Deep Breath

Smithson Group #7

by Alison Kent

When a guy stops at a roadside diner, he expects bad chili, not a hostage situation. But that's where SG-5 operative Harry van Zandt finds himself when an armed cartel blows through the door They're not after him but the woman in the next booth, and their message is clear: she's got seventy-two hours to locate and deliver a valuable historical document or her brother dies. And if Harry wants to live, he'd better go with her. Harry has his own undercover mission to finish, but with a trigger-happy band on their tails, it'll have to wait. Not that he minds helping George McClain. The tough treasure hunter is as smart as she is sexy. She's also desperate. That artifact could finally clear her late father's name. She needs Harry if she's going to double-cross these thugs and keep it for herself, and her gratitude is the kind that could turn a guy's head. Too bad that document is of vital importance to the Smithson Group, and Harry's Top Secret Mission is to get it before it falls into the wrong hands. Now, the beautiful, infuriating woman he's starting to fall for could lead him right to what he needs--"and what she so desperately wants. Out on the open road with a price on their heads, two unlikely lovers are caught in a game of secrets, lies, betrayals, and desire, where trust is risky and love leaves no time to catch your breath.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Ebooks, Mystery

306 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

I often read of or hear about authors who knew they were meant to tell stories from the time they left the crib. Me? I didn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty years old - and then sold my first book at thirty-four. Still, it was obvious that I always knew I was going places.

Like so many other authors, I was a voracious reader from day one, devouring everything from Nancy Drew to My Friend Flicka, which I remember sitting hovered over the heater vent in the kitchen floor to read while my father made his coffee.

I moved on to my mother's Phyllis Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Mary Stewart gothics before discovering my first true romances written by Lucy Walker and set in the Australian Outback. And then, at last, when I was 18 I found 'The Flame and the Flower'. (My son almost spent his life as Brandon because of that, but I spared him and named him Casey instead!)

Why write romance? Because love stories have always been a major part of the books I've loved. Father Ralph and Meggie Cleary. (I did name my daughter Megan after reading The Thorn Birds! Do you see a trend here?) The aforementioned Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons. Wolf Mackenzie and Mary Potter.

Even more so, it's because I love writing romance heroes. The men who sweep both heroines and readers off their feet - not to mention their authors, too!

I've spent several years happily writing action adventure romance for Kensington Brava along with hot and sexy series romances for Harlequin Blaze. Now I'm thrilled to be a launch author for Vows.

Reviews

[Ballerina60 · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good book. i have 3 problems with it: 1) no romantic sex; only the very steamy/wild kind. steamy/wild is good, but so is romance. 2) this author has trouble ending stories. they just sort of stop. what happened to the bad guys (all of them)? what happened to the documents? and, really? her brother wants to just flush his money down the toilet? he might have children of his own someday. like some others of this series, the ending is just "i love you", THE END. 3) at the very beginning, why not just call the cops? really! why not?

[Coco.V]

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[~Mindy Lynn~]

AMAZON FREEBIE 8/7/17

[Night Runner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for me!

My rating range of this story... 2 - 3.5
If significant, why?

Main Character Ratings...
H = 6/10
h = 6/10

Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 4/10
If below 5/10,why? The narrator was clear and concise but came across as robotic. If she loosens up a bit, she sounds like she would be very good.

Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of? No

Angst Level? Heavy
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop


Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 60%
How much of the story? 5%
Anything beyond M/F?
If yes, explained

Heat Rating...
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No

The back story... The blurb says it all

The Romance... Mainly lust and sex... very little romance.

The drama explosion... The H does something that pisses of the h
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Contrived
Was it OTT? Not really
Separation involved? Not really
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Ok

Final Notes... You have to read the previous books or you will be a bit lost.

HEA or HFN? HFN

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting tale

The whole premise of the book is a very thrilling whodunit, who has it, how do we get it. Harry meets Georgia at a diner when a hostage situation is taking place. Georgia and her brother are the kidnapper's objectives and Harry and Georgia end up on the road together searching for a treasure.

Harry is one sexy hunka man and he takes Georgia on an adventure that is more romance than treasure hunt. Georgia hadn't had anyone to lean on for a long time and Harry's broad shoulders are looking pretty good. But once the mystery is solved, will there be anything to hold them together.

[Mary Aquino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful...

The suspense aspect of this story is on point, and the sex is pretty dang steamy. Georgia's storyline is supe interesting and Harry is likeable from the get-go. But... some of the book drags. I have to say I liked it but it took me over 10 days to slog through it because it didn't keep my interest continually.

If you are casually reading romantic suspense stories and don't have 20 in your queue, this is a great story...but if you have a long list of others waiting for you, maybe set this aside until you have a couple of uninterrupted vacation days to dig in.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for series readers

I enjoyed this novel a lot, having read the ones prior in the series. I was already committed to the characters and had to know what happened next. Though the story had its own drama, it was a lightly connected to things that occurred in prior novels in the series, and I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it without reading them first. Those loyal to the series will love the ending and connecting the dots.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense and romance

I love the characters in this series. This book has so much mystery and suspense that it kept me reading. And the romance with the HEA ending was good. Enjoyable book.

[Larisa Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I love how this series just keeps getting better, and surprised by the entire story and plot ties each book together even though each is separate. An amazing story full of adventure, sparing, secrets, and love.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line is good the alpha men are hot and the women give them a run for their sanity. Good series.

[Dawn Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot confusing for me. I sort of had people behind dossier, then out of nowhere somebody else is thrown into the mix. Somethings were explained that cleared some questions up from previous books. I did not like how Harry handled things with Georgia towards the end. The questions I had with the book kept me turning the pages. The story was a struggle for me.

[Lynn Mullan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

[Donnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Good storyline with characters wit life like features. Recommend this to anyone. Didn't quite understand the ending . Enjoy yourself

[ElaineY · Rating 1 out of 5]

Deep Breath was frustrating to read. I couldn’t figure out wtf Kent was trying to say. The story starts off fine but then it loses its way and at the end of the book, I didn’t have a clue what was going on or what Kent’s dialogue even meant!

I found out later, in the Romance Reader Teview, that it really should be read with the NEXT book because that book continues the story. As far as I’m concerned, DB should not be advertised as a stand alone then!

Update Aug 2007: I never got round to buying the next installment which I think was called Beyond A Shadow because when it made its appearance, the synopsis didn't sound as if it was a continuation of Deep Breath. Thinking it there was no point buying another book which would only increase my confusion, I told myself I'd have to read ALL the SG-5 books from the start to do Ms Kent justice.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the earlier installments - Samm's Agenda, The Shaughnessy Accord, The Alibi but because the reviews were raving about how hot and action-packed they were, I thought it was just me and decided to give Ms Kent another go. I bought Larger Than Life and still couldn't see what the fuss about. What other reviewers found 'sizzling hot' left me cold; what they found gritty and thrilling, I found vague and convoluting. Still believing those reviewers were right and I was wrong, I decided to try Deep Breath. I'm such a sucker for romances involving sexy covert ops heroes and Ms Kent always got a 'Burning' rating on AAR so how could I resist?

So after Deep Breath, I bought The Perfect Stranger.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good novel. At first it wasn't at all what I thought it would be but later on Kent met my expectations, though I couldn't help but roll my eyes at some points and gag at others because the enticingly strong Georgia McLain seems to become more and more soft throughout the book. For example the steamy scene at the gallery. I understand that that was a good time to throw in a little sexual toy to the readers to play with and mull over but after wards Georgia should regain her composure and be able to keep a poker face. She doesn't. The only female of the McLain siblings is supposed to be a notable treasure hunter and antiques expert so should be able to compose herself at the drop of a hat or better yet hide her emotions, not turn into a quivering lump on the verge of tears just at the aspect of getting close to obtaining a dossier that she's been obsessing over for years....The ending also seemed a bit rushed to me. If you met up randomly with a guy you'd had a weekend fling with you wouldn't jump in to the car with him as soon as he said he wanted you to come to New York with him, I don't care how hot he is, or how much you 'love' him...it's not practical so Kent should have taken more time writing out that part with care. Other than these minor complaints I truly do believe that Kent got her ideas and storyline across well enough for this to be an enjoyable novel.

[Molly Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about what you would expect it to be. It was a fast paced crime/ heist romance with a well-structured plot. The side characters had a good amount of air time which I think is rare in these books that sometimes focus too much on the protagonists relationship. I appreciated the characters were in their 30s, making them older didn't make any of the plot jumps in their relationship seem as impulsive and unrealistic as others in the genre. Would recommend if you like heist books and are after a quick read.

[Ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot as any other Alison Kent book. Fully recommened to those who like suspense with their hot romance!

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story! Kent is good at both romance and intrigue.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 2 out of 5]

2

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book. Parts of it were a little drawn out and the relationship between the two characters was a little cheesy. Nice, mindless reading

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great suspenseful, edge of your seat. Believable and interesting characters.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are written in English in a way to grab and maintain your interest. I am looking forward to the next book.