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The Associates #1
Against the Dark
She's an ex-safecracker forced into one last heist.
Angel Ramirez left the safecracking game five years ago, and she’s worked hard to make amends and build an honest life. But when a beloved aunt is kidnapped, she must reunite with her girl gang to acquire the unique ransom: Walter Borgola’s prized diamonds. It’s a simple job that turns into a nightmare, thanks to a surprisingly clever—and searingly sexy—security guard named Cole Hawkins.
He's an undercover agent with big plans for his gorgeous thief.
Cole is one of the Association’s most brilliant agents, under deep cover investigating a ruthless killer. He’s also running out of time: hundreds will die if he doesn’t stop the plan Borgola’s set into motion. Catching Angel is the break he needed--he promises not to turn her in if she poses as his lover and uses her unique talents to unlock the sociopath’s dungeon vaults.
But as pretend passions turn real, Cole regrets drawing Angel into his deadly game…and danger is closer than either of them could ever imagine.
Angel Ramirez left the safecracking game five years ago, and she’s worked hard to make amends and build an honest life. But when a beloved aunt is kidnapped, she must reunite with her girl gang to acquire the unique ransom: Walter Borgola’s prized diamonds. It’s a simple job that turns into a nightmare, thanks to a surprisingly clever—and searingly sexy—security guard named Cole Hawkins.
He's an undercover agent with big plans for his gorgeous thief.
Cole is one of the Association’s most brilliant agents, under deep cover investigating a ruthless killer. He’s also running out of time: hundreds will die if he doesn’t stop the plan Borgola’s set into motion. Catching Angel is the break he needed--he promises not to turn her in if she poses as his lover and uses her unique talents to unlock the sociopath’s dungeon vaults.
But as pretend passions turn real, Cole regrets drawing Angel into his deadly game…and danger is closer than either of them could ever imagine.
202 pages, ebook
First published April 17, 2013
298 people are currently reading
2639 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Crane
25 books1,161 followersAfter spending her youth thoroughly obsessed with Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy and convinced that her suburban neighborhood was awash in dangerous secrets, Carolyn Crane grew up to become a RITA-nominated author of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and other tales of adventure and love; she also writes erotic romance about bank robbers as Annika Martin.
Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.
Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
April 20, 2013
4 stars - A Romantic Suspense with Brains, Brawn, and Skillful Hands! (Includes clever use of a condom packet!!!)
”Everything was different. His…heart was open wide—dangerously wide, vulnerable to everything. It was okay. His open heart was a good wound.
Pulled out of ‘retirement’ by her old team of thieves, Angel Ramirez’s skills are needed to crack the safe of sadistic organized criminal, Walter Borgola. The men holding a beloved aunt captive demand Borgola’s prized diamonds as ransom. To be caught stealing would be a fate worse than death. The team is entirely unaware there is another person with his own objective. Cole Hawkins – sexy, blilliant, dangerous, undercover - adds tension to the game plan. He will do anything and use anyone to accomplish his mission.
Known for her unconventional characterizations and unique world-building, it was with cautious hope that I read Against the Dark. How would Carolyn Crane’s creativity shine in a generally formulaic sub-genre? There aren’t any Disillusionists or any hint of fantasy within this novel, yet the main characters reflect Ms. Crane’s distinctive touch.
Ms. Crane's main characters tend to have unique traits or something a little odd about them. Angel and Cole have an offbeat quality. They also manage to maintain their edge as safecracker and undercover agent. The abundance of tangled emotions attached to their ‘gifts’ give them layers. The touch of contradiction in Angel’s character establishes her credibility as a reformed thief caught up in the game.
While the characters are well-drawn, the romance requires some faith as Angel and Cole have one of those instant connections common in romantic suspense. This issue is addressed as the story progresses. Their intellectual compatibility, cltandestine skills, and explosive sexual chemistry reinforce their bond. Cole is quite an abstract thinker and a very impressive lover! The sexy times will certainly satisfy the steam-loving fans!
The characters take us along for the twisty ride as Ms. Crane builds upon her new espionage world, which I hope to learn more of since it is still a little hazy. Overall, snappy dialogue, clever characterizations, proof condoms can be sexy, and scorching love scenes all set within a depraved crime lord’s party atmosphere beget a thrilling beginning to a new series.
My Verdict: Recommended Read!
Favorite Quote - Simple and Affecting [WARNING: Somewhat spoilerish!]
"He'd told himself earlier that he'd try to save her if he could. That was no longer true, he realized.
He'd try to save her even if he couldn't."
Advanced copy courtesy of Carolyn Crane through an ARC drawing in exchange for an honest review - to be posted no later than April 28th
August 10, 2015
This is what happens when I don’t have a reading plan or actually I was just killing time before my next few buddy reads and this was on my ipod. I picked this one up right after I finished the Disillusionist series and it isn’t bad but it isn’t great either. Part of that is just me because I just finished 5 other books similar to this so I’m over it for a minute.
I enjoyed the premise of a reformed safe cracker coming out of retirement to help out her old crew for one last job and getting caught up in something bigger. Angel was only going to do this one job and that was it. It is for a good reason too, to save her Aunt Aggie who has been kidnapped. But it seems that life wants to drag her back into it and very hot bad boy Cole.
But at least Cole is a bad boy with a good heart. He needs Angels help to break into the safe of his current mark in hopes he can find the material he needs to save some kids….ahhh see he isn’t a bad guy. How better to do that then to pretend she is his girlfriend to get her onto the compound.
The chemistry between the two characters is really good and I liked them together. Cole is even pretty good at dirty talk and had I not just finished 4 books in the Kit Rocha’s Beyond series it would have been hotter…but I had so it was just okay. Still this was an easy read and I enjoyed the time with the characters and getting a hint of the lives of the Associates.
The associates seems like it is going to be a decent anti-hero series. Cole isn’t quite a bad guy but he has made some hard choices in the past and has let some people get killed along the way if it helped his end goals. The thing I liked about this book was the unconventional HEA she gave the characters. They are who they are and it really fit.
I’ll probably give a few more of these a try as Carolyn Crane writes very readable books. They aren’t perfect but engaging enough with fast escalations and resolutions that everything rolls along at a speed that makes them really entertaining.
I enjoyed the premise of a reformed safe cracker coming out of retirement to help out her old crew for one last job and getting caught up in something bigger. Angel was only going to do this one job and that was it. It is for a good reason too, to save her Aunt Aggie who has been kidnapped. But it seems that life wants to drag her back into it and very hot bad boy Cole.
They used to joke about it back in the day—if they wanted to know if a guy was troubled or self-destructive in some way, they just needed to check if Angel thought he was hot. Bad boyfriend radar, they called it. Because if Angel was attracted to a guy, it meant he was probably wounded or feral, a doomed thug with a hurricane for a heart. It meant that she could love him, but never save him.
But at least Cole is a bad boy with a good heart. He needs Angels help to break into the safe of his current mark in hopes he can find the material he needs to save some kids….ahhh see he isn’t a bad guy. How better to do that then to pretend she is his girlfriend to get her onto the compound.
The chemistry between the two characters is really good and I liked them together. Cole is even pretty good at dirty talk and had I not just finished 4 books in the Kit Rocha’s Beyond series it would have been hotter…but I had so it was just okay. Still this was an easy read and I enjoyed the time with the characters and getting a hint of the lives of the Associates.
The associates seems like it is going to be a decent anti-hero series. Cole isn’t quite a bad guy but he has made some hard choices in the past and has let some people get killed along the way if it helped his end goals. The thing I liked about this book was the unconventional HEA she gave the characters. They are who they are and it really fit.
I’ll probably give a few more of these a try as Carolyn Crane writes very readable books. They aren’t perfect but engaging enough with fast escalations and resolutions that everything rolls along at a speed that makes them really entertaining.
August 8, 2015
Angel Ramirez is a retired jewel thief now interior designer. It's been five years and she's called by her friends to do one more job to save someone close to them. Cole Hawkins is working undercover for an organization called the Associates trying to takedown one of the most despicable crime bosses who just happens to be the mark of Angel and her friends.
What works in this story is the crippling suspense and sleek skills of Angel and Cole. Both of them are highly skilled and their points of view read like a modern espionage film as the dialogue is sparse and fast paced. The tension starts right away and just ramps up with each chapter. The climax was just chilling and seemed like it wouldn't end. My only criticism relates to two issues that didn't seem to be clarified by the end.
The story fit the characters beautifully, even if it required a different style of romance. I'm intrigued by the concept of the Associates and am definitely planning to continue the series. The action and suspense is almost terrifying as no one's safety is guaranteed. Just how I like it.
What works in this story is the crippling suspense and sleek skills of Angel and Cole. Both of them are highly skilled and their points of view read like a modern espionage film as the dialogue is sparse and fast paced. The tension starts right away and just ramps up with each chapter. The climax was just chilling and seemed like it wouldn't end. My only criticism relates to two issues that didn't seem to be clarified by the end.
The story fit the characters beautifully, even if it required a different style of romance. I'm intrigued by the concept of the Associates and am definitely planning to continue the series. The action and suspense is almost terrifying as no one's safety is guaranteed. Just how I like it.
June 17, 2015
3.5 STARS
I first discovered this author with her Disillusionists trilogy, which blew me away. Till this day I can't understand why it doesn't have higher ratings. I really liked this but it didn't have the same bang of intelligence as the trilogy. It was however full of great pacing, perfectly written steam and sharp banter. I love this author's style, she keeps me turning the pages and biting my nails with her action sequences.
I loved Cole, he was a geek...a hot and built geek and we don't see enough of those in romance these days. I really liked Angel as well. She was so similar to Cole and they just worked. I loved the ending too, I didn't even need an epilogue!
I first discovered this author with her Disillusionists trilogy, which blew me away. Till this day I can't understand why it doesn't have higher ratings. I really liked this but it didn't have the same bang of intelligence as the trilogy. It was however full of great pacing, perfectly written steam and sharp banter. I love this author's style, she keeps me turning the pages and biting my nails with her action sequences.
I loved Cole, he was a geek...a hot and built geek and we don't see enough of those in romance these days. I really liked Angel as well. She was so similar to Cole and they just worked. I loved the ending too, I didn't even need an epilogue!
October 17, 2018
Read for the October prompt in the TBR Challenge.
I haven’t read anything by Carolyn Crane before, but her romantic suspense novels come highly recommended, so I picked up this first book in her four-book series The Associates for this months’ prompt. It’s fast-moving and well-written with some nicely steamy scenes – plus the hero is a hot, dangerously sexy maths-nerd who wears glasses. Um. Yeah, that right there was enough to get me interested! (Think Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters – I did! ;)) On the downside, the romance is a bit hurried; the events of the story take place over three or four days so there’s not a lot of time to develop a relationship beyond physical attraction and the fact that the hero and heroine have to trust each other if they’re to make it to the end of the book alive. That said though, Against the Dark was enjoyable and I pretty much blew through it in one sitting; sometimes one craves well-done hokum with fights, chases, things blowing up and crackling sexual tension, and that’s exactly what I got so I was pretty happy by the end.
Former jewel thief and expert safe-cracker Angel Ramirez has been on the straight and narrow for the last five years and now makes her living as an interior designer. But she’s agreed to come out of retirement to pull a job with her friends and fellow thieves, Macy and White Jenny, that’s very personal to them. A violent gang has kidnapped Macy’s Aunt Aggie, who practically raised all three of them, and is demanding the set of priceless diamonds belonging to crimelord Walter Borgola – “the biggest pimp-scumbag and God knows what else in L.A.” - as ransom. Angel’s job is going to be to crack the Fenton Furst safe in Borgola’s bedroom; she’s one of the few people in the world who has the skills and knowledge to do it, so the ladies have got themselves into one of Borgola’s sleazy parties/orgies where they’re posing as working girls while waiting to make their move.
Cole Hawkins is one of The Associates, a shadowy organisation that is frequently used to do the jobs that can‘t be done legally or with official government sanction; “Officially, no governments knew about them; unofficially, they were central to the international fight against crime.” Cole has infiltrated Borgola’s operation as one of his security team, and for the past nine months has been gathering evidence and information on the sex trafficking ring Borgola is running out of Myanmar. Cole has recently uncovered an even more sinister side to the operation; Borgola is bringing in kids and using them in snuff movies, and there’s a new ‘shipment’ on the way, so Cole is up against it if he’s to track down the ships the kids are on, get them out of harm’s way and nail Borgola.
He knows the evidence he needs is contained within a second Fenton Furst safe which is in a hidden location in Borgola’s mansion. Whoever cracked the safe containing the diamonds will be able to crack the second one; Cole tracks Angel down and lies in wait for her at her apartment - and pretty much blackmails her into helping him.
From then on in, things move at a cracking pace as Cole and Angel – neither of whom trusts easily – have to work together to find the safe and obtain the information Cole needs. The romance is, as I said at the outset, perhaps a little rushed, building as it does over just a few days, but the pressure-cooker environment and close proximity in which Cole and Angel are operating, together with the smoking hot chemistry between them helps to make it if not completely believable, then at least perfectly plausible. The plot is twisty and well-constructed, with plenty of action and edge-of-the-seat moments, especially in the last quarter, when things really do get hairy.
Angel and Cole are complex, damaged and somewhat morally ambiguous. Angel clearly regrets her criminal past and what she sees as her inner ugliness, but her intelligence, resourcefulness and loyalty make her an engaging heroine. I also loved the ‘girl-power’ vibe that came off her relationship with Macy and White Jenny; these women obviously know each other intimately, and care about each other deeply, and even though they’ve not pulled a job together in five years, neither of those things has gone away. Cole is an intriguing mix of alpha and beta hero, a man who’s done a lot of things he’s not proud of and is prepared to keep doing bad things if it means he gets to help people who need it. He’s a maths genius and logistics expert, reducing problems to patterns and equations, the sort of guy who follows the paper-trail and comes up trumps – but he’s no slouch in the badassery or take-charge departments either.
I can’t deny though, that there were a few WTF? moments along the way, such as Cole telling Angel that her abilities as an interior designer somehow meant she could “see things we can’t” (huh? She can tell a bad guy by the quality of his laminate flooring?) or when Cole’s not-so-inner maths-nerd surfaces during sex scenes; “Women had been equations before this,” or “This woman … made his sigmas and coefficients swirl in a tornado.” - ouch?
Still, hot nerds are my catnip and I enjoyed Against the Dark for the sexy, escapist fun it was. I’m definitely planning to read the other books in the series.
I haven’t read anything by Carolyn Crane before, but her romantic suspense novels come highly recommended, so I picked up this first book in her four-book series The Associates for this months’ prompt. It’s fast-moving and well-written with some nicely steamy scenes – plus the hero is a hot, dangerously sexy maths-nerd who wears glasses. Um. Yeah, that right there was enough to get me interested! (Think Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters – I did! ;)) On the downside, the romance is a bit hurried; the events of the story take place over three or four days so there’s not a lot of time to develop a relationship beyond physical attraction and the fact that the hero and heroine have to trust each other if they’re to make it to the end of the book alive. That said though, Against the Dark was enjoyable and I pretty much blew through it in one sitting; sometimes one craves well-done hokum with fights, chases, things blowing up and crackling sexual tension, and that’s exactly what I got so I was pretty happy by the end.
Former jewel thief and expert safe-cracker Angel Ramirez has been on the straight and narrow for the last five years and now makes her living as an interior designer. But she’s agreed to come out of retirement to pull a job with her friends and fellow thieves, Macy and White Jenny, that’s very personal to them. A violent gang has kidnapped Macy’s Aunt Aggie, who practically raised all three of them, and is demanding the set of priceless diamonds belonging to crimelord Walter Borgola – “the biggest pimp-scumbag and God knows what else in L.A.” - as ransom. Angel’s job is going to be to crack the Fenton Furst safe in Borgola’s bedroom; she’s one of the few people in the world who has the skills and knowledge to do it, so the ladies have got themselves into one of Borgola’s sleazy parties/orgies where they’re posing as working girls while waiting to make their move.
Cole Hawkins is one of The Associates, a shadowy organisation that is frequently used to do the jobs that can‘t be done legally or with official government sanction; “Officially, no governments knew about them; unofficially, they were central to the international fight against crime.” Cole has infiltrated Borgola’s operation as one of his security team, and for the past nine months has been gathering evidence and information on the sex trafficking ring Borgola is running out of Myanmar. Cole has recently uncovered an even more sinister side to the operation; Borgola is bringing in kids and using them in snuff movies, and there’s a new ‘shipment’ on the way, so Cole is up against it if he’s to track down the ships the kids are on, get them out of harm’s way and nail Borgola.
He knows the evidence he needs is contained within a second Fenton Furst safe which is in a hidden location in Borgola’s mansion. Whoever cracked the safe containing the diamonds will be able to crack the second one; Cole tracks Angel down and lies in wait for her at her apartment - and pretty much blackmails her into helping him.
From then on in, things move at a cracking pace as Cole and Angel – neither of whom trusts easily – have to work together to find the safe and obtain the information Cole needs. The romance is, as I said at the outset, perhaps a little rushed, building as it does over just a few days, but the pressure-cooker environment and close proximity in which Cole and Angel are operating, together with the smoking hot chemistry between them helps to make it if not completely believable, then at least perfectly plausible. The plot is twisty and well-constructed, with plenty of action and edge-of-the-seat moments, especially in the last quarter, when things really do get hairy.
Angel and Cole are complex, damaged and somewhat morally ambiguous. Angel clearly regrets her criminal past and what she sees as her inner ugliness, but her intelligence, resourcefulness and loyalty make her an engaging heroine. I also loved the ‘girl-power’ vibe that came off her relationship with Macy and White Jenny; these women obviously know each other intimately, and care about each other deeply, and even though they’ve not pulled a job together in five years, neither of those things has gone away. Cole is an intriguing mix of alpha and beta hero, a man who’s done a lot of things he’s not proud of and is prepared to keep doing bad things if it means he gets to help people who need it. He’s a maths genius and logistics expert, reducing problems to patterns and equations, the sort of guy who follows the paper-trail and comes up trumps – but he’s no slouch in the badassery or take-charge departments either.
I can’t deny though, that there were a few WTF? moments along the way, such as Cole telling Angel that her abilities as an interior designer somehow meant she could “see things we can’t” (huh? She can tell a bad guy by the quality of his laminate flooring?) or when Cole’s not-so-inner maths-nerd surfaces during sex scenes; “Women had been equations before this,” or “This woman … made his sigmas and coefficients swirl in a tornado.” - ouch?
Still, hot nerds are my catnip and I enjoyed Against the Dark for the sexy, escapist fun it was. I’m definitely planning to read the other books in the series.
January 4, 2014
After going straight for five years, Angel finds herself pulled back into the life of crime when her aunt is kidnapped and held for ransom. The price for her aunt's freedom is that she and her friends get into Walter Borgola's mansion, open a safe that is all but impossible to open and steal a fortune worth of diamonds.
After she succeeded in cracking the un-crackable safe, Cole tracks down Angel and makes her an offer she can't refuse. Either she goes back into Walter Borgola's mansion and cracks another safe or he will turn her in. Borgola isn't one to be taken lightly, he's sadistic and perverted and kills for fun, but the price of failure is the death of hundreds of innocent children being trafficked into the U.S., and Cole is all too willing to sacrifice both Angel and himself for a chance at saving them.
This book is amazing. I read book two Off the Edge a week or so ago, and on the strength of it I just had to get book one and read it right away. I've heard a few people say they thought Off the Edge was better than this one, but I'm not seeing it. Both are (in my opinion) 5 Star reads for anyone who loves romantic suspense.
Now...I just need Carolyn Crane to hurry up and give me book 3!!!
After she succeeded in cracking the un-crackable safe, Cole tracks down Angel and makes her an offer she can't refuse. Either she goes back into Walter Borgola's mansion and cracks another safe or he will turn her in. Borgola isn't one to be taken lightly, he's sadistic and perverted and kills for fun, but the price of failure is the death of hundreds of innocent children being trafficked into the U.S., and Cole is all too willing to sacrifice both Angel and himself for a chance at saving them.
This book is amazing. I read book two Off the Edge a week or so ago, and on the strength of it I just had to get book one and read it right away. I've heard a few people say they thought Off the Edge was better than this one, but I'm not seeing it. Both are (in my opinion) 5 Star reads for anyone who loves romantic suspense.
Now...I just need Carolyn Crane to hurry up and give me book 3!!!
June 10, 2017
Against the Dark
3.5 Stars
Angel Ramirez thought she had left her life of crime behind her. But when her friend's aunt is kidnapped for ransom, she agrees to one more job. Unfortunately, the simple heist becomes more complex when Angel is caught by undercover agent, Cole Hawkins, and he blackmails her into helping him stop a vicious killer involved in the production of snuff films.
The suspense plot is rather unrealistic and very predictable. Nevertheless, the romance is intense as Cole and Angel have smokin' hot chemistry and their banter is fun.
Cole is an intriguing mix of Alpha and Beta heroes. On the one hand, he is as nerdy as they come with his logistics fixation and attention to detail, but on the other, he is no slouch in the possessive and domineering department either.
Although she does exhibit one or two TSTL moments, Angel's intelligence, resourcefulness and fierce loyalty make her an extremely likable heroine. Moreover, her safecracking skills are atypical for a woman in the romantic suspense genre, which makes her all the more intriguing
The villain is smarmy and his business is depraved beyond belief. That said, his menace is never fully realized and the final confrontation is anti-climactic.
All in all, a solid start to the Associates series and the nature of the agency and it's mysterious leader is compelling enough to continue.
3.5 Stars
Angel Ramirez thought she had left her life of crime behind her. But when her friend's aunt is kidnapped for ransom, she agrees to one more job. Unfortunately, the simple heist becomes more complex when Angel is caught by undercover agent, Cole Hawkins, and he blackmails her into helping him stop a vicious killer involved in the production of snuff films.
The suspense plot is rather unrealistic and very predictable. Nevertheless, the romance is intense as Cole and Angel have smokin' hot chemistry and their banter is fun.
Cole is an intriguing mix of Alpha and Beta heroes. On the one hand, he is as nerdy as they come with his logistics fixation and attention to detail, but on the other, he is no slouch in the possessive and domineering department either.
Although she does exhibit one or two TSTL moments, Angel's intelligence, resourcefulness and fierce loyalty make her an extremely likable heroine. Moreover, her safecracking skills are atypical for a woman in the romantic suspense genre, which makes her all the more intriguing
The villain is smarmy and his business is depraved beyond belief. That said, his menace is never fully realized and the final confrontation is anti-climactic.
All in all, a solid start to the Associates series and the nature of the agency and it's mysterious leader is compelling enough to continue.
January 20, 2016
I went into this book expecting it be more of a romance novel than it actually was, which is weird because the romance was such a central point of it. I think part of that was because Cole, the H, spends something like two-thirds or three-fourths of the novel telling the reader that, if it came down to it, he would sacrifice Angel, the h, for the cause. I completely understand that the life of one person (who he believes is a career criminal) isn't at all comparable to that of a bunch of innocent kids who are going to be tortured, raped, and murdered, all for the sake of snuff-film entertainment...but I'd still rather not spend such a large chunk of the book with the H telling me that, ya know? I had to spend several chapters with Cole giving me variations of:
While, yes, it can be argued that Cole was never going to do that if it had come down to it. In fact, Cole tells the readers this exact sentiment later on. Some of his actions are even in direct contradiction to what he says and thinks. Like when he acts all protective over Angel even around his friend/fellow Associate Arturio? It's obvious in his actions that he wouldn't have sacrificed her. But I got tired of reading his POV and having him reiterate that he would, especially right afterwards.
There was also the part where they were undercover while with Borgola. Angel had to dress in a bikini for the sake of her role, even going into the pool while Borgola sat there watching, with Cole sitting by and watching this disgusting man objectify her. I didn't like it that she was placed in that situation, but I understood that they had to go through with it in order to keep their cover intact. And then this:
Again, I get that they they're forced to comply in order to remain undercover, but I still didn't like it. I understand what the nature of their jobs required of them, so I didn't feel it was fair to dock marks because of that.
Another situation was when Angel and Cole were going to have sex and Cole
My other issue with that scene was that I hated that it was their first time together. It all felt so mechanical because he kept thinking . He also keeps thinking that he knows Angel won't be okay with this. So while it's messed up that he continued, I could understand him not wanting Borgola's suspicions about them being realized, but I could've still done without the entire scene being of him thinking about the and the mission and just...I would've preferred their first time to have happened under vastly different circumstances.
And then later, when Angel did something that was TSTL...but not really.
A lot of the novel felt like this. There were things I was uncomfortable with, but I had to be okay with it because the author made them make sense within the context of the novel. While I didn't feel it fair to mark down for it individually, they still managed to hamper my overall enjoyment somewhat.
Now, while the above were things that I didn't like but could accept, there were other things that I just didn't like at all.
First of all...their sex lives. I'm glad that Angel isn't a virgin, but I could've done without the five year celibacy. I can understand that she's abstained from men for the past five years because of her "bad boyfriend radar." She couldn't have afforded to have a terrible guy in her life while working to be accepted back into the family fold. Fine, cool. However, the further I read, the less fine I was with it. I felt like the family excuse was trotted out in order to keep her celibate rather than the other way around. We never meet her family and they're not mentioned in other ways.
Cole, on the other hand, isn't celibate. It doesn't have mentions of his past lovers, but it does say stuff like this about him:
And:
I just really don't need to hear that because he hasn't been with Angel by either of these points, so none of that has to do with her.
I was okay with Angel being celibate in the beginning (and grateful that she wasn't virginal), but the further I read, the less fine I became with it. The fact is, she didn't even need to have a boyfriend in order to sleep with others. She could've easily done some ONS instead of being completely celibate! Besides, the celibacy doesn't even make a difference in the novel! I thought it would be a super big deal with her and Cole, but he isn't even made aware of it at any point. And their first time, and the end to her celibacy, went down in a scene in which I wasn't particularly fond of. By the end of it, I just thought her celibacy was stupid.
I also absolutely hated how he had to come to her rescue! I super hate whenever hs are put in a situation in which they require rescuing, with the H riding in on his white horse and his damsel. It annoyed me so much! I get that it was part of the story, but it could've been done in a different way. Can we just not put hs in a position in which the H has to ride in and rescue her? Stop it.
And, when she finds out that he'd planned to sacrifice her if it came down to it,
Another thing I didn't like is that, for a romantic "suspense" novel, a lot of it was awfully predictable.
The romance between them is super instalovey. The story, from the first chapter to when they finish their mission (to chapter sixteen), is a grand total of three days, which is nearly nine-tenths of the novel. First is when they meet, second is when he tracks her down, and third is when they meet Borgola again and the mission goes down. I would've preferred it being spread out. Maybe the love would've held a lot more value if it didn't happen in a three-day span? I dunno.
Lastly, I didn't like the weird "look in the mirror!" freak out he had. She was telling him "no" and to "stop it" and to "let go," but he still kept trying to force her to look in the mirror at herself. It left a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I didn't feel it had anything to do with the story. And it wasn't even something I felt the author could've (or had) justified. Cole acknowledges that he was acting like a "madman," but that didn't make it better. And there was no point to it anyway because she didn't look in the damn mirror anyway! Should've just left it out!
What I did like about their relationship was that the two had some great banter. They were pretty funny at times, so that made it a lot more enjoyable. I also liked that Angel didn't get sidetracked with her attraction to him. I've seen far too many books in which the heroine just goes into idiot-mode in the presence of the hero. While Angel finds him attractive, she doesn't stop thinking about escaping from him when he breaks into her apartment and in other situations. I liked that.
If you're considering reading this novel, I would go into it for the Associates organization aspect and not as a romance novel. If you like a more action-packed novel with a side of sexy, I do recommend this. And while I didn't love it, I liked it enough that I am going to continue with the series.
Did she realize she was expendable?
While, yes, it can be argued that Cole was never going to do that if it had come down to it. In fact, Cole tells the readers this exact sentiment later on. Some of his actions are even in direct contradiction to what he says and thinks. Like when he acts all protective over Angel even around his friend/fellow Associate Arturio? It's obvious in his actions that he wouldn't have sacrificed her. But I got tired of reading his POV and having him reiterate that he would, especially right afterwards.
Arturio was one of Cole’s favorite men. Cole went into her bedroom and grabbed her red jacket. She followed him in. He tossed it at her. He wanted her to put it back on. Arturio was beyond safe—he wouldn’t think of laying a finger on a job, but Cole didn’t want him looking at her all the same. He told himself it was to protect Arturio, make him not think about his dead wife, but it was more than that—his asinine feeling of protectiveness and possessiveness kept knocking him off his game with her. It wouldn’t do at all. He had to be ready to sacrifice her, sacrifice them both.
There was also the part where they were undercover while with Borgola. Angel had to dress in a bikini for the sake of her role, even going into the pool while Borgola sat there watching, with Cole sitting by and watching this disgusting man objectify her. I didn't like it that she was placed in that situation, but I understood that they had to go through with it in order to keep their cover intact. And then this:
Borgola liked seeing them play topless most of all. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but the night was young. Cole would try to prevent it, but if it came to it, Angel would play topless. She was made of strong stuff.
Again, I get that they they're forced to comply in order to remain undercover, but I still didn't like it. I understand what the nature of their jobs required of them, so I didn't feel it was fair to dock marks because of that.
Another situation was when Angel and Cole were going to have sex and Cole
My other issue with that scene was that I hated that it was their first time together. It all felt so mechanical because he kept thinking . He also keeps thinking that he knows Angel won't be okay with this. So while it's messed up that he continued, I could understand him not wanting Borgola's suspicions about them being realized, but I could've still done without the entire scene being of him thinking about the and the mission and just...I would've preferred their first time to have happened under vastly different circumstances.
And then later, when Angel did something that was TSTL...but not really.
A lot of the novel felt like this. There were things I was uncomfortable with, but I had to be okay with it because the author made them make sense within the context of the novel. While I didn't feel it fair to mark down for it individually, they still managed to hamper my overall enjoyment somewhat.
Now, while the above were things that I didn't like but could accept, there were other things that I just didn't like at all.
First of all...their sex lives. I'm glad that Angel isn't a virgin, but I could've done without the five year celibacy. I can understand that she's abstained from men for the past five years because of her "bad boyfriend radar." She couldn't have afforded to have a terrible guy in her life while working to be accepted back into the family fold. Fine, cool. However, the further I read, the less fine I was with it. I felt like the family excuse was trotted out in order to keep her celibate rather than the other way around. We never meet her family and they're not mentioned in other ways.
Cole, on the other hand, isn't celibate. It doesn't have mentions of his past lovers, but it does say stuff like this about him:
He never went for the hookers. Not that he was some boy scout—there was nothing he loved more than a woman on her knees, begging to be fucked or whatever, but he only loved it if she loved it, he only enjoyed it if his dirty talk or clever fingers had brought her to that point—not money or drugs or threats. What kind of man wanted to be with a woman who didn’t desire him?
And:
He did have callouses on his fingers. He did know how to use them, and she’d love it.
I just really don't need to hear that because he hasn't been with Angel by either of these points, so none of that has to do with her.
I was okay with Angel being celibate in the beginning (and grateful that she wasn't virginal), but the further I read, the less fine I became with it. The fact is, she didn't even need to have a boyfriend in order to sleep with others. She could've easily done some ONS instead of being completely celibate! Besides, the celibacy doesn't even make a difference in the novel! I thought it would be a super big deal with her and Cole, but he isn't even made aware of it at any point. And their first time, and the end to her celibacy, went down in a scene in which I wasn't particularly fond of. By the end of it, I just thought her celibacy was stupid.
I also absolutely hated how he had to come to her rescue! I super hate whenever hs are put in a situation in which they require rescuing, with the H riding in on his white horse and his damsel. It annoyed me so much! I get that it was part of the story, but it could've been done in a different way. Can we just not put hs in a position in which the H has to ride in and rescue her? Stop it.
And, when she finds out that he'd planned to sacrifice her if it came down to it,
Another thing I didn't like is that, for a romantic "suspense" novel, a lot of it was awfully predictable.
The romance between them is super instalovey. The story, from the first chapter to when they finish their mission (to chapter sixteen), is a grand total of three days, which is nearly nine-tenths of the novel. First is when they meet, second is when he tracks her down, and third is when they meet Borgola again and the mission goes down. I would've preferred it being spread out. Maybe the love would've held a lot more value if it didn't happen in a three-day span? I dunno.
Lastly, I didn't like the weird "look in the mirror!" freak out he had. She was telling him "no" and to "stop it" and to "let go," but he still kept trying to force her to look in the mirror at herself. It left a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I didn't feel it had anything to do with the story. And it wasn't even something I felt the author could've (or had) justified. Cole acknowledges that he was acting like a "madman," but that didn't make it better. And there was no point to it anyway because she didn't look in the damn mirror anyway! Should've just left it out!
What I did like about their relationship was that the two had some great banter. They were pretty funny at times, so that made it a lot more enjoyable. I also liked that Angel didn't get sidetracked with her attraction to him. I've seen far too many books in which the heroine just goes into idiot-mode in the presence of the hero. While Angel finds him attractive, she doesn't stop thinking about escaping from him when he breaks into her apartment and in other situations. I liked that.
If you're considering reading this novel, I would go into it for the Associates organization aspect and not as a romance novel. If you like a more action-packed novel with a side of sexy, I do recommend this. And while I didn't love it, I liked it enough that I am going to continue with the series.
January 7, 2016
The first book in The Associates series by Carolyn Crane. Angel Ramirez was part of a group of women jewel thieves but is now working as an interior decorator. She is forced to do one more job to save her aunt who has been kidnapped. She and the gang are attending a party in the home of Walter Borgola and waiting for the right moment when she encounters Cole Hawkins, one of Borgola's security guards. Later, it's Cole's job to find and hand over the thieves and to find the stolen goods. But Cole has a plan of his own.
I don't remember reading anything by this author before and I did like it but I did feel that not enough background information was given on our main characters. They were likable and the story moved at a nice pace. It had the right elements to make it great. I'm not really sure why I didn't connect as well as I should have. I did like it well enough that I will check out more by this author.
I don't remember reading anything by this author before and I did like it but I did feel that not enough background information was given on our main characters. They were likable and the story moved at a nice pace. It had the right elements to make it great. I'm not really sure why I didn't connect as well as I should have. I did like it well enough that I will check out more by this author.
November 9, 2014
Well, here's one romantic suspense that is entertaining. Being short and fast is both good and bad. Good because it's fun, bad because too little time is spent on the character development. Still, now I know which series to read when I am in a mood for this type of story. And I want to read more about Macmillan.
The Associates is an international organization trying to fight crime. Their operative Cole blackmails Angel to help him break into a place Walter Borgola keeps the documents the Associates need.
For an accomplished thief, Angel is pretty clumsy and, well, incompetent. .
A couple of nitpicky tidbits:
This seems to be a fast-paced, entertaining series. I will read the next.
The Associates is an international organization trying to fight crime. Their operative Cole blackmails Angel to help him break into a place Walter Borgola keeps the documents the Associates need.
For an accomplished thief, Angel is pretty clumsy and, well, incompetent. .
A couple of nitpicky tidbits:
This seems to be a fast-paced, entertaining series. I will read the next.
April 15, 2013
He couldn’t believe it, just the miracle of her, inexplicably, unknowably perfect.
Against the Dark is the first book in the new series, The Associates by Carolyn Crane. We meet Angel Ramirez and safe cracker gone straight who's being pulled back into the game to save someone she cares about. Angel has spent the last 5 years putting an honest life together for herself, this job could put that all in jeopardy. Tall, dangerous, smart and handsome, Cole Hawkins is not what Angel needs when she sees him across the room at Walter Borgola mansion. He's got bad boy written all over his nerd glasses but she cannot help herself. Cole works for the Associates and he's deep undercover trying to take down some of Borgala's business.
The Story...
The idea for a female safe cracker is not something new to the book world. I personally haven't read a book about one so for me this was a different change of pace from the male dominated career choice. What I found fun to read was Angel out of the game, trying to make an honest living and keep her family safe but being pulled back into this lifestyle to help someone she cares deeply about. Once we got over the introductions and you understood who all the players were in the story, then the pace picked up and I found myself flipping ebook page after another. I wanted to see what happens to Cole and Angel. The plot was simple but detailed enough to keep me reading. I was personally drawn into the story by the characters. The plot was not so intricate that I didn't know what was coming and at time some was very predictable. Against the Dark is suspense but there was so much action and even Angel surprised me a few times with her skills.
He wanted to know because he wanted to know everything about her: he wanted to know the gum she chewed, the shows she watched, her candy bar preferences, what her grade school art projects looked like. He wanted her secrets and her soul, and she wouldn’t give up any of it. She was worse than a goddamn Fenton Furst.
The characters...
“I told him I let the johns pick the songs. And then he asks me what songs they like to make me listen to while they do me.” White Jenny snorted. “What did you say?” This was good. Angel could feel the tension lightening. “I didn’t know what to say. In my mind, all I could think of was like, We are the Champions?“ White Jenny snickered. “We are the Champions?” Macy said, “You didn’t tell him that.” “No. I just said, not Dancing Queen by ABBA” They all burst out laughing. Nervous, crazy laughter.
Like many first books in a series, Against the Dark took me a little bit to get into the world of Angel, Macy and White Jenny. A lot of the first quarter of the book was spent laying the groundwork for these deeply layered relationships. Ms. Crane revealed their lengthy relationship not all at once but we were gifted with it over time and that made the reader feel like they were getting the real deal. You understand Macy, Angel and Jenny. You feel empathy for their lifestyle and also it's just fun to read about these kick ass women. They have a code, they follow the code but they have a lot of fun in the process and these are dangerous missions. But they're always having fun and these women are funny. Plus they wore cat suits... I mean how cool is that?
They knocked on the ceiling and Jenny dropped down with the packs. The three of them changed into black cat suits, complete with black facemasks and boots and belts with a shit ton of hardware.
When Angel first sees Cole she doesn't know who he is but she knows he's bad news. Because she's always drawn to those men who are not good for her. As the reader we're privy to the information that Cole is the good guy, he's just playing the bad guy. Throughout Against the Dark the Cole you know with Angel and the Cole that puts on a show for Borgola is different but that's what makes him so fun to read because Angel likes the hair pulling Cole but she needs the sensitive, go slow and be gentle Cole. That's where Ms. Crane captured what women want perfectly.
He loved women with secrets. He loved to break them open. A foolish indulgence.
What surprised me in Against the Dark was the hotness factor. I mean, this is romantic-suspense but I didn't expect this much from Cole. The man was a dirty talker, a hair puller and knew just what Angel wanted and needed. The sparks flew when those two were in a room and this was so fun to read. The sex is hot, smoking hot, wait no smoldering hot. Well you get the idea.
He had sandy brown hair and a scruff of a beard, and his tux fit just a little tight across his muscular shoulders, but what she mostly noticed was his gaze—it burned intense and gem-like behind his thick-rimmed glasses. Brainy and brawny, like a fair-haired Clark Kent.
In conclusion Against the Dark is a fun and light read. Ms. Crane takes you into this fast paced world of the Associates and believe me there is never a dull moment. Characters that you cannot help but feel empathy for and also kind of want to be. Plus i'm a sucker for a brainy man with glasses.
It looks like the second book in The Associates Series, Lethal Liaisons is scheduled for release in the summer 2013. It's MacMillian's story and I can't wait!
Received this Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of Carolyn Crane through an ARC giveaway in exchange for an honest review
August 15, 2020
I’m just – I don’t – what – I can’t – what – what even just happened here?
When I picked up this book I thought I had some idea of what awaited me. But it was far crazier than I anticipated.
Carolyn Crane has gone All In on the batshit mental action/adventure story and she has no fucks to give. Less is more? Think again: more is freaking more is basically the motto of this book.
Our hero is part of a shady, probably not Government-acknowledged secret spies, crime-fighting society of damaged misfits and badasses. In addition to being ripped, fit, dark and dangerous, he’s super into: maths [no, I will not spell it ‘math’, America, get off my back].
Our heroine is a retired jewel thief. She’s a sassy Latina and she is Not Here For Your Shit. Her super power is breaking into unbreakable safes because she studied under the World’s Greatest Safe Maker, but also: interior design. No, really: her interior design skills give her a significant insight into the human ~psyche~. Bad Guys beware, amirite? Our villain is not being primed for his own tale of redemption: he’s a psycho, sex-obsessed, mafia-style boss trading in stolen jewels and p0rn snuff videos.
[This felt like writing intros for some twisted dystopian dating site].
Nothing about this is subtle. And so, wearing my suspension of disbelief hat, I let it roll over me. Like a Nic Cage movie. I was not going to try and change the book, I was merely going to allow it to entertain. And it did. It’s an action romp. In all the best senses. People pull off incredible stunts, whilst being unbelievably cool. Some things happen too easily; others go wrong in improbable ways. But it’s non-stop and it carried me through. It would be so easy to get bogged down in description writing a book like this, but Crane deftly skates over some of the details: oh, there’s been an explosion. Where? Near the bad guys. Who set it off? Someone… But it’s helped our H/h so, let’s not worry too much.
The one glaring problem with this, is that there were moments, that were so over the top that I couldn’t help an eye roll. I cannot work out if Crane is being serious, or offering a wry wink and a smile to the reader. I’m not sure it matters either, because these moments took me out of the narrative regardless of whether they are deliberate. To take a couple of examples:
"This woman sparked emotion in him, made his sigmas and coefficients swirl in a tornado.”
Look, I’m just about on board with the super sexy spy maths geek, but with lines like this you push me too far.
"He got a serious look. “It’s not just about the safes. As a designer, you can see things we can’t. You can get pieces of the logistics equations.”"
As a designer…
I enjoy looking at pretty interiors as much as the next person, but this is silly. Particularly when the heroine, in addition to being a safe breaker, can scale walls and plan jobs and so on. She has a whole set of skills beyond matching a lampshade with a rug.
The romance and characterisation wasn’t strong enough for me either. The characterisation is nailed home with judicious repetition of our H/h’s issues and they weren’t believable enough for me. The romance is built on a heady dose of lust but not much else. There’s not too much time for talking and bonding in a book like this and there’s an inherent distrust between the two of them that creates a further barrier. So, I was never quite sold on the romance and that’s obviously going to damage the book’s rating. I’ve gone back and forth. The thriller, action, adventure parts are solidly four star, the romance is three stars at best. I’ve split the difference and rounded down. 3.5 stars.
I will try another of these, but, for now, I am retreating to the world of comfortable historical romance.
When I picked up this book I thought I had some idea of what awaited me. But it was far crazier than I anticipated.
Carolyn Crane has gone All In on the batshit mental action/adventure story and she has no fucks to give. Less is more? Think again: more is freaking more is basically the motto of this book.
Our hero is part of a shady, probably not Government-acknowledged secret spies, crime-fighting society of damaged misfits and badasses. In addition to being ripped, fit, dark and dangerous, he’s super into: maths [no, I will not spell it ‘math’, America, get off my back].
Our heroine is a retired jewel thief. She’s a sassy Latina and she is Not Here For Your Shit. Her super power is breaking into unbreakable safes because she studied under the World’s Greatest Safe Maker, but also: interior design. No, really: her interior design skills give her a significant insight into the human ~psyche~. Bad Guys beware, amirite? Our villain is not being primed for his own tale of redemption: he’s a psycho, sex-obsessed, mafia-style boss trading in stolen jewels and p0rn snuff videos.
[This felt like writing intros for some twisted dystopian dating site].
Nothing about this is subtle. And so, wearing my suspension of disbelief hat, I let it roll over me. Like a Nic Cage movie. I was not going to try and change the book, I was merely going to allow it to entertain. And it did. It’s an action romp. In all the best senses. People pull off incredible stunts, whilst being unbelievably cool. Some things happen too easily; others go wrong in improbable ways. But it’s non-stop and it carried me through. It would be so easy to get bogged down in description writing a book like this, but Crane deftly skates over some of the details: oh, there’s been an explosion. Where? Near the bad guys. Who set it off? Someone… But it’s helped our H/h so, let’s not worry too much.
The one glaring problem with this, is that there were moments, that were so over the top that I couldn’t help an eye roll. I cannot work out if Crane is being serious, or offering a wry wink and a smile to the reader. I’m not sure it matters either, because these moments took me out of the narrative regardless of whether they are deliberate. To take a couple of examples:
"This woman sparked emotion in him, made his sigmas and coefficients swirl in a tornado.”
Look, I’m just about on board with the super sexy spy maths geek, but with lines like this you push me too far.
"He got a serious look. “It’s not just about the safes. As a designer, you can see things we can’t. You can get pieces of the logistics equations.”"
As a designer…
I enjoy looking at pretty interiors as much as the next person, but this is silly. Particularly when the heroine, in addition to being a safe breaker, can scale walls and plan jobs and so on. She has a whole set of skills beyond matching a lampshade with a rug.
The romance and characterisation wasn’t strong enough for me either. The characterisation is nailed home with judicious repetition of our H/h’s issues and they weren’t believable enough for me. The romance is built on a heady dose of lust but not much else. There’s not too much time for talking and bonding in a book like this and there’s an inherent distrust between the two of them that creates a further barrier. So, I was never quite sold on the romance and that’s obviously going to damage the book’s rating. I’ve gone back and forth. The thriller, action, adventure parts are solidly four star, the romance is three stars at best. I’ve split the difference and rounded down. 3.5 stars.
I will try another of these, but, for now, I am retreating to the world of comfortable historical romance.
May 6, 2014
This has got to be one of the best RS I have read in a while. I mean I used to be a crazy fan of RS until I got burned out on the genre but this one got me back in. The heroine is a interior designer and a reformed thief but she is pulled back into the life she left behind five years back because of someone she loves and she meets with her old girl gang again. However, things don't go as planned and she is caught by the hero who thinks she is a criminal and pulls her in to help him crack a safe for his mission. I can just say this book was filled with action and some awesome chemistry between the two characters!
August 11, 2016
My first book by this author. Good chemistry between the two LCs. The banter is a big plus in this book. The hero is a geek and the heroine is a thief. The plotline is predictable, but I have no eye rolls whatsoever. What about their romance? Well, it goes something like this:
"Let me love you," he said
She pulled away and looked him clear in the face. The word, so loaded, wasn't so much a declaration as a signal balloon sent up through the darkness.
"Yes," she said.
1-800-direct :)
#short-length book # hot # stand-alone
"Let me love you," he said
She pulled away and looked him clear in the face. The word, so loaded, wasn't so much a declaration as a signal balloon sent up through the darkness.
"Yes," she said.
1-800-direct :)
#short-length book # hot # stand-alone
Read
September 1, 2015Tl;dr: LOVED IT.
Talked about it with Elisabeth and Dabney over at AAR (warning, this is basically just three people squeeing):
AJH: Omg, how good was this book!
Elisabeth: OMG SO GOOD.
Dabney: I read it when it came out and honestly jumped back. Romantic suspense is a tough genre to do well. One part almost always suffers. She rocks both in this book.
AJH: I literally read this book in a sitting. I can’t remember the last time I did that with anything, but I absolutely could not put it down. I have a slightly ambivalent relationship with romantic suspense – as you say, it tends to be either/or but here, the suspense was super-suspensy and I thought the romance was really well-judged because it didn’t try to do too much.
Elisabeth: I agree that the romance and suspense plots were really balanced well, even though they spend like the first 25% of the book apart.
Dabney: Until almost the very end, it’s really a sex and suspense book. Which is fine with me.
AJH: Yes, that’s a really good point. I mean, it doesn’t try sell the idea that this is a conventional relationship, so it doesn’t follow a conventional relationship pattern either. I was happily convinced they were perfect for each other and obviously in love by the end, but I liked the way it was sort of essentially setting up a future for them as a crack team of bad-guy bringer-downers. I believed in that more than I would have a more ‘solid’ HEA.
Dabney: One of my favorite things about this book is that Angel’s relationships with her girl gang have more emotional resonance than the romance for most of the story. I loved loved loved the opening scenes where they are stealing the diamonds. And the lucky lipstick. I want a lucky lipstick girl gang now.
Elisabeth: The lucky lipstick thing made me laugh. It’s just this self-conscious moment where I knew that this book wasn’t going to take itself so seriously. There was almost a Charlie’s Angels element to it.
Dabney: So often in romance, the hottness of women is external to them. Men see their charms and the men respond. In this book, Angel and her friends are very in control of the way their sexual appeal is used. That really worked for me.
AJH: I confess it did take me a little while to settle into the ‘main’plot because I was kind of heavily invested in the opening scenario of Three Women Criminals Have All The Adventure And Are Awesome. But the romance was nice too :P
Dabney: “pulls herself out of her childhood memories of Charlie’s Angels” Yes. I enjoyed the TWCHATAAAA thing. I also like the Associates Man Love thing. It offered a nice balance. Both the hero and the heroine have genuine friendships outside the h/h relationship and these external relationships have heft.
Elisabeth: It’s interesting that you mention Cole’s friends. Because I deeply distrusted them. I wasn’t totally sure that one of them wasn’t…I don’t want to give away too much…but wasn’t causing problems. It turned out not to be the case, but I was suspicious throughout.
Dabney: See, that worrisome ambivalence worked for me. The Associates are not nice people. Their iffyness made the suspense super suspenseful.
Elisabeth: It’s interesting that you mention that the Associates are not nice people–they’re really not, at least not in the classic sense of nice. And neither is heroine Angel. So when it comes to differentiating them from the “real”bad guy, I kind of understood why Crane had to go pretty dark.
AJH: I thought both the hero and heroine were interesting contrasts in morality, actually. Angel is really troubled by her criminal past and her own inner ‘ugliness’(as she sees it). Whereas Cole seems very much committed to the whole ‘greater good’ thing – I mean I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance where the hero spends about 70% of the book committed to sacrificing the heroine.
Dabney: And by greater good, you mean saving kids from featuring in snuff films. Crane does give her hero such a high moral island–if he were just, oh, killing meth heads, he’d be a harder character to root for. And yet, I’m not bothered by that. Crane establishes from the get go that Cole’s a bad man trying to prevent a horrific possible wrong. He’s a shadow hero–lives in the grey–and, in this book, that makes the story pulse.
AJH: Yes, but doesn’t that …almost simplify the morality, in some way? Because you have this tension between an abstract good (boat full of kids about to suffer a horrific fate) and a specific person in whom you’re invested (the heroine). But the abstract is so hyperbolic–it’s not even human trafficking, it’s human trafficking specifically for snuff–that I almost couldn’t engage with it.
Elisabeth: I’m not sure I needed the moral grey area there. I feel like we already had quite a bit of grey with Cole’s murderous present and Angel’s criminal past. It kept the grey in a place where it prioritized the romance rather than forcing us to to place any kind of value or concern with the villains. Walter (which is so weird because it’s my dad’s name) is just a really bad guy. And he had to be stopped. So whatever else was going to happen, I liked knowing that part was taken care of.
You can catch the rest of the discussion here.
Talked about it with Elisabeth and Dabney over at AAR (warning, this is basically just three people squeeing):
AJH: Omg, how good was this book!
Elisabeth: OMG SO GOOD.
Dabney: I read it when it came out and honestly jumped back. Romantic suspense is a tough genre to do well. One part almost always suffers. She rocks both in this book.
AJH: I literally read this book in a sitting. I can’t remember the last time I did that with anything, but I absolutely could not put it down. I have a slightly ambivalent relationship with romantic suspense – as you say, it tends to be either/or but here, the suspense was super-suspensy and I thought the romance was really well-judged because it didn’t try to do too much.
Elisabeth: I agree that the romance and suspense plots were really balanced well, even though they spend like the first 25% of the book apart.
Dabney: Until almost the very end, it’s really a sex and suspense book. Which is fine with me.
AJH: Yes, that’s a really good point. I mean, it doesn’t try sell the idea that this is a conventional relationship, so it doesn’t follow a conventional relationship pattern either. I was happily convinced they were perfect for each other and obviously in love by the end, but I liked the way it was sort of essentially setting up a future for them as a crack team of bad-guy bringer-downers. I believed in that more than I would have a more ‘solid’ HEA.
Dabney: One of my favorite things about this book is that Angel’s relationships with her girl gang have more emotional resonance than the romance for most of the story. I loved loved loved the opening scenes where they are stealing the diamonds. And the lucky lipstick. I want a lucky lipstick girl gang now.
Elisabeth: The lucky lipstick thing made me laugh. It’s just this self-conscious moment where I knew that this book wasn’t going to take itself so seriously. There was almost a Charlie’s Angels element to it.
Dabney: So often in romance, the hottness of women is external to them. Men see their charms and the men respond. In this book, Angel and her friends are very in control of the way their sexual appeal is used. That really worked for me.
AJH: I confess it did take me a little while to settle into the ‘main’plot because I was kind of heavily invested in the opening scenario of Three Women Criminals Have All The Adventure And Are Awesome. But the romance was nice too :P
Dabney: “pulls herself out of her childhood memories of Charlie’s Angels” Yes. I enjoyed the TWCHATAAAA thing. I also like the Associates Man Love thing. It offered a nice balance. Both the hero and the heroine have genuine friendships outside the h/h relationship and these external relationships have heft.
Elisabeth: It’s interesting that you mention Cole’s friends. Because I deeply distrusted them. I wasn’t totally sure that one of them wasn’t…I don’t want to give away too much…but wasn’t causing problems. It turned out not to be the case, but I was suspicious throughout.
Dabney: See, that worrisome ambivalence worked for me. The Associates are not nice people. Their iffyness made the suspense super suspenseful.
Elisabeth: It’s interesting that you mention that the Associates are not nice people–they’re really not, at least not in the classic sense of nice. And neither is heroine Angel. So when it comes to differentiating them from the “real”bad guy, I kind of understood why Crane had to go pretty dark.
AJH: I thought both the hero and heroine were interesting contrasts in morality, actually. Angel is really troubled by her criminal past and her own inner ‘ugliness’(as she sees it). Whereas Cole seems very much committed to the whole ‘greater good’ thing – I mean I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance where the hero spends about 70% of the book committed to sacrificing the heroine.
Dabney: And by greater good, you mean saving kids from featuring in snuff films. Crane does give her hero such a high moral island–if he were just, oh, killing meth heads, he’d be a harder character to root for. And yet, I’m not bothered by that. Crane establishes from the get go that Cole’s a bad man trying to prevent a horrific possible wrong. He’s a shadow hero–lives in the grey–and, in this book, that makes the story pulse.
AJH: Yes, but doesn’t that …almost simplify the morality, in some way? Because you have this tension between an abstract good (boat full of kids about to suffer a horrific fate) and a specific person in whom you’re invested (the heroine). But the abstract is so hyperbolic–it’s not even human trafficking, it’s human trafficking specifically for snuff–that I almost couldn’t engage with it.
Elisabeth: I’m not sure I needed the moral grey area there. I feel like we already had quite a bit of grey with Cole’s murderous present and Angel’s criminal past. It kept the grey in a place where it prioritized the romance rather than forcing us to to place any kind of value or concern with the villains. Walter (which is so weird because it’s my dad’s name) is just a really bad guy. And he had to be stopped. So whatever else was going to happen, I liked knowing that part was taken care of.
You can catch the rest of the discussion here.
April 29, 2013
I was a big fan of Carolyn Crane’s Disillusionist trilogy and I’m happy to say Against the Dark starts a new series and I’m excited about it. Unlike her first series, this doesn’t have any paranormal aspects, and there is a HEA at the end (future books are planned with supporting characters).
Angel Ramirez used to get a rush every time she stole jewels with her two best friends. But eventually the shame of what she was doing to the people she stole from and how her family viewed her outweighed the rush. So she quit the game, and opened her own interior design business which she loves. But, one of her thief friend’s aunt has been kidnapped, and they need some diamonds to meet the ransom. Angel decides to jump back in just for this one assignment to help her friends out. Angel is a master at breaking open a Fenton Furst safe, one of the toughest in the world, which is why she is needed for this job. The three of them arrive at a very wealthy estate owned by crime boss Walter Borgola, where a party is being held. He has these diamonds held in that safe, and the girls are ready to go get them. They go dressed as prostitutes, since every other woman really is one at this party. While mingling around until they are ready to sneak off and make their move, Angel notices one of Borgola’s security guys (he looks like a blonde Clark Kent – sexy!) who can’t keep his eyes off her. Needing to find out if he is on to her and her friends or if he just wants in her pants, she goes over and makes contact with him.
Cole Hawkins is a genius in math and logistics. He works security for Borgola, but he has been there for a long time undercover. Cole actually works for a group called, The Associates, a very secretive, spy type organization. Cole works for Borgola to eventually gather enough intel to break up his illegal trafficking of young children. Cole obsesses over equations, deducing everything around him into patterns and solutions. He is a nerd, but he is highly skilled and lethal too. Borgola has intel for the trafficking in a secret safe, and Cole is stumped as to where that safe is. When he realizes Angel and friends have pulled off stealing Borgola’s diamonds, he comes up with his own plan to have Angel lead him directly to the secret safe. Fun times ensue.
I enjoyed this book so much. Cole is such a super smart guy, who has to come off as sleazy to fit in with Borgola’s men, but deep down he is just super sexy and honest and wants to help these kids that are being kidnapped and tortured. Angel on the other hand doesn’t want to be dragged back into the thief business, at least that is what she tells herself. Her and Cole are forced to work together and the way they have this intense attraction to each other yet lots of secrets really plays out well. This book is light-hearted in a sense that Angel and Cole have witty banter and just an overall sense of quirkiness that Carolyn Crane excels at. When Cole and Angel have to come up with a cover story for being in love and dating, I had some laughs.
“So when we’re around Borgola, no talk of dartboards, okay? You have to act really into me.”
She glared at him. “Aren’t covers supposed to be vaguely plausible?”
He pushed up his shirt. “Girl, you just can’t get your mind off this action, can you?”
“Stop it.” She turned and grabbed a bag of rice cakes. It was a little bit true, unfortunately. Horribly so – she couldn’t get her mind off the way he’d slid his hand over his abs in her bedroom, pulled out her gun and set it down on the nightstand, then lowered his hand, sliding his fingers over his belly, letting them linger on his snaps – oh, it was insanely sexy.
But what really surprised me and impressed me is first, how sexy this book is. I’d say it’s the sexiest she has written to date. Also she makes Borgola SUCH an evil, evil villain. I love it when the bad guy is really bad and man – Carolyn Crane lets it all go. He is a very well done villain.
I also enjoyed the friendship Angel has with her two thieving buddies. We get some nice scenes with them at the beginning of the book:
Angel felt a pang of fear. Trapped. “No,” she breathed.
“Bitches?” Macy put up her hands and slowly lowered them, as though she was closing something. Their old signal for calm, something she’d been doing since they were twelve. “Who gets the best of us?”
“Nobody, bitches,” White Jenny said.
Macy fixed on Angel fiercely.
Angel frowned. “Nobody, bitches.” Their old mantra.
“That’s right, girls.” Macy pulled out her tube of lucky lipstick, pink with silver flecks, and rolled it around her lips through the lip hole in her facemask.
Angel and Jenny got out their lucky lipsticks too.
We meet a few of Cole’s associates, and I believe we will get their books in the future. We don’t get to know a lot about the Associates, or why it was formed or any background to it. I hope we get to dive into that more in the next book.
Action packed, sexy and lots of fun. I definitely recommend this one.
Rating: B+
Angel Ramirez used to get a rush every time she stole jewels with her two best friends. But eventually the shame of what she was doing to the people she stole from and how her family viewed her outweighed the rush. So she quit the game, and opened her own interior design business which she loves. But, one of her thief friend’s aunt has been kidnapped, and they need some diamonds to meet the ransom. Angel decides to jump back in just for this one assignment to help her friends out. Angel is a master at breaking open a Fenton Furst safe, one of the toughest in the world, which is why she is needed for this job. The three of them arrive at a very wealthy estate owned by crime boss Walter Borgola, where a party is being held. He has these diamonds held in that safe, and the girls are ready to go get them. They go dressed as prostitutes, since every other woman really is one at this party. While mingling around until they are ready to sneak off and make their move, Angel notices one of Borgola’s security guys (he looks like a blonde Clark Kent – sexy!) who can’t keep his eyes off her. Needing to find out if he is on to her and her friends or if he just wants in her pants, she goes over and makes contact with him.
Cole Hawkins is a genius in math and logistics. He works security for Borgola, but he has been there for a long time undercover. Cole actually works for a group called, The Associates, a very secretive, spy type organization. Cole works for Borgola to eventually gather enough intel to break up his illegal trafficking of young children. Cole obsesses over equations, deducing everything around him into patterns and solutions. He is a nerd, but he is highly skilled and lethal too. Borgola has intel for the trafficking in a secret safe, and Cole is stumped as to where that safe is. When he realizes Angel and friends have pulled off stealing Borgola’s diamonds, he comes up with his own plan to have Angel lead him directly to the secret safe. Fun times ensue.
I enjoyed this book so much. Cole is such a super smart guy, who has to come off as sleazy to fit in with Borgola’s men, but deep down he is just super sexy and honest and wants to help these kids that are being kidnapped and tortured. Angel on the other hand doesn’t want to be dragged back into the thief business, at least that is what she tells herself. Her and Cole are forced to work together and the way they have this intense attraction to each other yet lots of secrets really plays out well. This book is light-hearted in a sense that Angel and Cole have witty banter and just an overall sense of quirkiness that Carolyn Crane excels at. When Cole and Angel have to come up with a cover story for being in love and dating, I had some laughs.
“So when we’re around Borgola, no talk of dartboards, okay? You have to act really into me.”
She glared at him. “Aren’t covers supposed to be vaguely plausible?”
He pushed up his shirt. “Girl, you just can’t get your mind off this action, can you?”
“Stop it.” She turned and grabbed a bag of rice cakes. It was a little bit true, unfortunately. Horribly so – she couldn’t get her mind off the way he’d slid his hand over his abs in her bedroom, pulled out her gun and set it down on the nightstand, then lowered his hand, sliding his fingers over his belly, letting them linger on his snaps – oh, it was insanely sexy.
But what really surprised me and impressed me is first, how sexy this book is. I’d say it’s the sexiest she has written to date. Also she makes Borgola SUCH an evil, evil villain. I love it when the bad guy is really bad and man – Carolyn Crane lets it all go. He is a very well done villain.
I also enjoyed the friendship Angel has with her two thieving buddies. We get some nice scenes with them at the beginning of the book:
Angel felt a pang of fear. Trapped. “No,” she breathed.
“Bitches?” Macy put up her hands and slowly lowered them, as though she was closing something. Their old signal for calm, something she’d been doing since they were twelve. “Who gets the best of us?”
“Nobody, bitches,” White Jenny said.
Macy fixed on Angel fiercely.
Angel frowned. “Nobody, bitches.” Their old mantra.
“That’s right, girls.” Macy pulled out her tube of lucky lipstick, pink with silver flecks, and rolled it around her lips through the lip hole in her facemask.
Angel and Jenny got out their lucky lipsticks too.
We meet a few of Cole’s associates, and I believe we will get their books in the future. We don’t get to know a lot about the Associates, or why it was formed or any background to it. I hope we get to dive into that more in the next book.
Action packed, sexy and lots of fun. I definitely recommend this one.
Rating: B+
April 20, 2013
3.5 stars I enjoyed this book, and they introduced a few other Association guys that I'm sure I'll check out the next book in this series (which will likely feature on of them). It started out well with the girl gang pulling a heist, they had good interactions and a few funny moments, and the action started out well also. The girls worked well together and I knew she was gonna somehow end up having a run-in with Cole but I couldn't figure out where or how. I absolutely loved Carolyn Cranes Disillusionist Trilogy so I had high hopes for this. Since it's a genre switch I was concerned, but the beginning had me feeling like it was going to be different sort of romantic suspense.
While I did like it, once they got together/undercover and the plot ensued it did venture back into some romantic suspense tropes for me. Some of Cole's trying to tease/seduce/make Angel uncomfortable felt forced to me. That sex-talk scene in her kitchen and then him showing his abs (I'd laugh at a guy that lifted his shirt to show me his 6-pack) were a little cheesy. Once they got to actual sex it did not disappoint though, that bathroom scene... mmm. And I liked how they supported each other while undercover.
The end was a smidgen predictable but only in some ways One critique, which I know the author may not have control over, is I think they should work on the covers. It's such a typical cheesy cover and her other series was so cool, I think it would help to break this book out of the romantic-suspense mold. Anywho, I'll be waiting for number two!
I received an advanced copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review.
While I did like it, once they got together/undercover and the plot ensued it did venture back into some romantic suspense tropes for me. Some of Cole's trying to tease/seduce/make Angel uncomfortable felt forced to me. That sex-talk scene in her kitchen and then him showing his abs (I'd laugh at a guy that lifted his shirt to show me his 6-pack) were a little cheesy. Once they got to actual sex it did not disappoint though, that bathroom scene... mmm. And I liked how they supported each other while undercover.
The end was a smidgen predictable but only in some ways One critique, which I know the author may not have control over, is I think they should work on the covers. It's such a typical cheesy cover and her other series was so cool, I think it would help to break this book out of the romantic-suspense mold. Anywho, I'll be waiting for number two!
I received an advanced copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review.
November 8, 2014
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR PROBLEM:
I wanted to buy the audiobook but I did not, because I could hear the narrator’s BREATHS. The narrator Romy Nordlinger needs to use a different microphone, or do something in the editing process to remove her breathing.
THE KINDLE BOOK:
This was ok for suspense, but it just didn’t excite me. Things felt superficial.
The main weakness was not enough showing how things got done or how knowledge was obtained. I didn’t know enough about the bad guys - why they kidnapped, how they kidnapped, what they did with victims, how victims were released and saved. I also wanted to know more about the good guys - Cole and others in the Association. The main story is between the couple and their conversations together and not enough about things outside the main couple. She breaks into a building. He catches her and then they both do it again together. So the main suspense is the risk of getting caught and then escaping. Everything else is background. I think character development was a little wooden. She had some issues I did not understand. He is supposed to be a math genius who does things with formulas and probabilities, but I didn’t see anything done with that skill. That would have been interesting.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 2,824 (202 to 296 pages). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 5. Setting: current day California. Copyright: 2013. Genre: romantic suspense.
I wanted to buy the audiobook but I did not, because I could hear the narrator’s BREATHS. The narrator Romy Nordlinger needs to use a different microphone, or do something in the editing process to remove her breathing.
THE KINDLE BOOK:
This was ok for suspense, but it just didn’t excite me. Things felt superficial.
The main weakness was not enough showing how things got done or how knowledge was obtained. I didn’t know enough about the bad guys - why they kidnapped, how they kidnapped, what they did with victims, how victims were released and saved. I also wanted to know more about the good guys - Cole and others in the Association. The main story is between the couple and their conversations together and not enough about things outside the main couple. She breaks into a building. He catches her and then they both do it again together. So the main suspense is the risk of getting caught and then escaping. Everything else is background. I think character development was a little wooden. She had some issues I did not understand. He is supposed to be a math genius who does things with formulas and probabilities, but I didn’t see anything done with that skill. That would have been interesting.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 2,824 (202 to 296 pages). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 5. Setting: current day California. Copyright: 2013. Genre: romantic suspense.
October 26, 2013
This is about an undercover operative agent who blackmailed a safecracker to bust his boss' safe open. Never came across that one before.
"Do we get to keep them after? The diamonds?" Angel asked.
"You get to keep your life. You don't get your intestines pulled out while you're hanging by your ankles. How does that sound?"
That was Cole. His undercover persona was very obnoxious and crude. So to keep up appearance, he was full of himself with Angel. It was hilarious.
"You were helpless under my touch. A good helpless. The kind you like, Angel. I had you in the palm of my hand. Literally.
I didn't stop. I'm not the kind of guy to put a horny woman through the paces or make her beg. At least not until the third date or so."
I loved Angel. She was a retired safecracker master who just wanted to be left alone. Particularly by a certain nerdy looking caveman.
I loved it. It was fast paced, the dialogues were diabolical and the sexual tension was colossal. Looking forward to book #2.
Awesome 5stars.
"Do we get to keep them after? The diamonds?" Angel asked.
"You get to keep your life. You don't get your intestines pulled out while you're hanging by your ankles. How does that sound?"
That was Cole. His undercover persona was very obnoxious and crude. So to keep up appearance, he was full of himself with Angel. It was hilarious.
"You were helpless under my touch. A good helpless. The kind you like, Angel. I had you in the palm of my hand. Literally.
I didn't stop. I'm not the kind of guy to put a horny woman through the paces or make her beg. At least not until the third date or so."
I loved Angel. She was a retired safecracker master who just wanted to be left alone. Particularly by a certain nerdy looking caveman.
I loved it. It was fast paced, the dialogues were diabolical and the sexual tension was colossal. Looking forward to book #2.
Awesome 5stars.
June 7, 2015
I give this book zero stars and recommend this to no one because I got no work done while I was reading this! LOL. If a heist film, a romance, and an undercover had a baby, Against the Dark would come pealing out of the garage. Thief Angel Ramirez is targeting a mark, depraved billionaire Walter Borgola, when she encounters Cole Hawkins, Borgola's security- and boy, do they make sparks. This is a scorcher! I'm a huge action/adventure fan, and the glamorous mansion and party were nice touches. I demand more scenery, more travel! ;) I liked Cole and his noble motivation, the stealing through the night and the getaways. I was torn between four and five stars because I wanted it to be longer! Carolyn Crane has a new fan! Definitely picking up the next book, Off the Edge!
PS. I can haz Fedor's book, plz? *insert puppy eyes*
PS. I can haz Fedor's book, plz? *insert puppy eyes*
May 14, 2015
3.5 stars
Originally posted at The Book NymphoQuick Summary
Angel Ramirez is an interior designer with a past. She’s been a retired safecracker and jewel theft for about five years now but her old friends from her gang days needs her help so she is sucked back into the life for one last job. Cole Hawkins has been working undercover for The Associates, a kind of black ops group that uses any means to take down the bad guys. Cole and Angel meet while working the same party and their passion starts with a bang.
The romance
The lust between Angel and Cole is front and center from chapter one. The two are forced to work together and their lust quickly turns into something more. Even though Angel has very reason to hate Cole she can’t stop thinking about the sexy man and Cole can’t take his eyes off the lovely Angel.
The suspense
Wow. What a slime ball Borgola is. He’s the evil of the story and anyone that kidnaps children and plans to feature them in his snuff films is one bad mofo you don’t want to cross.
Angel and Cole have to be very careful not to end up in one of Borgola’s films!
The bottom line
Crane's writing a great and I can't wait to see where The Associates take me next. I recommend Against the Dark to romance readers looking for a few thrills mixed with their sexy times.
Originally posted at The Book NymphoQuick Summary
Angel Ramirez is an interior designer with a past. She’s been a retired safecracker and jewel theft for about five years now but her old friends from her gang days needs her help so she is sucked back into the life for one last job. Cole Hawkins has been working undercover for The Associates, a kind of black ops group that uses any means to take down the bad guys. Cole and Angel meet while working the same party and their passion starts with a bang.
The romance
The lust between Angel and Cole is front and center from chapter one. The two are forced to work together and their lust quickly turns into something more. Even though Angel has very reason to hate Cole she can’t stop thinking about the sexy man and Cole can’t take his eyes off the lovely Angel.
The suspense
Wow. What a slime ball Borgola is. He’s the evil of the story and anyone that kidnaps children and plans to feature them in his snuff films is one bad mofo you don’t want to cross.
Angel and Cole have to be very careful not to end up in one of Borgola’s films!
The bottom line
Crane's writing a great and I can't wait to see where The Associates take me next. I recommend Against the Dark to romance readers looking for a few thrills mixed with their sexy times.
dnf
June 21, 2015Sorry, really not the book for me. I've been the victim of a thief who stole my family heirloom, which were the only things left from my mom. Let's say I didn't find the heroine sympathetic, poor girl with a late conscience. Nope.
I didn't find particularly sympathetic the hero either, who so easily trade one's life for the many. Life is life, and the moment you talk like a market seller...I'm not saying it isn't the way things go, I even say it's right, if not fair. But that single life is precious too, and it's a sacrifice and should be taken as such.
But what really, and maybe mostly, sent this book to my DNF pile was the sexing. I really can't stomach MC who, regardless of situation, can't stop thinking with their hormones. Here we have a woman who has been strongarmed into a very dangerous situation. Forced, literally. By a man who is thinking to sacrifice her as the pawn she is. By a man she knows t be a very cruel criminal.
But hey, it's a romance so let's see how stupid we are, and let us show you how much stupid we are. Let's think about sex! Let's flirt and stop thinking when we see nudity!
Orthodox (name your cult) have to be right if a slice of skin has this incredible effect! Man and women should all wear a burka...sigh
So, sorry, this seems such an interesting book, and all my friends are agog about it. But it's not for me. Again the romance outweighs the suspense rather then balance it. Pity.
I didn't find particularly sympathetic the hero either, who so easily trade one's life for the many. Life is life, and the moment you talk like a market seller...I'm not saying it isn't the way things go, I even say it's right, if not fair. But that single life is precious too, and it's a sacrifice and should be taken as such.
But what really, and maybe mostly, sent this book to my DNF pile was the sexing. I really can't stomach MC who, regardless of situation, can't stop thinking with their hormones. Here we have a woman who has been strongarmed into a very dangerous situation. Forced, literally. By a man who is thinking to sacrifice her as the pawn she is. By a man she knows t be a very cruel criminal.
But hey, it's a romance so let's see how stupid we are, and let us show you how much stupid we are. Let's think about sex! Let's flirt and stop thinking when we see nudity!
Orthodox (name your cult) have to be right if a slice of skin has this incredible effect! Man and women should all wear a burka...sigh
So, sorry, this seems such an interesting book, and all my friends are agog about it. But it's not for me. Again the romance outweighs the suspense rather then balance it. Pity.
August 24, 2015
3.5 stars
Good start to the series! A bit lighter romantic suspense than I expected.
Good start to the series! A bit lighter romantic suspense than I expected.
May 5, 2014
Very enjoyable book with a nerd (a very physically fit nerd *wink, wink*) and a sinfully sexy thief!
I like their interaction and banter!
I like their interaction and banter!
July 22, 2017
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I read the rest of this series a while ago. I started with book three, Into the Shadows, because that was the review that really peaked my interest in this author and series. I can’t for the life of me remember who it was that recommended this series to me. I finished the series off, bet for some reason, never got back to book one in the series. So, I picked up this book when it was a free Kindle purchase and then added the audible narration for for an additional $2.99 (always check for those Whispersync deals).
I really loved getting back into the world of the Associates. They are a group of people who work in deep cover to take down some pretty horrible people. Some of the guys have to do some not so great things to keep their cover, but it is for the greater good in the long run. It just may not seem that way to the women in their lives at the time. In this story, our heroine isn’t very clean herself. She has quite the past as a jewel thief, however she’s gone clean until her team really need her help to save a family member.
Angel Ramirez is one of only a handful of people who can break into a Fenton Furst safe. The problem is that she has retired from the thief life. She is now just an interior designer. That is until her old team asks for a favor to help save a family member, one who was like family to Angel too. She has no choice but to break into this safe at Walter Borgola’s mansion, who is quite the notorious crime boss. She is quickly spotted by one of the members of Borgola’s security team, a guy named Cole.
Cole Hawkins is quite the geek, but is in deep cover as security for Borgola. If his cover is blown he will not only die, but he will die slowly and painfully. He feels that the risk is worth it. Borgola has a ship of children coming from outside the country that he plans to use for his snuff films. Cole needs to find Borgola’s plans to find the ship before it makes landfall or he will never find all of these kids. When Angel and her team breaks into get the diamonds, he makes plans to recover the diamonds and use the diamonds to track to the even more secluded safe. He also give Angel an offer she can’t refuse to help him get the information he needs to save the kids.
I really enjoyed listening to this story. Cole was so calculating in persona to keep his cover. The ways he used his intelligence to keep the rest of the security team and Borgola from learning about the real Cole was fun to watch. Angel was another fun one. She wanted so badly not to get back into to the thief life, but at the same time she missed it so much. She missed her friends who had not left the life. She missed the thrill of the heist. But she didn’t want the rejection of her family for being a criminal. Not to mention the relationship between Cole and Angel was hot. Some of it starts of as a ruse to keep their cover for Borgola, but they love every minute of it in the end. If you’re looking for a fun romantic suspense series, this is great one where people are quite what they seem on the surface.
Narration
Romy Nordlinger is a narrator that has grown on me the more I’ve listen to her. The first book that I listened to from her, I wasn’t a huge fan, but the more I listened, the more I got to where I liked her narration. I don’t think I will ever have her listed as a top narrator on my list, but I think she does an okay job. I never had a hard time understanding anything she said. She voices the different characters well, both male and female. I think she does a good job with her inflection, especially when you consider she has to voice some pretty horrible people in this series. This is the only series that I’ve listened to her narrate. I am sad to see that the four and final book in this series isn’t available on audio. I still need to read it, and I will tackle it, but I’m sad that I can’t tackle via audio.
I read the rest of this series a while ago. I started with book three, Into the Shadows, because that was the review that really peaked my interest in this author and series. I can’t for the life of me remember who it was that recommended this series to me. I finished the series off, bet for some reason, never got back to book one in the series. So, I picked up this book when it was a free Kindle purchase and then added the audible narration for for an additional $2.99 (always check for those Whispersync deals).
I really loved getting back into the world of the Associates. They are a group of people who work in deep cover to take down some pretty horrible people. Some of the guys have to do some not so great things to keep their cover, but it is for the greater good in the long run. It just may not seem that way to the women in their lives at the time. In this story, our heroine isn’t very clean herself. She has quite the past as a jewel thief, however she’s gone clean until her team really need her help to save a family member.
Angel Ramirez is one of only a handful of people who can break into a Fenton Furst safe. The problem is that she has retired from the thief life. She is now just an interior designer. That is until her old team asks for a favor to help save a family member, one who was like family to Angel too. She has no choice but to break into this safe at Walter Borgola’s mansion, who is quite the notorious crime boss. She is quickly spotted by one of the members of Borgola’s security team, a guy named Cole.
Cole Hawkins is quite the geek, but is in deep cover as security for Borgola. If his cover is blown he will not only die, but he will die slowly and painfully. He feels that the risk is worth it. Borgola has a ship of children coming from outside the country that he plans to use for his snuff films. Cole needs to find Borgola’s plans to find the ship before it makes landfall or he will never find all of these kids. When Angel and her team breaks into get the diamonds, he makes plans to recover the diamonds and use the diamonds to track to the even more secluded safe. He also give Angel an offer she can’t refuse to help him get the information he needs to save the kids.
I really enjoyed listening to this story. Cole was so calculating in persona to keep his cover. The ways he used his intelligence to keep the rest of the security team and Borgola from learning about the real Cole was fun to watch. Angel was another fun one. She wanted so badly not to get back into to the thief life, but at the same time she missed it so much. She missed her friends who had not left the life. She missed the thrill of the heist. But she didn’t want the rejection of her family for being a criminal. Not to mention the relationship between Cole and Angel was hot. Some of it starts of as a ruse to keep their cover for Borgola, but they love every minute of it in the end. If you’re looking for a fun romantic suspense series, this is great one where people are quite what they seem on the surface.
Narration
Romy Nordlinger is a narrator that has grown on me the more I’ve listen to her. The first book that I listened to from her, I wasn’t a huge fan, but the more I listened, the more I got to where I liked her narration. I don’t think I will ever have her listed as a top narrator on my list, but I think she does an okay job. I never had a hard time understanding anything she said. She voices the different characters well, both male and female. I think she does a good job with her inflection, especially when you consider she has to voice some pretty horrible people in this series. This is the only series that I’ve listened to her narrate. I am sad to see that the four and final book in this series isn’t available on audio. I still need to read it, and I will tackle it, but I’m sad that I can’t tackle via audio.
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September 20, 2014
01/05/2014 --
Overall Rating = 4 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 3 / 4 = 3.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 4 Stars
Character Development = 3 Stars
Story Appreciation = 4.5 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [$3.99 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild to Moderate
202 pages
The first time I'm reading this author and I enjoyed myself. A little something for everyone. Just what I needed. A bit different from what I've been reading lately.
The Good about this one:
1 -- Like I said, it is a bit different from what I've been reading lately and has a bit of something for everyone. We have two interesting characters, a bad guy, a "gang" of good guys and some suspense and action. What's not to love?
2 -- I wouldn't call this book deep, by any means. I was all ready to hate the title -- thinking it didn't make a whole lot of sense, until ...
The title makes perfect sense.
3 -- Perfectly priced. I read Ian's review and immediately one-clicked.
What could have been better?
1 -- Seemed way to short for all the stuff we had to digest. But, then we didn't get a whole lot of detail about any one thing. The author worked really hard to put so much in such a short read. It could have stood being longer.
2 -- So, it is understandable why I still know really very little about Angel and Cole. We know just a bit about what brought them to this place, but not enough to satisfy out curiosity. I was left feeling a bit unfulfilled. Maybe we learn more with other books in this series, but I'm betting not. This was their book.
Everything else worked very well. I'm going to read the next in this series now. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks Ian, for turning me onto a new author and series. I quite enjoyed it.
Happy Reading!
Overall Rating = 4 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 3 / 4 = 3.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 4 Stars
Character Development = 3 Stars
Story Appreciation = 4.5 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [$3.99 on Amazon]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild to Moderate
202 pages
The first time I'm reading this author and I enjoyed myself. A little something for everyone. Just what I needed. A bit different from what I've been reading lately.
The Good about this one:
1 -- Like I said, it is a bit different from what I've been reading lately and has a bit of something for everyone. We have two interesting characters, a bad guy, a "gang" of good guys and some suspense and action. What's not to love?
2 -- I wouldn't call this book deep, by any means. I was all ready to hate the title -- thinking it didn't make a whole lot of sense, until ...
She looked away and that's when he caught it -- the nearness of the truth. She simply shrugged. "What do you like about the game?" he asked. "Don't." He knew he should respect that, but something dark in him pressed on. He grabbed her chin, turned her face to him. Crossing the line now. He always knew when he was crossing the line. Knowing was never the problem. "Tell me."
The title makes perfect sense.
3 -- Perfectly priced. I read Ian's review and immediately one-clicked.
What could have been better?
1 -- Seemed way to short for all the stuff we had to digest. But, then we didn't get a whole lot of detail about any one thing. The author worked really hard to put so much in such a short read. It could have stood being longer.
2 -- So, it is understandable why I still know really very little about Angel and Cole. We know just a bit about what brought them to this place, but not enough to satisfy out curiosity. I was left feeling a bit unfulfilled. Maybe we learn more with other books in this series, but I'm betting not. This was their book.
Everything else worked very well. I'm going to read the next in this series now. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks Ian, for turning me onto a new author and series. I quite enjoyed it.
Happy Reading!
April 30, 2013
The debut in Crane's new Associates series is a smokin' hot romance that had me hooked from the very first page. I was intrigued by the characters and the slow development of their relationship and I easily devoured this novel in less than two days.
Angel Ramirez and her former gang of thieves infiltrate the home of a very dangerous man named Walter Borgola. Although she had left her life as a safecracker behind many years ago, she's convinced to rejoin the team for one more heist.
This is how she crosses paths with Cole Hawkins, a member of a crime fighting organization known as the Association. As part of his recent assignment, he is posing as an employee on Borgola's security team. He's a clever man with a commanding presence and a troubled past that he has managed to use to his advantage.
What I loved about Cole's character was that he is described as a nerd with shaggy hair, a scruffy beard and thick-rimmed glasses. But along with his nerdy disposition he is also very assertive and strong-willed. All of this combined made Cole Hawkins a very sexy and easy to like character.
I also enjoyed Angel and her role in the gang. Her job is to crack Borgola's rare Fenton Furst safe where his diamonds are located. I must admit that if I ever decided to join the criminal underworld with a group of thieving women, I would want to take on the role of expert safecracker. It's such a cool specialty to have on your criminal resume'.
Upon discovering who Angel really is and the skills that she possesses, Cole has her assist him in his mission to bring down one of Borgola's operations. This includes having her pose as his new girlfriend.
As the danger increases, the sexual tension also begins to rise and what results is an incredibly hot scene where Cole's dominate side takes control.
If you're looking for a hot contemporary romance with a love interest to swoon over, then I would highly suggest Crane's Against the Dark. It's another series by one of my all-time favorite authors that I will definitely continue to follow.
http://www.addicted2heroines.com/2013...
Angel Ramirez and her former gang of thieves infiltrate the home of a very dangerous man named Walter Borgola. Although she had left her life as a safecracker behind many years ago, she's convinced to rejoin the team for one more heist.
This is how she crosses paths with Cole Hawkins, a member of a crime fighting organization known as the Association. As part of his recent assignment, he is posing as an employee on Borgola's security team. He's a clever man with a commanding presence and a troubled past that he has managed to use to his advantage.
What I loved about Cole's character was that he is described as a nerd with shaggy hair, a scruffy beard and thick-rimmed glasses. But along with his nerdy disposition he is also very assertive and strong-willed. All of this combined made Cole Hawkins a very sexy and easy to like character.
I also enjoyed Angel and her role in the gang. Her job is to crack Borgola's rare Fenton Furst safe where his diamonds are located. I must admit that if I ever decided to join the criminal underworld with a group of thieving women, I would want to take on the role of expert safecracker. It's such a cool specialty to have on your criminal resume'.
Upon discovering who Angel really is and the skills that she possesses, Cole has her assist him in his mission to bring down one of Borgola's operations. This includes having her pose as his new girlfriend.
As the danger increases, the sexual tension also begins to rise and what results is an incredibly hot scene where Cole's dominate side takes control.
If you're looking for a hot contemporary romance with a love interest to swoon over, then I would highly suggest Crane's Against the Dark. It's another series by one of my all-time favorite authors that I will definitely continue to follow.
http://www.addicted2heroines.com/2013...
January 15, 2022
La primera entrega de esta estupenda serie de suspense romántico, los Associates, organización privada que se dedica a acabar con malotes. Sus asociados son personas con algún talento especial; el de Cole Hawkins son las matemáticas, la lógica. Se ha infiltrado entre la seguridad de un malo muy malo. Conoce a Angel Ramirez, la persona que él necesita para este trabajo. Así que la extorsiona para que abra una caja, pensando que, si las cosas salen mal, ella es el chivo expiatorio que entregar a los malos mientras él salva a los Associated. Simplemente, no pude dejar de leer.
Reseña algo más extensa, en mi blog.
Reseña algo más extensa, en mi blog.
July 24, 2014
Ok, be warned: swimming upstream here.
Did I like this book? Let's just say I didn't dislike it. But I won't put my stamp-of-approval on it, either.
This should have been a "romantic suspense", but I haven't seen a suspenseful moment in all of it. To the contrary, the plot is predictable and stale, formulaic and boring as only romance books can get.
Am I going to go on with this series? Yes. I've loved the first books of The Illusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane, and so I have faith in the author. She can do so much better than this.
Did I like this book? Let's just say I didn't dislike it. But I won't put my stamp-of-approval on it, either.
This should have been a "romantic suspense", but I haven't seen a suspenseful moment in all of it. To the contrary, the plot is predictable and stale, formulaic and boring as only romance books can get.
Am I going to go on with this series? Yes. I've loved the first books of The Illusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane, and so I have faith in the author. She can do so much better than this.
June 12, 2013
"Pull my hair," she said.
"This isn't that kind of fuck, Angel."
"I want you to, though."
"Sorry."
Sexy and wonderful, loved it. And don't worry, he does pull her hair. LOTS :)
"This isn't that kind of fuck, Angel."
"I want you to, though."
"Sorry."
Sexy and wonderful, loved it. And don't worry, he does pull her hair. LOTS :)
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