman he’s starting to think of as his…

 

 

Review:

Seal’s Honor by Megan Crane is the first book in her new Alaska Force series.  This is my first book by Megan Crane, and I thought it was an excellent story, but with some mixed feelings.

We meet our hero, Blue Hendricks, at the start.  Blue is an ex-Seal and a loner, who has moved to Alaska.  He doesn’t know what to make of his life, now that he is a civilian, and with his life being in turmoil.  He meets Isaac, who though they live in a small town in Alaska, convinces Blue to join them on the Alaska Force, which  is made up for former soldiers much like Blue; giving them all a feeling of purpose in their lives. 

Everly Campbell, our heroine, is desperately running away.  She ends up in Grizzly Harbor, where she finds Blue.  Seems Everly used to live across the street from Blue, before he left his family 20 years before.  She is desperate, feeling that only Blue can save her.  Everly witnessed her roommate being murdered in their apartment, and managed to escape and go to the police.  But when they came to look, there was no body, or evidence of anything; so the police wrote her off as crazy.  But Everly knows the murderers will come looking for her, and decides to find the one person who experience as a Seal will be the only one to save her.

Blue is not happy when Everly shows up.  He only recognizes her as the little girl he knew back then, and is determined to send her on her way. But Everly is persistent, and Isaac, with the rest of the Alaska Force team convinces Blue to help her.

What follows is an exciting, intense story that will bring Blue, Everly back to the scene of the crime, and find out the truth about her roommate, and who is behind this.  There are a number of surprises, especially as we race to the climax to fight off the many attempts on Everly’s life; and the discovery of who the culprit is.

The romance between Everly and Blue was slow built, with Everly being attracted to Blue from the start.  For more than half the book, I wasn’t crazy about Blue.  He was stubborn, mean, unbending, even to the point when he began to have feelings for Everly.  I understand his emotional state from the demons of his past life as a Seal and his family that he left all those years ago; but I found it hard to like him and his       treatment of Everly. I also did not feel too much chemistry between them.  The first half of the book had a lot of internal memories of the past, which took us away too much from the current story.

I did enjoy when Everly was able to convince Blue to visit the family he walked away from, and come to terms with his life.  Everly was a great heroine and I really liked her.  The secondary characters were very good, giving us a glimpse of what is still to come in future books.

Seal’s Honor was a good romance suspense, with an intense and exciting mystery. I plan to read the next book in this series, and suggest you give this book a try.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Megan’s publisher, Berkley, is offering a paper copy of SEAL’S  HONOR to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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8. Giveaway runs from November 9 TO 13, 2018

 

 

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