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One-Eyed Jacks #3
Running Blind
Tension sizzles in this new book in the One-Eyed Jacks series by New York Times bestseller Cindy Gerard: a sexy, pulse-pounding story featuring special ops agent Jamie Cooper and a female cyber analyst as they fight for justice and fall in love.
No commitments, no promises, no looking back. Those are her rules. They used to be his rules, too. Counterterrorism operative and shameless playboy Jamie Cooper has gone head-to-head with some formidable opponents, but none so quick-witted, free-spirited, and smokin’ hot as security analyst Rhonda Burns. She lives up to her name, all fiery passion and zero inhibitions.
In the wake of a sniper attack that leaves a close friend clinging to life, the duo is pegged to undertake the One-Eyed Jacks’ latest security mission alone—an assignment that leads them to a top-secret desert military facility. Almost immediately, the sexual tension that has been brewing for months erupts, blindsiding Rhonda and Jamie with the intensity of their feelings. They try to play it cool, but when an elite terrorist team makes the future uncertain, they ask themselves: is it now or never?
No commitments, no promises, no looking back. Those are her rules. They used to be his rules, too. Counterterrorism operative and shameless playboy Jamie Cooper has gone head-to-head with some formidable opponents, but none so quick-witted, free-spirited, and smokin’ hot as security analyst Rhonda Burns. She lives up to her name, all fiery passion and zero inhibitions.
In the wake of a sniper attack that leaves a close friend clinging to life, the duo is pegged to undertake the One-Eyed Jacks’ latest security mission alone—an assignment that leads them to a top-secret desert military facility. Almost immediately, the sexual tension that has been brewing for months erupts, blindsiding Rhonda and Jamie with the intensity of their feelings. They try to play it cool, but when an elite terrorist team makes the future uncertain, they ask themselves: is it now or never?
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
82 people are currently reading
1310 people want to read
About the author
Cindy Gerard
156 books1,622 followersThe only thing Cindy had in mind when she started writing her first book was finishing it. The issue of actually selling it came much later. Only after she made that life-altering first sale did she realize that one book would never be enough. Now, over 20 books and numerous awards later, Cindy laughingly admits that she can barely remember life before...well, was there life before writing?
Actually, yes there was, and still is. A professional career woman, Cindy is a trainer for the Iowa Department of Human Services, a position she states is both challenging and rewarding. "Human Services is a front-line, real-life event. Everything about the job is immediate, from serving families in crisis, to assisting staff with difficult situations, to meeting tension-fraught deadlines."
Cindy's career has taught her much about the human condition, its frailties, its strengths, and its spirit. The evocative emotions that pour from the pages of her books are a reflection of some of her work experiences. Her writing celebrates life's richness and trials, offering a wide range of emotions — hope and elation, anger and indecision, laughter and, of course, love. And, according to her readers, her powerful love scenes run the gamut from steamy to tender to lusty to just plain fun.
Cindy's writing has netted her spots on bestseller lists, numerous RT nominations and awards, the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, a National Reader's Choice Award and two RITA nominations.
Between writing and working full time you wouldn't think Cindy would have much time for anything else. And while she does find her work and her writing rewarding, there does have to be more. Cindy has more. Much more. She is happily married to the perfect man. Tom's a cowboy, ladies!
Yes, even Iowa has its share of that saddle-straddling, Wrangler-wearing species who love their horses almost as much as they love their women. As a matter of fact, recently a whole herd of Texans gathered at the Gerard "Ranch" to treat their little ones to real horseback rides. Go figure.
Cindy has a passion for pink depression glass — she always has her eye out for the special piece to add to her collection. Cindy's down time often takes the form of the classic "busman's holiday." She loves to read and most of all, she loves to read at their summer place, a cabin in the woods on Lake Kabetogama in northern Minnesota.
Both Tom and Cindy enjoy gardening and have recently expanded their annual beds into a perennial garden. Cindy says she can hardly wait for spring and the promise of all that reawakening and the colorful blooms.
In addition to the horses, the Gerards have two dogs, Ellie and Boomer, who pretty much get anything they want. Tom and Cindy have one son, Kyle, who, after years of keeping them in suspense, found Eileen, the perfect woman.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/cindyg...
Actually, yes there was, and still is. A professional career woman, Cindy is a trainer for the Iowa Department of Human Services, a position she states is both challenging and rewarding. "Human Services is a front-line, real-life event. Everything about the job is immediate, from serving families in crisis, to assisting staff with difficult situations, to meeting tension-fraught deadlines."
Cindy's career has taught her much about the human condition, its frailties, its strengths, and its spirit. The evocative emotions that pour from the pages of her books are a reflection of some of her work experiences. Her writing celebrates life's richness and trials, offering a wide range of emotions — hope and elation, anger and indecision, laughter and, of course, love. And, according to her readers, her powerful love scenes run the gamut from steamy to tender to lusty to just plain fun.
Cindy's writing has netted her spots on bestseller lists, numerous RT nominations and awards, the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, a National Reader's Choice Award and two RITA nominations.
Between writing and working full time you wouldn't think Cindy would have much time for anything else. And while she does find her work and her writing rewarding, there does have to be more. Cindy has more. Much more. She is happily married to the perfect man. Tom's a cowboy, ladies!
Yes, even Iowa has its share of that saddle-straddling, Wrangler-wearing species who love their horses almost as much as they love their women. As a matter of fact, recently a whole herd of Texans gathered at the Gerard "Ranch" to treat their little ones to real horseback rides. Go figure.
Cindy has a passion for pink depression glass — she always has her eye out for the special piece to add to her collection. Cindy's down time often takes the form of the classic "busman's holiday." She loves to read and most of all, she loves to read at their summer place, a cabin in the woods on Lake Kabetogama in northern Minnesota.
Both Tom and Cindy enjoy gardening and have recently expanded their annual beds into a perennial garden. Cindy says she can hardly wait for spring and the promise of all that reawakening and the colorful blooms.
In addition to the horses, the Gerards have two dogs, Ellie and Boomer, who pretty much get anything they want. Tom and Cindy have one son, Kyle, who, after years of keeping them in suspense, found Eileen, the perfect woman.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/cindyg...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
March 6, 2015
1.5 stars. Full review posted March 6, 2015
Dear Authors,
Shoving embarrassingly bad analogies and never ending body descriptions down my throat all the time isn't going to earn you any extra stars from me.
Thanks for trying, though.
Best,
Baba
"What?" sent relief as loud as a brass band ringing into the room. "You'll…do…what?"
When the corners of mouth turned up in the faintest of smiles, it felt as if the sun had come out.
Rhonda walked back into the room, met his eyes across the table, and bam. Coop flashed back to last night and that kiss and felt a full jolt of sexual electricity sear through him.
And she simply couldn't stop herself. His skin was the color of buttered caramel. His chest was free of hair, and she wondered if he was that smooth and his muscles that taut all over.
Don't forget to exclude his dick, though. That's a corpus cavernosum.
"Remember, you're to take Burns with you."
He spun around in panic. No. Please, God, no.
*headdesk* No. Please, God, no.
Even surly, rock-jawed, and silent, Jamie Cooper was impossibly gorgeous. Sitting beside him on the cramped commercial flight this morning, she'd felt the undercurrent of his sexuality radiate from his body, which did things to her body, regardless of how hard she tried to ignore him.
I'd wish I could ignore you both. Thank you very much.
When she left it at that, he finally turned around. She looked like a runway version of an Amazon priestess. Expression hard and unbending, body lush and curvy, legs long and…man, oh, man, he wanted them wrapped around his waist.
Because looking at her in all her magnificent glory, he was hit by a blinding rush of awareness.
Yeah, the writing is quite blinding, for sure.
Then he covered her mouth with his…and dived into a hundred fathoms of ocean.
And kept diving deeper.
A hundred fathoms of ocean? Hello, Coop! Where are you? Don't drown, please.
Then he sped out of her room, feeling as if he was swimming for his life in shark-infested waters.
Maybe that was why she felt short of breath and her heartbeat revved up every time she glanced sideways at his perfect warrior-poet profile, or every time she focused on those soft lips and the steely strength of his arms, or when she thought about all that hard, toned muscle beneath his shirt.
He was already dreading six p.m., when he'd meet up with the blond bomber again.
Coop. The true badass who was afraid of a woman.
"I haven't exactly been Miss Congeniality," she admitted after a long moment, and Coop felt a knot the size of a football ease inside his chest.
Glad you're still alive, Coop. That must have been quite…er…crushing and frightening.
She made an effort to smile at him then--and man, oh, man, if it wasn't the weight of the world that lifted from his chest, it was at least the weight of the moon.
Despite all his good intentions, touching the Bombshell had shot him straight into a sexual fantasy that made his head reel.
Where the heck was the well-written and palpable chemistry and sexual tension? Where was the witty and snarky banter? The hot and sensual sex? The likable characters?
As it was, I had to deal with an irritating heroine, a jerk of a hero, awkward sex and cheap "banter". To top everything off, the writing was cheesy and the analogies painful, even embarrassing at times. Sheesh, I would never have expected to read such an inferior book from this author.
On page 112: There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you've had enough.
That's the crux of the matter. I've had enough at 33% but couldn't give up just yet. I guess I was just hoping it would get better and soldiered on till the last friggin' page. My bad because it would have been better to wave the white flag.
Well, this is awkward. I mean I really did enjoy the previous two books in this series Killing Time and The Way Home. But, in my defense, I can say that one of my friends who enjoyed Cindy Gerard's books in the past and did check out the quotes I added to my review said to me: "What happened to Cindy Gerard?"
I.Don't.Know. It's pretty obvious that author Gerard has descended into the morasses of
Cheesetown
and…
Badologies Thou Shalt Be Named.
Running Blind was shockingly weak and I felt tempted to give it a one-star rating. I guess, however, I must have had a weak moment myself when I rounded up to two stars. Or, maybe, I've been reveling in fond memories. I really don't want to waste too much time reviewing Running Blind. After all, the quotes speak for themselves. What I'd like to say is the writing was incredibly unappealing and the dialogue was lame and corny. I'm also peeved that so many authors keep on perpetuating stereotypes in romance books. The Bombshell. Yeah, right. I'm aware that many readers enjoy them but, unfortunately, I don't belong to that category and it makes it painfully hard for me to find a book that I can enjoy from the first page to the last one.
I can't tell you how many times I've had to roll my eyes or how many times I was close to DNFing this "gem". Fact is, Running Blind is a prime example why it's so much more convenient but also very sensible to abandon a book. In the end, I have wasted too much time reading something that was a plain old pain in the ass. Both main protagonists were boring as individuals and failed as a couple because there was nothing exciting about them. No chemistry, bland sex, boring plot; I didn't even care for that top secret crap. Everything was just blah except maybe the action part at the beginning of the story. Of course there was the ever present electricity zinging through theuniverse bodies and I kid you not but all those breathing troubles almost forced me to administer first aid a couple times. Plus, all that heat radiating from their bodies urged me to turn off my heating stat. Oh God, stick a fork in me now because…
Oh, God. Stick a fork in him--he was so far past done he was charred.
And inner monologue like that makes me want to…um…you may choose a word for me:
I'm as hard as an armor-plated missile, and it hurts like hell. Want to help a guy out?
I don't call that chemistry or sexual tension or whatever you want to call it. It's just ridiculously silly:
There went that "girl parts" zing again.
I know that we all outgrow some authors, even favorite authors at that, but another crucial fact is that the writing skills of some authors don't evolve. They slacken. Even worse, when they come off as amateurish, then I've reached the end of the rope and will quit buying their books.
Bottom line, Running Blind was a total letdown. Yet hope dies last, so I'm movin' on to betterthings books.
P.S.
Dear Authors,
Shoving embarrassingly bad analogies and never ending body descriptions down my throat all the time isn't going to earn you any extra stars from me.
Thanks for trying, though.
Best,
Baba
"What?" sent relief as loud as a brass band ringing into the room. "You'll…do…what?"
When the corners of mouth turned up in the faintest of smiles, it felt as if the sun had come out.
Rhonda walked back into the room, met his eyes across the table, and bam. Coop flashed back to last night and that kiss and felt a full jolt of sexual electricity sear through him.
And she simply couldn't stop herself. His skin was the color of buttered caramel. His chest was free of hair, and she wondered if he was that smooth and his muscles that taut all over.
Don't forget to exclude his dick, though. That's a corpus cavernosum.
"Remember, you're to take Burns with you."
He spun around in panic. No. Please, God, no.
*headdesk* No. Please, God, no.
Even surly, rock-jawed, and silent, Jamie Cooper was impossibly gorgeous. Sitting beside him on the cramped commercial flight this morning, she'd felt the undercurrent of his sexuality radiate from his body, which did things to her body, regardless of how hard she tried to ignore him.
I'd wish I could ignore you both. Thank you very much.
When she left it at that, he finally turned around. She looked like a runway version of an Amazon priestess. Expression hard and unbending, body lush and curvy, legs long and…man, oh, man, he wanted them wrapped around his waist.
Because looking at her in all her magnificent glory, he was hit by a blinding rush of awareness.
Yeah, the writing is quite blinding, for sure.
Then he covered her mouth with his…and dived into a hundred fathoms of ocean.
And kept diving deeper.
A hundred fathoms of ocean? Hello, Coop! Where are you? Don't drown, please.
Then he sped out of her room, feeling as if he was swimming for his life in shark-infested waters.
Maybe that was why she felt short of breath and her heartbeat revved up every time she glanced sideways at his perfect warrior-poet profile, or every time she focused on those soft lips and the steely strength of his arms, or when she thought about all that hard, toned muscle beneath his shirt.
He was already dreading six p.m., when he'd meet up with the blond bomber again.
Coop. The true badass who was afraid of a woman.
"I haven't exactly been Miss Congeniality," she admitted after a long moment, and Coop felt a knot the size of a football ease inside his chest.
Glad you're still alive, Coop. That must have been quite…er…crushing and frightening.
She made an effort to smile at him then--and man, oh, man, if it wasn't the weight of the world that lifted from his chest, it was at least the weight of the moon.
Despite all his good intentions, touching the Bombshell had shot him straight into a sexual fantasy that made his head reel.
Where the heck was the well-written and palpable chemistry and sexual tension? Where was the witty and snarky banter? The hot and sensual sex? The likable characters?
As it was, I had to deal with an irritating heroine, a jerk of a hero, awkward sex and cheap "banter". To top everything off, the writing was cheesy and the analogies painful, even embarrassing at times. Sheesh, I would never have expected to read such an inferior book from this author.
On page 112: There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you've had enough.
That's the crux of the matter. I've had enough at 33% but couldn't give up just yet. I guess I was just hoping it would get better and soldiered on till the last friggin' page. My bad because it would have been better to wave the white flag.
Well, this is awkward. I mean I really did enjoy the previous two books in this series Killing Time and The Way Home. But, in my defense, I can say that one of my friends who enjoyed Cindy Gerard's books in the past and did check out the quotes I added to my review said to me: "What happened to Cindy Gerard?"
I can't tell you how many times I've had to roll my eyes or how many times I was close to DNFing this "gem". Fact is, Running Blind is a prime example why it's so much more convenient but also very sensible to abandon a book. In the end, I have wasted too much time reading something that was a plain old pain in the ass. Both main protagonists were boring as individuals and failed as a couple because there was nothing exciting about them. No chemistry, bland sex, boring plot; I didn't even care for that top secret crap. Everything was just blah except maybe the action part at the beginning of the story. Of course there was the ever present electricity zinging through the
Oh, God. Stick a fork in him--he was so far past done he was charred.
And inner monologue like that makes me want to…um…you may choose a word for me:
I'm as hard as an armor-plated missile, and it hurts like hell. Want to help a guy out?
I don't call that chemistry or sexual tension or whatever you want to call it. It's just ridiculously silly:
There went that "girl parts" zing again.
I know that we all outgrow some authors, even favorite authors at that, but another crucial fact is that the writing skills of some authors don't evolve. They slacken. Even worse, when they come off as amateurish, then I've reached the end of the rope and will quit buying their books.
Bottom line, Running Blind was a total letdown. Yet hope dies last, so I'm movin' on to better
P.S.
March 22, 2016
One minute members of the ITAP units are enjoying breakfast at a coffee shop and the next moment they're under attack by a sniper. When the dust settles, one of them is critically injured and the hunt is on to find the assassin. Jamie Cooper, the gorgeous member of the special ops team is paired with Rhonda Burns, the units' beautiful new cryptologist, for a security mission that turns into something much more than routine.
This story began wonderfully with the promise of excitement and suspense. It soon morphed into what felt like a high school romance between Jamie and Rhonda who alternately pretend they aren't feeling the sexual tension. Rhonda especially degenerated to some immature behavior in an attempt to mask her true feelings. I just gave up and skimmed after awhile.
Things picked up significantly when the focus was on the security mission and that saved the story for me. The romance was a serious letdown as nothing about it was mature or romantic. This was not even close to the caliber of the first two books in the series and I'm hoping the next one returns to what I've come to expect from the author.
This story began wonderfully with the promise of excitement and suspense. It soon morphed into what felt like a high school romance between Jamie and Rhonda who alternately pretend they aren't feeling the sexual tension. Rhonda especially degenerated to some immature behavior in an attempt to mask her true feelings. I just gave up and skimmed after awhile.
Things picked up significantly when the focus was on the security mission and that saved the story for me. The romance was a serious letdown as nothing about it was mature or romantic. This was not even close to the caliber of the first two books in the series and I'm hoping the next one returns to what I've come to expect from the author.
March 7, 2016
3 stars and that's being generous. Pretty dull for Cindy Gerard with an entirely forgettable couple and bland story. Missed the exotic locations too as this takes place exclusively in the states.
March 8, 2015
2 ½ stars – Romantic Suspense
I usually love Gerard’s books, but this was pretty disappointing and boring. I didn’t care much at all for the H/h, and their romance was very dull/meh. Except for an intense, thrilling beginning that produced some emotional moments for the team, the suspense aspect of the story fell rather flat as well. So just a 2 ½ “okay/meh” stars, and I hope her next book is better!
I usually love Gerard’s books, but this was pretty disappointing and boring. I didn’t care much at all for the H/h, and their romance was very dull/meh. Except for an intense, thrilling beginning that produced some emotional moments for the team, the suspense aspect of the story fell rather flat as well. So just a 2 ½ “okay/meh” stars, and I hope her next book is better!
April 14, 2015
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The One Eyed Jacks are a super secret covert group of former military and specialized individuals who are at the front line of defense to protect America from terrorist. Rhonda has no military experience but can hack into any computer system and wields coding as strong as any AK-47. When she gets matched up with Jamie Cooper, former Marine Force Recon, to assess the security of a couple military bases, the two find it hard to ignore the chemistry that has been bubbling near the surface for awhile now. With their team under attack from a revenge seeking enemy and surprise orders to visit Area 51, Rhonda and Coop might just have to give into a certain stress relieving option that they have been dying to do anyway.
This book had two different storylines, the One Eyed Jacks being targeted and Russians trying to steal advanced military technology that didn't mesh very well together. The story starts off strong with the team under attack and then working to find out who has targeted them when it suddenly switches gears and follows Coop and Rhonda as they head off on assignment. It lollygags as our couple dances around each other while checking the security of Air Force bases and then ramps up a bit on the action side when they get sent to Area 51. I'm fascinated with Area 51 and even though this is fiction, the mystique of the place locked me in and kept me interested. Others who have no such interest will probably become even less involved as the story disconnects with the beginning and romance between leads.
Rhonda was a fun character to follow, she has some humorous inner thoughts and it was great to read about a woman IT specialist. What really disappointed me was her, of course, "I've been hurt before so I can't possible EVER love again." The reasoning behind her reluctance, seriously, isn't revealed until the very, very end and gets wrapped up in such a quick head scratching way. I never felt or understood her reluctance; she came off very immature through the ordeal. Coop had a little more life to him than the average military alpha of these types of stories but he never really had a lot of time to shine with Rhonda. They have the hots for each other, eye ball one another, sleep together, and then he declares his love while Rhonda decides to push him away. They lacked a certain liveliness and came off as a pretty dry romantic couple.
If you like military action themed tv shows, I always think Cindy Gerard books would be a good option if also looking for a hint of romance. Her series and books always have a lot of moving parts; there are many characters and action subplots. Like I said, the two action plots here just didn't gel. It isn't until the end of the book that we get back to the revenge storyline and when we do it gets resolved very quickly and because of that, it felt very unsatisfying. If you don't have an Area 51 fascination like me and don't like a heavy suspense plot, then the lack of romance here will probably leave you disappointed.
The One Eyed Jacks are a super secret covert group of former military and specialized individuals who are at the front line of defense to protect America from terrorist. Rhonda has no military experience but can hack into any computer system and wields coding as strong as any AK-47. When she gets matched up with Jamie Cooper, former Marine Force Recon, to assess the security of a couple military bases, the two find it hard to ignore the chemistry that has been bubbling near the surface for awhile now. With their team under attack from a revenge seeking enemy and surprise orders to visit Area 51, Rhonda and Coop might just have to give into a certain stress relieving option that they have been dying to do anyway.
This book had two different storylines, the One Eyed Jacks being targeted and Russians trying to steal advanced military technology that didn't mesh very well together. The story starts off strong with the team under attack and then working to find out who has targeted them when it suddenly switches gears and follows Coop and Rhonda as they head off on assignment. It lollygags as our couple dances around each other while checking the security of Air Force bases and then ramps up a bit on the action side when they get sent to Area 51. I'm fascinated with Area 51 and even though this is fiction, the mystique of the place locked me in and kept me interested. Others who have no such interest will probably become even less involved as the story disconnects with the beginning and romance between leads.
Rhonda was a fun character to follow, she has some humorous inner thoughts and it was great to read about a woman IT specialist. What really disappointed me was her, of course, "I've been hurt before so I can't possible EVER love again." The reasoning behind her reluctance, seriously, isn't revealed until the very, very end and gets wrapped up in such a quick head scratching way. I never felt or understood her reluctance; she came off very immature through the ordeal. Coop had a little more life to him than the average military alpha of these types of stories but he never really had a lot of time to shine with Rhonda. They have the hots for each other, eye ball one another, sleep together, and then he declares his love while Rhonda decides to push him away. They lacked a certain liveliness and came off as a pretty dry romantic couple.
If you like military action themed tv shows, I always think Cindy Gerard books would be a good option if also looking for a hint of romance. Her series and books always have a lot of moving parts; there are many characters and action subplots. Like I said, the two action plots here just didn't gel. It isn't until the end of the book that we get back to the revenge storyline and when we do it gets resolved very quickly and because of that, it felt very unsatisfying. If you don't have an Area 51 fascination like me and don't like a heavy suspense plot, then the lack of romance here will probably leave you disappointed.
July 23, 2015
This was ok but not what I expect from a Cindy Gerard RS :( The romance factor wasn't great and the suspense was very weak and just when it starts to get exciting it all comes to a quick end....Hoping the next book is better!
February 28, 2015
Just one big MEH.
Very disappointing. 3 STARS for the intense fiasco at the beginning. Other than that, Rhonda and Coop were very boring.
Very disappointing. 3 STARS for the intense fiasco at the beginning. Other than that, Rhonda and Coop were very boring.
March 27, 2015
Running Blind by Cindy Gerard is a 2015 Pocket Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher as a part of the S&S XOXpert team for review purposes.
The One-Eyed Jacks are under siege and although the attack on them went awry one of their own will take a fall.
Jamie Cooper has been “hot and bothered” ever since Rhonda Burns joined their team as a security analyst. His nickname for her is “bombshell” because although she is a computer nerd, she is nothing like the stereotype. No, Rhonda has a style of her own that pushes the professional envelope when it comes to her clothing, hairstyle and makeup. But, Jamie is not the only one who feels the chemistry. Rhonda has no intentions of becoming another one Jamie's conquest, so their frustration is making the two a little irritable around one another.
However, the emotional trauma of having one of their own taken down in a sniper attack, brings the fire between Jamie and Rhonda to a head and no matter how hard they try to put it out, it can not be contained.
But, their personal lives will have to be put on hold when a diabolical plan is hatched to steal top military technology and a personal vendetta against the team is somehow tied in to it. Cooper and Burns will have to infiltrate the facility on their own and hopefully foil the plot and live to tell about it.
This story started off with a bang and really caught my attention. A sniper attack aimed specifically a the team had me thinking this one was going to require a safety belt. Not only that, the chemistry between Cooper and Burns sizzled right from the start and it was obvious they were not going be able to deny themselves for too long.
After such a promising start the story kind of stalled out a little. Cooper and Burns fight off their attraction for a short time, but like I predicted they gave in pretty easy. But, after that, the dialogue was not interesting and for some reason I found Cooper to be a little bland. The plot to kill the Jacks went cold in the last half or so of the book and then had an anti-climatic conclusion. The military facility investigation was the most tense thread in the story.
If you are wondering why Burns is so reluctant to commit to Cooper, you will have to wait until nearly the end of the book to find out, and then the reasons for her change of heart didn't make a lot of sense to me.
I did like the change of pace with the military being focused on other missions besides Middle East terrorist cells. In this case we have a Russian agent trying to steal new military technology they don't intend to use for the greater good.
Rhonda steals the show is some cases with some great lines and I liked how she was brave enough to present her feminine side and was proud of her individuality. The computer nerd getting the hot guy feels like a triumph and it says something about Jamie's respect for Rhonda that he was not put off by her intelligence nor was his ego bruised when she proves she is as capable of taking down the baddies as any man.
“There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you've had enough” - Unknown-
I love it when author's begin chapters or segments of a book with a quote. I love quotes and this one struck a nerve with me personally, but was fitting to a couple of threads in the story, so I thought I would share it.
Overall this one was fine, not great, nor the best representation of this author's work or talent, but it was an enjoyable enough read. 3 stars
The One-Eyed Jacks are under siege and although the attack on them went awry one of their own will take a fall.
Jamie Cooper has been “hot and bothered” ever since Rhonda Burns joined their team as a security analyst. His nickname for her is “bombshell” because although she is a computer nerd, she is nothing like the stereotype. No, Rhonda has a style of her own that pushes the professional envelope when it comes to her clothing, hairstyle and makeup. But, Jamie is not the only one who feels the chemistry. Rhonda has no intentions of becoming another one Jamie's conquest, so their frustration is making the two a little irritable around one another.
However, the emotional trauma of having one of their own taken down in a sniper attack, brings the fire between Jamie and Rhonda to a head and no matter how hard they try to put it out, it can not be contained.
But, their personal lives will have to be put on hold when a diabolical plan is hatched to steal top military technology and a personal vendetta against the team is somehow tied in to it. Cooper and Burns will have to infiltrate the facility on their own and hopefully foil the plot and live to tell about it.
This story started off with a bang and really caught my attention. A sniper attack aimed specifically a the team had me thinking this one was going to require a safety belt. Not only that, the chemistry between Cooper and Burns sizzled right from the start and it was obvious they were not going be able to deny themselves for too long.
After such a promising start the story kind of stalled out a little. Cooper and Burns fight off their attraction for a short time, but like I predicted they gave in pretty easy. But, after that, the dialogue was not interesting and for some reason I found Cooper to be a little bland. The plot to kill the Jacks went cold in the last half or so of the book and then had an anti-climatic conclusion. The military facility investigation was the most tense thread in the story.
If you are wondering why Burns is so reluctant to commit to Cooper, you will have to wait until nearly the end of the book to find out, and then the reasons for her change of heart didn't make a lot of sense to me.
I did like the change of pace with the military being focused on other missions besides Middle East terrorist cells. In this case we have a Russian agent trying to steal new military technology they don't intend to use for the greater good.
Rhonda steals the show is some cases with some great lines and I liked how she was brave enough to present her feminine side and was proud of her individuality. The computer nerd getting the hot guy feels like a triumph and it says something about Jamie's respect for Rhonda that he was not put off by her intelligence nor was his ego bruised when she proves she is as capable of taking down the baddies as any man.
“There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you've had enough” - Unknown-
I love it when author's begin chapters or segments of a book with a quote. I love quotes and this one struck a nerve with me personally, but was fitting to a couple of threads in the story, so I thought I would share it.
Overall this one was fine, not great, nor the best representation of this author's work or talent, but it was an enjoyable enough read. 3 stars
March 19, 2015
There’s absolutely no question that Cindy Gerard is the queen of Romantic Suspense. In each installment of the One-Eyed Jacks, she brings the action and suspense in spades but it’s no surprise that she can make the pages burn with her romances as well.
Counterterrorism operative Jamie Cooper is the playboy of the bunch. Often arrogant and a jerk, Cooper definitely knows how to mess with a woman’s mind. Rhonda Burns is the newest addition to the team and while she’s the take-no-prisoners kind of gal, she finds herself affected by Cooper’s charms. She fights it hard but it only seems to backfire in her face.
Terrible events kick off this book. When the team gather together, a shooter hits one of their own, sending her into critical quick and forces Cooper and his partner to investigate. Though the search comes up empty, they do find a set of cards, all recognizable to the team. What they mean isn’t certain, but it’s clear that the shooter seeks revenge on them.
In an effort to eliminate the threat, Rhonda and Cooper are forced to work together and that’s when the real trouble begins. Gerard takes her time with this one. She makes Cooper and Rhonda burn for a very very long time before they both just snap. As a result, the sexual tension in this book is crazy potent and actually runs throughout nicely.
What I love about this book is that both characters are created equal. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses and I loved that Gerard played around them. Rhonda has this fear of hospitals and as that gets explored, you also get a sense of how in tune Cooper is to her. Even as he tries to fight his desire for her, he can’t help but care. That to me creates a great basis for a relationship.
Another thing that I love about these books is that you get a few glimpses inside the head of the bad guy. To me, it just makes the books that much more suspenseful. It sets up the danger, provides intrigue and sets the pace for the rest of the book. In addition that to that, it creates for a more well-rounded story when you get all sides. So as you can probably tell, this book gets a massive thumbs up from me. I already cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!
*ARC provided by publisher
September 14, 2015
After having read and loved the Black Ops as well as the first two books of this series, I can't believe Cindy Gerard actually wrote this one.
Unlike her other books, the romance part of the story wasn't hot but incredibly cheesy and boring, and if that wasn't enough, the suspense part (Cindy Gerard's best asset) took a vacation after the first few pages. So, "boring" and "disappointing" would describe this book pretty well.
Another thing that bugged me is the different new characters. I have to admit that except for the Black Op's guys as well as Ty, the others kind of blended into one character because I couldn't for the live of me remember who they were or differentiate them from one another. I know that the book was released in February but still, if my memories are good, they appeared in the first One-Eyed Jacks and so much time in between books's releases isn't helping.
March 2, 2016
With the less than stellar reviews for this, I expected to like it a whole lot less, but I ended up really enjoying it. Jamie Cooper was playboy perfection, but he was a playboy with substance. I kind of loved his unrequited lust/love for Rhonda. And while ball busting heroines are not normally my thing, Rhonda ended up growing on me when she shows to be a lot more than T&A. The bad guy showdown was intense and sexy all on its own, just because it highlighted how well these two work as a team and how deep their feelings for one another go. Another win for Gerard, and me :D
May 12, 2016
Disappointing
I expected so much better for Cooper, the former hunk model and Marines but it turned out he had been gifted with impressive looks and couldn't be also gifted with too much of a brain, nor capacity for emotions. So he just fell for a girl who had impressive looks, impressive hacking skills but the emotional intelligence and maturity of a 10 yo. Their love story was based on a long-standing denied physical attraction, some sex that neither of them really managed to avoid doing (yeah I rolled my eyes too when it occurred!) and then bam it all morphed into a very shallow and how-could-it-withstand-any-hardship love. Both characters were really envious about Mike's relationship and love with Eva, or Joe Green with Stephanie and indeed they should, because they would never get there.
The suspense was also not up to par with previous books. The identity of the sniper trying to get rid of the team and Eva was really obvious to readers of the first instalment in the series, even if the team struggled and needed help to find it. The other threat appeared too late in the book. There even were a few hiccups in the suspense that I didn't get - I missed the moment when Cooper got hit, but I was no not fully engaged by the story that I didn't even take the time to read back 1 page at most.
I expected so much better for Cooper, the former hunk model and Marines but it turned out he had been gifted with impressive looks and couldn't be also gifted with too much of a brain, nor capacity for emotions. So he just fell for a girl who had impressive looks, impressive hacking skills but the emotional intelligence and maturity of a 10 yo. Their love story was based on a long-standing denied physical attraction, some sex that neither of them really managed to avoid doing (yeah I rolled my eyes too when it occurred!) and then bam it all morphed into a very shallow and how-could-it-withstand-any-hardship love. Both characters were really envious about Mike's relationship and love with Eva, or Joe Green with Stephanie and indeed they should, because they would never get there.
The suspense was also not up to par with previous books. The identity of the sniper trying to get rid of the team and Eva was really obvious to readers of the first instalment in the series, even if the team struggled and needed help to find it. The other threat appeared too late in the book. There even were a few hiccups in the suspense that I didn't get - I missed the moment when Cooper got hit, but I was no not fully engaged by the story that I didn't even take the time to read back 1 page at most.
February 8, 2016
Non stop action from the very first page. Action, adventure, romance along with just the right amount of technical details make Cindy Gerard one amazing author.
I've got a big problem with Rhonda Burns, the heroine. She is gorgeous and dresses to show off her assets, then hangs a "do not touch" sign around her neck. In a word, she is a tease. Her actions are professional, but her comportment is anything but. When Jamie Cooper takes notice, she is all "not in this lifetime, buddy" to him and any other male who shows any interest. When a little honesty would go a long way, they shoot pithy one liners at each other. Masochistic martyrs are so not my favorite heroines.
Jamie has it bad for the Blond Bombshell and now they need to figure out who is after the One-Eyed Jacks. In the middle of the investigation, Jamie and Rhonda are sent on a routine security check at two Air Force Bases. Jamie makes his move and surprise, Rhonda lets him. They are rudely awakened with a change of plans that takes they to the highest security facility in the country where they are outmanned and outgunned. But, when did that ever stop a One-Eyed Jack.
I've got a big problem with Rhonda Burns, the heroine. She is gorgeous and dresses to show off her assets, then hangs a "do not touch" sign around her neck. In a word, she is a tease. Her actions are professional, but her comportment is anything but. When Jamie Cooper takes notice, she is all "not in this lifetime, buddy" to him and any other male who shows any interest. When a little honesty would go a long way, they shoot pithy one liners at each other. Masochistic martyrs are so not my favorite heroines.
Jamie has it bad for the Blond Bombshell and now they need to figure out who is after the One-Eyed Jacks. In the middle of the investigation, Jamie and Rhonda are sent on a routine security check at two Air Force Bases. Jamie makes his move and surprise, Rhonda lets him. They are rudely awakened with a change of plans that takes they to the highest security facility in the country where they are outmanned and outgunned. But, when did that ever stop a One-Eyed Jack.
August 11, 2016
3.5 Stars. Pretty good storyline if not well thought out. Plain and simple, it just wasn't Gerard's best. Coop and Rhonda's romance was okay, if rather fast.
The real problem I had with the story is Gerard's penchant for dragging in storylines from previous books, and even from earlier series. I'd like to see the books be more self-contained. I have a hard time remembering story threads. I can't imagine how frustrating a read this would be for someone not keeping up with all the series.
The real problem I had with the story is Gerard's penchant for dragging in storylines from previous books, and even from earlier series. I'd like to see the books be more self-contained. I have a hard time remembering story threads. I can't imagine how frustrating a read this would be for someone not keeping up with all the series.
March 19, 2015
There’s absolutely no question that Cindy Gerard is the queen of Romantic Suspense. In each installment of the One-Eyed Jacks, she brings the action and suspense in spades but it’s no surprise that she can make the pages burn with her romances as well.
Counterterrorism operative Jamie Cooper is the playboy of the bunch. Often arrogant and a jerk, Cooper definitely knows how to mess with a woman’s mind. Rhonda Burns is the newest addition to the team and while she’s the take-no-prisoners kind of gal, she finds herself affected by Cooper’s charms. She fights it hard but it only seems to backfire in her face.
Terrible events kick off this book. When the team gather together, a shooter hits one of their own, sending her into critical quick and forces Cooper and his partner to investigate. Though the search comes up empty, they do find a set of cards, all recognizable to the team. What they mean isn’t certain, but it’s clear that the shooter seeks revenge on them.
In an effort to eliminate the threat, Rhonda and Cooper are forced to work together and that’s when the real trouble begins. Gerard takes her time with this one. She makes Cooper and Rhonda burn for a very very long time before they both just snap. As a result, the sexual tension in this book is crazy potent and actually runs throughout nicely.
What I love about this book is that both characters are created equal. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses and I loved that Gerard played around them. Rhonda has this fear of hospitals and as that gets explored, you also get a sense of how in tune Cooper is to her. Even as he tries to fight his desire for her, he can’t help but care. That to me creates a great basis for a relationship.
Another thing that I love about these books is that you get a few glimpses inside the head of the bad guy. To me, it just makes the books that much more suspenseful. It sets up the danger, provides intrigue and sets the pace for the rest of the book. In addition that to that, it creates for a more well-rounded story when you get all sides. So as you can probably tell, this book gets a massive thumbs up from me. I already cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!
*ARC provided by publisher
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March 12, 2015
Another great addition to this series! I usually adore the books I read by Cindy Gerard, and this was no different. She has such a wonderful balance between action and romance. However, this one didn't hit me like her previous ones have. The action was great! I loved that Rhonda stepped up and ended up saving Cooper :) What didn't sit well for me was the romance. This whole book took place in a period of seven days and I just had trouble buying into their relationship. It went from barely speaking, to agreeing to a one night deal, to not being able to stay away from each other, to him professing his love and her running away and avoiding him. In seven days. Maybe I'm just skeptical lol
I'm anxiously awaiting the next book to see what is up with Taggert :)
I'm anxiously awaiting the next book to see what is up with Taggert :)
February 22, 2015
I liked it, but I just expect more from Gerard and her Black Ops/One-Eyed Jacks books. While this is a good story, it's not one I'll remember like I do Gabe's book, or Johnny Reed or Joe Green's stories. Fans of rom/sus will enjoy this, the emphasis is definitely on the suspense, not so much the romance. But for me, it's not close to being up there with Gabe, Johnny and Joe.
September 20, 2016
just terrible. I'm going to finish it but 20 more pages is not going to change the rating. Honestly one of the worst books i've ever read and I finished Anna Karenina.
update: apparently i've just finished my first romance. no wonder. still terrible. and I take back what I insinuated about Anna Karenina. At least it had the dog
update: apparently i've just finished my first romance. no wonder. still terrible. and I take back what I insinuated about Anna Karenina. At least it had the dog
June 25, 2015
It wasn't bad, but not what I expected. There are two plot lines, the One-Eyed Jacks being hunted and the Russians trying to steal their scientist back, and I couldn't figure out why they both had to be there, though I had no problem with them independently. The loose connection they had fizzled out at the end. Though I enjoyed the plot movement over the attempted assassination and liked the villian in that one.
Jamie and Rhonda, though, I swung back and forth on them. Rhonda, blonde and very attractive, is computer expert. She had so much potential. Brilliant and unafraid to dress attractively, the way she wanted to, and seemed to not care what other thought and firmly in control of her sexual agency. Unfortunately she turned into a puddle of goo far too often in the story.
Jamie isn't a complete jerk. Though living on the edge of a sexual harassment suit with Rhonda for weeks, he keeps it together and does seem to respect her skills. He does try to give her space but the aforementioned goo is sticky so they get together but I never really felt the connection. I almost liked him but he gets to the point where the relationship must move at the speed he wants it too and pushes things faster than he knows Rhonda can stand. Even dusts off the old chestnut, I love you and have never said that to anyone else therefore I can guilt you into and make you feel obligated into loving me back because now you owe me. Ah the romance.
So again, not bad, For all the things that made me twitch there were interesting places the plot went. Hoping for a better book four.
Jamie and Rhonda, though, I swung back and forth on them. Rhonda, blonde and very attractive, is computer expert. She had so much potential. Brilliant and unafraid to dress attractively, the way she wanted to, and seemed to not care what other thought and firmly in control of her sexual agency. Unfortunately she turned into a puddle of goo far too often in the story.
Jamie isn't a complete jerk. Though living on the edge of a sexual harassment suit with Rhonda for weeks, he keeps it together and does seem to respect her skills. He does try to give her space but the aforementioned goo is sticky so they get together but I never really felt the connection. I almost liked him but he gets to the point where the relationship must move at the speed he wants it too and pushes things faster than he knows Rhonda can stand. Even dusts off the old chestnut, I love you and have never said that to anyone else therefore I can guilt you into and make you feel obligated into loving me back because now you owe me. Ah the romance.
So again, not bad, For all the things that made me twitch there were interesting places the plot went. Hoping for a better book four.
September 8, 2015
Actually 3.5stars
The ITAP team has been tapped as a mercenary's personal vendetta and attacked during a covert meeting. As the team scrambles to protect themselves while doing their jobs and set about avenging themselves an even more dangerous secret is uncovered.
An imminent threat is about to be unleashed on the unsuspecting USA populace. Model gorgeous ITAP operative Jamie Cooper and sexy analyst Rhonda Burns are on the front lines stopping the threat, solving the problems, falling in love and saving the day. The angst-y way.
The characters were fine and it started well but for this reader it just seemed to stall. The romance, drama and action pieces were all good but the filling in between fell flat and impacted those pieces for this reader. Also the ending felt rushed for such a languidly paced read.
For my taste the unrequited lust went a bit long (probably because her nickname was Bombshell Burns) and was revisited too often. Rhonda and Coop had some chemistry and they were an okay lead couple, but for this reader that was the issue. Okay is acceptable from the secondary characters but not the leads without lowering the rating. I liked but didn't love this outing.
The ITAP team has been tapped as a mercenary's personal vendetta and attacked during a covert meeting. As the team scrambles to protect themselves while doing their jobs and set about avenging themselves an even more dangerous secret is uncovered.
An imminent threat is about to be unleashed on the unsuspecting USA populace. Model gorgeous ITAP operative Jamie Cooper and sexy analyst Rhonda Burns are on the front lines stopping the threat, solving the problems, falling in love and saving the day. The angst-y way.
The characters were fine and it started well but for this reader it just seemed to stall. The romance, drama and action pieces were all good but the filling in between fell flat and impacted those pieces for this reader. Also the ending felt rushed for such a languidly paced read.
For my taste the unrequited lust went a bit long (probably because her nickname was Bombshell Burns) and was revisited too often. Rhonda and Coop had some chemistry and they were an okay lead couple, but for this reader that was the issue. Okay is acceptable from the secondary characters but not the leads without lowering the rating. I liked but didn't love this outing.
April 1, 2015
I received a copy of this book as a member of XOXperts, XOXO After Dark’s official street team, in exchange for an honest review.
Running Blind is the third book in the One Eyed Jacks series and can be read as a standalone. This is my first book by Cindy Gerard and any fan of romantic suspense will not be disappointed.
The chemistry between Jamie and Rhonda was evident from the beginning. The way they handled it and the banter between the two of them had me cheering that they would just get together and get it over with. So much sexual tension was there. Jamie had some smooth moves though. The wall that Rhonda put up needed to come crashing down. I wanted it to be Jamie who did that for her despite the fact that they worked together.
I loved reading about how they were going to figure out who the sniper was that shot at them. It pulled in the other One Eyed Jacks. I now want to read the other books to learn more about what their own stories are.
This was not a book that I would have ever planned on reading. I wasn’t familiar with the author. But I am really glad that I did and plan on reading more.
Running Blind is the third book in the One Eyed Jacks series and can be read as a standalone. This is my first book by Cindy Gerard and any fan of romantic suspense will not be disappointed.
The chemistry between Jamie and Rhonda was evident from the beginning. The way they handled it and the banter between the two of them had me cheering that they would just get together and get it over with. So much sexual tension was there. Jamie had some smooth moves though. The wall that Rhonda put up needed to come crashing down. I wanted it to be Jamie who did that for her despite the fact that they worked together.
I loved reading about how they were going to figure out who the sniper was that shot at them. It pulled in the other One Eyed Jacks. I now want to read the other books to learn more about what their own stories are.
This was not a book that I would have ever planned on reading. I wasn’t familiar with the author. But I am really glad that I did and plan on reading more.
September 14, 2016
Running Blind is the third book in the series and could be read as a stand alone although the story from the first book plays a role in this book. The suspense in this book overwhelmed the romance but I still really enjoyed it. The action, suspense and plot were interesting and I loved that the heroine saved the hero at one point in the story. I really enjoyed Cooper although I wasn't as fond of Rhonda and I am getting tiered of the I've been in one bad relationships so I'm going to swear off the opposite sex forever (which Rhonda had going on in this book). The other issue was that the entire story took place in a little over a week so they went from co-workers who didn't particularly like each other although they were attracted to each other to can't keep their hands off each other to love too quickly. However, the suspense story saved this book and was very well done. Book 4 is my favorite from this series but they are all worth reading IMO.
March 3, 2015
I don't buy very many books in hard copy but I nearly always put up the money for a new Cindy Gerard. I really enjoyed this one. I loved the heroine in this one. I like girly girls who get involved with tough guys. Especially when the girl is smart but still girly. She had some baggage but the hero ended up helping her through it. The hero was a fun person to read about. He wasn't as strongly written as she was but I still liked him. The relationship between the two of them felt realistic and had a good heat level.
The action sequences were strong and played out well. I always appreciate with this author that I don't always have to be doubting the action sequences. The villainess was a good character. She had motivation and flaws.
Love this series, sign me up for the next one please.
The action sequences were strong and played out well. I always appreciate with this author that I don't always have to be doubting the action sequences. The villainess was a good character. She had motivation and flaws.
Love this series, sign me up for the next one please.
March 18, 2015
"Running Blind" did not make my favorites list, but I still enjoyed the book. It took me a bit to remember all of the One-Eyed Jack team members, but I remembered all of the Black Ops team members.
The book started off with a bang. (Pun not intended.) However, I did not feel much of a connection between the main characters. I wish this book had been more action packed as well. I also did not like Mike "Primetime" Brown in a leadership role. I just never saw him as a leader and I thought his goofy character did not shine through, albeit he did go through a traumatic experience so there was not much (if any) goofing off from him.
The book started off with a bang. (Pun not intended.) However, I did not feel much of a connection between the main characters. I wish this book had been more action packed as well. I also did not like Mike "Primetime" Brown in a leadership role. I just never saw him as a leader and I thought his goofy character did not shine through, albeit he did go through a traumatic experience so there was not much (if any) goofing off from him.
March 20, 2015
Not as good as I expected a Cindy Gerard book to be :)
February 28, 2015
I'm always here for smart, hot, badass heroines
June 23, 2015
Third in the One-Eyed Jacks romantic suspense series (a spin-off from Black Ops, Inc.) and revolving around the surviving One-Eyed Jacks. The couple focus is on Rhonda Burns and Jamie Cooper.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the One-Eyed Jacks books on my website.
My Take
It's a cute trope that Jamie is madly in lust for Rhonda and doesn't hide it, much, and Rhonda carefully hides her interest, although she doesn't hide her sexuality. Mmm-mmm, Rhonda dresses like a sexpot and doesn't care if people think it's too sexy for her job. She's proud of her curves and dresses for herself.
The duo gets diverted to Area 51 to do a heavy duty assessment, but they're still in the dark after they get there. And Coop's urge to know won't hold him back from breaking into offices he's not slated to access. And that super-secret, need-to-know restriction Gerard is using in this story, along with Coop's nosiness and Rhonda's hacking skills are gonna save their butts. I did like her effective decisionmaking at the end there. Why more good guys don't shoot someone in the leg to slow 'em down, I don't know.
Gerard does a good job of increasing my curiosity about Rhonda's past, what has her so anti-men, and what a disappointment when she finally lets out the reason why. Oh, brother. I can't decide if this was too stupid for words or simply an example of how stupid people can get when their emotions and pride are involved.
Oh yeah…
The Story
It's a sneak attack that ends with Eva bleeding out. An assassin determined to take down the One-Eyed Jacks in revenge. And money. The One-Eyed Jacks and the BOIs are all up in finding that sniper, but work doesn't take a backseat to their anger. Jamie's up on rotation, and he can't figure out how to get out of this assignment.
Nor can he figure out how to substitute any one else in Rhonda's place. The powers-that-be will assume she's not up to being on the team if he doesn't take her. With him. After that kiss, he's not sure he'll be able to keep his distance.
The Characters
Rhonda "Bombshell" Burns, a.k.a., Buttercup, is the new head computer analyst and security expert in the One-Eyed Jacks with an interest in avoiding any and all relationships.
Jamie "Hondo" Cooper is a retired marine and Australian model. I know, an odd combination. I'd love to hear the story on that one some day. Rossella Cooper is Jamie's mother, and she'd been a soap opera star in Columbia 35 years ago when she met and married Lawrence Cooper, a businessman with an exotic-wood import business.
The One-Eyed Jacks are…
…part of the International Threat Analysis and Prevention Agency (ITAP), which is a cover agency to ensure the One-Eyed Jacks can operate with anonymity and complete autonomy. Bobby "Boom-boom" Taggart, retired Army Special Forces, is Jamie's best friend. Mike Brown is the boss; Eva is his wife and an attorney for the CIA (see Killing Time , 1). Enrique Santos. Brett Carlyle and Josh Waldrop had helped the BOIs out in Sierra Leone in Last Man Standing , BOIs 7. The wheelchair-bound Peter Davis is the operations manager.
Ty Brown, Mike's brother, and his wife, Jess, come visit Eva (they met in Killing Time , 1, and their story is told in The Way Home , 2).
The BOIs include…
…Joe and Steph Green (it's been three years since they married; see Last Man Standing ). They've adopted Suah, a Sierra Leonean street orphan. Nate Black was a captain in the Marine Corps and now commands the BOIs. Gabe Jones and the flirtatious Johnny Reed who's married to Crystal "Tinkerbell" along with B.J. Mendoza, who is married to Raphael and has resources and assets worldwide as a former DIA field agent, join the One-Eyed Jacks in finding the assassin.
Peterson Air Force base
Master Sergeant Lowden is in charge of the computer center.
Area 51, the Groom Lake facility is…
…a super-secret facility that was supposedly dismantled. Lieutenant Dodd is the greeting committee. Leonard is one of the weekend guards.
Eagle Claw is the super-top-secret technology developed by Dr. Adolph Corbet, a Russian defector working for the Americans. Svetlana is his wife, and they have a daughter, Anna.
Captain Ramsey and First Lieutenant Baxter are the pilots.
She was Ray Brewster's bisexual psycho girlfriend ( Killing Time ). Anya is the code name she's using with her Russian employer, Vadar Melnik.
Maxwell Robbins was a city employee with access to traffic cams. Marjorie Reynolds, a.k.a., Jane Smith, is an average looking woman.
The Idaho compound had been a political cult, United We Denounce (UWD), run by Joseph Lawson and commanded by General Brewster. Barry Hill was Lawson's number one disciple and former army. It was blown up in Killing Time .
The Russians
Vadar Melnik is in charge. Ivan Grachev is his second-in-command and both are former Spetsnaz, Soviet special forces. Now they work for the Russian mafia. Sergeant Mavriky Shirshov is a brutal combat veteran. Nikolai, Vasin, Goraya, and Pavel are the rest of his team. Matvey Polzin and Iosif Yakovlev are the computer technicians.
The Cover and Title
The cover is black with a gray highlight in the floorboards in the background and a flash of peach in Jamie's face and his hands. Jamie is in, hey, I said it was black, in black leather, T-shirt, and jeans — and let's not forget those sunglasses. It's a set look on his face, this boy is gonna kick some ass. The author's first name and the title are in all-caps and an embossed metallic green while her last name is a green metallic band revealing the black letters.
The title reflects that The One-Eyed Jacks are Running Blind as they grope for clues on the why of this attack. It could also be a reference to those black-painted windows…
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the One-Eyed Jacks books on my website.
My Take
It's a cute trope that Jamie is madly in lust for Rhonda and doesn't hide it, much, and Rhonda carefully hides her interest, although she doesn't hide her sexuality. Mmm-mmm, Rhonda dresses like a sexpot and doesn't care if people think it's too sexy for her job. She's proud of her curves and dresses for herself.
If the assassin is such hot stuff, how come she did such a bad job? She does recover nicely with the spin she puts on it to "explain" why she screwed up. As for her upbringing, the "reason" why she's gone bad…yeah, I do feel bad about the abuses she suffered. It's definitely a reason for forcing parents to get a license to have children."If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly."
– David Hackworth
"If the enemy is in range, so are you."I did have to laugh at Coop as he dithers between hot and heavy and total avoidance. He's definitely playing a head game on Rhonda, but no worse than what he's doing to himself.
The duo gets diverted to Area 51 to do a heavy duty assessment, but they're still in the dark after they get there. And Coop's urge to know won't hold him back from breaking into offices he's not slated to access. And that super-secret, need-to-know restriction Gerard is using in this story, along with Coop's nosiness and Rhonda's hacking skills are gonna save their butts. I did like her effective decisionmaking at the end there. Why more good guys don't shoot someone in the leg to slow 'em down, I don't know.
"You think anyone trying to steal it is going to give two figs about access?"If this Corbet guy is so important, then why hasn't the government ensured that his family joined him?
Gerard does a good job of increasing my curiosity about Rhonda's past, what has her so anti-men, and what a disappointment when she finally lets out the reason why. Oh, brother. I can't decide if this was too stupid for words or simply an example of how stupid people can get when their emotions and pride are involved.
Oh yeah…
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
The Story
It's a sneak attack that ends with Eva bleeding out. An assassin determined to take down the One-Eyed Jacks in revenge. And money. The One-Eyed Jacks and the BOIs are all up in finding that sniper, but work doesn't take a backseat to their anger. Jamie's up on rotation, and he can't figure out how to get out of this assignment.
Nor can he figure out how to substitute any one else in Rhonda's place. The powers-that-be will assume she's not up to being on the team if he doesn't take her. With him. After that kiss, he's not sure he'll be able to keep his distance.
The Characters
Rhonda "Bombshell" Burns, a.k.a., Buttercup, is the new head computer analyst and security expert in the One-Eyed Jacks with an interest in avoiding any and all relationships.
Jamie "Hondo" Cooper is a retired marine and Australian model. I know, an odd combination. I'd love to hear the story on that one some day. Rossella Cooper is Jamie's mother, and she'd been a soap opera star in Columbia 35 years ago when she met and married Lawrence Cooper, a businessman with an exotic-wood import business.
The One-Eyed Jacks are…
…part of the International Threat Analysis and Prevention Agency (ITAP), which is a cover agency to ensure the One-Eyed Jacks can operate with anonymity and complete autonomy. Bobby "Boom-boom" Taggart, retired Army Special Forces, is Jamie's best friend. Mike Brown is the boss; Eva is his wife and an attorney for the CIA (see Killing Time , 1). Enrique Santos. Brett Carlyle and Josh Waldrop had helped the BOIs out in Sierra Leone in Last Man Standing , BOIs 7. The wheelchair-bound Peter Davis is the operations manager.
Ty Brown, Mike's brother, and his wife, Jess, come visit Eva (they met in Killing Time , 1, and their story is told in The Way Home , 2).
The BOIs include…
…Joe and Steph Green (it's been three years since they married; see Last Man Standing ). They've adopted Suah, a Sierra Leonean street orphan. Nate Black was a captain in the Marine Corps and now commands the BOIs. Gabe Jones and the flirtatious Johnny Reed who's married to Crystal "Tinkerbell" along with B.J. Mendoza, who is married to Raphael and has resources and assets worldwide as a former DIA field agent, join the One-Eyed Jacks in finding the assassin.
Peterson Air Force base
Master Sergeant Lowden is in charge of the computer center.
Area 51, the Groom Lake facility is…
…a super-secret facility that was supposedly dismantled. Lieutenant Dodd is the greeting committee. Leonard is one of the weekend guards.
Eagle Claw is the super-top-secret technology developed by Dr. Adolph Corbet, a Russian defector working for the Americans. Svetlana is his wife, and they have a daughter, Anna.
Captain Ramsey and First Lieutenant Baxter are the pilots.
She was Ray Brewster's bisexual psycho girlfriend ( Killing Time ). Anya is the code name she's using with her Russian employer, Vadar Melnik.
Maxwell Robbins was a city employee with access to traffic cams. Marjorie Reynolds, a.k.a., Jane Smith, is an average looking woman.
The Idaho compound had been a political cult, United We Denounce (UWD), run by Joseph Lawson and commanded by General Brewster. Barry Hill was Lawson's number one disciple and former army. It was blown up in Killing Time .
The Russians
Vadar Melnik is in charge. Ivan Grachev is his second-in-command and both are former Spetsnaz, Soviet special forces. Now they work for the Russian mafia. Sergeant Mavriky Shirshov is a brutal combat veteran. Nikolai, Vasin, Goraya, and Pavel are the rest of his team. Matvey Polzin and Iosif Yakovlev are the computer technicians.
The Cover and Title
The cover is black with a gray highlight in the floorboards in the background and a flash of peach in Jamie's face and his hands. Jamie is in, hey, I said it was black, in black leather, T-shirt, and jeans — and let's not forget those sunglasses. It's a set look on his face, this boy is gonna kick some ass. The author's first name and the title are in all-caps and an embossed metallic green while her last name is a green metallic band revealing the black letters.
The title reflects that The One-Eyed Jacks are Running Blind as they grope for clues on the why of this attack. It could also be a reference to those black-painted windows…
June 6, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
Once again, Cindy Gerard does not disappoint with her action-packed and sizzling romance in Running Blind!
:P Haha... I sound like some sort of advertising tagline for the book. But truth be told, I've said before that I'm not sure I'm capable of NOT enjoying a Cindy Gerard book anymore. But it also helps that her romantic suspense novels are attention-grabbing, engaging, and have a lot of excellently created characters you readily fall in love with.
Running Blind was definitely NOT perfect. And it wasn't as exciting as I'd been hoping it to be, what with a title like that. It could have used a bit more structure, that's for sure. But it works and I loved it in its own way and it kept me happy.
In the end, it all comes to whether or not I had a good reading experience, doesn't it? :D
The Story:
The aftermath of a sniper attack leaves a dear friend fighting for her life. The discovery of their attacker's hideout reveals a vendetta--someone is determined to take out the original three One-Eyed Jacks, Mike Brown, Jamie Cooper, Bobby Taggart, as well as Mike's wife Eva. The investigation begins as the entire team comes together, groping blindly to find some connection between the four targets and past enemies.
Meanwhile, Coop and blonde Bombshell, Rhonda Burns, gets pulled off the investigation to take care of other jobs that have cropped up and Coop is NOT happy about that at all. Throw in his festering lust and attraction to the Bombshell, and the next few days on their field mission feels like it will be hell for him. Rhonda's own searing attraction isn't sitting well with her either, and her own determination to never falling in love and never caring starts to break down.
My Thoughts:
Running Blind is very much half romance and half military thriller, disguised very well as a full romantic suspense. Because there is a LOT of action in this book. But at the same time, we spend even more time developing the love line between Coop and Rhonda, by finding a reason to separate them out from the rest of the group by throwing them on an unrelated mission, but eventually bringing them back around to a different, related mission.
Well played, Cindy. For a while there, I'd been wondering why we took such a tangent with the love line development. But I suppose not every romantic suspense has to pit our main couple into mortal peril for 90% of the book, no matter how entertaining it usually gets.
I was just hoping there'd be a bit more action that what was presented... except, there was a lot of action. And I did like that there was a lot of investigating. And I did like the investigation progressed. It just felt kind of weird to send Coop and Rhonda off to develop their romance because it gave them both an opportunity to be separated from the rest of the group.
Anyway, I still enjoyed the book. And I loved Jamie Cooper in all his jokey, sexy, charming glory. Rhonda had me conflicted. She's a computer nerd slash sexual fantasy for men--I love that she wasn't either one or the other and could be nerdy AND confidently beautiful without all the computer nerd stereotypes. I also loved that she was badass and trained with the rest of the team to take on combat as a field agent.
But I did not love that she spent so much time pre-judging Jamie Cooper and filing him into a playboy mold who disrespectfully saw sleeping with women as a conquest. THAT got on my nerves a little bit, because we later find out that she did that on purpose to "protect her own heart" because he was the type of man she could fall for. So instead of setting aside her past problems and being civil coworkers, she spends a lot of time being purposely antagonistic to Coop, no matter how hard HE tried to be professional and civil.
Then again, I guess Jamie's penchant for flirting with every woman probably didn't help his case any and made it easier for Rhonda to continue being bitchy towards him.
Not exactly my favorite couple in the world, but their love line was developed quite well and for that, I am satisfied.
Final Thoughts:
While I knew that Cindy would never outrage her readers, I was also struck with a moment of anxiety during the sniper attack when one of my favorite characters went down. I mean, I knew she was going to be okay in the end, but it didn't stop the FEELS from creeping in throughout the entire first half of the book as we watched her fight for her life.
Anyway, Running Blind was entertaining and enjoyable as a Cindy Gerard romantic suspense usually is. And, of course, I'm definitely looking forward to the next few books, especially with more appearances from my favorite characters, Johnny and Crystal, Mike and Eva, etc...
Johnny showed up for one line of dialogue in this entire book. ONE. But it was a good, flirty one, so I'm happy.
On a side note, it took a little bit for me to get this entire black ops team straightened out. So we've still got Nate Black's BOIs, but now we've also got Mike Brown leading his own group (though it looks like he still reports to Nate) of One-Eyed Jacks with new recruits. The two teams are filed under Uncle Sam's Department of Defense as a top-notch security firm as their cover, denoted as ITAP. Meanwhile, Black Ops, Inc. and the One-Eyed Jacks technically don't really exist.
Or something like that.
Side note end.
***
2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Reading Assignment Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge
• Mount TBR Challenge
Once again, Cindy Gerard does not disappoint with her action-packed and sizzling romance in Running Blind!
:P Haha... I sound like some sort of advertising tagline for the book. But truth be told, I've said before that I'm not sure I'm capable of NOT enjoying a Cindy Gerard book anymore. But it also helps that her romantic suspense novels are attention-grabbing, engaging, and have a lot of excellently created characters you readily fall in love with.
Running Blind was definitely NOT perfect. And it wasn't as exciting as I'd been hoping it to be, what with a title like that. It could have used a bit more structure, that's for sure. But it works and I loved it in its own way and it kept me happy.
In the end, it all comes to whether or not I had a good reading experience, doesn't it? :D
The Story:
The aftermath of a sniper attack leaves a dear friend fighting for her life. The discovery of their attacker's hideout reveals a vendetta--someone is determined to take out the original three One-Eyed Jacks, Mike Brown, Jamie Cooper, Bobby Taggart, as well as Mike's wife Eva. The investigation begins as the entire team comes together, groping blindly to find some connection between the four targets and past enemies.
Meanwhile, Coop and blonde Bombshell, Rhonda Burns, gets pulled off the investigation to take care of other jobs that have cropped up and Coop is NOT happy about that at all. Throw in his festering lust and attraction to the Bombshell, and the next few days on their field mission feels like it will be hell for him. Rhonda's own searing attraction isn't sitting well with her either, and her own determination to never falling in love and never caring starts to break down.
My Thoughts:
Running Blind is very much half romance and half military thriller, disguised very well as a full romantic suspense. Because there is a LOT of action in this book. But at the same time, we spend even more time developing the love line between Coop and Rhonda, by finding a reason to separate them out from the rest of the group by throwing them on an unrelated mission, but eventually bringing them back around to a different, related mission.
Well played, Cindy. For a while there, I'd been wondering why we took such a tangent with the love line development. But I suppose not every romantic suspense has to pit our main couple into mortal peril for 90% of the book, no matter how entertaining it usually gets.
I was just hoping there'd be a bit more action that what was presented... except, there was a lot of action. And I did like that there was a lot of investigating. And I did like the investigation progressed. It just felt kind of weird to send Coop and Rhonda off to develop their romance because it gave them both an opportunity to be separated from the rest of the group.
Anyway, I still enjoyed the book. And I loved Jamie Cooper in all his jokey, sexy, charming glory. Rhonda had me conflicted. She's a computer nerd slash sexual fantasy for men--I love that she wasn't either one or the other and could be nerdy AND confidently beautiful without all the computer nerd stereotypes. I also loved that she was badass and trained with the rest of the team to take on combat as a field agent.
But I did not love that she spent so much time pre-judging Jamie Cooper and filing him into a playboy mold who disrespectfully saw sleeping with women as a conquest. THAT got on my nerves a little bit, because we later find out that she did that on purpose to "protect her own heart" because he was the type of man she could fall for. So instead of setting aside her past problems and being civil coworkers, she spends a lot of time being purposely antagonistic to Coop, no matter how hard HE tried to be professional and civil.
Then again, I guess Jamie's penchant for flirting with every woman probably didn't help his case any and made it easier for Rhonda to continue being bitchy towards him.
Not exactly my favorite couple in the world, but their love line was developed quite well and for that, I am satisfied.
Final Thoughts:
While I knew that Cindy would never outrage her readers, I was also struck with a moment of anxiety during the sniper attack when one of my favorite characters went down. I mean, I knew she was going to be okay in the end, but it didn't stop the FEELS from creeping in throughout the entire first half of the book as we watched her fight for her life.
Anyway, Running Blind was entertaining and enjoyable as a Cindy Gerard romantic suspense usually is. And, of course, I'm definitely looking forward to the next few books, especially with more appearances from my favorite characters, Johnny and Crystal, Mike and Eva, etc...
Johnny showed up for one line of dialogue in this entire book. ONE. But it was a good, flirty one, so I'm happy.
On a side note, it took a little bit for me to get this entire black ops team straightened out. So we've still got Nate Black's BOIs, but now we've also got Mike Brown leading his own group (though it looks like he still reports to Nate) of One-Eyed Jacks with new recruits. The two teams are filed under Uncle Sam's Department of Defense as a top-notch security firm as their cover, denoted as ITAP. Meanwhile, Black Ops, Inc. and the One-Eyed Jacks technically don't really exist.
Or something like that.
Side note end.
***
2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Reading Assignment Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge
• Mount TBR Challenge
November 7, 2017
I'm really enjoying this series! This book was really good as we get to see several couples from the Black Ops, Inc. series. An enemy from the past has "returned from the dead" and is set on revenge against the One-eyed Jacks. The story begins with a dramatic shootout with the One-Eyed Jacks on the losing side. With one of their own's life hanging in the balance, Rhonda and Jamie team up to find the responsible party before they are blind-sided again.
This one tugged on my heart-strings, ya'll. It does have the HEA I was looking for and delivered on all the "feels". Gerard's stories are usually fast-paced, like this one, and I easily absorbed the book in one evening at home. If you've never tried Cindy Gerard's military romance books*, I highly recommend you give them a try! She's a master at writing battle scenes and still keeps the romance emotionally powerful. Enjoy!
* Please note that The One-Eyed Jacks series is a spin-off of Black Ops Inc. Be sure to read Black Ops Inc. first.
This one tugged on my heart-strings, ya'll. It does have the HEA I was looking for and delivered on all the "feels". Gerard's stories are usually fast-paced, like this one, and I easily absorbed the book in one evening at home. If you've never tried Cindy Gerard's military romance books*, I highly recommend you give them a try! She's a master at writing battle scenes and still keeps the romance emotionally powerful. Enjoy!
* Please note that The One-Eyed Jacks series is a spin-off of Black Ops Inc. Be sure to read Black Ops Inc. first.
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