Hot Zone [Mass Market Paperback]

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!

We met Hugh Franco in the first book Cover Me. We know that he lost his wife and daughter and likes taking the most dangerous missions. When Hot Zone starts out we find our heroine Amelia and her newly adopted 13 month old nephew Joshua under a hotel after an earthquake has ravaged the Bahama island. After a search and rescue dog points to there location Hugh manages to climb down to them. In this tiny space trapped under a bld Hugh starts to feel something for this woman with the blue eyes. Its not something he wants but yet he is drawn in. Amelia has a few of her own demons. She had been in a crappy marriage and her father turned out to be a pedophile who killed himself rather than go to prison. As more aftershocks trap Hugh below with Amelia the two form a bond but both think it can go no further than what they are feeling at that moment.

Once they are rescued Amelia and Joshua are taken to a makeshift hospital where she hopes to find out news on her brother and his wife. Hugh goes back to his team to clean up and get a little sleep before starting on more searching for survivors. But he cannot get Amelia and the little one out of his head. So he continues to go and visit them at the hospital.

There are also two secondary relationships and a baby stealing plot going on.

The first is Amelia's brother Dr Aiden Bailey and his wife Lisabeth who is also his nurse. They have both worked for Doctors without Borders and now with Operation Smile. They had come to the Bahamas to finally there adoption of Joshue when the earthquake hit and separated them from Amelia and Joshua. Aiden never wanted any kids of his own due to having a pedophile for a father but Lisabeth convinced him to adopt. As Dr's and nurses are needed they end up volunteering even though both are extremely worried about the fate of Amelia and Joshua.

The second is Major Liam McCabe (Hugh's boss) He has had 3 marriages and 3 divorces. He know's he falls to fast for women and again cant help himself when he meets the replacement USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) Rachel Flores. Rachel just came out of a bad relationship and it not looking for another even though Liam is very persistent.

Now back to Amelia and Hugh... Amelia catches a person posing as a nurse trying to take Joshua and tries to stop her and ends up getting herself kidnapped along with the baby. Hugh hears Amelia's screams and rushes to try and save her..

We go back and forth between the 3 stories and also with the leader of the baby snatching ring called The Guardian who things she is doing the world a favor by taking children who have no parents and placing them with good families.

I really like angst driven books and watching how each of the characters get over there deeply traumatic issues.

Hugh has to overcome his deeply rooted sorrow over losing his wife and daughter.

Aiden has to overcome is never wanting any blood children of his own when his wife tells him she is pregnant.

I liked the first book and was really looking forward to this book from the teaser that was at the end of it. It did not disappoint. We get to experience so many characters overcoming tragedy in this book. It was a none stop thrill ride until the very end.

Entertaining if somewhat unfocused and ultimately over the top.

Master Sergeant Hugh Franco rescues trapped Amanda Bailey from the wreckage of her hotel in earthquake ravaged Bahamas only to land in the middle of a black market kidnapping ring. Now, he must use all his skill as an elite pararescueman in order to keep them alive.

Let me start with gushing about the beginning of this story. The rescue from the hotel wreckage was nail-biting, awesomesauce, amazing. More than once, I was tempted to peak at the end, just to ensure that characters had lived and what a payoff when that rescue is completed. Even in the lull aftermath of the rescue, this story held the intensity and surprised me with the romantic tension despite the devastation of the surroundings.

It simply worked. The characters were likeable and their reactions to the situation felt real. Even the shag in the closet was appropriate (and trust me, I'm ubber critical about inappropriate/tacked on smut scenes).

However... Once the story moves away from the earthquake rescue and into the black market kidnapping ring, it felt like a completely different book. Like a sequel to a great story that doesn't quite match up to the emotional intensity of the original. This part of the story (I do consider it a mash-up of two linked stories) starts off with a bang of Rambo vs. van chase.

The problem is not in the chase itself, but that it comes in the heels of an emotionally intense first part. This makes the chase and subsequent second rescue feel way over the top. Add that to the intrusion of secondary and tertiary story-lines (and their accompanying POVs which includes the - sympathetic? - 'villain') and suddenly the emotional impact of the beginning starts to fray, losing its impact.

Had the rescues, earthquake vs. kidnapping ring, been completely separate, both would have ultimately had more cohesion and rated higher for me.

As it stands, Hot Zone is a solid story with very likeable characters that starts out with an amazing bang and, although it loses its intensity, remains an entertaining read.

Reviewed by Calisto
for The Romance Reviews

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 35 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars