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Delta Force #3
No Escape
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they're suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she's ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago...
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
412 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
About the author
Shannon K. Butcher
36 books1,214 followersBestselling author Shannon K. Butcher, who now writes as Anna Argent, has written more than thirty titles since launching her career in 2007. She has three award-winning series, including the paranormal romance series The Sentinel Wars, the action-romance series The Edge, and the romantic suspense Delta Force Trilogy. Her alter ego Anna Argent also writes several series with a fresh and interesting spin on paranormal romance (The Lost Shards, The Taken and The Stone Men series) as well as a contemporary romance series set in a small town in the Ozarks. As a former engineer and current nerd, she frequently uses charts, graphs and tables to aid her in the mechanics of story design, world building and to keep track of all those colorful characters, magical powers and alternate worlds. An avid bead and glass artist, she spends her free time turning small sparkly bits into larger sparkly bits. She’s rarely on social media, so the best place to find out news about upcoming releases under either name is via her newsletter. You can sign up at AnnaArgent.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
December 17, 2008
I haven't had any luck with Shannon Butcher's books. No Escape is my third try and I think it's worse than the first two. I don't mind simple plots but the characters have to be driving the story, then. In No escape, both protagonists are boring as you can get. I don't know how an ex-Delta Force guy can be boring in a romantic suspense but Grant is. Not his fault, though, more because the dialog between him and Isabelle lacks the wit and sparkle I like between my H & H, no matter what the genre.
Grant is a nice guy but he did do that weird thing which made me wonder a bit about his maturity if not his brains. He's upstairs in Isabelle's bedroom checking out the suspicious car parked down the road. He decides to go get a closer look but instead of going down the stairs like any normal human being, he jumps out the window onto the side roof then scramble/jump down. Even Isabelle asks him why he'd do something like that and Grant says it was just to show off.
And I'm expected to take this EX-DELTA FORCE guy seriously?
Grant is a nice guy but he did do that weird thing which made me wonder a bit about his maturity if not his brains. He's upstairs in Isabelle's bedroom checking out the suspicious car parked down the road. He decides to go get a closer look but instead of going down the stairs like any normal human being, he jumps out the window onto the side roof then scramble/jump down. Even Isabelle asks him why he'd do something like that and Grant says it was just to show off.
And I'm expected to take this EX-DELTA FORCE guy seriously?
December 28, 2008
“I’m not killing them, I’m helping them…”
Isabelle Carson knows these people, and she knows they’d never commit suicide, especially her friend Beverly. They all shared a past; all were foster kids in the home of the molesting, pedofile Lavine. Fourteen years earlier, Grant had been moved to Lavine’s care. One night, while sneaking out, he came upon Lavine trying to rape Isabelle, his rage snapped his control and he put a permanent halt to Lavine’s molestations.
Fourteen years later, now a Delta Force vet, he’s been receiving birthday cards and Christmas cards from Isabelle all these years. But her phone call left him worried, for it wasn’t just her words, but her tone of voice that was off. Something was going on, and Grant is determined to find out.
Now a foster mom to seventeen-year-old Dale Townsend, Isabelle is frightened; Wyatt, Dale’s father, is now out of jail, and he wants his son, even if Dale doesn’t want him. And people that she cares about are dying, and she’s sure they’re not suicides. She’s been to the police, but they don’t believe her. But Grant does, for he’s found something in her research that the police never saw… the ’suicides’ are happening in the order that they had gone to live with Lavine.
Now the police are taking it seriously. However, will they find the killer in time before Isabelle becomes his next ’suicide’?
Totally awesome and I can’t wait for more from Shannon K. Butcher!
Isabelle is a strong woman who’s determined to become a great foster mom to children who need her, some with pasts very similar to her own. She’s gotten over that past, and her determination really speaks through to the author. When her cards and letter start coming back from some of her friends and fellow foster brothers and sisters, Isabelle places phone calls and doesn’t like what she hears. She knows they wouldn’t commit suicide, especially her friend and foster-sister Beverly, who had recently married and was the proud mother of a three-week-old baby boy. Isabelle was the one that found her, her body still warm, in the tub, her wrists slit. This was the last straw. Determined to get to the bottom of it and warn everyone else, Isabelle calls the man who’d saved her from Lavine years ago and left a message Grant didn’t like.
Grant, Delta Force vet, decides on his way through to go work for David, to stop at Isabelle’s and find out what’s going on. At first, he believes that she believes the suicides weren’t suicides, but Grant waited until he had more proof. And when that proof is found, the suicides are happening in the same order as they’d been placed in Lavine’s care, Grant really believes something’s going on, and it sure isn’t suicide. He’s determined to help, but knows he can’t stay when all is solved, for the lonely and scared little boy still buried deep believes that he can’t be the man that Isabelle wants, that he doesn’t have it in him to be a good husband and a good father, because of his own past.
Suspenseful, fast-paced and tense, you feel what the characters are feeling. The mind of the psychotic ’suicide’ killer sends chills up and down your spine. All the steamy love scenes and the climax to the story jumps your pulse into overtime until you’re panting right along with the characters. And the more you yell at the characters that they have the wrong killer, the faster you read to get to the end. Unputdownable, Shannon K. Butcher at her finest. I can’t wait for her next book!
Isabelle Carson knows these people, and she knows they’d never commit suicide, especially her friend Beverly. They all shared a past; all were foster kids in the home of the molesting, pedofile Lavine. Fourteen years earlier, Grant had been moved to Lavine’s care. One night, while sneaking out, he came upon Lavine trying to rape Isabelle, his rage snapped his control and he put a permanent halt to Lavine’s molestations.
Fourteen years later, now a Delta Force vet, he’s been receiving birthday cards and Christmas cards from Isabelle all these years. But her phone call left him worried, for it wasn’t just her words, but her tone of voice that was off. Something was going on, and Grant is determined to find out.
Now a foster mom to seventeen-year-old Dale Townsend, Isabelle is frightened; Wyatt, Dale’s father, is now out of jail, and he wants his son, even if Dale doesn’t want him. And people that she cares about are dying, and she’s sure they’re not suicides. She’s been to the police, but they don’t believe her. But Grant does, for he’s found something in her research that the police never saw… the ’suicides’ are happening in the order that they had gone to live with Lavine.
Now the police are taking it seriously. However, will they find the killer in time before Isabelle becomes his next ’suicide’?
Totally awesome and I can’t wait for more from Shannon K. Butcher!
Isabelle is a strong woman who’s determined to become a great foster mom to children who need her, some with pasts very similar to her own. She’s gotten over that past, and her determination really speaks through to the author. When her cards and letter start coming back from some of her friends and fellow foster brothers and sisters, Isabelle places phone calls and doesn’t like what she hears. She knows they wouldn’t commit suicide, especially her friend and foster-sister Beverly, who had recently married and was the proud mother of a three-week-old baby boy. Isabelle was the one that found her, her body still warm, in the tub, her wrists slit. This was the last straw. Determined to get to the bottom of it and warn everyone else, Isabelle calls the man who’d saved her from Lavine years ago and left a message Grant didn’t like.
Grant, Delta Force vet, decides on his way through to go work for David, to stop at Isabelle’s and find out what’s going on. At first, he believes that she believes the suicides weren’t suicides, but Grant waited until he had more proof. And when that proof is found, the suicides are happening in the same order as they’d been placed in Lavine’s care, Grant really believes something’s going on, and it sure isn’t suicide. He’s determined to help, but knows he can’t stay when all is solved, for the lonely and scared little boy still buried deep believes that he can’t be the man that Isabelle wants, that he doesn’t have it in him to be a good husband and a good father, because of his own past.
Suspenseful, fast-paced and tense, you feel what the characters are feeling. The mind of the psychotic ’suicide’ killer sends chills up and down your spine. All the steamy love scenes and the climax to the story jumps your pulse into overtime until you’re panting right along with the characters. And the more you yell at the characters that they have the wrong killer, the faster you read to get to the end. Unputdownable, Shannon K. Butcher at her finest. I can’t wait for her next book!
November 10, 2009
I’ve been looking forward to Grant’s story (almost as much as Caleb’s), but unfortunately this book disappointed me. I can’t say what really bothered me, but the story in its entirety just didn’t pull me in as it should have.
Not even the fact that the heroine, though she had her "stupid" moments (like trying to protect a Delta Force operative’s back or pushing him away before he decided to leave on his own), was much, much, much better than Lana from the previous book helped.
I like the reformed rake storylines, but Grant’s player background and flirty ways (evident from the very first book in this trilogy) weren’t very "endearing" and "hero-like" at least for me. And just because of those flirty way and playboy attitude the final reformation from rake to faithful husband was so hard to grasp…Or maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read it.
The next problem was the suspense plot and how it panned out. After two solid storylines, this third came off as a little flat, despite the obviously demented villain. His identity was revealed too soon slowing the pace, and the buildup to the big reveal was rather boring and uneventful.
Truly disappointing.
Not even the fact that the heroine, though she had her "stupid" moments (like trying to protect a Delta Force operative’s back or pushing him away before he decided to leave on his own), was much, much, much better than Lana from the previous book helped.
I like the reformed rake storylines, but Grant’s player background and flirty ways (evident from the very first book in this trilogy) weren’t very "endearing" and "hero-like" at least for me. And just because of those flirty way and playboy attitude the final reformation from rake to faithful husband was so hard to grasp…Or maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read it.
The next problem was the suspense plot and how it panned out. After two solid storylines, this third came off as a little flat, despite the obviously demented villain. His identity was revealed too soon slowing the pace, and the buildup to the big reveal was rather boring and uneventful.
Truly disappointing.
September 23, 2024
*4 SERIAL KILLER STARS*
I actually really enjoyed this one! It's been a while since I read a romantic suspense that was properly fleshed out, and this one hit the spot.
It irked me a bit that we knew who the bad guy was from the very start and that he seemed to get away with everything, but I did enjoy the romantic development and the thrill of the suspense a lot! The personal development of both Grant and Isabelle was a joy to watch, even though the internal monologue was a little much at times. The constant POV switching was a little confusing at times, but it was nice to see things from different perspectives!
This was a pretty solid series (though it's been a while since I read the first two books in the series), well done Shannon K. Butcher!
I actually really enjoyed this one! It's been a while since I read a romantic suspense that was properly fleshed out, and this one hit the spot.
It irked me a bit that we knew who the bad guy was from the very start and that he seemed to get away with everything, but I did enjoy the romantic development and the thrill of the suspense a lot! The personal development of both Grant and Isabelle was a joy to watch, even though the internal monologue was a little much at times. The constant POV switching was a little confusing at times, but it was nice to see things from different perspectives!
This was a pretty solid series (though it's been a while since I read the first two books in the series), well done Shannon K. Butcher!
September 14, 2019
1.5 stars
So this series has just been deteriorating (thankfully this is the last book).
I did not particularly care about either main character- if I had to pick, Isabelle seemed more believable and I liked her love of fostering children, I felt like it tied into her story well- but Grant was just such a bland hero.
Again, the ending moved fast and the declaration of love felt extremely rushed and out of place.
The romance was definitely the worst out of the three. The chemistry felt very forced, and while there were attempts at emotional development, they were mediocre at best. And the whole "oh I [Grant] don't want to be like my father" thing was so lame.
I decided to add an extra half star simply because the plot, other than the horrible ending, actually wasn't too bad. It was better than No Control and more eventful/intricate than No Regrets, though the first book did set up its plot better. I liked Dale as a character, and I was glad he succeeded despite all the trauma from his father Wyatt. I certainly liked the Wyatt plot better than the one involving Keith.
Overall, this series started off promising, but the romances quickly grew boring and the characters flat.
So this series has just been deteriorating (thankfully this is the last book).
I did not particularly care about either main character- if I had to pick, Isabelle seemed more believable and I liked her love of fostering children, I felt like it tied into her story well- but Grant was just such a bland hero.
Again, the ending moved fast and the declaration of love felt extremely rushed and out of place.
The romance was definitely the worst out of the three. The chemistry felt very forced, and while there were attempts at emotional development, they were mediocre at best. And the whole "oh I [Grant] don't want to be like my father" thing was so lame.
I decided to add an extra half star simply because the plot, other than the horrible ending, actually wasn't too bad. It was better than No Control and more eventful/intricate than No Regrets, though the first book did set up its plot better. I liked Dale as a character, and I was glad he succeeded despite all the trauma from his father Wyatt. I certainly liked the Wyatt plot better than the one involving Keith.
Overall, this series started off promising, but the romances quickly grew boring and the characters flat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2013
4.5 stars
What an incredible ending to the "No" series.
I really enjoyed the other two books in the series, but this one.. this one was I think the best of them all (I loved that Colonel Monroe wasn't pulling his manipulative strings on his boys in this one).
Grant is so emotionally broken, but with Isabelle's help he learns to be the complete man he was meant to be.
.. and Isabelle, what an amazingly strong, confident, intelligent, generous, loving woman.
Life was never easy for her, and despite her upbringing, she persevered, beat the odds, and established a good life.
She is the 'perfect' woman to love Grant, but also to teach him that he's worthy to love himself.
I loved the action and suspense in this story, and even though the reader knows who the bad guy(s) are early on in the book, it is such an amazing ride to see how they get caught and how the H/h figure it out.
This story 'had me' right from the start, and I couldn't put it down right til the very end (bless you heart Shannon K. Butcher for the wonderful epilogue..I friggen LOVE epilogue's)!
Glad I found this series!
Highly recommend this book!
March 26, 2009
4 ½ stars – Romantic Suspense
No Control is the third book in Shannon K. Butcher’s romantic suspense Delta Force trilogy, and perhaps the best in the series. Delta Force operative Grant Kent gets a call from his childhood friend Isabelle about the apparent suicides of some of their former foster siblings. She suspects they were murdered and fears she might be next, so Grant goes into full protector mode and insists on staying with her until the killer is caught. There are a couple of subplots involving Isabelle and Grant’s past as foster siblings and Isabelle’s foster kid Dale and his crazy ex-con father, but it all weaves together well. Grant and Isabelle are a likable H/H and couple and their relationship is believable, romantic, and sweet. It’s obvious that they belong together, so I got a little frustrated with Grant’s whole I-don’t-deserve-happiness self-pity routine, but luckily he comes to his senses. There’s a good balance of romance, action, mystery, and suspense, and some pretty steamy scenes. It’s a good romantic suspense read...I really enjoyed it.
No Control is the third book in Shannon K. Butcher’s romantic suspense Delta Force trilogy, and perhaps the best in the series. Delta Force operative Grant Kent gets a call from his childhood friend Isabelle about the apparent suicides of some of their former foster siblings. She suspects they were murdered and fears she might be next, so Grant goes into full protector mode and insists on staying with her until the killer is caught. There are a couple of subplots involving Isabelle and Grant’s past as foster siblings and Isabelle’s foster kid Dale and his crazy ex-con father, but it all weaves together well. Grant and Isabelle are a likable H/H and couple and their relationship is believable, romantic, and sweet. It’s obvious that they belong together, so I got a little frustrated with Grant’s whole I-don’t-deserve-happiness self-pity routine, but luckily he comes to his senses. There’s a good balance of romance, action, mystery, and suspense, and some pretty steamy scenes. It’s a good romantic suspense read...I really enjoyed it.
December 20, 2010
This book was definitely my favorite in the series! I liked the other two alright, but I felt they were a little too heavily weighted down by a lot of military mumbo jumbo.
Even though Grant used to be in the military, this book was more straight romantic suspense than the other two. I loved his entire backstory and history with Isabelle. The mystery in the book was really well done, and even though the killer was revealed fairly early, it was possibly even creepier to really see how integrated he was in their lives while they had no clue he was entirely bonkers. Every time anyone was alone with him, it was a tense situation for me.
What's better than a book with a tortured hero? A book with a tortured hero, tormented heroine, and lots of troubled orphans. It had all the elements I love in a book, and Shannon Butcher did a good job with the writing...it flowed very seamlessly, as opposed to many of her other books. I am not always the biggest fan of her writing style.
The ending was great, and the epilogue was appropriately sweet. Grant's inner conflict seemed a little too quickly resolved right at the end, but I enjoyed everything leading up to his self-realization.
Good book!
Even though Grant used to be in the military, this book was more straight romantic suspense than the other two. I loved his entire backstory and history with Isabelle. The mystery in the book was really well done, and even though the killer was revealed fairly early, it was possibly even creepier to really see how integrated he was in their lives while they had no clue he was entirely bonkers. Every time anyone was alone with him, it was a tense situation for me.
What's better than a book with a tortured hero? A book with a tortured hero, tormented heroine, and lots of troubled orphans. It had all the elements I love in a book, and Shannon Butcher did a good job with the writing...it flowed very seamlessly, as opposed to many of her other books. I am not always the biggest fan of her writing style.
The ending was great, and the epilogue was appropriately sweet. Grant's inner conflict seemed a little too quickly resolved right at the end, but I enjoyed everything leading up to his self-realization.
Good book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2008
Everyone around Isabelle Carson are dying. The police aren’t concerned because to them these people took their own lives. Isabelle does not want to consider that could be possible especially when two of the people were Isabelle closest friends. Isabelle knows they won’t kill themselves when they have little kids around. Isabelle calls Grant to warn him. When Grant receives Isabelle message he comes running right away to protect Isabelle but Grant might be the one that needs protecting from Isabelle. The longer Grant is around Isabelle the faster he is falling in love with her again.
When you think of Grant Kent, there is only one word to describe him…H-O-T. Grant Kent is what heroes are made of. He is tall, dark and deadly but has a heart of a lover.
Right away No Escape gets your heart racing a hundred miles a minute with no end in sight. Shannon K. Butcher throws all the punches and holds nothing back. No Escape is moving at a rapid pace and if you don’t watch out No Escape will blow you away. I had no clue who was the villain in this book. The ending did not let me down. I will definitely read more by Ms Butcher
When you think of Grant Kent, there is only one word to describe him…H-O-T. Grant Kent is what heroes are made of. He is tall, dark and deadly but has a heart of a lover.
Right away No Escape gets your heart racing a hundred miles a minute with no end in sight. Shannon K. Butcher throws all the punches and holds nothing back. No Escape is moving at a rapid pace and if you don’t watch out No Escape will blow you away. I had no clue who was the villain in this book. The ending did not let me down. I will definitely read more by Ms Butcher
March 27, 2010
Suspenseful, porny, a little cliched but a good book to read when you don't necessarily want to think too deeply about what you're reading about.
The character's were pretty developed and the only real issues I had were there was too much info about the killer - they showed his victims and about halfway in the book the read knows who the killer is and you're just really annoyed that no one else does until the end - Dale could've been expounded upon and I would've liked to have seen more of an interaction between Isabelle and Amanda.
All in all, a pretty good mystery-romance-thriller and this is the last book in the Delta Force series. You don't need to read the other two to enjoy this book (I haven't read the other two and I enjoyed this one) if you want a better back story on Grant and the guys (Caleb and David make brief appearances in this book) then you should pick up the other two.
The character's were pretty developed and the only real issues I had were there was too much info about the killer - they showed his victims and about halfway in the book the read knows who the killer is and you're just really annoyed that no one else does until the end - Dale could've been expounded upon and I would've liked to have seen more of an interaction between Isabelle and Amanda.
All in all, a pretty good mystery-romance-thriller and this is the last book in the Delta Force series. You don't need to read the other two to enjoy this book (I haven't read the other two and I enjoyed this one) if you want a better back story on Grant and the guys (Caleb and David make brief appearances in this book) then you should pick up the other two.
October 7, 2008
I enjoyed this final book in the first trilogy by Shannon K. Butcher, but was disappointed by a couple of things:
1: Caleb and David from the first two books only make brief phone appearances, losing some of the commradery of the previous stories. And this one eliminates the very cool uber villains of the Swarm, creating instead an entirely new basis for danger that was really interesting and well crafted but very different in tone and motivation. Essentially, I felt like this book belonged in a different series, albeit one I still would have wanted to read.
1: Caleb and David from the first two books only make brief phone appearances, losing some of the commradery of the previous stories. And this one eliminates the very cool uber villains of the Swarm, creating instead an entirely new basis for danger that was really interesting and well crafted but very different in tone and motivation. Essentially, I felt like this book belonged in a different series, albeit one I still would have wanted to read.
September 6, 2015
Even though I figured out the killer fairly early this intense romantic suspense kept me enthralled and on edge of my seat at times as well.
The very thought of who turned out to be the villain turns my stomach.
The relationships that grew with Grant, Isabelle and Dale though more than made up for any anxiety as they were all in need of each other so when they finally let that connection gell it was awesome to watch unfold.
All in all this was another good addition to the trilogy, wonderful that Grant found his way to happiness at long last!
The very thought of who turned out to be the villain turns my stomach.
The relationships that grew with Grant, Isabelle and Dale though more than made up for any anxiety as they were all in need of each other so when they finally let that connection gell it was awesome to watch unfold.
All in all this was another good addition to the trilogy, wonderful that Grant found his way to happiness at long last!
July 1, 2009
Slow and almost boring. Not like her other books at all.
April 7, 2019
There’s no mystery. The killer is revealed pretty early on & a side story that keeps getting in the way. The sex scenes were over the top for me. Not a bad book but not a greT one either.
September 28, 2019
3.5 stars. I liked the foster kids storyline but didn’t like Grant very much to be honest.
June 25, 2020
This was a great suspense read,even knowing who the killer was!!!:) Thank you Shannon K Butcher:)
August 8, 2022
I enjoyed the book, but it's not my usual read. The murder plot was intriguing and well-written. I liked the parallels between the past and the present regarding foster kids and difficult situations.
October 5, 2022
Enjoyed this book a lot...even though I liked the first two books of this series better. I wish there had been more interaction between the three friends more.
September 25, 2010
3.5 stars. Excellent romantic suspense but I had problems with the reasons for conflict between hero and heroine.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author’s writing style for romantic suspense. I would have given it 5 stars if the author would have used different reasons for separation and conflict between the hero and heroine. I describe these conflict methods under Spoilers below. Aside from that, the characters were neat. The story was good and well developed. The bad guy was cunning, scary and successful with his murders. He would spray his victims with a substance that caused immediate paralysis of all their muscles, but it only lasted for a matter of minutes, long enough for him to tie them up and do some things.
Warning for sensitive readers: the story includes a lot of death and violence.
STORY BRIEF:
Edgar Lavine was a foster parent to a group of kids. He sexually abused almost all of them. As a teen, Grant was assigned to the home. Shortly after arriving, Grant saw Edgar begin to rape Isabelle. Grant pulled Edgar off and killed him. Grant was taken by the police afterwards. Grant was in the military special forces for a number of years and recently left the military to start another job. Isabelle sent Christmas cards to Grant over the years. All of a sudden, some of the foster kids, now grown up, are dying. The police believe they are suicides. Isabelle believes they were murdered. She contacts Grant asking for his help.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
As soon as they become intimate, Isabelle wants to push Grant out of her life because she believes he is going to leave, and she doesn’t want to be hurt by him later. She has only been around him for a couple of days, and she believes he doesn’t want the kind of life she wants. She’s not giving it a chance. Besides, in the end he did want that kind of life. Why stop a relationship before the couple has time to see if it might work? I didn’t like her thinking.
Isabelle is a foster mother for Dale and is temporarily taking care of Rachel. Grant is getting along great with Dale and Rachel. Later in the story when they believe the bad guy is caught, Isabelle insists that Grant leave town. Her thoughts on page 382: “She knew sending him away now was the right thing to do. Better now than when they could no longer live without him – when everyone around her loved him as much as she did.” Grant cared about the kids, was a good influence on them and was helping them. I think it’s great to have a person like that in the kid’s lives, even if Grant had to leave later. He could talk to them by phone and have a supportive long distance relationship with them. I recently heard someone say “children need all the love they can get from anywhere they can get it.” This part of the story bothered me. If other readers don’t mind this, they may find it an excellent book.
I loved what Grant did when he was sprayed with the paralyzing spray. As a sniper, he had practiced slowing his heartbeat before shooting. When he was sprayed, he concentrated on speeding up his heartbeat in hopes of metabolizing the spray faster than the murderer expected. I’m not giving away whether or not he was successful at it or what happened. I just hadn’t thought of this idea before, so I label it as creative.
DATA:
Story length: 412 pages. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 29. Setting: current day Springfield, Missouri. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon K. Butcher books, see my 5 star review of “No Regrets” posted 10/13/08.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love this author’s writing style for romantic suspense. I would have given it 5 stars if the author would have used different reasons for separation and conflict between the hero and heroine. I describe these conflict methods under Spoilers below. Aside from that, the characters were neat. The story was good and well developed. The bad guy was cunning, scary and successful with his murders. He would spray his victims with a substance that caused immediate paralysis of all their muscles, but it only lasted for a matter of minutes, long enough for him to tie them up and do some things.
Warning for sensitive readers: the story includes a lot of death and violence.
STORY BRIEF:
Edgar Lavine was a foster parent to a group of kids. He sexually abused almost all of them. As a teen, Grant was assigned to the home. Shortly after arriving, Grant saw Edgar begin to rape Isabelle. Grant pulled Edgar off and killed him. Grant was taken by the police afterwards. Grant was in the military special forces for a number of years and recently left the military to start another job. Isabelle sent Christmas cards to Grant over the years. All of a sudden, some of the foster kids, now grown up, are dying. The police believe they are suicides. Isabelle believes they were murdered. She contacts Grant asking for his help.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
As soon as they become intimate, Isabelle wants to push Grant out of her life because she believes he is going to leave, and she doesn’t want to be hurt by him later. She has only been around him for a couple of days, and she believes he doesn’t want the kind of life she wants. She’s not giving it a chance. Besides, in the end he did want that kind of life. Why stop a relationship before the couple has time to see if it might work? I didn’t like her thinking.
Isabelle is a foster mother for Dale and is temporarily taking care of Rachel. Grant is getting along great with Dale and Rachel. Later in the story when they believe the bad guy is caught, Isabelle insists that Grant leave town. Her thoughts on page 382: “She knew sending him away now was the right thing to do. Better now than when they could no longer live without him – when everyone around her loved him as much as she did.” Grant cared about the kids, was a good influence on them and was helping them. I think it’s great to have a person like that in the kid’s lives, even if Grant had to leave later. He could talk to them by phone and have a supportive long distance relationship with them. I recently heard someone say “children need all the love they can get from anywhere they can get it.” This part of the story bothered me. If other readers don’t mind this, they may find it an excellent book.
I loved what Grant did when he was sprayed with the paralyzing spray. As a sniper, he had practiced slowing his heartbeat before shooting. When he was sprayed, he concentrated on speeding up his heartbeat in hopes of metabolizing the spray faster than the murderer expected. I’m not giving away whether or not he was successful at it or what happened. I just hadn’t thought of this idea before, so I label it as creative.
DATA:
Story length: 412 pages. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 29. Setting: current day Springfield, Missouri. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon K. Butcher books, see my 5 star review of “No Regrets” posted 10/13/08.
November 6, 2012
Zum Inhalt: Als Grant Kent einen mysteriösen Anruf von seiner Freundin Isabelle bekommt, zögert er nicht und fährt sofort zu ihr. Nach langem Zögern gesteht Isabelle ihm schließlich, dass es in den letzten Wochen vermehrt zu dubiosen Selbstmordfällen gekommen ist, die alle in Verbindung zu der Pflegefamilie stehen, in der auch sie und Grant vor vierzehn Jahren untergebracht waren. Doch Isabella glaubt nicht an Selbstmord, denn die ehemaligen Schützlinge Lavines werden in der Reihenfolge ihrer Unterbringung umgebracht. Grant will dem nachgehen und beginnt selbst Nachforschungen anzustellen, doch dafür kommt er dem wahren Täter zu nah.
Isabelle hat neben den Todesfällen auch noch andere Sorgen. Ihr Pflegesohn Dale wird von seinem leiblichen Vater terrorisiert. Dale musste als kleines Kind mit ansehen, wie sein Dad Wyatt seine Mutter erschlagen hat und auch ihn selbst mehrfach krankenhausreif geprügelt hat. Sie ist erleichtert, als Grant ins Haus zieht und ein Auge auf den Jungen hat.
Die Charaktere: Die beiden Hauptprotagonisten sind Grant Kent, ein ehemaliger Delta-Force-Agent und die smarte Isabelle Carson. Während Grant auf dem Weg in ein neues Leben ist und einen Job bei seinem Freund David annehmen möchte, erhält er den Hilferuf einer ehemaligen Freundin. Sofort ist er zur Stelle und stellt seine privaten Pläne hinten an. Bisher hat er den Ruf eines Schürzenjägers, doch bei dem Anblick von Isabelle gerät seine Welt ins Wanken. Kann es tatsächlich sein, dass er sich in die junge Frau verliebt hat?
Isabelle ist eine selbstbewusste Persönlichkeit, die einen starken Beschützerinstinkt entwickelt hat. Da sie selbst in Pflegefamilien groß geworden ist, hat sie sich dafür entschieden, anderen Kindern ebenfalls ein gutes Zuhause zu bieten. Dale ist ihr seit ein paar Wochen ein guter Pflegesohn und sie genießt die Zeit mit dem Jugendlichen, der sie aus ihrer Einsamkeit herausholt. Als Grant vor ihrer Tür steht, kann sie es zunächst nicht glauben. Seit sie ihn vor vierzehn Jahren das letzte Mal sah, hat er sich sehr verändert, doch die zarte Liebe von damals flammt sofort wieder auf. Sie lässt ihn in ihr Haus und schließlich auch in ihr Herz. Doch die Angst vor dem Verlassen werden bleibt, schließlich kennt sie den Ruf des Mannes, in den sie sich verliebt hat.
Meine Meinung: Gleich von Beginn an ist der Leser an die Erzählung gefesselt. Die Geschichte wird auf über 440 Seiten authentisch, spannend und romantisch erzählt. Die beiden Protagonisten sind lebendig und realistisch beschrieben. Ihre Eigenschaften und Handlungen wirken logisch und nachvollziehbar, ihre Ängste und Sorgen offen und ehrlich. Der solide Handlungsstrang ist gut ausgearbeitet und der Spannungsbogen zieht sich vom Anfang bis zum Ende. Zunächst wird der Leser auf eine falsche Fährte gelockt, doch nach und nach ergeben sich die Zusammenhänge. Auch die anderen Charaktere sind anschaulich wiedergegeben und fügen sich nahtlos in die Geschichte ein. Durch einen steten Wechsel der Sichtweise, fällt es leicht, sich in jede Person hineinzuversetzen und der Handlung zu folgen.
Zur Autorin: Mit den Büchern "Blicke nicht zurück" und "Die Last der Schuld" hat die Autorin Shannon K. Butcher den Auftakt zur Delta-Force-Trilogie bereits geschrieben. Der dritte Band "Es gibt kein Entkommen" ist im Oktober 2012 beim Egmont-Lyx-Verlag erschienen.
Mein Fazit: Eine sehr spannende und zugleich romantische Erzählung, die wunderbar
unterhält und die Trilogie perfekt abschließt. Zwei sympathische Charaktere und eine glaubhafte Handlung haben mich vollkommen überzeugt. Das beste Buch der ganzen Delta-Force-Reihe von Shannon K. Butcher.
Isabelle hat neben den Todesfällen auch noch andere Sorgen. Ihr Pflegesohn Dale wird von seinem leiblichen Vater terrorisiert. Dale musste als kleines Kind mit ansehen, wie sein Dad Wyatt seine Mutter erschlagen hat und auch ihn selbst mehrfach krankenhausreif geprügelt hat. Sie ist erleichtert, als Grant ins Haus zieht und ein Auge auf den Jungen hat.
Die Charaktere: Die beiden Hauptprotagonisten sind Grant Kent, ein ehemaliger Delta-Force-Agent und die smarte Isabelle Carson. Während Grant auf dem Weg in ein neues Leben ist und einen Job bei seinem Freund David annehmen möchte, erhält er den Hilferuf einer ehemaligen Freundin. Sofort ist er zur Stelle und stellt seine privaten Pläne hinten an. Bisher hat er den Ruf eines Schürzenjägers, doch bei dem Anblick von Isabelle gerät seine Welt ins Wanken. Kann es tatsächlich sein, dass er sich in die junge Frau verliebt hat?
Isabelle ist eine selbstbewusste Persönlichkeit, die einen starken Beschützerinstinkt entwickelt hat. Da sie selbst in Pflegefamilien groß geworden ist, hat sie sich dafür entschieden, anderen Kindern ebenfalls ein gutes Zuhause zu bieten. Dale ist ihr seit ein paar Wochen ein guter Pflegesohn und sie genießt die Zeit mit dem Jugendlichen, der sie aus ihrer Einsamkeit herausholt. Als Grant vor ihrer Tür steht, kann sie es zunächst nicht glauben. Seit sie ihn vor vierzehn Jahren das letzte Mal sah, hat er sich sehr verändert, doch die zarte Liebe von damals flammt sofort wieder auf. Sie lässt ihn in ihr Haus und schließlich auch in ihr Herz. Doch die Angst vor dem Verlassen werden bleibt, schließlich kennt sie den Ruf des Mannes, in den sie sich verliebt hat.
Meine Meinung: Gleich von Beginn an ist der Leser an die Erzählung gefesselt. Die Geschichte wird auf über 440 Seiten authentisch, spannend und romantisch erzählt. Die beiden Protagonisten sind lebendig und realistisch beschrieben. Ihre Eigenschaften und Handlungen wirken logisch und nachvollziehbar, ihre Ängste und Sorgen offen und ehrlich. Der solide Handlungsstrang ist gut ausgearbeitet und der Spannungsbogen zieht sich vom Anfang bis zum Ende. Zunächst wird der Leser auf eine falsche Fährte gelockt, doch nach und nach ergeben sich die Zusammenhänge. Auch die anderen Charaktere sind anschaulich wiedergegeben und fügen sich nahtlos in die Geschichte ein. Durch einen steten Wechsel der Sichtweise, fällt es leicht, sich in jede Person hineinzuversetzen und der Handlung zu folgen.
Zur Autorin: Mit den Büchern "Blicke nicht zurück" und "Die Last der Schuld" hat die Autorin Shannon K. Butcher den Auftakt zur Delta-Force-Trilogie bereits geschrieben. Der dritte Band "Es gibt kein Entkommen" ist im Oktober 2012 beim Egmont-Lyx-Verlag erschienen.
Mein Fazit: Eine sehr spannende und zugleich romantische Erzählung, die wunderbar
unterhält und die Trilogie perfekt abschließt. Zwei sympathische Charaktere und eine glaubhafte Handlung haben mich vollkommen überzeugt. Das beste Buch der ganzen Delta-Force-Reihe von Shannon K. Butcher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2021
This was my favorite of the whole trilogy and I loved the mystery and suspense. Both Grant and Isabelle were great characters who only had a few moments of annoyance. There is a lot going on in this book but Shannon K. Butcher balances it all really well.
I liked that the relationship between Grant and Isabelle didn’t have all the landmines that the previous books have had. No Regrets had all of David’s guilt over his dead wife and the issues of moving on and No Control had the horrible circumstance that Caleb and Lana “meet” in. This one actually allowed a closer initial bond between our characters that still had tension but not quite so much tragedy. I think this helped in how I felt about this book and it made me like Grant and Isabelle as a couple more.
Grant doesn’t want sleeping together to put a strain on their friendship. Isabelle agrees that they are adults and can handle it, but the next morning, Isabelle goes into full retreat mode and lets it get in the way of their easy friendship. Then she throws that friendship back in Grant’s face and claims her letters and cards weren’t anything special. They work things out shortly thereafter but I just wanted to scream at Isabelle for being the stereotypical annoying heroine.
I had some issues with the way Grant’s friendship with David and Caleb was handled. It just didn’t seem to match the close bond we’ve seen in the previous books .
I liked that the relationship between Grant and Isabelle didn’t have all the landmines that the previous books have had. No Regrets had all of David’s guilt over his dead wife and the issues of moving on and No Control had the horrible circumstance that Caleb and Lana “meet” in. This one actually allowed a closer initial bond between our characters that still had tension but not quite so much tragedy. I think this helped in how I felt about this book and it made me like Grant and Isabelle as a couple more.
Grant doesn’t want sleeping together to put a strain on their friendship. Isabelle agrees that they are adults and can handle it, but the next morning, Isabelle goes into full retreat mode and lets it get in the way of their easy friendship. Then she throws that friendship back in Grant’s face and claims her letters and cards weren’t anything special. They work things out shortly thereafter but I just wanted to scream at Isabelle for being the stereotypical annoying heroine.
I had some issues with the way Grant’s friendship with David and Caleb was handled. It just didn’t seem to match the close bond we’ve seen in the previous books .
March 3, 2010
Grant Kent is ready to begin his new life post-military, working in security with old friends. He doesn't have too many old friends. There are the two guys he's going to work with and a young woman who sends him birthday and Christmas cards. She was a foster child, housed temporarily in the same place with Grant.
So when Isabelle Carson leaves him a cryptic message to be careful, Grant has to check it out.
Isabelle has discovered that several of the former foster children who lived where she did have died. It always seems to be a case of suicide, but Isabelle doesn't believe that. And she's right. They are being killed off one by one.
She contacted Grant to warn him but, hero that he is, Grant comes to see her. And the sparks are instantaneous. Before they spontaneously combust, however, Isabelle and Grant have to battle a very odd serial killer.
Isabelle's life isn't wrapped up in the past. She has taken in a foster child herself, a teenager abandoned by his criminal dad with no other family. Dale is a terrific young man who hasn't had much stability. When Dad shows up to claim his boy, Isabelle isn't about to hand him over. But what will Dale think and do?
And can Grant contribute anything positive? The foster home in which he and Isabelle were co-tenants was anything but a happy place. What does he know about stability? About long-lasting love?
Shannon Butcher does a superb job of combining the search for clues in the deaths of the former foster children with the search of hero and heroine to comes to terms with their past lives, the possibility they have a future, and how to resolve what could be a dangerous situation for Isabelle's foster son.
NO ESCAPE is third in a trilogy by Butcher about three former military friends after they return to civilian life. If the first two, NO REGRETS and NO CONTROL, are anywhere near as well-written entertainments as the third, they are worth finding.
So when Isabelle Carson leaves him a cryptic message to be careful, Grant has to check it out.
Isabelle has discovered that several of the former foster children who lived where she did have died. It always seems to be a case of suicide, but Isabelle doesn't believe that. And she's right. They are being killed off one by one.
She contacted Grant to warn him but, hero that he is, Grant comes to see her. And the sparks are instantaneous. Before they spontaneously combust, however, Isabelle and Grant have to battle a very odd serial killer.
Isabelle's life isn't wrapped up in the past. She has taken in a foster child herself, a teenager abandoned by his criminal dad with no other family. Dale is a terrific young man who hasn't had much stability. When Dad shows up to claim his boy, Isabelle isn't about to hand him over. But what will Dale think and do?
And can Grant contribute anything positive? The foster home in which he and Isabelle were co-tenants was anything but a happy place. What does he know about stability? About long-lasting love?
Shannon Butcher does a superb job of combining the search for clues in the deaths of the former foster children with the search of hero and heroine to comes to terms with their past lives, the possibility they have a future, and how to resolve what could be a dangerous situation for Isabelle's foster son.
NO ESCAPE is third in a trilogy by Butcher about three former military friends after they return to civilian life. If the first two, NO REGRETS and NO CONTROL, are anywhere near as well-written entertainments as the third, they are worth finding.
September 11, 2011
Usually I try to do these Romance Roundups after reading a handful of paperback romances. This time, that handful just happens to be a trilogy written by Shannon K. Butcher (her husband, Jim Butcher, writes the Dresden Files books). Usually I try to find some unifying characteristic between the books in each roundup. Besides the obvious reason for the books being a trilogy (the three heroes are best friends and served together in the Delta Force [a vaguely described top-secret special ops division of the military]). The other thing these men share in common is that they all have their own skeletons in the closet that leave them thinking they don't deserve the love of a good woman.
In No Escape, now that the remnants of the Swarm have been destroyed, Grant Kent is free to leave Delta Force behind and join his buddies David and Caleb working for David's security firm in Denver. On his way there, he stops to visit Isabelle Carson, after she leaves him a mysterious voice mail. Grant was the one who killed their sexually abusive foster father years ago when he tried to rape Isabelle. Now other children who lived in the same foster home are committing suicide at an alarming rate, only Isabelle doesn't think it's suicide. As she and Grant try to determine who the killer is, they both have to deal with their troubled pasts and figure out if they'll ever heal enough to let each other in.
While I was just as riveted to this one, maybe even more so, it was too suspenseful for me to want to read again any time soon. Even before you know who the murderer is you are shown the violent deaths of several of Grant and Isabelle's foster brothers and sister in graphic detail. Finally discovering who the killer is only makes the horror worse. Maybe I'm being a little weak here, but my nerves were completely shot until I knew everyone was finally safe.
In No Escape, now that the remnants of the Swarm have been destroyed, Grant Kent is free to leave Delta Force behind and join his buddies David and Caleb working for David's security firm in Denver. On his way there, he stops to visit Isabelle Carson, after she leaves him a mysterious voice mail. Grant was the one who killed their sexually abusive foster father years ago when he tried to rape Isabelle. Now other children who lived in the same foster home are committing suicide at an alarming rate, only Isabelle doesn't think it's suicide. As she and Grant try to determine who the killer is, they both have to deal with their troubled pasts and figure out if they'll ever heal enough to let each other in.
While I was just as riveted to this one, maybe even more so, it was too suspenseful for me to want to read again any time soon. Even before you know who the murderer is you are shown the violent deaths of several of Grant and Isabelle's foster brothers and sister in graphic detail. Finally discovering who the killer is only makes the horror worse. Maybe I'm being a little weak here, but my nerves were completely shot until I knew everyone was finally safe.
March 24, 2011
I didn't like the psych of this one, it was unsettling, but it was a good read.
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they're suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she's ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago...
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next move: the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they're suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she's ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago...
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next move: the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
January 7, 2017
I really liked this one because it deals with something not often seen in books period, let alone Romance books: Fosterage.
Usually the main characters are all gun-ho about having their own children after they get married, which they usually are by the end of the book with the final page being the leading lady telling her man that he's going to be a proud pappa in a few months.
However, here the female lead is already fostering a teenage boy, as she was a foster child herself, and in the end as the boy goes off to college, the characters are married, and they're inviting another foster child into their home with no mention whatsoever of a biological child of their own. Quite unusual, and refreshing.
That's what lent me so well to this book. I like unusual and refreshing. It's also kinda sad that this is the last of the 'military' trilogy, They weren't so bad, and this one was the best of them all. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of them.
Usually the main characters are all gun-ho about having their own children after they get married, which they usually are by the end of the book with the final page being the leading lady telling her man that he's going to be a proud pappa in a few months.
However, here the female lead is already fostering a teenage boy, as she was a foster child herself, and in the end as the boy goes off to college, the characters are married, and they're inviting another foster child into their home with no mention whatsoever of a biological child of their own. Quite unusual, and refreshing.
That's what lent me so well to this book. I like unusual and refreshing. It's also kinda sad that this is the last of the 'military' trilogy, They weren't so bad, and this one was the best of them all. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of them.
June 29, 2012
That was an all round action packed story.
Everything was rounded up enough to make you sigh Happily Ever Afters All around.
Grant was an interesting character, an orphan at a young age who killed his foster father for molesting the children he fostered, but turned out well disciplined and courageous.
Isabelle one of the fostered children that was nearly raped just before Grant killed him is a school teacher that dreams if fostering children to help them, is also very courageous and feisty. As a couple they work very well and there live is believable. I loved that Isabelle had a crush on Grant when they we're younger.
The story is so action packed that I didn't think it would ever be resolved but the many sub plots as well as the main story are finished cleanly and satisfactorily.
I really enjoyed the trilogy, the men reminded me if the Heroes in her Sentinel series. Looking forward to what Shannon K Butcher comes up with next.
Everything was rounded up enough to make you sigh Happily Ever Afters All around.
Grant was an interesting character, an orphan at a young age who killed his foster father for molesting the children he fostered, but turned out well disciplined and courageous.
Isabelle one of the fostered children that was nearly raped just before Grant killed him is a school teacher that dreams if fostering children to help them, is also very courageous and feisty. As a couple they work very well and there live is believable. I loved that Isabelle had a crush on Grant when they we're younger.
The story is so action packed that I didn't think it would ever be resolved but the many sub plots as well as the main story are finished cleanly and satisfactorily.
I really enjoyed the trilogy, the men reminded me if the Heroes in her Sentinel series. Looking forward to what Shannon K Butcher comes up with next.
August 6, 2009
Review for No Regrets, No Control, and No Escape.
This is the second time I've read this trilogy by Shannon Butcher, wife of Jim Butcher (of Harry Dresden fame.)
On the surface, they're typical romantic suspense with alpha type heroes coming to the rescue of damsels in distress. What I love about Shannon is that there's more below the surface. Her heroes are luscious and very likable. They're a bit flawed and vulnerable as well. The heroines are in peril, but at the same time, they are strong woman who can more than hold their own. The chemistry between the couples is palpable and the thrill aspect of the plot is decent as well-a little brutal, but definitely kept me turning pages.
I can pretty much guarantee I'm buying anything that Shannon puts on the market.
This is the second time I've read this trilogy by Shannon Butcher, wife of Jim Butcher (of Harry Dresden fame.)
On the surface, they're typical romantic suspense with alpha type heroes coming to the rescue of damsels in distress. What I love about Shannon is that there's more below the surface. Her heroes are luscious and very likable. They're a bit flawed and vulnerable as well. The heroines are in peril, but at the same time, they are strong woman who can more than hold their own. The chemistry between the couples is palpable and the thrill aspect of the plot is decent as well-a little brutal, but definitely kept me turning pages.
I can pretty much guarantee I'm buying anything that Shannon puts on the market.
January 21, 2014
NO ESCAPE - DELTA FORCE #2 - (Grant and Isabelle)
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they're suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she's ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago...
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next move: the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they're suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it's only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she's ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago...
For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he'd rather deny. Yet he can't ignore the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage and plots his next move: the "suicide" of Isabelle Carson.
June 14, 2012
No Escape was a pretty good, more like 3.5 than a 3 stars. Grant was a great hero who steps right in to help the woman he once protected when they were both kids even though they haven't seen each other since that time. Isabelle is smart, sweet, and kind, and torn between wanting to push Grant away to keep him safe and keeping him close because she has always loved him. Needless to say Grant is hardly the character that will allow himself to be pushed away. There are a couple side plots to add suspense and they are both well handled, but the real enjoyment is the romance, which is very well done. I did specifically pick this up because it is an IR novel, but the heroine's heritage or race was never used to enhancer her character beyond her looks, which was disappointing.
July 16, 2012
I think anyone who likes romantic suspense will enjoy this book, but I personally thought the suspense levels were too high due to too many people trying to kill the heroine. Because of this, I couldn’t appreciate any romantic tension between the hero and heroine. I do like that the author brought up the issue of foster care and the children in it - I just hope readers with less exposure to it than myself come away convinced that good foster parents are desperately needed and can make a world of difference rather than that foster kids will possibly grow up to be murderous psychopaths.
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