THE PAST IS COMING TO COLLECT--3½ stars
“Sentinel of Talon Mountain is the sizzling addition to the Men of Talon Mountain series—where danger runs deep, the mountains keep secrets, and the hottest thing around might be the man sworn to protect it all.”
The story is a mystery, filled with suspense, danger, and the complexities of life and death, featuring the good, the bad, and the ugly of humanity. It is a slow-burning romance, a hidden agenda, the past coming back, and the future protecting not only one woman, but the code of honor he upholds, bringing his skillset, and knowing who to call for assistance.
Wren Knox had been with Denali Search and Rescue (SAR) until an incident where Mason Harper fell through a crack in the mountain, and the rope snapped. After that, Wren started getting messages from Mason’s widow—“You were supposed to bring him home.” The harassment led to Wren resigning and buying a remote cabin in Talon Mountain.
Nate Barrett, a former SEAL, had been with the Anchorage, Alaska, police, but resigned and has moved to Talon Mountain to a new job with the Wildlife Protection Division.
Nate: What happened to you?
Wren: Good to see you, too. Mind if I come in before someone takes another shot at me?
Nate: Inside. Now.
The story will have someone(s) shooting at Wren with high-power rifles, and she is limited in where she can go. Her cabin and town are too far away and would leave her exposed, so she must get to Nate Barrett’s cottage. Together, they must set up trip wires, take advantage of his cameras, and do their best to both stay alive. Is the shooter gunning for her work-related?
Wren: You really think it’s them again? The organ ring?
Nate: I think it’s a different branch with the same root. And I think you’re not just collateral—you’re the objective.
Wren: Then we hit back. We use your gear. My terrain knowledge. We burn every trail they think they’ve mapped.
“She’s not just a survivor with intel anymore. She’s a wildcard I’d bleed to protect.”
This is one of those very difficult, but honest reviews to write. I have mixed feelings about how two highly skilled, intelligent people, knowing the life and death threats, multiple assassination attempts, would both risk going outside to a small shed to start up a generator, something Nate could have done alone, after all, it’s his cabin and he is familiar with everything there. Then, for them to lose control, take time to have the ‘safe-sex’ talk, and allow lust to defy common sense, while in the shed. Seriously, the enemy has made themselves known, leaving calling cards on the porch, and you can’t wait to get back inside a stone cottage, where you are safer.
“The shed crouches half-buried, crusted with ice and too exposed if anyone wants us trapped inside.”
For the most part, I thought the story began with edge-of-your-seat drama, angst, and potential, but for me, it crashed during that sex scene in a shed. I literally threw my hands up in the air and said, “How dumb can two people be when someone has been shooting at you. Can’t you at least wait to get back inside?” This isn’t smart, it isn’t sexy, when it has been life and death situations, and you still don't know where and when they are going to strike again—it’s just dumb. Yes, this is fiction, with an interesting tale, but you need a level of common-sense realism within a story—and this missed that mark.