I think that Katie Reus’ Bound to Danger should come with a note for employers, spouses, and friends. They just have to understand that if you begin reading this second book in her Deadly Ops series that you, the reader, will not be seen or heard from until you turn the last page. Yes, that’s right. Reading this book may be hazardous to interpersonal relationships, but will bring you much enjoyment along the way!Seriously, I couldn’t put it down. I've really enjoyed several of Reus’ other series in both the romantic suspense and paranormal genres, but even so this particular book grabbed my attention like no other had before.
I didn’t want it to end, yet at the same time I wanted, no needed, to know what was going to happen. Yes, from the moment I cracked the cover and began reading the backstory of how Cade O’Reilly came to work for the black-ops NSA team, I was hooked.
Then Reus introduces Maria Cervantes, who’s on her way to an exclusive Miami party in order to seek funding for a non-profit community center she manages. Yes, her parents are well-to-do, but she’s not a debutante. Instead she’s dragging herself from her sickbed, albeit with her father’s bodyguard as chauffeur, to attend a gathering of Miami’s glitterati to try to keep the center open.
But her good intentions only go so far and it’s clear she’s under the weather. When a friend of the family takes her to a room off the beaten path in this mansion, she's relieved to be avoiding the party scene where servers uniforms are literally painted on (yes, paint on skin). But her respite doesn't last for long as what she overhears in the room next door causes her to run outside, just before the whole world implodes around her.
Unknown terrorists with an agenda that cannot be guessed at had bombed the mansion. Everyone in attendance, including Maria’s mother, was killed. Only Maria survived, but now has no memory as to why she was outside or what took place after she left her home to attend the party.
Whew! From that description you can see that Reus immediately amps up the action in a way that makes it totally impossible to even think of taking a break from reading. Yes, this book is that good!
For the romance quotient just add in the fact that the NSA Agent who wanders into Maria’s hospital room is Cade, who also just happened to be her deceased brother’s best friend. But while Cade survived his military service in Afghanistan, Maria’s brother did not. Nor did their budding relationship that had promised to be “the relationship” for both of them.
Soon Maria became the prime target for the terrorists and Cade was doing everything he could to protect her.
Like Maria, I couldn’t hold onto my reader resentment toward Cade for his dropping her like the proverbial hot potato. It was clear that there was more to the story and, if I were patient and didn’t put the book down, I’d find out. (Yes, you’re beginning to see a theme here, right?)
Usually in books like these the good guys and bad guys are well defined, no matter how many shades of gray one thinks one sees. However, knowing the terrorists' motivation in seeking retribution made me sympathize and empathize with them. In fact, the terrorist leader was someone who I almost felt could be rehabilitated, unlike his angry and violent lieutenant.
Bound to Danger has so many plot twists, so much action, and is so well written that, yes, you guessed it, I couldn’t stop reading - all night long. Thus my warning, this book may cause temporary insomnia until the last page is read.
Now my next mission is to pull Targeted, the first book in the Deadly Ops series, from my Kindle library and reread it. Guess I won’t get any sleep tonight either!
So, if you’re looking for a romantic suspense thriller that will keep you up all night. That is also a compelling romance and includes some fascinating and unusually portrayed characters. That includes enough pulse-pounding action to have adrenaline spiking throughout your body. Well, look no further than Bound to Danger by Katie Reus, a cannot-put-it-down, emotionally charged, sexy and thrilling summer must-read.
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From the Publisher
Deadly Ops, Book 2
Bound to Danger by Katie Reus
Signet (Penguin Group)
ISBN 9780451419224
Price $7.99
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
At a benefit dinner, community activist Maria Cervantes overhears two men plotting a terrorist attack that could rock Miami to its core. But before she can alert authorities, she’s almost killed in a massive explosion—and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. As the sole survivor of the attack, she is now a person of interest to the NSA—and especially to Agent Cade O’Reilly. Because Maria is the one woman Cade has never been able to forget.
Years ago, they were closer than either was willing to admit—until Cade disappeared when Maria needed him most. Now he’s sticking by her, whether she likes it or not. Because the memories locked inside her mind could hold vital clues to the next attack. Because terrorists want her dead—and because he never wants to let her go again.
