Dane Blaise When he walks by you, you feel the heat of his energy and when you turn your head and meet his intense eyes, chills make you shiver with need until you think your panties might burst into flames. Because you know he’s the kind of man who would lay down his life for the woman he loves. He’s a protector, the kind of man who would have been a swashbuckler with in the days of pirates, or a knight in shining armor in the days of castles and kings.
Now, as he lives and breathes, seemingly invincible, he leads the legendary life of a loner mercenary. Unimpressed and un-phased by most woman, the last thing Dane needs or wants is a female partner …
Shana George Shana is who every woman wants to be, strong and gob-smack gorgeous, a wonder woman style crusader--protector of the helpless and fighter for justice. Working in law enforcement for Scotland Yard, she’s a match for any man with her confidence and skill. But she longs to find a man who will inspire her to lay everything on the line for him. Will Dane be that man? Will Shana be a match for the legendary Dane Blaise? The Story At the insistence of his old commander, now Massachusetts Governor, the ex-special ops legend Dane Blaise takes on Shana George as a partner to find a missing heiress. Mistake? Maybe. The fireworks between them could get them killed before they have a chance to find the missing heiress--and whoever is behind the kidnapping. Dane has been visiting his beach shack on Martha's Vineyard to rest his weary body and soul for too many years to count and he's particularly in need of a rest this summer. But he can't turn down his old commander.
The missing woman was scheduled to compete in a surfing competition and now she's gone. The governor insists the bikini bombshell Shana is perfect for going undercover as a surfer since she was a pro. Plus she also happens to be a Scotland Yard detective.
Dane is skeptical until he discovers Shana has serious skills. But as the case unfolds and the stakes ratchet up once they realize they're dealing with human traffickers specializing in beautiful women, Dane is in trouble. He is far too attracted to everything about his partner--and far too distracted for their well-being and their survival. Dane and Shana need to find the heiress and stop the kidnapping ring before they let their relationship compromise everything.
Or is it too late?
The Beachcombers is the first in the Beachcomber Investigations series by USA Today Bestselling Author Stephanie Queen. If you love when the hero is good and strong with an iron will, yet broken with a damaged soull in deep need of someone to help heal him, then you'll love Dane & Shana's story. This first book is just the beginning with more than 12 books and novellas full of thrilling excitement and steam and romance all the way to the end--which is an unbelievably satisfying HEA.
This introduction into Stephanie Queen's Beachcomber series swept me off my feet!
When trouble comes to Dane Blaize's island getaway he has no choice but to take on the case. Though he's tired and jaded, Dane has to admit his new partner is easy on the eyes.
Shana George has a thirst for adventure and her latest assignment is certainly answering that goal-- she's undercover as a rich surfing competitor!
A missing heiress, shadowy kidnappers, danger around every corner, strong characters will keep you turning those pages long after midnight.
The Beachcombers is a romantic suspense. Shana George is an undercover agent from Sydney who has been assigned to a case in Martha's Vineyard in America. She must pose as a beach bunny heiress taking part in a surfing competition. She's been partnered with Dane Blaise a man with a past who was hoping to get some vacation time until The General called him in on the case.
Susan Whittier has gone missing and the surfing competition looks like a fake front for something more sinister. Shana and Dane must work quickly to find and rescue Susan. Local con man Jean Luc Ruse is caught up with a set of much more dangerous men and soon everything must come to a head as time starts to run out for Susan.
This is a well paced book, with plenty of sexual tension between Shana and Dane, I wasn't sure a couple of times if the character's security measures matched the storyline, but this was fairly minor and there was the odd typo towards the end. Overall a good read.
I began this series with the prequel because I like knowing the back story first; and what a story it was. Queen has started a series that has your heart racing with every turn of the page. Her descriptive style has you feeling like you're in the surf at Martha's Vineyard, and you wonder if she is a surfer gal -so good is her story telling. I love the heat between the two main characters; bad boy Dane and surfer gal Shana. They work together like a cat and dog, but always on the same page, seeming to read each other's thoughts. A really good summer read and I’m eager to start on chapter 2.
This book by Stephanie Queen was a most enjoyable suspenseful and romantic read about solving a dark and potentially deadly mystery while working undercover. The characters were rigid and solidly constructed as both good and bad and then pure evil. The power of love and romance also invaded the storyline as the two main characters, Dane and Shana, struggle against each other's attraction. This is definitely a great start to the Beachcomber Investigations series. This is a voluntary review of this book.
I loved this book. Well written with great characters, loved Shana and Dane. Was happy to see Chauncey again, love catching up with old friends. This is a fantastic series so nd it keeps getting better.
I recieved this book recently as a gift and enjoyed it so much I had to post a review. I enjoyed this book start to finish. These are some great characters. I will continue to read Queen's books
I absolutely loved this book it was intriguing and suspenseful and a fabulous read and I recommend giving it a try it was so good won’t be disappointed
Shana George has just flown from Sydney to London to begin a new assignment working for Scotland Yard when she is informed that she’s being loaned out for a special operation back in the States – Martha’s Vineyard to be exact. She’s going undercover, playing the role of a beach bunny heiress who plans to enter a surfing competition being held on the island. Her objective is to find missing heiress, Susan Whittier, who had entered the competition but then withdrew and mysteriously disappeared. Shana’s team leader is special ops legend, Dane Blaise, a man quite a few years her senior, not only in age, but in experience. The chemistry between the two gets off to a rocky start, to say the least. Dane seems driven to antagonize Shana, calling her condescending names like “girlie” to which she naturally responds negatively. However, underlying this antagonism is an almost overwhelming sexual attraction, one which they each try to deny.
Thus sets the scene for this first volume in The Beachcombers Investigation Series by author, Stephanie Queen. Most of the action revolves around Shana and Dane as they try to find the missing heiress and uncover the real purpose behind the sketchy surfing competition. A charming con man, Jean Luc, is the figurehead in charge of the event, but he has a co-worker, Ned, who is anything but charming and who, in the end, may prove deadly to Shana.
The tension builds we get into both Dane’s and Shana’s heads and intensifies as we move toward the heart-pounding conclusion. The pace is swift as author, Queen, leads the reader on a merry chase, trying to find the heiress and put the bad guys away.
This was a fun detective read with lots of sexual tension. Not only is there a case to solve, but also the question about a possible future for Shana and Dane looms large in the reader’s mind. I found The Beachcombers to be a delightful read and can highly recommend it for lovers of mystery/romance and romantic suspense featuring kick-ass women sleuths.
I needed this book. I mean, I really needed it. In the dead of frigid winter with my patience wearing thin, I needed a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in the middle of summer.
Not only that, but living vicariously through heroes Dane Blaise and Shana George was an absolute blast.
I don’t write reviews that rehash a plot already told in the book summary, or already elaborated on in other reviews. I like to tell you how the book made me feel and what I enjoyed about it.
The first page of The Beachcombers: Prequel had me absolutely hooked. When agent Shana George steps off the plane on Martha’s Vineyard in her role as little-rich-girl surfing competitor, all heads turn. Readers can feel the sun, smell the tangy, salty air, and feel the wind whipping their hair.
The point of view is deftly switched to that of Dane Blaise, the damaged, rough ‘n’ ready agent whose been chosen to play out this deadly game with her. He’s everything you’d want in a tough guy spy hero – strong, quick-thinking, clever, and actually quite human deep beneath the rough exterior.
Filled with high action suspense set in a luscious backdrop of beaches and a Cape Cod village, the story grabs you fast and won’t let go. It’s a smooth and easy read, too.
USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Queen balanced the taut action with a tense sexual attraction between the Dane and Shana that heated up the pages without unnecessary graphic details. It takes a good writer to be able to impart such heat without losing the tension of the plot as it goes forward. Kudos, Ms. Queen!
This is the first of many books in the Beachcomber series and is highly recommended by Aaron Paul Lazar, USA Today bestselling author.
The ARC of this book was received from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the series I have read and reviewed for Hidden Gems. I would have liked them in order, as this is the prequel so it might have been good to read it first. From what I have read so far, the stories are interesting, fun story about investigators on Martha’s Vineyard. The setup for this story is a bit of a stretch, as the fact that these cast of characters are brought in by the governor to solve this kidnapping case. Overall it was an okay romantic mystery story, but I found the relationship between the two main characters a little juvenile with too much forced angst. Guessing the arguing is supposed to be charming, rom-com like, I could have done without it. Also, the characters did not ring true to me and I found some errors that were just annoying to me. The primary example is Sydney is the large city in Australia, NOT Sidney! Also, both the British character and Shana who is supposed to be Australian, never spoke with any idioms or colloquialisms from their homelands. This is more severe in Shana who supposedly just got off the plane, she speaks like she is from the US. The book has plenty of action and adventure while trying to solve the kidnapping and save the missing heiress.
Ugh. This was a tough one. For two reasons: the poor editing and the lack of clarity in the story.
First issue, the editor of this book needs to be fired. I lost count of the typos and grammatical errors - the most offensive one being the heroine, Shana, being from “Sidney” Australia. Whaaaaat??
I liked the story, the suspense and the drama but there were major tactical errors in the development. I’ve never had to re-read so much of a book to connect the dots. The author did not explain enough, and you were just left confused and a little frustrated. I had no idea Dane telling the story of Elena implied she was a dirty cop. Or that Chauncey was British. Or why Dane was called a legend.
And what were the ages of everyone!? The author kept saying that Dane was 10 years older than Shana’s age limit, but what was it. It was hard to connect with the characters without knowing their basic background.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Dane Blaise and Shana George are unwilling partners, with a mission to find the missing daughter of an important, wealthy family. Susan Whittier was last seen in Martha’s Vineyard where she had entered the American Invitational Surfing Competition.
Shana is part of the Stockland Yard exchange program with the Metropolitan Police. Dane is still recovering from his last mission but when his old boss, Governor Peter John Douglas is known as “the General” to his old team, asks for his help, he cannot refuse. Their reaction to each other was an instantaneous sizzle and abrasive. In this undercover assignment, yielding to their attraction could mean failure and endanger the entire team and Susan, if she is even still alive.
This is a good start to the series. Sometimes the push/pull between Dana and Shana was a little excessive but the non-stop action was amazing. I received a free copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.
Dane Blaise, free-lance operative, is expecting a nice quiet vacation in his home on Martha’s Vineyard when he’s called into service by his mentor Governor Douglas. An heiress had disappeared in the middle of a surfing competition. Dane’s paired with the gorgeous Shana George, a Scotland Yard detective. From the beginning the relationship is charged with emotions. Dane’s past haunts him, while Shana’s attraction to him interferes with her professional instincts. The sexual tension between the seasoned, dashing, but damaged Dane and the prickly independence of Shana starts immediately and continues through the novel, each unwilling to bend. They must work together through a harrowing, fiery conclusion before they can come to terms with their feelings. Edge of your seat thrills and memorable characters.
Note: At Amazon this is entitled The Beachcomber (Beachcomber Investigations, Book 1).
I loved this prequel to the Beachcomber Investigations romantic detective series ! You are immediately hit with the chemistry between Dane and Shana as sparks fly between them! I love how strong, independent and confident Shana is and how protective Dana is. These two are so well matched their heat fairly melt the pages! You know that they are going to have amazing adventures together right from the start!. The story had just enough suspense and intrigue to compliment the romance without one overshadowing the other. The bad guys were well... very bad and a bit over the top but there were many likable side characters to add really good dialogue and interest to the story. You can tell that each of the subsequent books are going to be full of interesting people and adventure filled stories. This was such a great beginning to the series and I can't wait to dive into the rest!
The Beachcombers: Prequel - Beachcomber Investigations Series by Stephanie Queen is where one series ends and a new one begins and is the perfect start to the series. The story starts out slow whilst setting the stage but soon turns into more action and intrigue than you can imagine for such a small crime fighting and mismatched team. I have read several of the books in this series so it was nice to read where it all began. Will the team be able to solve the case or will it turn out to be more dangerous than they thought? Will they catch the bad guys before there is more mystery and mayhem and people are hurt? The characters that Stephanie has created are lovable and often make you laugh. I look forward to reading more of this series.
In the words of the author Stephanie Queen The Beachcombers is the first of her "romantic detective series" and it is a blast.
Shana and Dane both have so much baggage it is unreal, but they both want to do a good job and this particular job is a missing woman. And Shana would work with anyone to save her and that includes the jerk she is stuck with. Dane doesn't want to be attracted to Shana, he's good being the way he is. Unfortunately for the both of them the heart does what the heart wants.
Great introduction to this new and exciting series. Strong interesting characters that add insight and depth to each person introduced into the storyline. Ongoing action, each chapter has its own unique tension and intrigue throughout the pages. This author does a fantastic job of bringing all the necessary components together to create a fun and highly entertaining adventure series.
A missing heiress, good guys, bad guys, a damaged old soul and an up and coming rookie make this start to the Beachcombers series a wild ride. Stephanie Queen keeps you engaged, and at times, hanging on for dear life, when Dane and Shana work a case, and their personal lives, together. Great start to this series.
This is one of those stories that draws you in and keeps you going. The writing is good, the story is engaging and the length is great. Well done. This really a 4.5 for me.
this book was really great! he is one hot guy that make woman melt. he will protect you if in danger. these two are to work together to find a kidnapped woman before its to late. read to find out what happens.
Good plot, could have play down the sexual between Dana and Shana When on the job as flirting was one thing, They accomplished what they set out for, the heiress and adventure. Now he wants to lure her away from Scotland Yard, maybe as part of an investigation agency, on the island,
Hard to get into, no real connection between Shana and Dane with dialogue that seems to be rough. It may get better later in the series, but I have no desire to fight my way through another story. Others may enjoy the book and series but it did nothing for me.