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T-FLAC #3

Das Kussduell

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Himmlische drei Tage haben sie miteinander verbracht - damals vor vier Jahren. Bis der attraktive Kyle Wright spurlos verschwand. Und genau das empfiehlt ihm Delanie Eastman auch jetzt wieder dringend, denn sie hat nur ein einziges Ziel: ihre Schwester aus den Händen eines Verbrechers zu retten. Kyle hat nun zwei brisante Probleme: Wie soll er Delanie nur beibringen, dass er genau diesen hoch gefährlichen Mann seit Jahren verfolgt - und dass er Delanie auf gar keinen Fall ein zweites Mal verlieren möchte...

381 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 2, 2001

89 people are currently reading
896 people want to read

About the author

Cherry Adair

77 books1,468 followers
Always an adventurer in life as well as writing, New York Times best-selling author Cherry Adair moved halfway across the globe from Cape Town, South Africa to the United States in her early years to become a interior designer. Now a resident of the Pacific Northwest she shares the award- winning adventures of her fictional T-FLAC counter terrorism operatives with her readers.

Cherry settled in beautiful San Francisco, where she started what eventually became a thriving interior design business. "I loved being a designer because it was varied and creative, and I enjoyed working with the public." A voracious reader when she was able to carve out the time, Cherry found her brain crowded with characters and stories of her own. "Eventually," she says, "the stories demanded to be told."

When asked why she chooses to write romantic action adventure, she says, "Who says you can’t have adventure and a great love life? Of course if you’re talking about an adventurous love life, that’s another thing altogether. I write romantic suspense coupled heart-pounding adventure because I like to entertain, and nothing keeps readers happier than a rollercoaster read, followed by a happy ending."

Popular on the workshop circuit, Cherry gives lively classes on writing and the writing life. Pulling no punches when asked how to become a published writer, Cherry insists, "Sit your butt in the chair and write. There's no magic to it. Writing is hard work. It isn't for sissies or whiners."

Cherry loves to spend time at home. A corner desk keeps her focused on writing, but the windows behind her, with a panoramic view of the front gardens, are always calling her to come outside and play. Her office has nine-foot ceilings, a fireplace, a television and built-in bookcases that will house approximately 3,500 paperback books.

"What can I say? My keeper shelf has been breeding in the middle of the night, rather like drycleaners' wire clothes hangers.”

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
Profile Image for Dina.
1,324 reviews1,364 followers
November 6, 2012
Based on some reviews and comments I read before I started this book, I had very low expectations about it and I knew I had to suspend disbelief completely in order to appreciate it. Well, this turned out to be a good thing, because it really helped me to "enjoy" the story better. The plot was farfetched and unbelievable, and the heroine was TSTL, but I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what new shenanigans she was going to come up with next, LOL.

Delanie Eastman, our TSTL heroine, is a ballet dancer wannabe and kindergarten teacher(!) who's been acting as the bimbo girlfriend of a South American drug lord(!) in order to find her missing sister. See, her sister was last seen in the company of Romero, the aforementioned drug lord, so Delanie knows he's kidnapped her sister and is helding her captive somewhere - she doesn't know where, but she's going to find out! Because she's Super Delanie, the family's caretaker, the sole responsible person in a family that would fall apart without her. Delanie's plan to find her sister is quite simple: she somehow catches Romero's interest, even though he's gay, moves into his compound and goes jogging around the area searching for her sister every night. *rolls eyeballs*

Things get a little sticky when Kyle Wright enters the picture, because Kyle and Delanie had a one night stand - or should I say, a three night sex marathon - four years ago and they don't know what to think of each other's presence at Romero's compound. Kyle's actually a T-FLAC agent who's about to close the secret mission he's worked for the last four years, and he's less than thrilled to find Delanie involved with Romero. He fears she might jeopardize his mission so he tries to get her away from Romero, but she refuses to listen to him. Because, you know, she has to find and save her sister, no matter what. Do I have to say she does jeopardize Kyle's mission and four years of hard work goes down the drain because of her? Argh!

Despite all that, this wasn't a "hard" book to read. It was fast paced and funny, although I'm not sure the LOL moments had been designed to be taken that way. But then, what reaction Ms. Adair had in mind when she made Delanie defeat one of Romero's well-trained soldiers using the deadly power of her ballet moves? If that wasn't comedy, I don't know what it was.

As for the romance, I didn't feel any love between Kyle and Delanie. They definitely had the hots for each other and their sex scenes were steamy, but they basically spent the whole book bickering and arguing. To be honest, I was kind of surprised when Kyle said the three little words. I mean, he was expected to say them - after all, this is a romance novel - but it felt kind of weird and out of context.

This was my third book by Ms. Adair and I'm still not sure I like her writing. But I already have the next two books in the series on my TBR and, because I'm OCD and have to read everything I buy, I'm going to read them... eventually. Hopefully, the books will get better - or my tolerance level will get higher - as the series progresses. One can only hope. :)
Profile Image for Holly.
304 reviews104 followers
June 12, 2009
After having read Cherry Adair's Kiss and Tell, I was eager to read another one of her T-FLAC books. I admit the synopsis gave me pause, but I thought, nah, I'm sure it will be a good book. Always trust your first impression! This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was worse!

Hide and Seek was completely far fetched, ridiculous and full of over the top shenanigans all crammed into one book. Our heroine Delanie was the type of heroine that makes you want to scream! Her determination to save her sister was overdone and her devotion to her family was eye rolling. She's the only one who can save the day and so she must hang around the dangerous piranha infested, anaconda laden estate of a psychopath drug dealer hellbent on world domination who plans to release a dangerous bio-weapon. Does any of this deter our fearless heroine? No. She doesn't care, because she's only here to save her sister. Never mind the fact she doesn't know where to look or if her sister is still on the estate, never mind the fact that if the world dies, her precious sister dies too, never mind the fact her sister is a big girl who made her bed, never mind the fact she's in way over her head. Nope, she's not budging. Besides, it's not so scary. The guards on the estate know she's the pretend sex toy of the super scary psychopath so they leave her alone to wander about the estate poking into all the nooks and crannies. Also, she's under disguise as an easy tart complete with pink flamingo earrings so no one will put two and two together and think she's up to something nefarious. Until Dr. Kyle Wright shows up and is stunned to see her. Apparently these two had a wild and crazy sex fest four years ago and neither one has forgotten it. Kyle has been working undercover since he left Delanie and when he sees the innocent blonde calmly sitting next to one of the most dangerous men in the world, he's adamant she leave immediately. Not without my sister, she says!

Dr. Kyle Wright has been working undercover for so long that he has nearly forgotten who he is. Delanie represents all the goodness that he is fighting for so he's understandably frantic to protect her without arousing the suspicions of anyone. Luckily for Delanie, Kyle is a super spy, super doctor, all around expert in all types of weaponry and transportation plus he's a hunk with a perfect physique and perfect hair. With his amazing CV her safety should be assured but of course our intrepid heroine knows better and blithely blazes her own trail. When he tells her to stay put, she wanders, when he tells her to meet him somewhere, she pops up at a different location, when he tells her to hide, she of course bumps into the bad guys and ruins four years of undercover work.

He loves this girl?! I would have shot her and buried her out back. Or fed her useless corpse to the piranhas.

There was just entirely too much going on in this book. I could have forgiven a few of Delanie's TSTL moments. A few of them. But she has so many that this book descends into a farcical mess. Kyle is also too much. His patience and understanding knows no bounds until the last part of the book. When Delanie and Kyle find her sister I was finally okay with her worry and protectiveness. Her sister was in pretty bad shape and of course I would choose to be with her, but Kyle suddenly draws a line in the sand and it's either now or never. Her sister or him. Huh? What happened to that endless understanding? This is the woman who busted up a four year long undercover sting operation and now your getting pissy because she wants to leave you a day early and meet up with you later on?

Grrrrr.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Beanbag Love.
569 reviews240 followers
April 28, 2023
Oh my. I liked Adair's "Kiss and Tell" even though it was an absurd premise. But this follow-up is so outlandish it almost seems as if the author was picking plot points out of a hat full of suggestions.

Mostly, I hated the heroine. TSTL and selfish as the day is long. A lot is made of her taking care of her family and being the one everyone depends on. It's absolutely clear though (and the hero brings this up at one point) that taking care of everyone and making them dependent on you is NOT a virtue. Infantilizing people is a power trip, nothing better. And this chick is all about control. Not that she has any qualifications, experience or ability. She stomps around like a spoiled child, willfully misreading things and demanding it all be her way. Meanwhile she's getting in the way of some pretty serious business the grown-ups are trying to pull together.

The hero, Kyle Wright, is a genius who winds up undercover for four years in order to set up an elaborate sting. The operation was so badly explained that I'm beginning to suspect it was actually just an excuse for him to grow his hair into a waist length fall of dark and dangerous sexiness.

I won't go into more details. Suffice to say the heroine is a monkey wrench throughout. I have no idea why a man who only has half a brain, much less a man who's considered a genius, would fall in love with this troublesome ditz.

Still, I have to passively recommend reading it for the unintentional laughs. It helps to have a reading buddy, as I had with Dina, so you can giggle and point at the nonsense together.

I'm not sure if I have the stomach for another Cherry Adair book. I'm grooving on the suspense romance genre, but I do know a lot more of it falls in the "Hide and Seek" category, rather than "Kiss and Tell". If anyone has any suggestions within this genre, I'd love to know them. :D
Profile Image for Ladiibbug.
1,580 reviews85 followers
February 1, 2009
#3 T-FLAC - Romantic Suspense

Kyle Wright and Delanie Eastman

Wow, this one rang a whole bunch of my reading pleasure bells:

* Exotic location (jungles of South America, complete with the sounds of tropical birds and screaming monkeys);

* International Crime Lord villan living in a secluded luxury compound;

* Bio-Terror sub-plot - because it's unusual;

* Meticulously laid plans of deep undercover good guy agent posing as a bad guy;

* Multiple sexy, hunky good guy agents.

Ms. Adair's descriptions of the oppressive heat, humidity, bugs, snakes, ants, foliage and flowers of the jungle drew me right in, as far as place.

Lots of tense suspense with the high stakes drama, i.e., Kyle's four years of undercover work, as well as the numerous police agencies in on the operation. Adair did a great job showing the reader just what a ruthless criminal Montoya is, and I was on the edge of my chair several times wondering if Kyle's cover hold up until the final raid.

Montoya's mother, a criminal in her own right, and that whole sub-plot was just OK, but it could have been left out imo.

Delanie was OK. Her insistance on being the strong one for an extended family back home of aunts, grandparents, etc. got a little old, her "I don't need anyone" claim, and Kyle's chipping away at it.

Kyle was very likeable (sexy too!). I'm hoping to see more of his T-FLAC brothers and buddies in upcoming books :-)
Profile Image for Anita.
2,646 reviews218 followers
April 26, 2015
Cherry Adair has some very sexy and suspenseful moments in this book. Sad that the suspend reality button must be pushed before you read it. There is no way that most of what happens in this book could possibly take place, especially the parts that have Kyle not knowing anything about Lauren or Delaine's involvement with Montero. One really good thing about this series - they don't build on each other, you can read the books out of order. Characters may overlap, but not to the determent of the book.

Delanie's beautiful sister, Lauren, has gone missing and the caretaker, Delanie, must find her and bring her home. Delanie, a kindergarten teacher, is the caretaker of a dysfunctional family, her mother, sister, grandfather, aunt, various cousins. It is a lot for one person. Delanie is predisposed to hate men. Her father used her mother for a 10 year affair and grandfather was someone Delanie also needed to take care of. Trust is not a word she associates with men. She gets herself on top of a mountain is South America with a known wealthy nasty, Montero, and has no idea how deep in do-do she really is. She is so separated from reality to think she can find her sister, save her sister and get them both out of there it is incomprehensible as a plot devise. She comes face to face with Kyle, a man she met, and had a wild sexual weekend with, 4 years ago.

Dr. Kyle Warren is a T-FLAC agent and a super brain. He just has very little common sense. He finds himself on an op that is supposed to shut down Montero's operation permanently when he comes face to face with Delanie, his weekend fling from years ago, whom he couldn't quite seem to get over. The reason why she's there on Montero's mountain and in a lot of danger is not important. He needs to get her gone and quick. T-FLAC is going to blow the place to kingdom come in 5 days. You just know how well that is going to go.
Profile Image for Wendy.
1,224 reviews13 followers
January 3, 2009
Am slowly backtracking and reading this T-Flac series. I've picked this one up a couple of times, but didn't like the beginning as I don't usually like the h/h to have had one (or 3!)night stand with each other before the storyline starts. However, I am so pleased I persevered (I have to read series in order so I had to read this sometime!).
The action was great, ongoing with no real flat spots. I always love a book that has the women in danger scenario, but in this I loved the fact that the hero went from protective to impatient and back again.
I enjoyed both characters, which is a real bonus for me. Delanie didn't whinge or whine... the only negative here for me was I think Delanie was too she-man when they are in the forest fighting off the baddies. I mean, she is a kindergarten teacher after all. But it didn't annoy me enough to stop me reading.
I loved Kyle...right down to his impatience with Delanie and the choice he sometimes has to make between his duty and her was worked into the story well without making an OTT production of it. He sometimes came off as rather abrasive, but don't all men!!
Anyway, I can't say this is a standout or a favourite but it certainly kept me turning the pages. Read it in one sitting. Recommended to all who like romantic-suspense more on the romance side than 'suspense' like me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Julie .
4,248 reviews38k followers
June 7, 2011
This was a T-FLAC novel. For those of you who think all of Cherry Adair's T-FLAC novel are "paranormal", fair warning- This one is not. There was absolutely no mention of any special abilities in this one. That is not a prerequisite for me. I actually look at these novels more as action adventure/romance. The romance is pretty steamy, and there were a few times I felt like it went a little overboard in the frequency and the silly circumstances they would decided they couldn't keep their hands off each other, like one time in a helicopter. But, the story was fun and the mission was covert and there was a lesson to be learned from our heroine. I have really enjoyed all the Cherry Adair books I have read and would recommend them to all, even if you are a die hard paranormal romance reader, I think you would still enjoy this one.
Profile Image for Glamdring.
508 reviews111 followers
March 4, 2014

Another "rolls eye" festival.

Hide and Seek wasn't as good as Kiss and Tell but fortunately it wasn't as bad as The Mercenary.

For me the major minus in the story was the TSTL heroine and if I kind of liked Kyle something was off with him, I just can't put my finger on it. Also, if the chemistry between the MC was really hot, I couldn't feel the love.

Another thing that didn't work for me in this book were the too many OTT scenes.
Profile Image for Sandra R.
3,345 reviews46 followers
January 10, 2023
4.5 stars. Such a well written, well thought out, fun adventure romance and it's a pity not more of these are around. It's over the top escapism with an alpha hero in disguise and a 'meek'???kindergarten teacher heroine who's trapped into a situation she can't get out of while attempting to find her kidnapped sister. Naturally our braid wearing hero comes to the rescue. Add to that, the story is set in the dense and humid jungle of South America where creepy crawlies and bad guys with guns abound.

Originally written over 20 years ago and I loved the fact there are no smart phones etc to make communications and running from terrorists that slight bit easier. This type of story may not be everyone's 'cup of tea', but this is the style of book that I really loved when I first started reading romances in the 70's (LOL), so it's probably in my DNA to love this genre. I wanted to keep reading to the end without stopping, so it definitely is on my high rating list for that alone.

There's action, murder, a drug cartel, tall and muscled T-flac operatives, terrorists, anacondas, piranhas, strange and creepy insects, explosions, kidnappings, bioweapon, etc. Plus, many well written steamy romance scenes between our H/h. this is a slow burn second chance romance, as they first met four years before. I really enjoyed it. I'm happy this author has so many of these stories in her back list and note - it's quite long. This is part of a loosely connected series, but all books stand alone. 😍

(PS- Who knew ballet training could do all that...)
Profile Image for Aneca.
958 reviews124 followers
January 29, 2008
Adair's first book I read failed to convince me but I had this one in the tbr pile and so decided on reading it just the same.

It’s more or less the same kind of plot, terrorists and drug dealers as villains, a special operations hero and an innocent heroine caught in the middle. Well this heroine got herself in the middle by going in search of her sister who was on more than friendly terms with the villain. There she finds the hero pretending to be a terrorist but actually preparing to close down the villain's operation. And, big coincidence, she had a one night stand with hero a few years ago and never forgot him (what are the odds of picking a man for a one night stand and being remembered 5 years later?).

Well although it didn’t seem as cartoonish as the previous book terrorists and special operation agents are still not my favourites. I guess I just feel that there’s violence instead of character development.

The heroine was a (big) bit TSTL and kept getting herself in more trouble but as a whole the story wasn’t that bad (meaning it was entertaining despite being bad).Oh and I really hated the last scenes, if you had to choose between staying with awounded sister or leave her with with strangers to go after your healthy lover which would you choose? The sister right? So how come we have a scene of the heroine having to grovel to the hero because of that? It was going ok but that ruined it for me. And now I’m left wondering about Dare and Lauren...after 2 C grades to Cherry Adair I should have learned my lesson shouldn’t I? But if she ever writes a book about them I might be tempted to read it. Talk about an addiction!

Also this review didn't come out the easy way, you might find that it's not at all well structured. I blame it on the contraditory feelings I had while reading this book...
Profile Image for Anna's Herding Cats.
1,274 reviews319 followers
July 1, 2014
Sometimes the opening line just snags me. And damn. Cherry Adair totally got me with the start to Hide and Seek..."Well, well, if it isn't Miss Eastman. I'd recognize those tits anywhere." LOL I don't know why but that totally made me bust out and I just knew I was gonna have a good time with Delanie and Kyle. And it was a good time. Action packed, a little over the top (not in a bad way) and just an exciting adventure as these two deal with their own secret missions deep in the dangerous jungles of South America and with the fact they spent some hot and sweaty nekkid time with each other years ago. Bwaha. Love it!


I really liked both Delanie and Kyle even though they drove me a little crazy. She could be a little stubborn and Kyle had me yelling some choice words at him. I wasn't sure if I wanted to kiss him or smack him for most of the book but still I had such a good time with these two as crazy as that sounds.

The story was action packed and full of tension for the entire book and you never get a chance to really slow down or feel bored for a single second as they try to survive and do what they set out to do. And then heat wise? Yeah these two are combustible together. They may drive each other mad but the attraction is undeniable and they go at it fast and hard and it's just excellent.

All in all, a great romantic suspense romp. Adair has some serious talent when it comes to putting together a fun romantic suspense that'll keep your blood pumping and you glued to the book until the very last page.

Reviewed for herding cats & burning soup.
Profile Image for Jess.
805 reviews62 followers
September 19, 2011
Delanie sacrifices her own safety in order to find her missing sister Lauren, but when an ex-lover Kyle shows up unexpectedly into the mix, it makes things very complicated. Kyle is undercover on assignment to discover Montero’s secrets involving manufacturing the smallpox virus and he isn’t all too pleased when he realises who’s living with the crime lord;

“What in God’s name was Delanie, with her soft, pouty, lying mouth and those deceptively innocent baby browns- which did a piss poor job of hiding secrets- doing here? Her presence complicated everything.”


The attraction between Delanie and Kyle is undeniable and it soon gets them into trouble and things heat up when Montero offers Delanie to Kyle as a “gift”. The moment when Delaine was in a drugged haze was hilarious, “Don’t bite!”, “That’s not a rubber hose”. There’s plenty of action in this book, of the hot and steamy variety as well as the ass-kicking, and some sad moments added to the mix. The moment when Delanie tells Kyle about the baby and how she aches to hold her was so heartbreaking. The ending was perfect and I like how they both don’t immediately go and run off into the sun-set together instead parting ways and meeting up again four months on.
Profile Image for Cindi.
1,082 reviews46 followers
July 6, 2009
This book brought back the reasons I used to enjoy Cherry's books so much! A simple, straight-forward spec ops story, somewhat implausible, but easy to buy into. No unreal mind-powers; I have felt that her latest series has gotten carried away so really enjoyed this one. And of course I always love a sensitive but strong hero with LONG HAIR!
Profile Image for Kathrynn.
1,184 reviews
February 26, 2008
Book #3 in the T-FLAC series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lively! Nice characters. Delanie's character took awhile to develop, but she had a lot on her plate. I liked Kyle's character. What a nice guy. Lots of action, romance and great writing made this book a 5 star read for This Reader.
Profile Image for Priscilla Robinson.
Author 2 books21 followers
October 19, 2014
I'm not quite sure how the book works. But it works perfectly for me. In the mist of blood shed, getting drugged, fighting, murder and kidnapping there is a love story to melt your heart. I loved Kyle. I everything about him and the many layers that he had.
Profile Image for HJ.
794 reviews46 followers
July 28, 2016
reread 7/2016
Profile Image for Karen Peavler.
63 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2016
Enjoy this series. This book was a little more hard to believe but that's why it's called fiction! Still a fun read.
547 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2017
Much to my surprise, I've become a Cherry Adair fan, and I've been tearing through this series at a rapid clip. This one, however, is not my favorite. #2 and #4 in the series were much more enjoyable.
The situation involves golden collars that look like jewelry but administer an extremely painful electrical charge. It just doesn't seem that both things (looking like jewelry AND being so effective) would be possible. There's also a aphrodisiac drug that just seems to exist in order to make the bad guys badder. And, the hero and heroine reconnect after four years in a very unlikely way and impossible place that more than strains credulity.
Granted, wild plots are part of the fun, but this one just goes too far.
To put it another way, when I read a Cherry Adair book, I often feel that I'm watching a crazy intense action movie, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to make the Hide and Seek movie.
Profile Image for TinaMarie.
3,513 reviews38 followers
January 27, 2018
They are both on secret missions, Kyle to take down a notorious terrorist and drug lord and she to find and save her sister from the same man. He's trying to get her out of danger and she seems to keep falling or running to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
17 reviews2 followers
May 13, 2023
LOVE IT

I read this series of books when they were first released. I reread them every few years and enjoy them as much in 2023 as I did way back then. If you have. Not read them give them a try.
Profile Image for Jamie.
102 reviews2 followers
October 2, 2017
I absolutely hated Delanie which is why I had a hard time enjoying this book..
What I did enjoy was Kyle and getting a little reunion from Michael and Tin Man at the end!!!
Profile Image for Marianne.
2,330 reviews
April 29, 2020
The immature libido driven two main characters were so annoying and unbelievable that they beggered belief! The first book of this series was so much better.
63 reviews
October 17, 2023
The T-FLAC series is awesome. Memorable storylines and great characters. Working my way through the series and enjoying every book.
3,415 reviews24 followers
January 29, 2011
This T FLAC hero, Kyle, is not typical... he's a doctor, who finished too young to comfortably practice... so he went into research... until Montero, a medical school dropout 'friend' turned drug lord, power hungry, wanting to dominate the world jerk, contacts him to develop a small pox terrorist weapon... Kyle's brothers are navy & TFLAC, so he goes to them, and starts a 4+ year undercover job to take down Montero and as many international terrorists as possible... As he starts this self assigned job, he says goodby to his father, not knowing if he'll see him again, and sits in a bar, and sees... her... walk... in...

Delanie, kindergarten teacher, family caretaker, conservative... she goes to San Francisco to surprise her fiance, who has been pressuring her for sex, and finds him in bed with someone else... so she enters the bar, a virgin, out of character, wanting to know what it all sex is about... and hooks up with Kyle...

and they spend 3 day/nights in his room having passionate, no holds bar sex... he leaves her to get his clothes, when he returns, she has left (thinking he'd already left her - and wanting her sane life back)... and for the next 4 years they think of one another, not expecting to see one another again...

4 years later... Montero's south american jungle retreat... they meet up again... Delanie is playing the dumb blonde in an effort to track her sister, who disappeared when seeing Montero in Las Vegas... playing the part, she is lounging by the pool in a string bikini bottom, no top, and a gold necklace (which is actually a control device - delivering a shock, and if cross the buried fence, one would be electrocuted)... when Kyle shows up - this is the week he is taking Montero down... Surprise for both of them...

and... Montero gives Delanie to Kyle (Montero's gay, wants to please Kyle)... and Kyle is a gentleman, and does his best to get her to safety... they don't trust one another - what is each doing there... and it takes a couple of days... they get to meet his pet piranhas at a nearby pond... they witness his shooting of a boy who was supposed to watch to keep the snakes out of the pool, Kyle keeps returning serveliance bugs to Montero, they go to town, and she bypasses his men and returns to the helicopter back to Montero's... Delanie is one minded on finding her sister, Kyle is watching and testing her, learning about her...

Montero's sadistic mother shows up (she is 'kidnapping and training' women and selling them as sex slaves... and she gives Delanie a new drug that makes her want sex... Kyle succumbs to her desires, she is embarrassed... They stage Kyle killing her. and he pretends to dispose of her body in the pond, but hides in Montero's bomb shelter... but... Montero's mother gets a hold of her, applies a little electrical torture and physical embarrassment... Kyle rescues her... they hike 3 hours to a site Kyle set up, Kyle tells her he loves her, and a little psychoanalysis about her need to be needed...

and then his crew shows up in the morning, including 2 brothers and a brother in law... and they hike back to Montero's... they take him down, blow up buildings... somehow Montero gets Delanie to use as a hostage to get out... and Delanie has just had enough... there is a fight, Kyle against 5, and she handles Montero - and he ends up in his piranha pond... then they go to the bomb shelter, and there is her sister - drugged & Montero's mother... and Delanie & the mother fight, with Kyle yelling her on - knowing that she needs to do this, even though he'd rather do it himself...

and she chooses to go with her sister to the TFLAC medical facility in Montana... and another 4 months go by, and Kyle has been letting her figure out her feelings - she has a little counseling, and finally decides to track him down... a few awkward minutes in a mexican bar, she starts by telling him she cares for him, but he wants more... when she gets pissed off, and says would she be there if she didn't love him, he melts and makes her repeat it over and over... and they kiss, and the patrons clap... and there are very mushy words of love and acceptance of one another just as...
Profile Image for Rose Belle.
851 reviews13 followers
May 31, 2025
I went into this book understanding that it was poorly reviewed. My expectations were low, so I wasn't disappointed when the reviews turned out to be true. This book is indeed a hot mess. There was some entertainment value to it. I'm not sure there's enough that I'd ever recommend it to anyone, considering there are SO MANY other romantic suspense/military romance books out there to read.

Delanie Eastman decides that it would be a bright idea to pose as the ditzy girlfriend of a South American crimelord in order to save her missing sister, who disappeared after hanging out with the man. It's okay, though. The guy's actually gay, so she's not a slut. But he wants to appear like he isn't? I dunno. If it sounds whacky, it's because it is. Then, here comes Kyle Wright, a guy she slept with for a few days and fell head over heals for until he disappeared on her. He's a T-FLAC agent who has been working on this mission for four years, but since Delanie and her loud mouth is here, she might just ruin everything.

So, yeah...Annoying characters? Check. Weird, out-there, unrealistic plot? Check. Dialogue that was nothing but arguments the whole entire time? Check. Hot, steamy sexy scenes? Well, at least that's a check, but there were too many of them for the type of book it was and the length. Plus, they happened at weird times. Here, let's stop everything and have sex against this tree in the jungle. Okaaaay then. If the aforementioned is something that appeals to you, go for it. The book was interesting for about one-fourth until it became repetitive, the plot began to really unfold, and Delanie kept running her mouth. Not exactly the best romantic suspense out there.

T-FLAC Series
-Review of The Mercenary (Book 1)
-Review of Kiss and Tell (Book 2)
-Review of Hide and Seek (Book 3)
-Review of In Too Deep (Book 4)
-Review of Out of Sight (Book 5)
-Review of On Thin Ice (Book 6)
-Review of Hot Ice (Book 7)
-Review of Edge of Danger (Book 8)
-Review of Edge of Fear (Book 9)
-Review of Edge of Darkness (Book 10)
-Review of White Heat (Book 11)
-Review of Tropical Heat (Book 11.5)
-Review of Night Fall (Book 12)
-Review of Night Secrets (Book 13)
-Review of Night Shadow (Book 14)
-Review of Chameleon (Book 14.5)
-Review of Ice Cold (Book 15)
-Review of Ricochet (Book 15.5)
-Review of Gideon (Book 16)
-Review of A Killer Christmas (Book 17)
Profile Image for PepperP0t .
5,108 reviews86 followers
February 2, 2013
Kyle Wright, a secondary character from the previous installment has an opportunity to check all the standard alpha male boxes - which he does admirably in this entry for the T-FLAC series. Unfortunately (IMO) he's saddled with heroine Delanie Eastman, a kindergarten teacher who doesn't fair as well in her damsel in distress role. I had difficulty connecting with her and found her tiring more often that I should.

For this outing, Delanie is secretly on the trail of her missing sister and ends up in the Mexican rainforest; as fate would have it, Kyle who has secrets of his own ends up in the same jungle makes it his mission to protect and rescue Delanie. Well of course that is too smooth so they each are plagued by scorching memories of a semi-anonymous passionate weekend they shared 4years ago that leaves them wistful for what may have been.

The sinister villain and requisite minions were multi-dimensional caricatures that were very interesting and kept the drama and suspense quotients high as the star couple was perpetually on edge in taking their next steps. Also interaction with other T-FLAC characters helped with the continuity for the series and kept them tied together while being independent stories, this could be a turning point for the series. At this point I still don't think you would need to read the books in order to enjoy the series. While once again I enjoyed this read, I'm still waiting and hoping that this series fulfills its potential. I like the series but want to love it.
Profile Image for Alison.
3,685 reviews145 followers
September 19, 2014
Gah, the second book was great and then this one reverts to stereotypical behaviour.

Kyle (yes Marnie's brother - there is a link) is undercover for T-FLAC at the jungle hideaway of the world's worst terrorist/drug-dealer/all-round baddie. But when he arrives he finds Delanie lying by the pool. The two of them had a torrid 72 hours three years ago but have not seen hide nor hair of each other since.

Delanie is the quiet, school-teacher who looks after her flakey family but she too is undercover searching for her missing sister who was last seen with said drug-dealer.

Kyle spends most of the book telling Delanie off and NOT LISTENING to her. In itself that wouldn't be too bad because she gives as good as she gets and she tells him off. The trouble is that he (apparently) has unbelievable self-control whereas every time he comes close to her she becomes unable to control herself. BORING. I also heartily disliked the ending.
Profile Image for Anne.
110 reviews2 followers
November 3, 2008
This one had some major problems for me. Things that I would hope an editor would have caught. Let's kick it off with the heroine's name, shall we? Delanie. Does that rhyme with Melanie or is it pronounced Delaney? My brain ticked back and forth on that one like a metronome on speed. Each time I read it my brain wiring had to stop, start, and then restart again.

Then let's talk undergarments, shall we? At various times throughout the book we are told that at the main characters first meeting Delanie was wearing red and black underwear and a filmy yellow halter dress. Filmy yellow. Red and black. Unless you're parading it down your local hooker-alley, no woman wears that combination. That red and black will be accentuated by the filmy yellow, not hide it.

The coup de gras was the anaconda in the swimming pool. To the best of my knowledge, anacondas and chlorine don't mix. Ever. And we know the pool was chlorinated because the hero smells it in her lovely hair shortly afterward.

And what's up with the drugging and the sadism? Puhleeze. Lets leave that kind of fantasy to the 80s bodice-ripper, k?

Fortunately, I have read the next book in the series and found it a little delight. The next book, not this book, saved this from a lowly one-star read. Knowing the next book is better has encouraged me to read a few of the following books. Cherry Adair is not out of the running with me - yet.
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